It was hard to do these Buff Bites today. Coach Hawkins is still saying the same things while the players are saying mostly the same quotes but now are doubting whether they have the talent to play with the rest of the Big 12.
Woelk: Solution to CU troubles not so difficult - Boulder Daily Camera
Neill Woelk thinks the Colorado administration needs to follow what Nebraska and Kansas State did and bring back an old legend in Bill McCartney to act as an adviser to Dan Hawkins and the staff. I think Bill McCartney wants no part of this train wreck. It's not like the problems we see every weekend are small, little things. The Buffs have glaring issues, huge problems that aren't going to be fixed with a tweak there and a word of wisdom here...the Buffs are way past an adviser situation.
Sooner or later -- preferably sooner -- Colorado officials need to make the call to Bill McCartney. Not as the head coach. Not as a coach who will be asked to spend countless hours on the road recruiting and away from his family. Simply, as a coach who will provide daily guidance to Hawkins and his staff. A coach who knows more than anyone what it takes to win at a university where the landscape and circumstances are different than almost any other Division I school. A hands-on guy who knows how the administration works -- and has an idea about how to work the administration.
Krieger: Vote not of confidence, but for Hawkins to take responsibility - The Denver Post
Former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan was hardly known for public introspection, but on the rare occasions when his team played as haplessly as the Buffs did in the first half Saturday, he would always start his postmortem with the obvious, acknowledging he had failed to get his team ready to play. Hawkins made no such admission Saturday.
When I asked if the coaching staff bears some responsibility for a team coming out as flat as CU did, this was his reply: "Well, we always talk to them about that. But they know getting out of the gate is important. But so much of it is just a momentum thing, guys having a little resolve and having a little leadership and getting ready to go. "I thought our meetings were great, practices were great. Last week (at Kansas State), we started a little bit slow defensively the first drive. But against Kansas, they were hot. It's just a matter of consistency." Hawkins is a likable fellow. He has cleaned up the mess he found at Dal Ward, recruited good kids and vastly increased the emphasis on academics and citizenship. But through his first four years, he has yet to prove he can recruit or coach at a level that will make CU competitive in the Big 12.
DE Kasa says he`s out for rest of year - Boulder Daily Camera
The hits just keep coming:
Colorado freshman defensive end Nick Kasa says he won`t play again this season. Kasa, the highest rated recruit in the Buffs` 2009 class, missed Saturday`s home game against Missouri because of an undisclosed illness. After the game he told the Camera he won`t be back this season and plans to appeal to the NCAA for a medical redshirt season. "I`m not coming back," Kasa said. "I`m going to see about a redshirt." It`s questionable whether he will be eligible for a medical redshirt because he has played in four games or a third of the season. However, he had been on the field for just 47 snaps in those contests.
many more links after the jump...
Buffs suffer Homedrubbing - Boulder Daily Camera
Read these two quotes...the coaches don't have these players psychologically ready to play. They don't believe in themselves, don't have a killer mentality and don't think they are prepared to play in the game. Another downfall of our coaching staff.
Now even the Buffs players are longing for the good old days at Boise State. "I think definitely the things you point out -- height, speed and all that type of stuff -- in that regard, yeah, they're more talented," CU linebacker Marcus Burton said when asked if the Buffs measured up physically to their Big 12 opponents. "But those aren't always the teams that have won. Look at Boise State. They don't really have the talent to beat a lot of the guys they're beating, but they execute and they play dedicated football. We're just not doing that." "You work so hard all week to come out here and play the game that you love to play at this school. We came to this school to play football for the most part. So enjoy it," McKnight said. "Sometimes guys get too tensed up and they're worried about making mistakes. Go out there and have fun. We need to find a way to do that."
Buffs’ fall baffles, frustrates - The Longmont Times-Call
But the problems they cite they’ve cited before. And now certain conclusions are unavoidable. The Buffs are not improving. Their problems aren’t getting fixed. The fault for that can go myriad directions, but eventually you just have to ask if you’re good enough. Saturday’s attendance, reported at 45,634, was a season low and its smallest since the Miami (Ohio) game in 2007. That crowd was 45,243. It was a gorgeous Homecoming day. People stayed away.
Hansen struggles against MU defense - Boulder Daily Camera
CU`s offensive line, advertised as the strength of the team and a reason for hope before the season, was pushed around by a team that is making it a habit of bullying the Buffs. Where`s the pride up front? "Lack of focus on our part, and I`ll take that upon myself and the entire O-line that we definitely need to communicate and get our stuff together," offensive tackle Ryan Miller said. "We`re playing well, but we`re not playing well enough." Hansen has the talent to make things happen with his legs or arm. But it sounds like too many of his offensive teammates are waiting for him to do all of the heavy lifting and save the season by himself. "People are waiting for other people to make plays," McKnight said. " As an offense you have to take pride and make plays from the first snap of the game and not wait for someone else to do something to get some energy going. You just have to take pride in that."
McKnight: Buffs haven’t quit on coaches | The Buffzone Blog
"There is so much to fuel us for the game it’s hard to believe that we could possibly come out here and play flat,"McKnight said. "I mean there is factors like last year when they put their starting defense in when they were up 58-0. That’s got to fuel guys. That’s got to make you come out here and play, and hats off, they played a great game, but we need to use that kind of stuff to give us the needed energy to start this game with a spark and we didn’t."
Missouri rolls past Colorado 36-17 - The Denver Post
Hansen made some ill-advised decisions, but often he didn't have much of a chance. Under seize from sellout blitzes for most of the day, Hansen was sacked eight times, including once in the end zone for a safety in the second quarter. He finished 22-of-36 passing for 190 yards. "I told Tyler after the game, 'Don't beat yourself up. Everybody goes through the valley of death,' " CU coach Dan Hawkins said.
Tigers bury Buffs in the backfield - The Longmont Times-Call
But while CU fans clamor for change among the coaching staff, the message coming from the players after their latest debacle was the coaches are not to blame for a team that looks ill-prepared to start and overwhelmed at the end. The players say it’s on them. "You can say it’s the coaching all you want to, but coaches aren’t playing and making the plays," linebacker Marcus Burton said. "What were they calling differently in the second half? Did they just come up with some genius schemes that we used to stop them?
The Buffs were held to 55 yards of offense in the first half, a total that included four rushing yards. Meanwhile, the Tigers, who hadn't topped 100 yards rushing in their past four games and were averaging 115 ground yards, broke loose for 117 en route to their 30-point advantage at intermission.
Colorado-Missouri Notes - CUBuffs.com
The eight sacks by Missouri were the most against the Buffs since 1984, when Iowa State had eight in a 23-21 CU win at Folsom.
Colorado-Missouri Quotes - CUBuffs.com
Post game comments by players and coaches.
Mizzou dominates early and thumps CU 36-17 - The Denver Post
Mizzou throws everything it has into victory - KansasCity.com
Missouri hit Colorado with a running game. A passing game. Eight sacks that resulted in three fumble recoveries and a safety. A fake field goal for a touchdown. And then — in ultimately the best defensive stand of the season — the Tigers stopped Colorado three times from second and 2 at the 14 with the Buffaloes threatening what seemed to be an insurmountable lead