Colorado Breakdown: On the Hunt
Of all the teams in the Big 12 North, the Buffaloes are the biggest question mark. Beating then number 3 Oklahoma shocked the country, and was the only reason that the Sooners did not play for a national championship. But barely making a 6-6 record only to lose in the Independence Bowl is not very "statement-making." The only way they can get a better record this season is by beating 3 out of 4 non-conference teams and 2 out of 4 conference road teams. If it happens, they deserve any praise that they can receive.
With 8 returning starters on defense, you would think it would be a huge strength for Colorado this year. But losing two starting cornerbacks in the pass-happy Big 12 is the worst area to be missing from. They were already allowing 261 pass yards/game. In addition, Linebacker Dizon was such a critical part of the run-stopping success Colorado had that his contributions will be sorely missed. While the 128 rush yards/game they allowed was impressive, they were only able to hold opponents to only 29.5 points/game last year. Don't expect that they will do much better this fall.
On the offensive side of the ball, Cody Hawkins needs to do better than the 22 TDs and 17 interceptions thrown. His performance will be improved as his two best targets gain another year of experience. The 234 pass yards/game are definitely going up since the plan is to move to a no-huddle style offense. Will it be enough to bring up the 27 points/game average from last year? Up to 30 is not out of the question, but may not result in wins.
Coach Hawkins is trying to temper expectations and build for the long haul, but will the Colorado fans tolerate another season of mediocrity? Did Nebraska fans? "Hawk" the straight shooter is loved by many fans, but I doubt if they see two 6 wins seasons that they will stick behind him. Just one upset won't be enough this year to make a mark on the Big 12. And ending the regular season on a low note with a disappointing 38-23 loss is not way to keep Boulder happy.
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