On Sunday mornings, Colorado sophomore quarterback Tyler Hansen must feel like he has been hit by a train. Considering the combined weight of all those Missouri and Texas A&M defenders who landed on him the past two weekends, it’s a wonder Hansen can drag himself out of bed.
“I haven’t been getting much sleep the first night after we play,” Hansen said. “I’ve been pretty sore, pretty banged up.”
Hansen, 6-feet-1 and 205 pounds, was sacked eight times in each of the past two games. Sometimes, he got up limping, but at least he got up. Can coach Dan Hawkins and his staff bear to watch? Ugly scabs on Hansen’s legs and elbows never get a chance to heal because they break open again every Saturday. He doesn’t complain.
“Tyler is a tough kid,” Hawkins said.
He had better be. Entering the weekend, Colorado (3-6, 2-3 Big 12) ranked 118th among the 120 Bowl Subdivision teams in sacks allowed. The Buffaloes have yielded 36 sacks in nine games, an average of 4.0 sacks per start. Only Miami of Ohio (4.7 per game) and Washington State (5.0) have been worse at protecting the passer.
Today’s host, Iowa State, uses an undersized defensive front and ranks last among Big 12 teams in sacks (12 in 10 games). But taking nothing for granted, Colorado coaches allocated additional practice time to pass protection this week.
And that didn’t involve only offensive linemen. Statistics charted by the CU sports information department revealed that the O-line has been responsible for only 19 1/2 of the 36 sacks allowed. Tight ends have missed blocks. Running backs have failed to pick up blitzing safeties and linebackers.
“And I can get rid of the ball faster at times,” said Hansen, who has been the target of 26 sacks. “Sacks aren’t just on the offensive linemen. I know people think it is, but it’s on all the players out there.”
The complex dynamic of teamwork and synchronization requires more than a quick fix.
“It takes 11 players,” offensive line coach Denver Johnson said. “Yes, we’ve had our share (of mistakes), but it’s been pretty widespread. Collectively, we just have to keep hammering it out.”
As for his guys, Johnson wants each lineman to take ownership of his one-on-one matchup.
“When you boil it down to gravy, you have to win your battle,” Johnson said. “As an individual, you have to prevail against the guy you’re assigned to protect. It really is as simple as that. There’s no magic wand. You either whip him, or he whips you.”
Iowa State’s defense doesn’t blitz as often as some Big 12 teams. But considering CU’s protection woes of the past two weeks, sophomore lineman Matt Bahr expects the Cyclones “to bring the house” today.
“They’ve seen the film and seen blitzes and things that we haven’t picked up,” Bahr said. “There’s no doubt they’re going to come after us. Every team will do that.
“It’s not the same problem each time. It’s one guy being beat here, one guy getting beat there. I think it’s really a focus issue. We need to focus on every play, picking up the right guys on every play.”
In addition to the lost yardage and contributing to Han-sen’s bumps and bruises, allowing a sack can be demoralizing to the entire offense.
“There’s a psychological aspect to it,” junior receiver Scotty McKnight said. “Your quarterback is down on the ground. You have to help him get up. Not good.”
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
