I thought I would throw this together for all of you so you know where the Buffs stand as of right now at each position. This will probably be something that will help all of us assess depth and needs as we go into the recruiting season. If I missed something or someone, let me know as this was a pretty excruciating process going through the bios of these players trying to get if they were redshirts or not. I am still working on the defensive chart but hope to have that up later. Two notes of interest in the offensive chart is the fact that I did not advance Ryan Miller and Max Tuioti-Mariner a year as Dan Hawkins expects to get them both medical redshirts. I have really been able to confirm whether Maryland transfer Evan Eastburn is a walk on or on scholarship so I put him down as a scholarship guy until I figure it out.

Some commentary after the jump...tell us what you think the Buffs need to address in the next 43 days of recruiting. The Buffs are looking to sign 11 - 13 more players.

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Who drank the Kool Aid? Okay maybe we didn't drink the Kool Aid entirely after less than stellar performances against Eastern Washington and West Virginia but at 3 - 0 we were able to rationalize those performances...sort of. Being undefeated felt good and it was easy to buy in after years of losing, even though most of us were less than satisfied.  Winning blinds us all!

The win against Colorado State was one of the more complete victories of the season with the offense and defense both showing its moments. Against Eastern Washington, the Buffs survived that FCS scare with Cha'pelle Brown and some late Cody Hawkins heroics provided a 2 - 0 start. The Montana State and Eastern Washington storyline was extinguished and the Buffs had a little more than a week and a half to prepare for West Virginia, the consensus circle game of the year. The Buffs were 4 point dogs going into that game. Thursday night in Boulder, Erin Andrews in the house, the crowd was buzzing with a full on blackout for national TV. Colorado responded as the team came out on all cylinders. Two quick touchdowns. For a second there, I was drinking the Kool Aid and so was everyone else. Less than five minutes into the game, CU was up 14 points. I had an epiphany that maybe CU football had, once again, arrived. Maybe it was the Kool Aid or the 12 pack of Coors Light before the game but I got that feeling. You could rationalize the Eastern Washington game as being a youthful experience for a team still trying to find its play makers, its starting rotation at offensive line, running back and offensive line (if you were drinking the Kool Aid). The key, as was being said at that time, was the young Buffs found a way to win and in the first three games, they won in shaky but exciting fashion. But as the West Virginia game went on, we saw the offensive inadequacies and still wondered if the spread offense was the right choice with such a limited set of play makers (too bad we are wondering the same thing today). But the defense held its own against a quarterback who would end up being the NCAA all-time leading rusher for a QB. Things seemed good.

It is pretty safe to say that it went all down hill from there. Ryan Miller and Max Tuioti-Mariner, both starting offensive lineman went down with injuries. The youthful and injured Buffs couldn't get much going. The worst part was you look back on the season and the Buffs should have beat Florida State and should have beat Texas A&M. Cody Hawkins missed on three touchdown passes in the FSU game and well, the special teams did its usual thing; missing a field goal, giving up a safety followed by a subsequent field goal and allowing a kick off return for a touchdown. The team was never really the same after the Florida State game that they let slip away. It would have been one of Dan Hawkins first signature road wins and the Buffs would have been 4 - 0 going into conference play. Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda.

But for a second, well for about five minutes into the third week of the season, we believed. And I do have to say, it felt good. Next year, No excuses! Go Buffs!

Best of 2008 List
10) The Victory Against CSU at Mile High
9) The Iowa State Second Half
8) Buff Linebacker Shaun Mohler
7) The 3 - 0 Start

Worst of 2008 List
10) The Off the Field Issues
9) The Defensive Line Scheme/Play
8) Home Crowd Blues

Here is some news from Dan Hawkins press outing today with media folk:

• Hawkins says he loves his coaches and believes you need to look at all the factors in judging them. He also made a plug for the university needing to ante up the cash because Colorado pays their assistants the least in the Big 12 conference and Colorado is the most expensive place to live in the Big 12. He referenced Missouri as an example of keeping coaches together and finding success over time. I THINK THIS MEANS WE WON'T SEE ANY CHANGES TO THIS YEAR'S STAFF.
  
• Hawkins said that spring practice might start later next year due to a number of factors but most importantly, to allow proper time for all the injuries to heal. Players who suffered severe injuries this year who will need all the time to recover is OT Ryan Miller, LB Jon Major, RB Rodney Stewart and OG Max Tuioti-Mariner. Hawkins also said that more than 5 players will have surgery in the next couple of weeks. FB Jake Behrens sprained his MCL in the Nebraska game.
• Sounds like DE Jason Brace will not be back next year due to concussions. The junior defensive end was at one time starting this year. The final injury was believed to be suffered in the West Virginia game. He did not play another game this year.
• Hawkins will be leaving for two weeks of recruiting on Tuesday and he will be signing a larger class than originally thought because of players leaving the program. Look for a number in the 20 + range but I will shocked if they get that considering where they are now. Anything over 20 would be a shock. The players leaving the program making room for more youth would be Brace, OL Drew Hudgins, WR Kendrick Celestine and FB Kai Maiava.
• Hawkins also said the turn around of the program has taken longer than he expected and it is "never as fast as you want it. "
• Hawkins set up the excuse of  "youth" again next year saying this team won't have a lot of seniors.
• Should Hawkins stop using the excuse of the "issues" before he got here referring to the Gary Barnett era? It's been three full years!
• Believes that running the spread/no huddle is the way to go especially in the Big 12.
• He didn't sound entirely optimistic about LB Lynn Katoa. Very brief and that their is a lot of things they "are working on with him."
• Hawk is also concerned about the QB situation, defensive line and the kicking game.
• And the Buffs are recruiting another kicker/punter for a scholarship!

Huskers quarterback Joe Ganz looks to be fine for this Friday's game. He had an MRI on his shoulder last week. Here is what Pelini said on the subject:

"Joe is fine," Pelini said. "He's 100 percent. There are no issues with him. He could have practiced last week. We just chose to give him a day or two (off)."

The concern now is that Ganz has been hot lately and the Buffs may be without their two senior safeties, Daniel Dykes and Ryan Walters. Dykes will definitely be out and Walters hasn't practiced since he was hurt on the first play of the Oklahoma State game. The Buffs will have to be agressive to get pressure on Ganz

Do you ever notice that the best parts of these Denver Post and Rocky Mountain articles are in the bottom "Other" section. Some good news in there today:

Injured offensive linemen Ryan Miller and Max Tuioti-Mariner appear to be on track to get an extra year of eligibility. Hawkins said no official word has been given, but "we don't expect any issues there."

HUGE. If the Buffs can find a center, the line should be set for a long time.

Freshman quarterback Tyler Hansen has a role in this week's game plan, Hawkins said.

The more dynamic, the better on offense.

In an event that will make Woodrow happy, Dan Hawkins voted OU above of Texas:

Colorado lost 38-14 in its Big 12 opener against the Longhorn, and hasn't played Oklahoma. But Buffs coach Dan Hawkins acknowledged he had the Sooners ranked higher.

"I think I put Oklahoma No. 1," Hawkins said. "When you get into the circle of I beat you and you beat (another team) and (the other team) beat me, it's kind of who's hottest in the moment, particularly when you have a team like Oklahoma, that did what they did Saturday."

George Hypolite still wants to win this "rivalry" game even though Nebraska "is to good for CU" for them to consider it a "rivalry":

"Everybody's hair is up a little bit, and I think everybody is taking this seriously, as it needs to be, not only because it's Nebraska week, but most importantly because it's a football game we need to win," Hypolite said. "Plain and simple. It's a football game we need to win for our season, for our team, for everybody."

Jimmy Smith, the DB who picked off Joe Ganz pass last year as the Buffs went on to win and put 65 up on the Huskers, also embraces the "rivalry"

"You can't go near Dal Ward with red on," he said. "I have a pair of red shoes and they cuss me out every time I wear them. I have a red car and they cuss me out every time they see me in it. It's a big-time rivalry for us. I'm looking at it as a rivalry, but I'm also looking at it as I want to go to a bowl game. And that's more important to me right now."

The Buffs cross country team finished 12th at NCAA's yesterday. It was the first time since 1992, the University of Colorado men's cross country team failed to finish in the top 10 at the NCAA Championships.

I was looking through my library, trying to find a song that fit well with this week's game when I stumbled upon this gem.  Really, why on earth does anyone live in Nebraska? - Woodrow

 Death Cab for Cutie - Why'd You Want to Live Here

So how did Darrell Scott's first chance at getting a bulk of the carries go? Decent. Scott definitely had his moments especially on the game changing drive to open the third quarter where he handled the bulk of the load including the 37 yard rush down the sideline. You can see from the chart below that Scott mixed in a few 5+ yard runs but we are still seeing a ton of negative rushes and "less than 3 yard" carries. Sometimes it's due to his impatience in the running game but most of the time it has to do with a young and banged up offensive line. Take away the 37 yard run to start the second half and Scott averaged 2.78 ypc. But we did see promise in the third quarter from Scott. I think we will have to wait until next year, though, to really assess Scott for a variety of reasons. First of all, he is a freshman who in high school was the best talent on the field by a long shot. He was faster and stronger than everyone so he could run through people and around everyone. Since that was the case, he has to "re-learn" waiting for holes to open up and patience in the running game. Second, the Buffs still aren't committed to him. You look at the first half, the Buffs only tried to pound Scott from the shotgun set and with little success in the passing game, they forgot about RB Darrell Scott. One thing the Buffs are also doing is hinting run and pass. When Scott is out, it is usually a pass, when he is in, it is usually a run. One of the best things Scott did early in the season was getting involved in the passing game. Where has that gone? I understand Sumler is a better blocker but they need to get Scott the ball on screen plays and out in space. Scott did well in the third quarter is they final got him off tackle. His two longest runs were over the right tackle. Another reason we have to wait to evaluate Scott is his obvious injury problem and the team's injury issues. You could tell that Scott had no burst on the 37 yard run to get around the safety. He looked like he easily had a touchdown but was caught at an angle. Next year, that won't happen. The Buffs get back OT Ryan Miller and OG Max Tuioti-Mariner next year, coupled with incoming recruit Jack Harris, red shirt OG Bryce Givens and a line that has one more year of experience. I think the Buffs will be head and shoulders ahead of where they are now which will give Scott more opportunity to run in space and not get tackled so often behind the line of scrimmage.

The great thing about Scott is he seems very mature and he wants the ball. He will get over this injury spat and the offensive line will get better. Will the play calling? I don't know but if Cody Hawkins or whoever at quarterback can make some plays in the passing game, the Buffs are going to see a lot more 5+ yard runs from Scott next year.

How disappointing was yesterday's performance against the Kansas Jayhawks? Let me rephrase that; how disappointing has the 2008 season been so far? So much anticipation coming off a bowl season, a year when recruiting couldn't have been any better and the Buffs were finally going to play with coach Hawkins players. It is hard to even know where to begin to assess this game. Is there even a bright spot on this team? Can you name more than three players wearing black and gold who you feel is really playing great football right now? Only questions fill my mind today. It's gone from anger to sadness  to just wanting to sit down with the coaches and ask them a couple of questions. Yes it is hard to coach with all of the injuries, the ineligibility, the coming in to training camp out of shape and the defections but these guys get paid a nice chunk of change to do the things that is not frankly getting done right now. You name it, the Buffs camp isn't doing it. Its starts and never ends with game planning, game day adjustments, player personnel decisions, play calling, schemes and, what should be an easy task of getting this team ready to play. By ready to play I mean show a pulse. Where is the excitement? This was  7 - 9 game at halftime and it just looked like the Buffs were expecting to lose. There is no leadership on this team, nobody trying to get people excited to play football...this team is going through the motions. So if I was granted my 5 minutes with coach Hawkins and the coaches I would ask these questions. I would probably get a cavalier response but at least I would feel better.

Frankly for me, it starts on defense...I know, what?

Coach Hawkins, what is the point of rushing three lineman and allowing a great quarterback to sit back there all day and pick and choose where he wanted to go with the ball? Frankly coach, the only way that you are going to beat teams is win the turnover battle and I don't think the no pass rush scheme is going to force any turnovers? And the whole time while you were rushing three, you once again made a team's weakness (Kansas' rushing game) turn into one of their strengths. Did you not see that Kerry Meier was hurt in the first half and try to blitz like crazy knowing he wasn't a viable option at that time? Don't you think you have to put a defensive scheme out there that will win you ball games and not just keep you in ball games? Frankly coach, you came out in the first quarter and blitzed, I have a hard time figuring out why you stopped. You allowed Todd Reesing to get comfortable back in the pocket and gain confidence. If there is any team in the country who should know what pressure does to a quarterback's play, the Buffs should, I mean look at how Cody is playing these days? Do you realize Kansas had more rushing yards against the Buffs than any other division one team this year?

continue reading the fictious Q&A session after the jump...

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The Kool-Aid was emptied last week. This week, hope became a hard reality...and it came like a freight truck coming 100 mph down the freeway right into Folsom Field. There were so many things to be disappointed with last night, it made all Buff fans take the big pill that was prescribed for those who still maintained the FSU game was an anomaly. This post will be honest and straight forward. It will be different than other wrap ups because it is not all about X and O's anymore. Don't get me wrong, I still believe this team is headed in a positive direction, we are just so far from the talent that the Big 4 in Missouri, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Texas put on the field. The question is will the Buffs ever have the talent to compete with Texas and Oklahoma? After sitting 20 rows right behind the Texas sideline (unfortunately with a bunch of Texas fans...thanks for selling your tickets to Texas fans CU donors), you see the eye-popping difference between the two teams. I have to tell you Buff fans, there might be one or two players on Colorado that would start/play at Texas. That is a fact. CU's defensive line would be scout players, that includes DT George Hypolite. I like our linebackers but they would be special teams players. C Daniel Sanders and injured OT Ryan Miller might play for the Longhorns but that is it. And do I have to go into our skill players? Texas backup quarterback John Chiles was bigger than our linebackers. And it isn't just bigger for Texas players, it is faster, taller, stronger, tougher and more physical. And they make plays, they are confident, they have an amazing amount of pride in their university and it shows in their performance. I can't say that for Colorado. It is a complete athlete.

It is really hard to look anywhere other than the talent on the field and blame coaching or play calling but once again I am dumbfounded. I know some of you are sick of WR/KR Josh Smith. He almost made a bad safety last night and had bad kickoff return/fumble against FSU but nothing is bad about his offensive game. Last night, Josh Smith was taken out of the game by the coaches and substituted for Cody Crawford until they went 4 WR in the fourth quarter? Smith is CU's leading statistical WR? The Buffs' coaches have voluntarily taken our best play maker off the field for a possession receiver. Unbelievable. The Buffs already have 2 possession receivers out their in Scotty McKnight and Patrick Williams. CU has no field stretch, no deep threat, nobody who can out run the defense when Smith isn't in there. What is going on...am I missing something?

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It has been a busy week on The Ralphie Report so far...Woodrow and I have put up a lot of information from recruiting to round tables to an exciting podcast that we did with Burnt Orange Nation. But now it is time to get down to business. All the work has been put in during the week. The film has been studied, the game plans set, the schemes understood. Most people aren't giving the Buffs a chance and the popular opinion among Texas blogs is that this Colorado team is a joke, a mediocre team who will be lucky to go to a bowl game this year. Personally,  I like the Buffs position right now. Its like Coach Hawkins said yesterday "So if you want to spend time handing out game balls 'cause you beat West Virginia or having a funeral 'cause you lost to Florida State, that's wrong. You just keep re-pooling, re-tooling, working it out." One bad game against FSU doesn't make a season and I fully expect this Buffs' team to respond against Texas in a strong manner. In either a win or loss result, I believe this team will take a step forward. One thing is for sure, Hawkins has a way to get his team motivated and ready for these types of games (look at Georgia & Texas Tech in his first year and Texas Tech & Oklahoma in his second). Now the keys to the game and The Ralphie Report's prediction! I think the keys of the game sections is the best of the year so far!

CU's Defensive Keys to the Game:

1) Texas has scored 73 of their 198 points (37%) in the second quarter this year compared to only giving up 20. On the flip side, Colorado has allowed more points in the second quarter  (40 of the 94 or 43%) than any other quarter this year. What does this mean...the Buffs need to do a better job with the in game adjustments. Watch for the second quarter points. Last week against FSU, the Buffs gave up 12 points while not putting any on the board. The Buffs were down 12 at half time and never could recover. We talk about half time adjustments being important but this week it is about making the correct in game adjustments once Texas understands the schemes CU's defense is throwing at them.

2) Texas has had 31, count'em 31 plays over 20 yards this year. The Buffs must limit the big play. Texas has good wide receivers on the outside with Shipley and Cosby. Colt McCoy is also a threat to break a big run as he has 5 for over 20 yards. Momentum is going to be a big intangible in this game and nothing quiets a crowd or deflates a team early than a big special teams, defense or offensive play.

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The Ralphie Report ranks the good and the bad (majority) from this Saturday's Colorado Buffaloes vs. Florida State Seminoles game.

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Okay, not exactly like the PUP list. More like the Physically/Academically/Suspended/Left Team (PASLTUP List) Unable to Perform List. Whatever you want to call it, the list is about 26 players long filled with members of the team that have missed game time due to various reason. Of course all of these players weren't going to make huge impacts for the Buffs this year but injuries to starters like OT Ryan Miller, OG Max Tuioti-Mariner and CB Ben Burney along with many potential starter/important backups make this Buffs team even younger and less experienced. I am amazed how many reserves we expected something from this year are on the list especially offensive linemen. Going into Big 12 play, a major concern is the depth of the line and the ability to find dependable play makers. Another major injury like the one to Ryan Miller against Florida State could put this season in jeopardy. I already feel the loss of Miller and Tuioti-Mariner may cost this team a game this year. Also, the list does not include the teams red shirt players that weren't caused by injury or suspension.

Who is the current player that we cannot afford to lose? Is it Rodney "Speedy" Stewart? Cody Hawkins? Nate Solder? Let The Ralphie Report know so we can start buying rabbit foots, saying prayers, performing rituals in that player's name