Hansen Out Of Hospital, Solder Among 16 NFF Winners - CUBuffs.com
Quarterback Tyler Hansen remains hopeful of returning to the Buffs to play in bowl game, while offensive tackle Nate Solder is among 16 winners of a prestigious the National Football Foundation (NFF) Scholar-Athlete Award.
"When I checked in, they told me what could go wrong - and I was pretty scared," he said. "I guess you can live without your spleen, but I think it makes things pretty tough. After being diagnosed on Sunday as having a ruptured spleen, he underwent a procedure two days later that removed a portion of his spleen. "I'm happy to have it - at least part of it. They took about an eighth of the spleen and shut it down for good, so an eighth of my spleen will not work forever."
Brooks: QB Change Brings Some Offensive Tweaks - CUBuffs.com
If the differences in their styles and arm strength mean some offensive tweaking for offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau and adjustments by receivers, it's more or less business as usual for Nate Solder and the guys along the line of scrimmage.
"The line's assignment doesn't change . . . nothing's really going to change," Solder said. "We block it up the same; we want to keep the same mentality that we want to dominate the line of scrimmage - that's always the goal. I don't think there'll be any major changes for us. (Hawkins) plays a little different style, but that doesn't affect us any."
In fact, with Hawkins more of a pocket passer than the more mobile Hansen, the O-line's role becomes more defined. Instead of often being forced to hold blocks longer to accommodate Hansen's scrambling, Solder & Co. can concentrate on their initial assignment on pass plays - keeping the pocket intact.
Scotty McKnight a constant for CU Buffs - Buffzone
"...I`m on a first-name basis with all those guys out there," McKnight said. "They`re like, 'Come on Scotty, you`re still here?` Yeah bro, I`ve got a couple more games left." For the last three seasons, McKnight has been the only consistent component of CU`s offense. The offensive line has finally emerged as a strength after going through years of growing pains, the running game comes and goes, and the starting quarterback situation changes with the color of the leaves every fall. McKnight -- who leads the Buffs with 31 receptions for 338 yards and three touchdowns this season -- won`t have any problems adjusting to the loss of Tyler Hansen. No matter what happens during this stretch run, No. 21 will be on the same page as longtime teammate and friend Cody Hawkins. "I`d never describe that as bittersweet," McKnight said of getting to play with Hawkins again. "Obviously, I`ve had a bond with both of those guys and I`ve caught balls from both players. I have so much respect forboth of those guys and really the way they`ve handled a tough situation when it could have been easy for either of them to be upset and moan about it. Neither of those guys have ever done that, and really I look up to them for that because they`ve handled it with such maturity.
Webb's sights set on starting - The Longmont Times-Call
Moving to what he calls "Cold Colorado" took some getting used to for Derrick Webb. However, the University of Colorado redshirt freshman is getting comfortable not only in Boulder these days, but also with the football team.
"It’s cold and it’s football season," the Memphis native said. "I’ve been here for a year so I’m getting used to it." With starting inside linebacker Jon Major going down with a knee injury, Webb figures to see his role increase dramatically on Saturday when the Buffs (3-4, 0-3 in the Big 12) visit Oklahoma (6-1, 2-1).
"We have different packages going in and I’ll be starting in at least most of them," said Webb, who could split time with Liloa Nobriga and Patrick Mahnke.
Wacker Named To Fall Community of Champions - CUBuffs.com
Andy Wacker has been named to the Fall Chick-Fil-A Community of Champions, as recognized by the Big 12 Conference.