Senior Cody Hawkins lifted Interim Head Coach Brian Cabral and the Buffs to victory over Iowa State at Folsom on Sunday, surpassing the 7,000 passing yard career mark in the process.
Hawkins’ play was enough to lift him to second place behind Joel Klatt in the CU record books.
He also took a seat in second after Klatt for pass completion, with 643 in his career. But that’s not where the high marks stopped.
As a result of his effectiveness Saturday, Hawkins was rewarded with the announcement on Monday that he was the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week.
It is the first time this season that a Buff received the weekly conference prize. Hawkins’ play allowed CU to corral its first conference win and hang on to the possibility of a bowl game.
Hawkins was accurate in his 24 throws, completing 16 of them for a total of 266 yards.
The senior from Boise, Idaho had three touchdowns to three different receivers: Toney Clemons, Scotty McKnight and Ryan Deehan.
Without a turnover on the day, it marked the first game in which Hawkins had at least three touchdowns with no turnovers since Nov. 8, 2008, the last time CU met Iowa State at Folsom Field.
The award comes one week after the breakdown in Kansas, where the Buffs squandered a 28-point fourth quarter lead.
Fans and media criticized former coach Dan Hawkins for throwing too often with the game in hand, as the Buffs only ran three times in the deciding quarter.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t close out last week, so we really emphasized finishing, finishing, finishing this week,” Cody Hawkins said after Saturday’s win at Folsom Field. “I think there was a little more tenacity among the guys.”
Former Head Coach Dan Hawkins was in the stands, sitting on the balcony of his old office at the Dal Ward Athletic Center.
With two games remaining, the Buffs (4-6, 1-5 Big 12) can still have a chance at postseason play by beating both Kansas State and Nebraska.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Michael Krumholtz at Michael.krumholtz@colorado.edu.
