Boulder – Sometimes a single play can speak volumes to a college football coach.
Colorado offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich liked what he saw Saturday when Buffaloes quarterback Cody Hawkins threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Dusty Sprague in the fourth quarter of the 27-24 win over then-No. 3 Oklahoma.
The execution leading up to the pass couldn’t have worked better, Helfrich said.
A play-action fake handoff by Hawkins made the safety on the left side believe it was a running play. With the safety out of the picture, it was a matter of Sprague getting by Sooners cornerback Marcus Walker.
Walker has more speed than Sprague. But Walker hesitated for a split second on the play-action fake that involved CU wideout Stephone Robinson.
“(Walker) took a false step and flinched enough for Dusty to get behind him,” Helfrich said.
So far, so good. Hawkins threw a pretty pass, making sure he got enough air under it. But it was directed a bit inside of where the play was designed.
“Dusty did a nice job of adjusting to the ball,” Helfrich said. “I think offensively we took another step in the development of our guys just making plays that aren’t perfect. That’s a great sign of our guys evolving.”
Sprague, ever modest, said he had “the easy part” in his touchdown catch. It evened the score at 24-24 with 4:05 remaining, setting up Kevin Eberhart’s 45-yard field goal as time expired.
Sprague had beaten Walker by at least 5 yards. “For me, (Hawkins’ pass) couldn’t get there fast enough,” said Sprague, a senior from Holyoke.
The key is to continue to improve, Cody Hawkins said. Up next for the Buffs (3-2, 1-0 Big 12) is a road game Saturday night against Baylor (3-2, 0-1) in Waco, Texas.
“I’m really excited for what we’ve done and where we’re going,” Hawkins said after the game. “(But) we have to prepare for the Bears. We have to keep working hard.”
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
