Leading up to their clash against California, Buff football players make it sound like it’s exam week.
Going on the road to Berkeley on Saturday presents the first true road test of the young season.
Instead of textbooks and flash cards, the players are using game film and conditioning to make sure Saturday’s quiz goes as planned.
“When you’re prepared for a game it’s nothing to be nervous about,” senior cornerback Jalil Brown said. “It’s like in a class with a test, if you study a week in advance, [when] test day comes, you’re ready to go.”
Brown is half of one of the Big 12’s better cornerback tandems, alongside fellow senior Jimmy Smith. The coaching staff will call upon them to help stop California receivers Marvin Jones and Keenan Allen, who combined for 201 yards and two scores as receivers last week.
“All around they’re better than CSU on offense,” Smith said. “We’re going to play our schemes, we’re not going to change anything. And we’re not going to shy down.”
The Golden Bears possess more talent and overall speed than CSU, permitting Coach Dan Hawkins to say this week’s opponent will “definitely be a step up.”
The game could be very telling as far as the season’s results go, especially since the Buffs lost every game away from Boulder in 2009.
Brown, Smith and company forced freshman Pete Thomas into three interceptions a week ago. But, waiting in Berkeley is senior quarterback Kevin Riley, who Hawkins called “highly underrated.”
He has thrown for 40 touchdowns in his time at Cal, and returning with him are his leading receiver Jones and rusher Shane Vereen from 2009.
On offense, quarterback Tyler Hansen will be brought to bear a more intensive pace while facing the California defense.
“Defensively they’re really athletic,” Hansen said. “It’s a real good test for our offense to see where we’re at.”
The Murrieta, Calif. native said he was ready to go back home and perform well in front of family.
In a larger respect, the CU family will be well-represented come Saturday, as officials expect more than 7,000 Buff supporters to make it to California. Two years from now CU is expected to join Cal in their new conference, so a good showing by fans can physically show what CU is bringing to the conference table.
“That’s the great thing about us eventually moving to the Pac-10–we have so many alumni and followers in California,” Hansen said. “Especially with our struggles on the road, it will feel more like a home game.”
Last time a Hawkins coached team won a true road game outside of Invesco Field was in 2007 at Lubbock, Texas. That was also the last year they went to a bowl game.
Media voters picked California to finish seventh in the Pac-10 preseason poll. So Hawkins knows that a very realistic second consecutive win could do wonders for his team’s confidence. Coach cited last season’s letdown at Manhattan a week after a win over then-undefeated Kansas
“We’re trying to continue to educate these guys on winning and losing and how you handle it,” Hawkins said. “When we came to Kansas State [the next week] it had not seemed like that was a team that won the week before.”
The team fumbled that opportunity away by giving up four turnovers to the Wildcats. With upcoming games away from home including Oklahoma, Missouri and Nebraska, the visit to California is only a precursor of things to come.
Besides watching film for their homework, the team has been running extra laps all week in punishment for 10 penalties of over 100 yards during the opening game.
A year ago they finished third to last among FBS schools in penalties per game. Hawkins said he plans to threaten those who are penalty-prone with a stern benching.
“Ultimately, at the end of the day it comes down to discipline we [the coaches] have got to instill,” Hawkins said. “If we can’t instill it in you, we’ll go to the next guy on the depth chart.”
For projected NFL player and All-American left tackle Nate Solder that may not prove a problem. Although he was called for a false start on the very first play of the season, Solder said the penalty issues would be worked out for next week.
“You can’t win a lot of games when doing that,” he said. “A lot of them were just stupid communication things, even a little bit of nerves the first game. We’re going to settle out this game and get those things straight.”
Is there more on the line for the Buffs this week, considering how long it’s been since they’ve won a road game? Not to mention that a conference will be watching to see how their future brethren fare.
For Hawkins, Solder and the rest of the Buffs, it’s just another game as a member of the Big 12 conference–for now.
“We’re still in the Big 12 and have to compete in the Big 12,” Hawkins said. “We’re trying to make a statement this weekend and this game.”
Kick-off is scheduled for Saturday at 1:30 p.m., local time.
Contact CU Independent Football Reporter Michael Krumholtz at Michael.krumholtz@Colorado.edu.
