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Buffs struggle on offense once again
Colorado manages just 233 yards in loss to Kansas
LAWRENCE, Kan. -- The question was simple and the answer was telling.
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Give Colorado offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich credit for not ducking.
Following the Buffs' third consecutive loss this season at No. 16 Kansas on Saturday and another inconsistent performance on offense, Helfrich was asked whether there is enough talent at his disposal to compete week in and week out with top-25 teams.
"We've got to figure out a way," Helfrich said. "We've got to find a way that our guys when they see the play called, they're going, 'Yes.' Just that confidence click, and to be able to overcome some variables of the change of the defense, the change of the coverage. We've got to find a way and we will. We will."
At times Saturday, the Buffs lacked any kind of home-run threat and that might have fed their lack of confidence.
When wide receiver Josh Smith was out in the second quarter with a sprained shoulder and running back Darrell Scott was on the bench with a sprained ankle, the only speedy and elusive option remaining was freshman running back Rodney Stewart, who rushed for 77 yards.
Despite Stewart's efforts, CU still hasn't produced a 400-yard day of total offense at the midway point of the season and it didn't come close Saturday. The Buffs managed just 233 total yards and a meager average of 3.5 yards per play. CU also turned the ball over twice and was sacked for a safety.
Smith returned in the second half and played with his sore shoulder after teammates and coaches called on him in the locker room at halftime.
"My team needed me," Smith said. "They were like, 'Josh we see you are sitting most of the first half and you didn't go out for punts. So are you done for the day?' I'm like, 'No, I'm definitely not done.' Coach asked me, 'Well, can you go?' I'm like, 'I can go.'"
He returned a kickoff into Kansas territory and later caught a 38-yard pass to set up the Buffs' second touchdown. Smith's speed helped to loosen up the Jayhawk defense a little, but the Buffs need more of it on a consistent basis. With injuries, ineligibility and defections such as wide receiver Kendrick Celestine's departure, there aren't a lot more options.
The Buffs were held to fewer than 20 points for the third time in the past four games. With more tough competition looming, it's unclear what it might take to get the offense moving again and infuse the young players with the confidence they seem to be lacking.
" I don't think our guys are any more downtrodden than they should be," Helfrich said.
Colorado coach Dan Hawkins said his son, Cody Hawkins, will remain the starting quarterback next week in a home game against Kansas State. Cody Hawkins was replaced in the fourth quarter by redshirt freshman Matt Ballenger for the second week in a row, but Ballenger was equally ineffective and threw several passes that lacked much velocity.
Cody Hawkins said the Buffs have to master the simple stuff first to conquer their offensive inefficiency. It's a mantra the Buffs and been speaking for three years now.
"I think we just have to get to the point where we're making every routine play," he said. "We just have to keep momentum going. Sometimes we'll have a couple big plays and then just shoot ourselves in the foot."
Posted by vkberlinn on October 12, 2008 at 8:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
H please resign immediately
Posted by nolanjp on October 12, 2008 at 8:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)
give Helfrich credit????? my god the guy is a disaster. resign and get someone in there who can figure a way to move the ball.
Posted by nolanjp on October 12, 2008 at 8:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
it's pretty pathetic when your teamates have to call on you at halftime in order to get a spark. nice to know we have only one person as in smith who can provide a spark and it is also nice to know that noone else would step up and make that spark. that is a talented team right there. our team cu has, speedy and smith, that is it, how pathetic is that?
Posted by nepabuff on October 12, 2008 at 8:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Great Coaching job Hawkins.
Once again you stood on the sidelines, hands on your hips with that " I have no clue" look on your face.
The big 12 coaches are just handing it to you week in and week out.
You ain't in Boise anymore.
Posted by thefishheadsoup on October 12, 2008 at 9:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)
not ducking? he says nothing except his guys - blah blah blah. a real leader stands up and says: "i am not doing my job well. the game planning, the schemes, the play calling and the execution stinks. i need to fix it."
i hear they have a job in auburn helfrich.
Posted by WhosYourDaddy on October 12, 2008 at 10:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Helfrich is in a tough spot. He can't cross Hawk on the Cody issue, but with Cody sprinting into the opponent's endzone what is he supposed to do?
Posted by clesquibel on October 12, 2008 at 10:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)
My question is what happened to the no-huddle, spread type formations? Not because I liked it, but because the coaching staff spent the whole offseason implementing? It makes the coaches look shaky and like they don't have confidence in what they were creating.
Honestly, everyone, I don't think Ballenger is the answer. He looks robotic out there and wasn't exactly a world beater in high school on athe gridiron, at least.
Those close to the program think Hansen, the redshirt, is the answer. He is more athletic than all of our other QBs and he's an honest, 6-1, 210...the coaches are hoping he will be the man as early as next season.
One more point: Has Daniel Dykes or Gardner McKay made one significant play in their combined 5.5 years in uniform? Aside from Dykes' INT against OU last year, I constantly see both players miss tackles or getting blown up by receivers and fullbacks on running plays.
We need some playmakers on defense. Wright or Perkins should be playing at safety and Smith/J. Brown should be playing at corner. It's time to turn the page on some of these seniors.
Posted by 98buff on October 12, 2008 at 10:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)
clequibel, I agree about Dykes, that Perkins gives us a better option at safety. However, Chapelle Brown has been a pretty good corner this year. I think you keep him in and platoon Smith and Brown on the other side.
Posted by BuffTime on October 12, 2008 at 11:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
You need a decent O-line to run the spread effectively. We don't have that right now.
Posted by reallifeshocker on October 12, 2008 at 12:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
let's just face it. kansas is a better team. they are bigger, stronger, faster, and more mature. perhaps these are some of the reasons that the opposition coaches seem so much smarter. face it, in all of the remaining games, the buffs will either be huge underdogs, or it will be a "toss-up". the k-state game is huge. the unkindest cut of all would be if the buff's feeble offense could make their defense look good. time now to concentrate on recruiting, and also getting the rank and file on campus up to the level of physicality it takes to compete at this level. we are just too small, too slow, too weak, and too bewildered to win any more this year.
Posted by BuffTime on October 12, 2008 at 12:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I didn't think Kansas was the better team all around. I think if we had the same O-line we started the season with we would have destroyed them. That loss was painful because Kansas didn't look that great. We just looked worse.
Posted by donintucson on October 12, 2008 at 1:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Down, discouraged, what ever the players mental state, this coaching staff needs to torture them this week if they have to limit the plays to 3-5 running plays and practice those same plays until they drop, I am telling you they don't need Hawk love, they need Hawk and his staff to start kicking some XXX on the practice fields. Simplify the damn playbook and get good at running those plays. Three days of blocking tackling and running until they are puking will straighten out a lot of the offense. They are soft with this stupid spread offense. And a coach shouldn't even care if players like him or not, they need to play their guts out for him because they believe in him.
Go Buffs!!!
Posted by buff4life on October 12, 2008 at 2:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
.........young buffloes growing up.........stay strong..........IN HAWK WE TRUST......go buffs.......shoulder2shoulder.........
Posted by csupbuff on October 12, 2008 at 2:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
GO BUFFS!
Posted by donintucson on October 12, 2008 at 4:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Kool Aid drinkers say "in Hawk we trust" and just keep drinking it up.
This is Cody H's third year here. And a good coaching staff has seniors playing their best football, and if they are not starting and playing their best, then there is something wrong. Do we really believe that the seniors on this team are playing their best football?
Go Buffs!!!
Posted by buff4life on October 12, 2008 at 5:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
....yup i am drinking the 'koolaid' buddy, just dont come around with your "empty cup" when we start winning, you would figure most "sports" fans would understand college football but i guess thats why you live in tucson, at least during these times the "fair weathered" fans get exposed.....every program has them....
Posted by buffatheart on October 12, 2008 at 5:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I agree with donintucson about a good coaching staff has seniors playing their best football, and if they are not starting and playing their best, then there is something wrong. What ever happened to the ones that were drafted and are now senors and have never had a chance to compete?
Posted by buff4life on October 12, 2008 at 5:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)
let some of hawk's "groceries" become seniors and then ask why the coaching staff doesnt have them playing their "best" football, stop reaching for answers and realize it's young team and injuries arent helping, which is just "loser" talk and excuces anyway, right?, my 'fair weathered', 'bandwagon' buffies...
Posted by cbuffsu on October 12, 2008 at 6 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Here's why I'm encouraged for next year:
Projected O-line starters for '09:
OT-Nate Solder (playing with a full season of OT experience)
OG-Max T-Mariner (out in '08 with torn ACL)
C-Blake Behrens (playing with a full season under his belt)
OG Bryce Givens (30-40lbs heavier; currently on redshirt)
OT-Ryan Miller (out in '08 with broken leg)
Reserves: Adkins (currently suspended), Tau (academically inelgible in '08), and Iltis (who may start, and was slotted to start in '08 prior to injury)
Right now, our o-line consists of backup RS freshmen, and a an OT that was a TE and 50lbs lighter last year. Also, Markques Simas will be back and he will immediately be our best WR (after seeing him practice in the preseason). As good as Speedy and Scott are, if there's no line to create space, its going to be difficult to do anything. Also, Cody is playing pretty bad right now, but when there is no pocket to step into, its hard to get comfortable and step into throws and make accurate passes. Ben Burney should be back last year, and will help out our secondary.
I also see our defense going to a 3-4 next year because of the amount of good linebackers that we have (Smart, Mohler, Major, Katoa, Beatty, Sipili, Burton, Rippy).
I still see good things coming for the Buffs in the future. Injuries have set us back a little bit this year, and so has a brutal schedule. Let's not panic just yet. I see us winning 6 or 7 games and being bowl elgible, which will give us an extra month of practice as we head into next season.
GO BUFFS!
Posted by donintucson on October 12, 2008 at 7:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey Buff for life, there are a lot of fair weather fans around then, sorry if we care so much for our Buffs because we want them to be consistent and perform, and it is up to the coaches to coach them to do that, not offer constant ifs and buts and candy and nuts explanations every week. Perhaps you think that Montana St. and EWU were good teams like some of these other folks, including Hawk, but they are not, and KU ain't no fireball either. You are a Kool Aid drinker and a Pin head to boot!!!
Go Buffs
Posted by BlackAndGold on October 12, 2008 at 7:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey Buff4Life...and the rest of the people on the board that can't deal with the criticism....IT'S DIVISION 1 FOOTBALL! ITS THE BIG12! IT AINT INTERMURALS!
its time to stop coddling these kids. the heat is on.
for example...and frankly...the receives SUCK. what an average group of athletes...all of you probably watch other teams...don't you see the difference...will one of the receivers please step up to the plate! the energy from that group is so vanilla. guys should be fighting for yards like their life depends on it!
so in life, when you are not performing, you dig down deep and challenge yourself like you have never challenged yourself before. that's when the growth happens.
we need tough ball players...we don't need the Rick Neuhiesel hugging and kissing crap....Hawk Love...yeah, sure...that was fine when they place was in shambles 3 years ago. Light a fire under these kids butts! they'll respond...and if they don't, its better we know what they are made of now so we don't waste anymore time on them.
Posted by buffalobilly on October 13, 2008 at 6:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey donintuscon.....Dude, take some patience medicine..your theory of I wnat it now, is anything but realistic. These kids are hurt. Lets look at some positives. Goodman seemed a little more confident, Jeff Smart was flying around hitting people like a wild animal. Mohler looked good overall and the biggest plus of all ...some very good passers in the last 2 weeks werent killing us deep time after time..like just a few yrs back. One of our biggest concerns going into this year was how badly were we going to be beaten deep. IT ISNT HAPPENING! So kudo to that group. Again don, be patient youngster!
Posted by Buffs055 on October 13, 2008 at 3:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
While it's true that the offensive line is young and inexperienced, Cody is having a terrible time of it and needs to sit the bench for awhile. He has shown the inability to read a blitz or react at all to pressure. When he has had time, he seems to be in the habit of overthrowing wide open receivers at real key times in the game. It's time for Ballenger to get a bigger role in the offense until the best option (Tyler Hansen) sheds his redshirt next year.
Posted by coereg on October 13, 2008 at 11:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It will be funny to watch the Buffs - playing a team that will be much more to their speed at this stage - get a big win on Saturday, and then watch you guys poor in here to be praising everything Buffs. To suddenly (for a weeks time) change your minds.
Cody will have changed his game aroung at that stage ... D. Scott will provbably be the great player we all thought he was ... perhaps J. Smith has a big return ... everything will be just how we like it. And then BAM ... we get smoked by Mizzou ... and suddenly your all in here again ... tearing this teams heart out. Tearing this team apart over a loss that we knew (much like Fla St., Texas, & KU) was MORE THAN LIKELY coming.
Posted by roamingbuff on October 14, 2008 at 8:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Maybe the Buffs should not try to put a round peg in a square hole. They had all these plans for an up tempo - spread offense - many scoring threats. Well - we aint there. People are hurt and inexperienced. If the players are not ready to understand the play or recognize defenses - and if those players are all ya have - then ya gotta adjust. You can't plan on the same offense you had wanted to begin the year.
Smart coaches will make changes. They did it with Bernard Jackson. You simplify. Work to your strenghts - whatever they are these days.
Heck - maybe the Buffs should wave the white flag - surrender for the year and try for better things next year. Just tell the NCAA , we pass. No thanks on the rest of the season. We're just gonna heal up and practice and try to start fresh next year.
3 and 9 is looking realistic right now.
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