Colorado University Athletics
RB Brown to Miss Big 12 Title Game
December 04, 2002 | Football
BOULDER - University of Colorado running back Chris Brown will not play in this Saturday's Big 12 Championship game against Oklahoma, head coach Gary Barnett announced Wednesday evening.
Brown, who sat out last week's game against Nebraska, has been slowed by a bruised sternum injury he suffered in the second half in CU's win over Iowa State on Nov. 16.
A Doak Walker Award and Walter Camp Player of the Year finalist, Brown has racked up 1,744 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns in 2002. Through games of Nov. 30, the Big 12's Offensive Player of the Year stands third in the country averaging 158.8 yards per game, as he is also netting 6.34 yards per attempt--the best in the nation for any back averaging at least 22 carries per game. Currently, he has more yards rushing than 56 schools in Division I-A.
Now No. 4 on CU's all-time rushing list, Brown has complied 2,690 yards and is also fourth in scoring with 204 points. In just 23 regular season games in his career, he has scored 34 touchdowns.
Barnett also said Wednesday that fellow junior and tailback Bobby Purify remains "doubtful" for the Big 12 Championship game. Purify, who has rushed for 739 yards and three touchdowns behind Brown this season, is still tending to an ankle sprain sustained last week against Nebraska.
Purify did practice lightly during the day in several easy conditioning drills, though, he was only able to do "a few more things" according to Barnett.
When asked Tuesday afternoon in his press conference if he was concerned about how the team would run the ball against OU without Brown or Purify, Barnett responded: "I am not worried. I'd feel better if we had those guys, but we will still run the ball. There will still be as many carries as if they were there. We are not going to change who we are and I am not going to lose any sleep. We will just do it with different people."
In the absence of Brown and Purify, freshman Brian Calhoun and sophomore Marcus Houston will get the majority of the carries for the Buffaloes. Each player is co-listed at third on the depth chart, while Barnett said he did not know which would start against Oklahoma.
