Today, we had the great fortune of speaking with Nick Hirschman, quarterback from Los Gatos, California, who committed to the University of Colorado this past week. I couldn't have been more impressed with Nick. I have done many interviews with prospective Buffs and Nick knocked it out of the park. Coach Hawkins definitely seems to have gotten a kid who is very mature and has a great outlook on football & what he hopes to accomplish at the next level. 

I couldn't have been more impressed about his desire to continue to improve in all aspects of his game as well as his "team-first" attitude.

I can't say enough about Nick, see for yourself below, and you will definitely be proud that he verbaled with the team you root for:

The Ralphie Report (TRR): Thanks for taking the time with us today Nick. I understand you were at a 7 on 7 passing camp yesterday, how did it turn out?

Nick Hirschman (NH): Really well. We won the team camp again, defending our title from a year ago, something that is always nice to do.

TRR: Great. Well as Buff fans, we are pumped to have your commitment. It looks like Colorado got you just in time as it seems your recruiting has taken off over the summer.

NH: I feel like I was lucky to go to a place like Colorado.

TRR: Well, it works out well for both of parties then.

TRR: So your junior year of high school, you throw for over 2,000 yards, lead your team to a 10 - 3 record and a section title championship. Things look to be going really well and you were obviously very successful. But then we read a few articles saying that you work with Bob Johnson and the Johnson family (they run a prominent quarterback camp and Elite 11 events) on becoming a more fundamental quarterback. What prompted that decision to work with the Johnson's (colleges, etc.)? Why go through all of these changes?

NH: Basically what prompted those changes is really you can never stop improving. We had a very successful year last year but there is no reason that each time you go out on the field, you can't be better and that was my train of thought.  Coach Cattolico (Los Gatos High School Coach) does a wonderful job and he really encouraged me to go down to Coach Johnson's. Coach Cattolico told me anything that I can pick up from any coach I work with will make me a better player in the long run. So when I went down their Coach Johnson gave me a base analysis and he told me where I needed to work from there. I really thought he was incredibly accurate in his assessment. There was a lot of things I needed to focus on; quicker feet, better throwing mechanics overall, quicker release; all of which is going to make me a better quarterback. I think that was a big reason I was able to improve.

see after the jump for a lot more from the Nick Hirschman interview...

Continue reading this post »

Welcome back to another edition of "The Ralphie Report Live" where we sit down with a few prominent people that have an impact on Colorado athletics. Today, we had the privilege to talk with Chad Koepke, the head coach of the Littleton Lions and Buffs' 2010 verbal commit, running back Mister Jones. Jones committed last week to the University of Colorado, becoming the second member of this cycle's class. Like most fans, we get excited when the Buffs bring in a new runningback so we thought we would get on the horn and learn a little more about Mister. We spent about 10 minutes with Coach Koepke discussing a range of topics including Jones' talents, areas for improvement and his personal growth over his high school career. Thanks again to Chad for the interview:

The Ralphie Report (TRR): Being a Colorado kid, we are that much more excited about Mister Jones playing for the Buffs. What makes Mister a special player and what kind of player should we expect to see on Saturdays for years to come?

Coach Koepke (CK): Well, he is a very exciting player and I guess the biggest thing at the next level is he has to continue to run the football hard which he has done throughout his high school career. He has really learned to run the ball inside (the tackles). Before, as a sophomore, he was great on the edge using his speed but now he has gained a little size, weighing 205 pounds. So now when he runs downhill, it is exciting because there aren't too many guys at the high school level that want to step in there and take that on.

He is just a very dynamic kid who is fun to watch run the ball

TRR: We often hear the phrase "a track star playing football" does that best describe Jones?

CK: Honestly, I think he is a better football player than he is a track athlete. Pure speed-wise he is pretty good but he has been an all league and second team all state player in football. At the track level he has done some things on the relay team but I think he is kind of getting a bad rap about a track kid playing football. He is 205 pounds and runs "football" well with very few teams that are able to stop him.

TRR: In your discussions with Jones, how was the recruiting process for him and was ever thinking about going anywhere else than CU?

CK: He had a few schools that were interested in him. Wyoming had offered him, KU had offered him. I think the attraction with CU was they were the first to offer him and the first ones to show interest so I think he has a little bit of loyalty there. All that being said, it isn't a surprise in my mind. It helps that (CU) is a regional school and he has always talked about staying within this region. I am excited that I get to see him play.

TRR: Whenever you read about Mister, there is that mention of an ankle injury or hamstring injury. Is he back to 100% and how important is it for his psyche to get through this year unscathed? Do you think his injuries have affected his recruitment of schools nationwide?

CK: I think that the injuries probably had something to do with it (not being recruited on a bigger level). He only started five games a year ago and still rushed for 900 yards. As far as his ankle injuries go, his first one happened as a freshman in Arizona and it never really got taken care of. I don't even know how it happened but it always bothered him early on until he got that fixed. This last one was just a fluke deal as he was trying to get out of a tackle and someone rolled up on him so has had a little bit of bad luck.

If he doesn't sit for five games last year, (also injured in one of the games with a hamstring injury) he is a 2,000 yard rusher and in the five games he played in against a few of those teams, he had less than 10 carries. A couple of them may not have been the greatest of opponents but we are definitely a different team when Mister is in the game.

click after the jump to read the rest of the interview...

Continue reading this post »

Marcus Relphorde, the newest addition to the Colorado Buffaloes basketball team was gracious enough to sit down with us yesterday to talk about his game, the future of the Buffs and even a little NBA playoff basketball. Here is a full write up of Marcus' profile when he signed with CU earlier this week.

I was very impressed with him and think he is a great addition to the program. Definitely a Ralphie Report favorite.

Here is the interview:

The Ralphie Report (TRR): First of all, congratulations on committing and becoming a Buff. Hopefully you are as excited as we are.

Marcus Relphorde (MR): I am definitely excited. I am ready to get down there now.

TRR: Great. Are you still at Indian Hills Community College right now?

MR: Yeah, I am still at Indian Hills finishing up some classes. We get out next week.

TRR: Well we are excited to get you on campus. What should Buff fans know about you & your game and what do you hope to bring to Boulder?

MR: The best thing to know about my game is my versatility. I cause a lot of match-up problems because of my size. I can do a lot of things with the ball in my hands, I am big enough to play against the big defenders and I can pose mismatch problems for smaller guard players. I shoot the ball well and I am very unselfish. I think the coaches like me most because of my versatility and my ability to cause match-up problems.

TRR: I know you were heavily recruited by Arkansas and TCU as well as Colorado. What really separated Colorado from those two schools and what was the deciding factor to make you commit?

MR: What really separated them was the relationship I had with Coach Bzdelik and Coach McClain. They recruited me pretty hard the whole year and I just felt really comfortable with them. It is always great to play for a (former) NBA coach. Coach Bzdelik has a great resume from coaching in the NBA. Also I wanted a chance to play in the Big 12 and the recruits they already signed and the players they have coming back, they are real close to getting over the hump and make some noise in the conference.

see after the jump for the rest of the interview...

Continue reading this post »

Welcome to the second Ralphie Report Live segment. This time we welcome in California prep star and CU recruit WR Diante Jackson. Diante has quickly made himself the Buffs new #1 recruiting prospect along with DT Edward Nuckols. Diante would bring great size and explosiveness to a position that is a definite need for the Buffs. He was gracious enough to spare 15 minutes of his time to talk to us about a ton of topics including when he expects to announce. Special thanks to Diante on this one. He sounds like a smart kid and made us want to see him in a Buff uniform even more. Enjoy the audio after the jump. We have also transcribed this in case you want to read the text.

click after the jump for the audio...

Continue reading this post »

We sat down with the fantastic Missouri blog, Rock M Nation for a quick Q&A.  Check our responses to their questions here.

First off, what's the pulse in Columbia after the last two weeks.  Are Tiger fans going to consider the season a success if they defend their Big 12 North title?

Speaking only for the campus itself, Columbia hasn't quite had the same swagger the past few weeks. On campus, it seemed like a lot of people had drawn pride in the football team's success, and the loss to OSU really let some of the wind out of the sails. The OSU loss was extremely deflating primarily because very few saw it coming. Everyone knew Mizzou was in for a battle in Austin, and to an extent, everyone knew that OSU would be a very tough game. But losing at home like that in a game that was expected to be a shootout (and thus in Mizzou's favor) brought this campus down a notch. The Texas loss was obviously humbling, but at least everyone was able to prepare themselves accordingly.

At the very minimum, the Tigers HAVE to win the Big 12 North for this season to be a success. Not appearing in Kansas City for the Big 12 Title game would be regarded as a failure. Before the season, the goals went, from expected to wishful, in this order: Big 12 North Title, Big 12 Title, BCS Bowl, National Title. The final goal is off the table and the second to last goal is now only obtainable by obtaining the two goals before it. I doubt you'll find a Mizzou fan wagering on a Missouri Big 12 championship, but not even making it to that stage would be flop of epic proportions for a team that was supposed to be the school's greatest in history.

What do think the Missouri coaching staff will do on Saturday to avoid the slow start that ruined their chances against Texas (other than making sure that everyone knows that the game starts at 5:30)?

Missouri looked flat-out shellshocked in Austin. This is a program and a team that has become accustomed to taking big leads and looking back at opponents. The roles were reversed last weekend, and no one, myself included, really knew how to respond. Just being at home this week should provide a first quarter jolt that the team could have severely used in Texas last week.

More than anything, the Tigers can't force anything and they can't overthink things. Much has been made of the disappearance of the Mizzou running game over the last two weeks, but I have adamantly defending the playcalling. The O-Line has simply flat out failed to produce holes. Early on, rather than trying gadget plays like the first-play reverse to Maclin that Texas blew up last week, Missouri needs to test what works against Colorado and keep going to it. If that means Derrick Washington up the gut, keep doing that. If that means hitting Chase Coffman six yards at a time, do that. If that means having Jeremy Maclin torch CU up the seams, do that. There's no need to get cute at this point. Mizzou needs to find what works against each team and exploit the hell out of it.

See the rest of the questions after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

Who: Colorado Buffaloes vs. Kansas State Wildcats
Where: Folsom Field (Boulder. Colorado)
When: 5:10 pm MT
Line: Colorado - 3.5

At Stake: Do the Buffs want to be a bowl team or not. Must win if they have bowl aspirations.

 VS.

Radio: 850 KOA (Mark Johnson, Larry Zimmer and Charles Johnson)
TV: FSN
Weather: Sunny, 71 degrees at kickoff


Welcome to the Ralphie Report as the Buffs get ready to take on the Kansas State Wildcats in Boulder, Colorado. No need to go anywhere else today. The Ralphie Report has everything you need and we welcome you to weigh in with your live game analysis, critiques, observations and predictions as the Buffs attempt to upset the Cats. Below you will find the "Buff Toolbox" that will have this week's previews and information about today's game. So if you are feeling a little under prepared for the match up, those links should get you caught up.

Check out the FSU game thread to see how the live game thread works. Throw all your comments about today's game below and let's get this thing rolling. If you don't have an account, sign up here and enjoy all that our site has to offer. 

Buff Tool Box
Everything to Get You Ready for Today's Game

The Ralphie Report Predicts the Game
Gameday Buff Bites
Recruits this Weekend in Boulder
Buy or Sell: Kansas State Week
Colorado Buffaloes vs Kansas State: A Statistical Look
Chatting It Up With Bring on the Cats - A KState Blog

The Ralphie Report had the privilege to sit down with one of the Buffs prized commits in Los Alamitos H.S. QB Clark Evans who is one of the best dual threat quarterbacks in the nation. Clark is 6'5" 225 lbs and is in the mold of Tim Tebow in his ability to run and throw the ball with success. He has led his high school team to a 5 - 0 record which is currently ranked 63rd in the nation according to Rivals.com. Last week, Evans had 6 total touchdowns as he continues to fill up the stat sheet. In case you haven't seen this video of Clark, you are in for a special show. The title is "The Next Tim Tebow." Let's not go that far but he looks like the biggest guy out there by a lot.

Here is our interview with Clark Evans from California:

The Ralphie Report: First of all, thanks for taking the time to answer some of our questions. Congrats on your commitment to the University of Colorado and on your successful high school career.

I would say your arrival at CU is exciting to a lot of Buff fans because of the talent that you have shown in your high school career and the different things that we have read about that you may bring to the team. How would you define your style of play and what can you bring to this Colorado team?

Clark Evans: I think I am a duel threat quarterback although in college I see my self as staying in the pocket a lot more.

The Ralphie Report: I know you have been asked this a million times but what separated Colorado from the other Division One schools that offered you a scholarship? How much interaction did you have with Coach Hawkins in the process or was it mostly QB coach Mark Helfrich?

Clark Evans: When I visited Colorado I loved the college feel. Where I live now (Los Alamitos) football isn't that big of a deal but in Colorado I feel it is.

See the rest of the interview after the jump...

Continue reading this post »