University of Colorado Athletics
Brooks: Burney Eyes Texas Loss, Future
October 16, 2009 | Football, B.G. Brooks
In the aftermath of the Buffs' 38-14 loss at Texas - and I'm talking immediate aftermath, before he took his pads off - senior corner-turned-safety Ben Burney put that game and its future implications in the best perspective I heard that night or since.
It's widely acknowledged that CU played well for just over a half - rolling to a 14-3 advantage - and not so well afterwards when Texas parlayed four pivotal plays into 28 points.
A general notion since then has been that the Buffs showed they can play with the nation's then-No. 2 team, thus, they can play with anyone.
True to a point - IF they can play with the same passion and resolve they mustered in Austin, particularly on defense. If they don't continue to improve, the season's final half won't be pleasant for anyone.
Burney's take on Texas and what lies ahead: "We can't just think that we've accomplished something because we played well against the No. 2 team in the nation. We've got to come out every week and play like we were playing the No. 2 team in the nation.
"That's what we have to realize. We can't take any practices off, any lifts off, nothing. Now, it's really about the grind, not how close we've come or stuff like that . . . this is where the true soldiers come from - the true Buffaloes."
Saturday night is no time for impostors. In August, I circled Kansas' visit as CU's pivotal game. Of course, the Buffs were 0-0 at the time, and I was among those figuring on them having more than one win by mid-October.
My troubling lack of foresight aside, Saturday's game remains the most pivotal. Beat the Jayhawks - something that hasn't happened in the Dan Hawkins era - and the Buffs can begin digging themselves out.
No. 17 KU's trip to Boulder is the first by the trio of Big 12 North Division contenders. Missouri pays a visit on Halloween (Oct. 31), Nebraska trips in the day after Thanksgiving (Nov. 27).
Sprinkled before and after those two are games that most definitely are winnable - IF Burney's mindset prevails among his teammates and this team is as together as we've been led to believe.
In his postgame address at Texas, Hawkins once again told his players they were "getting close." This time, though, he preceded it with, "I know you're getting sick of hearing me say it, and I'm getting sick of saying it, but you're . . ."
Burney agreed; the Buffs are sick of hearing it.
"Most definitely," he said. "But we have to look at the positives (of the Texas game), then use the negative - the outcome - to thrive and get better for Kansas and the rest of our games.
"It's not that farfetched; I know we can come back."
With the season hitting the halfway point Saturday, it might be time to start.
THE ANDRE WATCH: It's Week 6 . . . anybody seen Andre Simmons? Not to worry. Simmons believes he's about ready to be seen - perhaps soon.
"As the games go by, I gain more confidence with the playbook and the quarterback," he said. "Day by day, I'm getting more momentum and getting more involved . . . hopefully, I can be more productive. Sooner or later everything will fall in place."
Sooner, the Buffs hope. Through five games, he's caught one pass - a 44-yarder in the opener.
The ex-junior college receiver, whose drawn-out admission saga became the story of August camp, said there was little difference in the balls thrown by Cody Hawkins and Tyler Hansen, who is scheduled to start Saturday.
"Throwing-wise and timing-wise, they're kind of the same," Simmons said of the pair. "I don't think that's changed much at all."
EVEN STEVENS: Junior Keenan Stevens will start again at center Saturday, and his continued steady play at that position will allow coaches to experiment with sophomore Mike Iltis at guard.
Stevens, a former walk-on, said he feels "very confident" in subbing for Iltis, who has been hampered over the past several weeks by an Achilles tendon injury and a concussion.
"This is my fourth year, and I believe I've got experience making calls and seeing the defense," said Stevens, noting that both should be plusses for Hansen's first start of the season.
"It's pretty important having the O-line on the same page," he said. "We all have to work together as one unit, and I have to direct that. That's pretty important for everybody."
He said whoever is behind center does not require an adjustment by the linemen: "As an offensive line we're doing the same things, still protecting the quarterback, getting off the ball fast and playing hard in the run game. That never changes."
WATCH TODD RUN: Texas quarterback Colt McCoy threw a curve at the Buffs last weekend - he didn't use his legs as much as expected.
"He wasn't moving around in the pocket and running around as much as we thought he would," said CU defensive back Jalil Brown, alluding to McCoy's meager rushing statistics (six carries, minus-3 yards).
Continued Brown, who intercepted McCoy for the second consecutive season: "I think his coaches are trying to protect him a little bit, whereas Todd Reesing (Kansas QB), I think he has the green light to do what he has to do to make a big play - whether that's running the ball, passing the ball, whatever, just being as elusive in the pocket as he is."
Reesing, who is 3-0 against the Buffs and made them his debut victim in 2006, has run 42 times for 101 yards and three touchdowns this season.
In three wins against CU, Reesing has run 22 times for 207 yards and has completed 54-of-74 passes for 515 yards and four touchdowns.
Not having defeated Reesing and the Jayhawks in three meetings "is definitely motivation," Brown said. "It makes us know we've got to practice a little harder and have a little extra fire to prepare for them."
BIG MAN, BIG CHALLENGE: KU coach Mark Mangino's roots are as an offensive coordinator, and CU secondary coach Greg Brown believes Mangino's schemes are among the best in the Big 12.
Whereas Texas usually lines up top-tier athletes and issues a physical challenge, Mangino challenges a defense to cope with his schemes.
That said, don't think the Jayhawks are short on offensive talent. To complement Reesing, receivers Kerry Meier and Dezmon Briscoe "are as potent as we'll see," Greg Brown said. "They're quite the tandem."
CU, though, won't assign corners Jimmy Smith and Cha'pelle Brown to specifically cover both KU receivers. The Buffs will continue to play left/right sides.
WHERE'S THE 'D?' Some Jayhawks observers believe it went south - that would be Miami - in 2008 when former defensive coordinator Bill Young took the same job with the Hurricanes.
Under Young, who has since left Miami to work at alma mater Oklahoma State, KU ranked No. 12 nationally in 2007 in total defense (317.3 yards a game).
In 2008, the Jayhawks slipped to No. 89 (396.7), but this season they're No. 57 (351.0).
Yet they're coming off a generous weekend: Iowa State scored 36 points and gained 512 yards last Saturday against KU.
Still, the Jayhawks won 41-36 after stopping the Cyclones' final drive, which pleased Mangino: "We played extremely well on offense, but on defense we didn't play as well as we'd like, although our defense showed character at the end of the game to end the game on downs."
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
