Boulder – In the back of the Colorado offensive meeting room, where coach Dan Hawkins explained to reporters the ins and outs and hurts of the Buffaloes’ sixth consecutive loss Saturday to start this season, quarterback Bernard Jackson looked like he needed a hug.
He didn’t have to wait long for one.
Hawkins didn’t feel so hot, either, after CU’s 34-31 triple-overtime loss to Baylor. Explaining why your team can’t win six weeks in a row is draining. Going through it is worse. Hawkins stepped down from the podium, strode toward the back of the room and gave Jackson the hug he needed.
Then, Jackson walked the line. Or the plank. That’s probably what it felt like, trudging up to be questioned on three interceptions at Folsom Field. The last one ended the Big 12 game suddenly – in the end zone, in the third overtime – when there was hope and expectation the Buffs would win. All the CU fans could do was stare at the field. All the CU players could do was shake their heads in disbelief.
All the Bears did was storm the field and pile on each other in glee.
Colorado doesn’t know what glee is anymore. Right now, the Buffs are at the crossroads of struggling for their season. Players are fighting with emotions. Coaches are now in a dogfight to not lose them for the rest of the season.
It won’t be easy.
CU cornerback Lorenzo Sims stared at the floor and shook his head, flopping his dreadlocks back and forth at the state of the team, which is one loss from tying the worst start in school history and one loss from setting the record for consecutive losses.
“It’s becoming hard to keep all these guys’ heads in it,” he said. “If you’re a freshman, you come in, you look at everything; we’ve got new coaches. Maybe people aren’t getting the offense, maybe people aren’t getting the defense and they are looking at things like, ‘OK, we’ll get things next year. We’ll take this season as a loss, and we’ll just come back next year.’
“For the seniors, it’s a countdown. Even for a senior it’s hard to come back when the same things are happening week after week after week. We’re a good team, we just need to find a way to win. It’s kind of late in the season to say that, but we still have games. If we were a bad team, I wouldn’t care as much. But we’re a good team.”
Wins are scarce all around. Colorado hasn’t won since Nov. 5, 2005, a 41-12 rout of Missouri. Since then, the Buffs have lost 10 straight. But this isn’t confined to only CU.
Hawkins ended his Boise State career with a loss in the MPC Computers Bowl. He has gone 318 calendar days without a win. He last stood in the victory circle Nov. 26, 2005, when the Broncos beat Louisiana Tech.
By the time he gets another shot, that number will be 325 days. And counting.
“Sometimes life keeps serving it up, and it doesn’t always serve it the way we want it to serve it up,” Hawkins said. “But we can predetermine what our response is going to be.”
Perhaps as bad as the loss was the manner in which it took place. Baylor lined up and pushed around the Buffs. The Bears came in with the worst rushing offense in the nation, had never run for more than 62 yards in a game, but gashed the Buffs for 110 yards.
Baylor’s passing offense had put up good numbers throughout the season, and it was no different against CU. The Bears had 272 yards passing and 382 total.
“It is time our kids got a break,” Baylor coach Guy Morriss said.
Baylor (3-3) is 2-0 in the Big 12 for the first time. Colorado (0-6, 0-2) can’t catch a break, and it’s starting to grate.
“I’m getting tired of talking about improving and trying to get that win,” Buffs kicker Mason Crosby said. “We need to get on that track pretty quick.”
History lesson
After Colorado’s triple-overtime loss Saturday to visiting Baylor, the Buffaloes are off to their worst start since 1980, when the team lost its first seven games before finishing 1-10. A list of CU’s longest losing streaks in its 117 years of football:
Streak | Seasons
10 2005-06*
10 1963-64*
8 1890-91*
7 1980
7 1962
(*-over two seasons)
– Note: The 1982 team went winless for seven straight games, with a tie to Oklahoma State in the fourth game of that skid.
THE GRADES
Offense
C: Quarterback Bernard Jackson suffered through three interceptions, including the game-clincher in the third overtime. CU’s offense finally put points on the board in the second half, but was mostly inconsistent.
Defense
F: Colorado forced three turnovers, ironically in its worst performance of the season. Baylor, not known for rushing, ran the ball down CU’s throat, and the precise throwing of Baylor quarterback Shawn Bell provided the icing on a 382-yard day.
Special teams
C: Kicker Mason Crosby uncharacteristically missed a 36-yard field goal and the CU return game continued to struggle. Kickoff coverage allowed Baylor to average 40.5 yards per return. Punter Matthew DiLallo was a bright spot, averaging 51.8 yards and placing two inside the 20-yard line.
Overall
D: The offense didn’t take a step forward, but didn’t regress either. The defense, however, has been taking steady steps backward in the past two weeks. Colorado has too many problem areas that continue to crop up each week.
Staff writer Chris Dempsey can be reached at 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com.
