Boulder – As far as tough graders go, college football coaches must rank up there with law school professors and driving school instructors.
Coaches don’t hand out many perfect scores, as Colorado redshirt freshman quarterback Cody Hawkins discovered after game tape of Saturday’s 31-28 overtime win over Colorado State was graded by the staff.
Actually, Hawkins said he expected a critical review. Yes, the head coach’s elder son made a headline-grabbing college debut by throwing for 201 yards and two touchdowns. But coaches pointed out Tuesday that Hawkins also:
* Lost a second-quarter fumble when he didn’t handle a low snap in the shotgun formation.
* Threw a fourth-quarter interception on a flea-flicker that should have been thrown away.
* Was almost intercepted in the end zone on the third-down play before Big 12 special-teams player of the week Kevin Eberhart tied the game in regulation on a field goal with 13 seconds remaining.
* Missed several open receivers with poorly thrown passes.
Offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich hopes Hawkins will make fewer errors Saturday night at Arizona State (1-0).
“Cody can play a lot better; he didn’t play as well as he’s shown in practice,” Helfrich said. “He just has to keep playing. We have to realize he’s taken only about 60 snaps in college football.”
Coach Dan Hawkins pointed to the near interception near the end of regulation. If Cody had thrown the ball a few inches higher, it probably would not have been tipped by a CSU defender and might have reached tight end Tyson DeVree for a game-winning touchdown.
Coach Hawkins wonders if the potential reward was worth the risk. An interception would have sealed a CSU victory.
“Over time, you’re looking for some experience there,” Hawkins said Tuesday during his weekly media luncheon. “We talked to Cody before the play and said, ‘It’s either wide open, or you’re gunning it into the stands.’
“Great players totally think they can make plays. You have to be careful what you do with a player like that. I think Cody has some moxie and is a pretty accurate passer, so you don’t want to squash that.”
Former pupil
During his time as an Arizona State assistant (2001-05), CU’s Helfrich helped recruit current ASU starting quarterback Rudy Carpenter, who threw for 197 yards and two touchdowns in a 45-3 season-opening win over San Jose State.
“Rudy is a great player,” Helfrich said. “He’s a tough kid. He’s smart. He understands football.”
Helfrich also helped recruit former ASU quarterbacks Sam Keller (now at Nebraska) and Max Hall (Brigham Young). Helfrich deserves some credit for convincing Cody Hawkins to sign with CU rather than Boise State.
“Those guys went 4-0 last week,” Helfrich said proudly.
Footnotes
Freshman wide receiver Josh Smith, out since late August with a bruised kidney, underwent an MRI on Tuesday, but results weren’t known. He is out for Saturday’s game. … Sophomore linebacker Michael Sipili, who was suspended last month pending the outcome of assault charges against him from a June 16 fight with a CU student, still has not had his case decided.
Staff writer Adrian Dater contributed to this report.
Staff writer Tom Kensler can be reached at 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com.
