Hawkins’ motivation, improved offensive line listed as benefits the team appreciates
After a spring scrimmage on Thursday, coach Dan Hawkins asked his football team to visualize the future.
“We were laying there and he just tells us to visualize. He asks us to visualize everything we’re grateful for. He tells us to visualize us making big plays. He’s big on, ‘You got to see it before it actually happens,'” said sophomore wide receiver Jarrell Yates.
As the Buffs dive into spring ball this year, the team is looking to not only visualize making big plays, but improving in all aspects of the game. But the offense is in the direst need of improvement before the fall.
While carrying the pads of some of the players on the offensive line after the scrimmage on Thursday, quarterback Cody Hawkins talked about the offense.
“The offensive is making an unbelievable amount of strides,” Cody Hawkins said. “They are seeing the whole big picture and they realize what their role is. They know if they do their job, then the whole system will work very well.”
When Hawkins came to Boulder, the team had a difficult time adapting to some of his concepts. In his second year, players are finding that the team is starting to pick up more of his concepts.
“Coach Hawkins is a great guy. He has a lot of concepts that no one was really familiar with,” Yates said. “We came to adapt to it and come familiar to what he is actually talking about, and everybody is really starting to get what he’s trying to say to us, and we’re taking that to heart.”
The best thing about watching this offense in spring ball right is the battle for the quarterback position. On Thursday, junior quarterback Nick Nelson and Cody Hawkins displayed some arm strength.
With almost identical stats on Thursday, Nelson completed five of nine passes for 45 yards, and Hawkins finished by completing four of eight passes for 59 yards.
“I think I’m doing OK,” Cody Hawkins said. “I think probably the thing I’m most proud about myself right now is coming over and just getting along with the guys. I feel like I’m gelling with the guys well.”
The general feeling among the Buffs right now is that the offense is running more smoothly when compared to last year.
“Our offensive is a million times advanced from what it was last year. As soon as we started spring ball, we could tell right away that everybody is ready,” Yates said.
Tailback Hugh Charles had an impressive display on Thursday, rushing for 69 yards and outrunning the defense for a 44-yard touchdown.
“Everybody is familiar with the program now and it’s just coming to us, so everything is running a lot more smoothly now,” Yates said.
Contact Campus Press staff writer Kyle McDaniel at kyle.mcdaniel@colorado.edu.
