Monday Night Buff Bites

First of all, Go Broncos! Make sure to check out the Mile High Reports Live Thread tonight. A few things to share with you guys as we wait 10 or so days until the Buffs next game against West Virginia. I think the bye comes at a great time to let the Buffs regroup, watch film and do some soul searching to see where they can improve and what they need to work on. We will look at a few things we think the Buffs can do better over the next couple of days including looking at the cliché mantra "playing a complete game."

Congrats to Cha'pelle Brown for earning Big 12 co-defensive player of the game for his 6 tackles, 2 pass deflections and 1 season saving pick 6 in the win over Eastern Washington.

The Rocky Mountain News brings up the point that when former West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez left, so did his offensive coordinator Calvin Magee which throws a wrinkle in the way White and Co. run the offense.

Looks like Eastern Washington's cornerback Ryan Kelly has some psychic ability and along the way rips his team and the conference he is in:

Kelley plays defensive back for Eastern Washington, a Big Sky Conference school that just missed out on an upset of Colorado on Saturday. After the game, he tried to put the afternoon in perspective.

"I don't like to talk bad about teams, but they (Colorado) aren't going to get far in the Big 12," Kelley told reporters. "They aren't playing like a Big 12 team. They're playing like a Big Sky team."

Even with the poor play on the offensive line last week, Suspended G Devin Head is not guaranteed his starting spot back.

Offensive line coach Jeff Grimes said the entire offensive line performed poorly Saturday. Head said he doesn't know if he'll play against the Mountaineers. Freshmen Blake Behrens and Max Tuioti-Mariner were the guards Saturday. Head said he must "win that spot back. I don't think anything is a sure deal at all."

Also some injury news. It's good to think that TE Riar Geer and CB Jimmy Smith will be back for the WVU game.

INJURY NEWS: Hawkins said Anthony Wright's high ankle sprain is "coming along slower than he or we want." It's unclear when the redshirt freshman cornerback will play.

CU lists linebacker B.J. Beatty, who reinjured a hairline facture in his leg against CSU, as out for the next three to four weeks.

Hawkins said linebacker Shaun Mohler (severe shoulder bruise) will be ready to go against West Virginia. Team trainers first feared Mohler fractured his clavicle Saturday. X-rays were negative.

Hawkins also expects tight end Riar Geer (knee scope) and cornerback Jimmy Smith, who has said he is not playing due to back spasms, to also return Sept. 18.

Some interesting tidbits from a look at the Buffs by the Rocky Mountain News:

Senior safety Ryan Walters is the Big 12's leading tackler (19 total, 9.5 a game) among defensive backs.

And after JFly fumbled which led to an EWU touchdown, Coach Hawkins almost pulled him. Good thing he didn't or else we might have not won that game.

After his first-half bobble Saturday, Hawkins said he "looked over at 'Rid' (special teams coach Kent Riddle) and said, 'Get him out.' " And then it was a long, long time before we had another punt return, so my temperature had gone back down."

An early look at the West Virginia Mountaineers by the Boulder Daily Camera.