Boulder – Things were different 363 days ago.
Very different.
Colorado was 7-2, Iowa State was playing for an outside shot at a division title, and neither coach seemed in particular trouble, with CU’s Gary Barnett then in the driver’s seat for a contract extension.
That was then.
When Colorado and Iowa State play Saturday at Folsom Field, they will do so as teams whose worlds have been turned upside down.
Colorado has a new coach, who has six fewer victories to this point than the former coach. Iowa State is soon to be without the only coach it has known since 1994; Dan McCarney announced his resignation Wednesday, effective at the end of the season.
And neither team has anything to play for other than pride – and to stay out of the Big 12 cellar. At 0-6 in conference play, the Cyclones are just one game behind the Buffs. The loser has the inside track at last place in the North Division and in the Big 12 overall.
“I don’t really look at that,” CU coach Dan Hawkins said. “‘Hey, guys, look at that, we didn’t finish in the cellar.’ Who wants that?”
That might be the wrong pep talk, but no one likes to finish last. Colorado will point to 10 or so plays over the course of the season that could have changed its fortunes.
But while Hawkins, other coaches and players might do that to prove a certain point, the CU coach said he doesn’t get too involved in lamenting what could have been.
“I’ve always believed that yesterday is yesterday and tomorrow is tomorrow,” Hawkins said. “If you get caught up too much in your successes or caught up too much in your defeats, I think you’re doing yourself a disservice either way. Unfortunately, like I told the team, we’re learning the extreme of one side of it, and hopefully there will be the other side.
“They sort of learned the extreme of the other side (last season). You’re 7-2, you’re ranked, you’re going to the Big 12 championship, things are good.”
Iowa State is a different story.
McCarney admitted this week the climate around the program had taken a turn for the worse. And that comes at a time when new athletic director Jamie Pollard is trying to raise funds.
The patience the previous administration showed McCarney had run out.
Injuries to major playmakers are the biggest factor why Iowa State hasn’t won a game since Sept. 30, 28-27 over Division I-AA Northern Iowa. But the understanding of that situation was outweighed by the sheer ugliness of the subsequent losses.
A year ago, Iowa State was surging. Now, like CU, it is struggling to capture some of what it once had.
“I’ll trust that the character and leadership of this team will remain strong,” McCarney said, “and that we’ll fight through this together, and try to finish up with our heads held high in the last couple of Big 12 games of the season.”
Chris Dempsey can be reached at 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com.
GAME BREAKDOWN
Players to watch
Colorado (1-9, 1-5 Big 12): Colorado’s seniors take center stage in their last game at Folsom Field, and there will be a pre-kickoff tribute to them. Kicker Mason Crosby, linebacker Thaddaeus Washington, defensive end Abraham Wright and guard Brian Daniels lead a extra-large group of 24 seniors.
Iowa State (3-7, 0-6): Junior quarterback Bret Meyer is one of the Big 12’s best talents, but he just hasn’t been able to show much of what he can do without playmakers around him. ISU might get receiver Todd Blythe back Saturday, which would go a long way toward helping Meyer be as effective as he can be.
Key stat
Iowa State is 0-4 on the road this season.
Key for Iowa State
Rhythm. The Cyclones haven’t found any continuity on offense for the vast majority of the season. If ISU can’t get in sync, it has potential to be another long day against a CU defense that has been good more often than not this season.
Key for Colorado
Consistency. The Buffs have put together two decent halves of football on both sides of the ball just once this season, in its win over Texas Tech. The offense must be on its game.
CHRIS DEMPSEY
