BOULDER — Dan Hawkins had a decision to make.
Prolong Colorado’s drive by going for it on fourth-and-4 at the Kansas State 31-yard line with 1:03 left. Or attempt a long field goal to put the game out of reach.
Ryan Walters and several members of the Buffaloes defense cornered their coach on the sideline.
“We got your back,” they said, according to Hawkins. “Whatever you want to do. Kick it. Go for it. Whatever.”
Hawkins went for it. And failed.
Cody Hawkins’ pass to Josh Smith fell incomplete, and Wildcats quarterback Josh Freeman strode onto the field for one last drive with 59 seconds to go. But Walters and the defense had Hawkins’ back.
The senior safety lunged at Kansas State wideout Brandon Banks to bat down a Hail Mary at the Colorado 13-yard line. Time expired, and the Buffaloes closed the book on their best defensive performance of the season.
“Anytime the offense is doing well, the defense gets fired up,” said Walters, who added two fumble recoveries to his breakup. “Offense is the biggest fan of defense, and defense is the biggest fan of offense.”
After giving up 38 and 30 points to a pair of the Big 12’s top quarterbacks — Texas’ Colt McCoy and Kansas’ Todd Reesing — Colorado held Freeman to 13. Kansas State converted just 3-of-15 third-down attempts and managed just 15 first downs overall.
“(Freeman) causes a lot of problems because he is a big guy and he has a really electric arm,” defensive tackle George Hypolite said. “As long as you can still contain a guy like that and make tackles, you did a good job.”
Behind Freeman’s arm — and legs — Kansas State moved down the field with ease on its first three possessions. Each time, Colorado forced field goals to stunt the Wildcat drives.
The third attempt sailed wide right. Then Tyler Hansen and the CU offense woke up.
The Buffaloes took the lead for good on the ensuing series.
“We were at a fork in the road,” senior linebacker Brad Jones said. “This game was a pivotal point in our season, where it could go either way, and it seemed like this win was the culmination of all the hard work we have put in.”
KSU never really regained offensive momentum. They fumbled, punted, missed another field goal and then failed on a fourth-down conversion.
“They were bringing pressure at key moments,” Freeman said. “They were rolling coverage and blitzing well. They’re not a bad football team. They’re just struggling to find an identity.”
Freeman struggled to find open space until a 17-yard touchdown scamper early in the third quarter. And even after the score, Colorado’s defense snuffed out the Wildcats’ comeback attempts time and again.
“You have to give it to both of us, offense and defense,” CU cornerback Gardner McKay said. “We just went out there and wanted this win. I think the key thing was to finish this game.”
No matter what Coach Hawk decided.
