BOULDER, Colo.—That “10 wins and no excuses” offseason comment by University of Colorado coach Dan Hawkins? He said it wasn’t a guarantee but an expectation, a holy grail for his talented but untested troops to shoot for.
Offensive guard Ryan Miller loved it, and he’ll take it a step farther, even if his coach is more careful.
“I’ll say it, it’s going to be 10 wins,” Miller insisted.
That would double last year’s total, when the Buffs were done in by injuries at tailback and all along the offensive line as they followed up a promising 3-0 start by losing seven of their last nine games.
“I want to help bring this team back to the powerhouse that we used to be,” Miller said. “And I think we’re close.”
So does Hawkins.
“The expectation is excellence,” he said in explaining his 10-win comment. “I’m one of those guys people always say, ‘Aw, you’re really optimistic.’ I’m not Pollyanna, though. I look at this talent, experience and depth formula. That has to start surfacing.”
Hawkins thinks this is the year it all comes together.
“There’s kind of been a backlash on that, people saying he guaranteed 10 wins,” wide receiver Scotty McKnight said. “As a player, you’ve got to love that your coach has that much confidence in you. You don’t want your coach to say, ‘Hopefully we’ll get six wins next year.'”
Hawkins has several big reasons for optimism, and most of them are stationed along the beefy offensive line anchored by Miller, a right guard who stands 6-foot-8 and weighs 320, and behemoth left tackle Nate Solder, who carries 305 pounds on his 6-foot-9 frame.
They’ll open holes for a strong, speedy group of running backs led by sophomore Darrell Scott, who is out to atone for a frustrating freshman season and “put my name back on the national stage.”
What the Buffs lack in starting experience along the line they make up for in sheer size.
“There’s also a lot of shade to be had underneath most of those guys,” Hawkins marveled.
Miller and Scott are counting on big comebacks to lead the Buffs back to respectability.
“I don’t know if I’m as fast laterally as I was, but I’m definitely stronger,” Miller said. “Spending six months in the weight room not being able to run, my strength has skyrocketed. I’m the strongest I’ve ever been.”
Scott came to Boulder as the top running back prospect in the country but quickly found he needed lots of coaching and conditioning. Then, he got hurt.
“After that big catch against Texas, I twisted my ankle and that was that. I tried to rehab it and everything, but it just wouldn’t get better,” Scott said. “I just tweaked it every week.”
Now, he’s physically and mentally leaps and bounds ahead of last year.
“I actually know the playbook this time,” Scott said. “I’m comfortable and I feel faster.”
Buffs fans were concerned when Scott’s uncle, receiver Josh Smith, bolted for UCLA this offseason, but Scott said he never thought of following Smith’s example.
“I tried to talk him out of it, but he had to do what was best for him,” Scott said.
With camp under way and the season less than a month away, the Buffs still have some big question marks, such as who will be their quarterback—returning starter Cody Hawkins, the coach’s son, or dual threat sophomore Tyler Hansen?
Whoever wins that job won’t have wide receiver Markques Simas for the first two games, either. He’s been suspended for violating team rules, further delaying his long-anticipated debut in Boulder.
The defense only returns five starters, with the losses including both safeties and standout defensive lineman George Hypolite. Colorado, which opens the season Sept. 6 against in-state rival Colorado State, has a schedule that includes visits to Texas and Oklahoma State.
