BOULDER — It’s been almost a month since the shoulders of frenetic fans carried Colorado football players off Folsom Field following the overtime victory over nationally ranked West Virginia.
CU coach Dan Hawkins said Tuesday during his weekly media luncheon that the program has not forgotten how to win. The Buffaloes (3-3, 0-2 Big 12) are mired in a three-game losing streak.
“We know what (winning) looks like; we know what it smells like,” Hawkins said. “We know how to get there. We have to keep battling.”
Colorado has dropped to last place among Big 12 Conference football teams in every major offensive category. Those include scoring offense (22.5), total offense (310.2), rushing offense (114.8), passing offense (195.3) and pass efficiency (118.6).
The Buffaloes host Kansas State (4-2, 1-1) at 5 p.m. Saturday. FSN Rocky Mountain has the regional telecast.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that our kids and our coaches are doing everything they can to get them in the right spots, to create schemes, to create plays; so we’ll get there,” Hawkins said.
Hawkins discounted any notion that Saturday’s game is a “must win” for the Buffs. With six games remaining, Colorado needs three victories to become bowl eligible. Because there may not be enough Big 12 bowl slots to accommodate all of the league’s bowl-eligible teams in this exceptionally strong year for the conference, CU might ultimately need a total of seven victories.
After playing Kansas State, the Buffs play at Missouri, at Texas A&M, at home against Iowa State, and at home against Oklahoma State before concluding the regular season with the annual day-after-Thanksgiving battle with Nebraska, this time in Lincoln.
“All (games are important), they really are,” Hawkins said. “You’re scrapping to improve. You’re scrapping to have a better season than last year. You’re scrapping to get to a bowl game, all those things.
“The mountain always gets steeper.”
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
