Boulder – The Dan Hawkins who screamed into the KOA microphone in delirium during the halftime interview was the same Dan Hawkins who kept his tone even and his emotions composed after Saturday’s game.
They were both happy.
The halftime Hawkins knew what the postgame Hawkins explained after Colorado’s 33-16 win at Folsom Field – the Buffs’ team on the field was enticingly close to what he envisions CU to be.
The offense clicked on the same day the defense clicked. Punting? That was optional.
“I wanted to go the whole game without punting,” Hawkins said. “I’ve had a few of those in my career, starting to feel that whole ‘we can do what we want to do on offense’ mentality.”
That’s new.
And Hawkins wasn’t the only one to feel it.
“There were some plays that I tried to get called for myself, just to have some extra fun,” quarterback Bernard Jackson said. “We did pretty much what we wanted throughout the whole game and were successful at it. That’s exactly how our offense is supposed to be happening.”
When’s the last time CU (2-9, 2-5 Big 12) was able to say that?
Not this season. But that’s not all.
Play-calling? That was easier as well.
“We had them dialed in on a couple of formations,” CU offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich said. “It was fun. We made some plays that we haven’t made this year.”
Said Hawkins: “Today, I thought Mark was able to open it up, get in a rhythm and start really dialing up the defense and dissecting and seeing some things and making some adjustments. It was good for him as a play-caller and it was good for our offense.”
Jackson had his best day in a CU uniform, accounting for 269 total yards, including 200 yards passing. He threw for two touchdowns and ran for another.
The wide receivers got into the act. Alvin Barnett had four catches for 77 yards and his first career touchdown reception. Patrick Williams had four catches for 71 yards and a touchdown. Cody Crawford had three catches for 27 yards.
The CU rushing game chewed up 263 yards, led by Mell Holliday’s first 100-yard game in Division I-A. He ran for 126 yards, and, with an ear-to-ear smile on his face afterward, knew exactly when his previous 100-yard game was.
“In 2003 (for) Wayne (Neb.) State, against Waldorf College,” he said. “It was 13 carries for 135 yards, or something like that.”
It was actually 17 carries for 139 yards, but either way, Holliday said it felt good to hit the century mark.
“Actually it was a little better because it was the D-I level,” he said.
Also, Mason Crosby kicked four field goals and was just short on a 65-yard attempt.
And so it went.
Colorado jumped out to 30-7 lead and was never challenged. The Buffs scored on their first seven drives, out of nine total. CU had the ball for just 2:51 in the third quarter and still scored 10 points.
Meanwhile, Iowa State (3-8, 0-7) struggled.
“We really had some problems defensively today,” ISU coach Dan McCarney said. “Fundamentally, we were about as poor as we have been, which is really too bad.”
THE GRADES
Offense
A: For once, the offense worked mostly the way it’s designed to. Execution mistakes were held down enough for the Buffs to score on their first seven drives. Quarterback Bernard Jackson turned in his best performance of the season, and CU rolled up 463 total yards.
Defense
B: It wasn’t the best performance CU has ever had, but what the Buffs’ defense allowed in yardage it made up for in points kept off the scoreboard. Iowa State had just seven points until a field goal as time expired at the end of the third quarter.
Special teams
A: Kicker Mason Crosby was the unquestioned star of the day, being cheered even after missing a 65-yard field goal. Chase McBride broke off a 20-yard punt return and punter Matthew DiLallo didn’t even hit the field until late in the fourth quarter. But when he did, he booted a 58-yarder.
Overall
B: This wasn’t a mistake-free performance, but it was closer to what CU envisions itself to be than the error-prone team that took the field the majority of the season. For the last game played at Folsom Field this season, it was good for the CU seniors, the rest of the embattled players and coaches and the 43,056 in attendance.
Staff writer Chris Dempsey can be reached at 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com.
