The euphoria over Colorado joining the Pac-10 Conference next season may never wear off. But at least one CU player has mixed emotions about Saturday’s game at No. 24 Missouri starting the Buffaloes’ farewell tour of the Big 12.
Colorado sophomore safety Ray Polk grew up listening to stories about the Big Eight/Big 12 from his father, Raymond Polk, who played cornerback at Oklahoma State in the early 1980s. On the other hand, Ray’s parents reside in the Phoenix area, so after CU and Utah turn the Pac-10 into the Pac-12 next summer it will obviously become easier for family to see Ray play more often.
“It’s kind of bittersweet,” Ray Polk said of Colorado’s final lap around the Big 12. “I’m definitely looking forward to playing in the Pac-10. The competition is great there. But at the same time, you know, it’s the Big 12. It’s historic. It’s a great conference.”
Colorado’s last trek around the Big 12 looks like anything but a cakewalk. After Saturday’s game at Missouri (4-0), looming ahead for the Buffs are home battles against Baylor (4-1) and Texas Tech (2-2), followed by trips to Oklahoma (5-0) and Kansas (2-3), then back to Boulder for home games against Iowa State (3-2) and Kansas State (4-0) before the final day-after-Thanksgiving date with Nebraska (4-0).
CU quarterback Tyler Hansen expects to hear some nasty things from Big 12 foes about leaving their conference.
Hansen had not yet turned 1 when Colorado’s run to the 1990 national championship included a victory at Missouri in the “Fifth Down Game” now prominent in college football lore. But Columbia, Mo., is significant to Hansen for another reason: It was his first career start as a true freshman in the 2008 game at Missouri. Hansen and the Buffs failed to produce a point. Missouri won 58-0.
“That was embarrassing,” Hansen recalled this week. “To go back to (Faurot Field), you’ll think about that because it’s the same place, same stadium. I want to go back there and kind of get revenge on them a little bit.”
Nobody on the Colorado roster has celebrated a victory over Missouri. Dan Hawkins-coached teams have dropped four games to the Tigers by a combined score of 177-40. CU hasn’t won a game away from the state of Colorado in almost three years, when the Buffs beat Texas Tech 31-26 in Lubbock on Oct. 27, 2007.
To reverse that slide, Colorado must ride its running backs, as the Buffs did against Hawaii (252 yards rushing) and Georgia (235). That works the clock and would keep the ball away from a Missouri offense, led by junior quarterback Blaine Gabbert and sophomore wide receiver T.J. Moe (the nation’s leader with 9.25 receptions per game), that can easily produce a barrage of points.
Colorado won’t want to get into a shootout with Missouri, so being efficient and patient with the ball and playing keep-away is a sound strategy. Also, that might wear down Missouri’s defense.
“Finally we have an identity as an offense,” Han-sen said. “We know we can move the ball and control the ball.”
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
Three questions for CU
1. Can Colorado take the game into the fourth quarter? Heck, in the past two meetings CU looked more than done at halftime, trailing by 33-3 at the break last year and by 34-0 in 2008. The way to pull an upset on the road is to hang around and make the favored home team feel pressured late in the game.
2. Will the resurgence in CU’s running game continue? In their past two games, the Buffs have rushed for 252 yards against Hawaii and 235 against Georgia. That compares with just 73 yards on 42 carries (including sacks) in the loss at California. Missouri has been mediocre against the run this season, ranking seventh among Big 12 teams in rushing defense.
3. Will Colorado quarterback Tyler Hansen take more shots downfield? Against Georgia, only one pass to a wide receiver or tight end went for more than 13 yards — a 46-yarder to Will Jefferson. CU likely will have to open more pages in its playbook to win in Columbia.
Tom Kensler, The Denver Post
