Boulder – Listening to Colorado football players Thursday, maybe it’s no surprise that classes started this week.
At a booster club luncheon, coach Dan Hawkins invoked a favorite saying of Nelson Mandela’s about the need for unity through good times and bad. And junior cornerback Ben Burney referenced the Roman Empire when describing how he might feel Saturday morning taking the turf at Invesco Field at Mile High against Colorado State.
“It’s like the Colosseum,” said Burney, whose father, Jacob, is the defensive line coach of the Broncos. “You feel like a Roman or something, back in the day.”
Keeping the focus on football would seem difficult for any college student-athlete this week. The CU campus bustled with thousands of returned underclassmen, and figures of authority other than Hawkins are now demanding excellence from the players in the classroom.
“The schoolwork doesn’t get too heavy in the first week. Mostly just the syllabi are handed out and stuff, so it’s not that much of a distraction,” Burney said. “For the freshmen, they’re not used to the whole college thing yet, so for them it’s about staying on an even keel. You try to tell them not to stress out too much, that they still have the weekend to get stuff done.”
One such freshman, inside linebacker Tyler Ahles, said he can’t wait to experience his first state showdown.
“Everyone’s pumped up about it. We’re looking forward to it,” Ahles said. “Coach Hawkins has talked about getting our horns out, and that’s what we’ve got to do.”
Thursday was the Buffs’ last full practice before Saturday; they have a one-hour walkthrough today.
“I didn’t chart anything, but there were very few balls on the ground, very few missed assignments,” Hawkins said after Thursday’s practice. “The kids ran around pretty good. So, I think they’re ready.”
Staff writer Adrian Dater can be reached at 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com.
