Boulder – Colorado coach Dan Hawkins knows the real deal. Even though the Buffs remain “mathematically” eligible to win the Big 12 North Division, Hawkins knows a 1-7 record doesn’t exactly mean a division title and a bowl game are right around the corner.
The realization is starting to settle in for the first-year Buffs coach and his players that this season’s goals are all but gone.
Until Monday, the Buffaloes clung to those goals as a reason to stay strong in the face of a terrible start. Tuesday, for the first time, Hawkins and his players talked openly of their changing views.
“Well, we know that we’re not going to a bowl game, we know that we have no shot at the Big 12 championship, but right now it’s just focused on finishing hard,” wide receiver Jarrell Yates said. “We’re not trying to be lackadaisical. We still want victories these last four games. We just want to show people that we still have character.”
Said Hawkins: “We’ve talked about a lot of principle-based values in the football program, that you always want to start fast and finish strong. You always want to do that, regardless of what the score is. And so we’ve got several games here left, and we need to finish.
“So, you play for some altruistic reasons rather than, ‘Hey, we’re going to X-Y-Z bowl game.’ Having said that, a couple of years ago they were very much in a similar situation and still made it to the Big 12 championship game. So, we obviously have to win out and get help in a couple of other areas, but I’m sure that Northwestern and Michigan State will tell you that anything can happen.”
Hawkins referred to last weekend’s game in which Michigan State completed the greatest comeback in Division I-A history by rallying from a 38-3 third-quarter deficit to win 41-38 in regulation.
In 2004, CU opened the conference 1-4 (including three losses to South Division teams) but won its last three to make the title game against Oklahoma.
This season, the Buffs would have to win out and have a dizzying combination of things happen to have a chance of playing in the Big 12 title game for the fifth time in six years. It’s possible, because all of Colorado’s remaining games are against North Division competition, beginning Saturday at Kansas.
But no one is putting much stock in elaborate scenarios.
“I never would have thought that there would be a season like this, especially at this university, especially coming in here as a freshman,” senior cornerback Lorenzo Sims said. “That’s one of the reasons why I did decide to come here, because of the tradition. Winning here is a tradition. I never thought a losing season here would be possible.”
Asked what is left for him to play for, Sims said: “Just the opportunity for me to play four more college games. It’d be nice to win them, but it’s just four more opportunities to play a game in college.”
Said Hawkins: “I always say, you know it’s big boy football and you know you’re supposed to win and all that. But the other side is when you go through things like this, you ultimately find out what your staff’s about, what your players are about. I don’t have any doubts, because they’ve shown resiliency the whole time.”
Footnotes
Center Mark Fenton (fibula) said he expects to practice this week, but may have to ease into full contact, which leaves his status for Saturday uncertain. … Safety J.J. Billingsley (knee) said he expects to play at Kansas.
Chris Dempsey can be reached at 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com.
