BOULDER — With almost two years having passed since Colorado claimed a road victory, Buffaloes coach Dan Hawkins is hoping his young team has gained a better handle on the challenges it will face in Morgantown, W.Va., this week.
Colorado (1-2) plays Thursday night at West Virginia (2-1) in a 5:45 p.m. ESPN game. CU hasn’t won on an opponent’s home field since the 2007 season, when the Buffs bounced Baylor (43-23) and Texas Tech (31-26).
Those are the only road wins during Hawkins’ four-year regime, not including games at Denver’s Invesco Field at Mile High. But Hawkins has never had what he considered a “veteran” team. Playing on the road is a learning process, he said.
“One of the things we do try to instill in our guys, in everything, is, ‘The worse it gets, the better you get. That’s something you have to work at,’ ” Hawkins said Monday during his weekly media luncheon.
“You’re trying to create sort of a conditional response there — that the worse it gets, the more resolve you have. The more experienced team you have, you take that whole mentality with you.”
WVU’s Milan Puskar Stadium seats 60,000, and it may sell out Thursday night. For West Virginians, Mountaineers football creates the passion and carries the importance of, say, the Broncos among sports fans along the Front Range.
“We have to be ready,” CU junior receiver Scotty McKnight said.
West Virginia stands 29-5 at home since the start of the 2004 season and has won four of the past six Big East Conference championships.
“When you go into somebody else’s arena, it takes a team that’s got some savvy and has been around the block a little bit to go in there and handle everything,” Hawkins said.
Young players must learn to not be bugged by travel glitches or a restless night’s sleep in the team hotel.
“When there are issues, you just have to be that much more locked in and focus on the task at hand,” Hawkins said.
Footnotes. Redshirt freshman Bryce Givens has regained the starting job at right offensive tackle. The former Mullen standout missed the Wyoming game because of undisclosed personal issues. Sophomore Ryan Miller will move back inside to right guard. “It’s to get the best five (linemen) on the field,” Hawkins said. . . . CU’s Oct. 10 game at Texas was selected for a national telecast on ESPN or ESPN2 and will have a 5:15 p.m. kickoff.
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
