Head Coach Dan Hawkins walks to the sideline after speaking with his players in huddle. (CU Independent/Molly Maher)
Maybe it was the “third time is a charm” cliché.
Or, maybe it was simply the Colorado Buffaloes’ desire to crawl out of the winless hole.
The Buffs’ offense clicked, their defense stiffened and CU — donning jerseys from the 1930s — grabbed its first win of the season Saturday with a 24-0 victory over the Wyoming Cowboys at Folsom Field before 50,535 fans.
CU head coach Dan Hawkins said he wasn’t distracted by the media speculation this past week about his job security although the Buffs entered the contest 0-2.
“The only speculation was from [the media],” Hawkins said. “There’s been no speculation from my boss, no speculation from our big hitters. That speculation came from [the media]. I love [my players].”
Hawkins added he hasn’t had trouble standing behind his players despite the team’s rocky start.
“Unfortunately in [the media], there’s not a lot of you who have children and I don’t know why that is,” Hawkins said. “But when you have kids, you love them up and you give them unconditional love and you hang in there.
“Sometimes they flunk science, sometimes they strike out, sometimes they drop fly balls and sometimes they miss last-second shots. But when you’re a true parent, you’re a true teacher. You hang in there and you keep believing in them and keep working on things, and eventually it turns.”
The story of the game was CU’s defense, which gave up 230 yards and didn’t allow the Cowboys to gain a first down in the first quarter.
The Buffs surrendered a whopping 1,000 yards in their first two games this season.
“We got gashed a couple times the last couple weeks on defense,” Hawkins said. “It wasn’t massive things. I’m proud of [defensive coordinator] Ron Collins and the defensive staff and, really, our guys on defense to hang in there and keep believing and keep working. They did an awesome job.”
The last time the Cowboys were held scoreless was when they lost 24-0 on the road to the New Mexico Lobos on Oct. 4, 2008.
Saturday’s shutout wouldn’t have happened if Cowboys sophomore kicker Austin McCoy didn’t shank a pair of field goals.
Collins said he was proud of the defense’s effort but the Buffs still have a “long ways” to go to get better.
“The thing these guys have to understand is we have a lot of good teams coming up,” Collins said. “We have not arrived, so we have a long ways to go.”
Senior cornerback Cha’pelle Brown recorded seven tackles while sophomore defensive tackle Curtis Cunningham and senior linebacker Jeff Smart each added six.
Brown said the defense tried to simply go out and “have fun.”
“You’re much looser,” Brown said. “If you’re uptight and worried about making mistakes, you’re going to make mistakes. You have to go out and try to get to the ball and just have fun.”
CU sophomore running back Rodney Stewart carried the offense as he rushed for 127 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries. It was his fourth career 100-yard rushing game.
Stewart’s 2-yard touchdown rumble capped a four-play, 27-yard drive to give CU a 17-0 lead with 11 minutes, 40 seconds remaining in the second. The sophomore put the final touches on UW with an 11-yard scoring dash late in the third.
“You definitely get into a rhythm when you get the ball a lot,” Stewart said. “You just have to think about the little things like holding the ball right so you don’t get stripped.”
Stewart was also quick to laud the offensive line for opening up the holes, which he darted through.
“They did unbelievable,” Stewart said. “I’m proud of every one of them.”
CU got rolling quickly with a five-play, 69-yard scoring drive in its first possession of the game. Junior running back Demetrius Sumler carried the ball 15 yards and fumbled it at the Buffs’ 2-yard line. Luckily for Sumler, junior wide receiver Scotty McKnight was nearby and scooped up the loose ball before diving into the end zone.
Junior kicker Aric Goodman booted a 20-yard field goal to extend the Buffs’ lead to 10-0 with 13:58 to play in the second.
The same energy and effort, Collins said, has to carry over to Oct. 1 when CU travels to Morgantown, W.Va., to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers.
“I think the guys gained a little confidence this week,” Collins said, “And they’re just going to continue to get better.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Alex K.W. Schultz at Alexander.schultz@colorado.edu.
