CU’s young team vs. CSU’s new coach
The Colorado Buffaloes will head down to Invesco Field in Denver on Sunday for the 80th annual Qwest Rocky Mountain Showdown against their in-state rivals the Colorado State Rams, and the possibilities for what could happen are seemingly endless.
In the days leading up to the game, Buffs coaching staff and athletic department personnel said the combination of a young Buffs team going up against a Rams team that will be sporting a new head coach in Steve Fairchild make Sunday’s events difficult to predict.
Buffs head coach Dan Hawkins said that regardless of their youth, his team will be ready to play come Sunday.
“The guys are running around good, their energy level is good,” Hawkins said. “I think physically they’re ready and mentally they’re ready. We’re tired of talking about it, we want to play.”
Perhaps this season the two teams will repeat the dramatic overtime finish from last year’s game, in which the Buffs’ narrowly edged out the Rams on an interception in their own end zone followed by a Kevin Eberhart field goal to win the game 31-28.
One thing is for sure, and that is that both teams would love to kick off their 2008 seasons by adding a tally to their win column in this bitter rivalry series, which the Buffs lead 58-19-2. The two teams have split the series 4-4 when the game has been played at a neutral site in Denver.
One of the biggest unknowns in Sunday’s game will be the college football debut of the Buffs’ top recruit, tailback Darrell Scott.
The No. 2 ranked high school recruit in the nation said that because he is new, he does not understand the rivalry quite yet, but he expects that it will become a rivalry for him immediately after he takes the first hit of his college career.
“Everyone’s saying we have to win, if we don’t win we’re going kill you,” Scott said with a laugh. “I’m not buying into it just yet. I need one hit, and then I’ll buy into it real quick.”
In last year’s game, then freshman Scotty McKnight had a breakout game, catching eight passes from then freshman quarterback Cody Hawkins to net 106 yards, including a first-quarter touchdown that set the tone for the Buffs early on in the season.
McKnight went on to lead the Buffs in receptions and receiving yards in 2007, catching 43 passes for 488 yards.
McKnight said he is not thinking about his numbers before the game, he just wants to do whatever he can to help the team win.
“I want to be 100 percent mentally,” McKnight said. “I want to go out there and have no mental errors, go out there and make every block, make every catch, and hopefully also make some big plays that can help us win, too.”
With so many young offensive players like Scott and McKnight, as well as a sophomore quarterback, it will be up to senior leaders like center Daniel Sanders and Maurice Cantrell to keep the Buffs’ offense on track.
“Us seniors want to go out with a bang and as a team we want to start the season off right,” Cantrell said. “We’re ready to go against some new blood other than ourselves.”
First-team All-Big 12 Conference defensive tackle George Hypolite, who led the Buffs in quarterback sacks last season, said he is anxious to get back on the field and get the season started in 2008.
In last season’s opener against the Rams, Hypolite racked up six tackles, including three for a loss of yards as well as two sacks.
The senior defensive lineman said, aside from the rivalry among the players, there are a few other exciting things.
“The state of Colorado definitely gets excited for this game,” Hypolite said. “It’s always great to play in an NFL stadium that’s that gorgeous, with such a great field, and it’s always a great thing to play in a place that a lot of the guys on the field dream to be in one day.”
Though Hypolite said he does not know what to expect from Sunday’s game because every game is different, there has been an interesting trend in the Buffs’ past two season openers.
Senior wide receiver Patrick Williams has been involved in the Buffs’ first offensive play of the season each of the past two years.
As a result, all eyes will be on No. 4 in the black and gold when the ball is snapped for the first time in 2008.
Contact CU Independent Assistant Sports Editor Brad Cochi at Bradley.Cochi@colorado.edu
