Hawkins gears up to take on former Boise State head coach
When the University of Colorado Buffaloes (0-2, 0-0 Big 12) and the No.22 Arizona State Sun Devils (2-0, 0-0 Pac-10) meet on the football field for the first time in each school’s history at Folsom Field on September 16, the two teams won’t have much getting acquainted to do. The coaching staff of each team is very familiar with that of the other.
Current CU head coach and former Boise State head coach Dan Hawkins served as an assistant coach to current Arizona State and former Boise State head coach Dirk Koetter from 1998 to 2000. Hawkins took over as Boise State head coach after Koetter took the Arizona State job in 2000.
“I think they are great,” Hawkins said. “I think their staff is great; they’ve been that way and will continue to be that way. We are still close with a lot of those guys.”
Not only that, but current CU offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich served under Koetter at ASU as passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach for five seasons, from 2001 until 2005. For that, the similarities in the two team’s offensive game plans should look strikingly similar.
“There are not too many secrets out there,” Helfrich said. “They know what we run, and we know what they run, and it will come down to who can execute the best.”
The Buffs have sputtered to a 0-2 start this season, partially because of offensive inconsistency. CU ranks 117th out of 119 Division I-A teams in total offense and has not scored a point in the second half of either of the first two games.
“We know that we have to get better, and we know we have to improve on some things,” Hawkins said. “I think our staff and our players are well aware of what that is, and those are the things you go about emphasizing and working on.”
Helfrich said perseverance through adversity would make the Buffs better in the long run.
“We are getting better, no question,” Helfrich said. “We are frighteningly close, not to being where we want to be as an offense, but certainly as far as our performance in the games goes, we are very, very close.”
Junior quarterback Bernard Jackson, who was named a surprise starter before the Buffs 14-10 loss to Colorado State, said Arizona State does not present a defensive scheme CU has not seen before.
“The defense they are running is not anything we can’t handle because it’s a fairly simple defense,” Jackson said. “There are a bunch of things on offense that we should and will do against them.”
Hawkins said the ASU defense is an attacking one.
“They are an aggressive unit, but they have some new faces over there,” Hawkins said. “They are doing a few things differently that we can hopefully take advantage of.”
The quarterback situation for CU has also been a wild one thus far, as senior James Cox started the Buffs season opening 19-10 loss to Montana State, while Jackson was the surprise starter against CSU.
Jackson said he has not been told what to expect as far as who will start, but the uncertainty forces him to prepare even better.
“I’m just taking it as if I’m going to be playing again (against ASU),” Jackson said. “I have been watching more film than in weeks past, and just asking the coaches questions. It should be a good thing this week.”
The Buffaloes have lost six straight games heading into the game against Arizona State dating back to last season. The team has not lost seven straight since they started the 1980 season 0-7.
