LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Watershed or woodshed?

It's tough to get an accurate read on this Colorado football team. The young Buffs have shown tantalizing flashes of ability in the first five games this season only to be followed up by youthful blunders, blown assignments and costly injuries.

All of it has led them to a 3-2 record coming into today's game at No. 16 Kansas.

The sixth game of the season could be pivotal in deciding which way this team goes this fall.

If the Buffs can take care of the ball, coax a solid performance from a makeshift offensive line and limit big plays from Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing, they could earn a watershed win that propels them toward a bowl game.

If they fall short in any one of those areas or all three, this could be one of those beatings, CU coach Dan Hawkins refers to as being taken to the woodshed.

"They're a really good team and doing good," Hawkins said. "So we have to play well or we're not going to have a chance."

Hawkins hasn't beaten Kansas coach Mark Mangino in his first two tries at CU and is just 2-8 against the five rivals in the Big 12 North. Kansas has won the last two meetings by five points. The Jayhawks are favored by 14 today.

Kansas is in the midst of what might be the most remarkable run in the modern era of its football program.

The good times for the Jayhawks began two years ago against the Buffs when quarterback Todd Reesing came off the bench in the second half to lead the Jayhawks to a come-from-behind win.

It was the first action of Reesing's career, and he has become one of the better quarterbacks in the college game since.

Kansas had lost four in a row prior to beating the Buffs that day. The Jayhawks have gone 19-3 since, including a 12-game home-field winning streak at Memorial Stadium and a close win over CU at Folsom Field last season.

Reesing has been a Buff killer, using scrambling ability to get out of trouble and make plays on the run. Reesing is a crafty quarterback when it comes to improvisation.

The best two rushing games of his career -- 84 and 90 yards -- have come against the Buffs, with most of that yardage earned on plays where he scrambled out of trouble.

The Jayhawks have won this season by throwing the ball and come into today's contest ranked sixth nationally in passing. Reesing led his team to another come-from-behind win last week on the road at Iowa State. The Jayhawks fell behind 20-0 and rallied to win.

"On the positive side, we were able to fight back from a 20-point deficit and that shows a lot about our team and the makeup we have," Reesing said. "Any time you can fight back on the road and overcome something like that in one half is pretty unbelievable."

The Buffs are coming off back-to-back losses to Texas and Florida State and have struggled to move the ball with any consistency.Much of those struggles are rooted in an offensive line that features four players who had little or no playing time under their belts when the season started.

Colorado is getting spotty play at guard to the point that coaches moved redshirt freshman defensive tackle Eugene Goree to the position this week with the idea of throwing him into the fire today.

Coaches believe Goree has the tenacity and strength that has been lacking at the position and he could develop into a solid contributor there.

One way or another, the Buffs have to manufacture more running room for their tailbacks and more time for quarterback Cody Hawkins to find open receivers in the passing game.

Hawkins has taken a beating in the past two weeks, and though he won't say he is hurt, coaches have said they would consider giving redshirt freshman Matt Ballenger some meaningful snaps in case a backup is needed this season.

But fans shouldn't count on seeing Ballenger today with coach Dan Hawkins being a big believer in sticking with one quarterback until it is clear a change must be made. Coaches do not believe that time has come for Cody Hawkins, who has been operating this season behind a young and makeshift offensive line.

Cody Hawkins has completed just 30 of 69 passes for 272 yards the past two weeks. He has thrown four touchdown passes with only one interception in that span while being sacked six times.

Hawkins said he has his work cut our once again today.

"They really execute their assignments very well," Hawkins said. "I think that's a defense where you really have to take what they give you. You can't really impose your will on them like you'd like to.

"They are a defense that does a great job of mixing it up, and you've got to take what they're giving you. ... That's the key to success against them."