BOULDER — The losses have piled up on the Colorado campus like so much snow. For senior Rodney Stewart, so have his numbers. But as his CU football career comes to an end Friday at Utah, other numbers twirl on a continual loop around his brain.
A 15-33 record, four losing seasons, a 2-10 record his senior year, zero bowl games, zero wins outside the state.
In his entire career at Brookhaven High School in Westerville, Ohio, he lost three games.
“I used to cry when I lost,” said Stewart, reflecting Wednesday in the nearly empty lobby of the Buffaloes’ Dal Ward Center. “You’re losing so many (here), you’re kind of like, ‘What am I crying for?’ “
Stewart still got a lot out of his CU career, if not any bowl rings. He is the Buffaloes’ all-time leader in all-purpose yards with 4,783 and ranks second in rushing with 3,563. If he has 41 receiving yards Friday against the Utes, he will be only the 26th player in college history with 3,000 career rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards.
Not that he’s a half-empty cup guy, but Stewart sees the biggest skill he acquired is an intangible.
“Being able to deal with adversity,” he said. “That’s what comes up the most. And still have a passion for the game while you’re losing. It’s tough. But it makes you feel like you’re a better player.”
Confidence was never Stewart’s problem. He will leave CU a household name, but when he arrived his name was in fine print under the neon sign of Darrell Scott. Scott was the five-star, No. 1-ranked prep tailback who would carry CU to greatness.
But Stewart kept bowling along, steady and consistent, while Scott became arguably the biggest flop in CU annals. Stewart carried himself to stardom; Scott carried himself to South Florida. He is the Bulls’ leading rusher this year with 668 yards in nine games, but Stewart has 819 yards in 10 games.
Looking back to that freshman year, Stewart never felt like Scott’s caddie.
“I’m not going to let his name make me a worse competitor,” Stewart said. “I did whatever I could and the best that I could. It was just people’s opinions. He was big and busted a lot of tackles. You don’t really know who the best is. Maybe he had a great (high school) team around him.”
Getting Stewart to talk about his records is like getting him to talk about politics in Kazakhstan. The subject seems to bore him.
“I don’t look at is as much,” he said. “I’ve done plenty of good things in my career, but I guess the all-purpose record is a big accomplishment. It’s something I can tell my children — if it’s still a record.”
Stewart’s career on the field may not be over. His offensive coordinator, former CU star Eric Bieniemy, tutored backs such as Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson during his five-year coaching career in the NFL.
Stewart may be small, but he’s also the Buffaloes’ leading receiver with 43 catches this year for a career total of 91 — a record for a CU back.
“I think Rodney has a great shot,” said Bieniemy, CU’s all-time leading rusher with 3,940 yards. “All it takes is one (NFL) team to fall in love with him. Rodney’s a great all-around football player. He can run between the tackles. He also does a great job picking up blitzes and he’s a tremendous asset when it comes to catching balls out of the backfield. He’s a football player who can make things happen.”
Footnotes.
Coach Jon Embree said safety Anthony Perkins will return and might start against Utah after missing the past four games because of a sprained ankle. . . . Cornerback Parker Orms likely will play after missing the UCLA game with a torn hamstring.
John Henderson: 303-954-1299, jhenderson@denverpost.com,
