BOULDER — Although Colorado coaches insist the offense won’t change dramatically with Cody Hawkins taking the snaps Saturday night at No. 11 Oklahoma, the senior quarterback hinted after practice Tuesday that there is definitely some tweaking going on.
Hawkins, the full-time starter in 2007 and part-time starter the last two years, will make his first start this season. Hawkins will be at the controls for the remainder of the regular season while Tyler Hansen recovers from a ruptured spleen.
“There’s a lot of fire amongst the receivers,” Hawkins said of Tuesday’s workout. “They’re competing against each other, knowing that when I’m playing we’re going to do stuff a little differently because I’m not quite the runner Tyler is.
“We’re going to have a shot to change up things a little bit. Those (receivers) are excited about it. Change always helps those guys a little bit.”
Hawkins replaced Hansen in the second quarter of last weekend’s 27-24 loss to Texas Tech, and the Buffaloes shifted into a no-huddle, hurry-up tempo.
Senior receiver Scotty Mc- Knight said he is comfortable with either Hansen or Hawkins, although there is a contrast in styles.
“Cody’s throws are based more on timing,” McKnight explained. “Where Tyler has a strong arm, a big arm. I know what to expect either way. I’ve been in game situations with both guys.”
Colorado (3-4, 0-3 Big 12) needs three victories to become bowl-eligible. Oklahoma (6-1, 2-1) will look to rebound from a 36-27 loss at Missouri that knocked the Sooners off the top spot in the BCS standings. Hawkins said being reinstated as the starting quarterback feels bittersweet.
“It’s definitely better to finish out by playing because you always want to go out swinging, no matter what fight you’re in,” he said. “It’s also definitely awful because Tyler is a great kid and nobody deserves to have that happen.”
Hansen has surgery.
Hansen underwent a procedure Tuesday to repair areas around his spleen. No part of his spleen was removed. It will likely extend his stay in the hospital for a couple of days.
Scouting the Sooners.
On film, Oklahoma’s defense looks like “a different animal” compared with other Big 12 foes, Hawkins said.
“You can tell they’re coached so well because they’ll have a certain deal that’s dialed up just for that game,” Hawkins said. “We have to be very attentive because they’re going to throw a lot of stuff at us. We’re going to have to adjust on the fly.”
Footnotes.
It appears junior Patrick Mahnke will take over for Jon Major (knee) at “will” (inside) linebacker. Redshirt freshman Liloa Nobriga, who replaced Major against Texas Tech, said Tuesday he worked at the nickel in practice. . . . True freshman safety Terrel Smith made his first college start last weekend and responded with 15 tackles (four solo) to tie the school freshman record set by J.J. Billingsley in 2002 against San Diego State. “I was nervous but mostly excited to play,” Smith said. . . . As the reinstated starter, Hawkins (6,269 yards) has a chance to leapfrog Kordell Stewart (6,481) and leader Joel Klatt (7,375) on the school’s all-time passing list. “I’d rather have thrown for 5 yards in every game and won every game,” Hawkins said Tuesday.
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
