Quarterback Tyler Hansen waits for the right moment during a play Saturday. Hansen led the Buffs to a surprising victory against No. 17 Kansas with both his legs and arm. (CU Independent/Ilana Finer)
Tyler Hansen must be taking plays out of Ralphie’s playbook because Buffaloes aren’t the only thing running wild in Colorado.
The sophomore quarterback showed why he deserved to lead a Buffs team badly in need of a win against No. 17 Kansas. Dipping, dodging and picking apart the Kansas defense, Hansen gave the formerly unbeaten Jayhawks a ride to remember in Colorado’s 34-30 triumph Saturday.
The legs came in handy as Hansen seemed to have a knack for creating plays with them. Scrambling through a heavy Kansas pass rush, the slippery Hansen racked up 34 yards rushing and a touchdown.
If Hansen wasn’t using his legs to pick up positive yards, he was using them to aid his arm. Buying all the time in the world, Hansen made it happen through the air as he threw a steady 14-of-25 for 175 yards and a touchdown.
“He can run, he has a really good arm and he can buy time with his legs,” CU head coach Dan Hawkins said.
Pick your poison with Hansen. For Kansas, they chose both.
At times, it looked as if Hansen was inside the Jayhawks defense. He had a sixth sense of when the pocket was collapsing, which allowed him to make plays by any means necessary – air or ground.
Hansen’s sixth sense took 51,146 fans at Folsom Field on a 60-minute roller coaster. The climax came in the fourth quarter when on a crucial third-and-15, Hansen scrambled like a mad man and eventually found tight end Riar Greer for 29 yards as part of a 10-play, 76-yard game-winning drive.
Hansen has shown he can be efficient and can make plays.
Kansas head coach Mark Mangino said Hansen showed the wits to create something out of nothing.
“I think they found their quarterback, that’s for sure,” Mangino said. “He’s a heck of a player. He made the difference tonight in my opinion.”
Since arriving at CU, the road has been crazy for Hansen. Initially redshirted his freshman year last season, Hansen was expected to gain experience and knowledge backing up then-sophomore Cody Hawkins. Experience came quickly when his redshirt was pulled against Kansas State and he rallied the team to a 14-13 win. He received two more starts against Missouri and Iowa State.
Coming into the 2009 season, Hansen was designated as Hawkins’ backup again. However, Hansen was redshirted for the second time in his career following the Buffs 23-17 season-opening loss to Colorado State. The redshirt was removed last week when Hansen relieved Hawkins after Hawkins threw back-to-back interceptions against the Texas Longhorns. After the game, the coaching staff designated Hansen as the starter against the Jayhawks.
“It’s been a fun ride going from playing then not playing,” Hansen said. “It’s been wild but right now, it was the best decision. We just beat Kansas.”
The real question lies in whether Hansen can remain consistent after big wins. His consistency was in question last season when he went 4-of-12 with an interception against Iowa State. Hawkins replaced Hansen in the second half and threw four touchdown passes to lead Colorado to a come-from-behind 28-24 win.
There has been much controversy over the quarterback position this season, but with his performance against Kansas, Hansen may have proven he is ready to fill the role as a consistent starter for the foreseeable future.
“I think I played a little smarter than I did last year,” Hansen said. “I took my time to go through my progressions. I looked downfield a little more and not just looked to run.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Richard Londer at Richard.londer@colorado.edu.
