Colorado University Athletics
Brooks: And The QB Starter Is . . .
September 03, 2009 | Football, B.G. Brooks
BOULDER - If you've entered this portal hoping to discover Sunday's starter at quarterback, we can tell you this much: Colorado State coach Steve Fairchild seems solid with Grant Stucker.
Dan Hawkins, meanwhile, is solidly into letting the drama build.
Will incumbent Colorado starter Cody Hawkins or versatile returnee Tyler Hansen take the first snap?
CU's head coach says he's stepped back from the selection process and delegated the decision to new offensive coordinator/QB coach Eric Kiesau and his offensive staff.
And those guys are guarding the choice (if one's been made) as if it were Uncle Sam's nuclear launch codes.
Per Kiesau, Cody Hawkins and Hansen waged a fairly even August battle, almost reducing the decision to a win-win coin flip.
"Both of them are very good football players and very good people," Kiesau said. "They've got respect from their teammates and really, I'll feel comfortable with either one of them. They've both got a good understanding of what we're doing. I'm really encouraged by both of them."
So, could there be a No. 1 and a No. 1A - a two-QB system of some design that utilizes each with either a set number of plays or a series or three drawn up specifically for them?
Possibly . . . in fact, Dan Hawkins has placated the media with that word when asked about regularly using a pair of QBs.
On the other hand, he's also on the record as saying he's always preferred to settle on a starter and play him, with platooning his QBs a last resort.
And, just a guess here, but 2009 doesn't appear to be last resort time for the Buffaloes.
Asked to assess both candidates, Kiesau said this of Cody Hawkins:
"He's got a clear feel for the game, and that's a huge advantage. He can see coverages, he can see blitzes, he can see things happen before they happen, so to speak. He's got just a true feel for the game."
And this of Hansen:
"He's more athletic and can make things happen when things break down. He can scramble and make the big play, make guys miss. He's obviously smart as well and has handled everything I've thrown at him through camp."
Upon hearing those critiques, the next question - and not necessarily the tie-breaker - always turns to leadership and how strong a presence each has in the huddle.
Cody Hawkins' virtues in both areas have been well documented, but Kiesau says Hansen's huddle presence is "very similar to Cody's."
Even more interesting, though, is this off-field observation from Kiesau:
"In the locker room, I sit back and observe sometimes, and I think it might be hard for Tyler at times because Cody is so leadership-oriented and so out-going that Tyler is a little more quiet in that sense.
"I don't think (Hansen) wants there to be two chiefs in the room, so to speak. He's almost respecting Cody and letting him do that . . . I don't think Tyler likes to compete with Cody in that arena because it might look phony or fake.
"And I think Tyler does a great job of keeping his personality genuine because he's staying true to who he is. You definitely want whoever is running your team to be a genuine leader and a genuine person that guys can look up to. If you're a phony, it won't come off right."
In other words, while Kiesau acknowledges Cody Hawkins' leadership qualities, he also gives Hansen high marks for being an emergent leader and staying true to himself.
The H&H pair, each the son of a coach, has a tight friendship.
"We talk on a regular basis pretty much every day and we joke around," Hansen said. "If something happens, Cody is one of the first persons I tell - and vice versa. We're pretty close."
Close enough that on the morning of the Buffs' final major August scrimmage, Cody Hawkins tutored Hansen on what he'd missed in offensive installation during a two-day absence due to flu.
That missed time aside, Hansen was pleased with his progress in camp.
"I progressed the way I was supposed to as a second-year player," he said. "The biggest thing I had to work on was more in the pocket stuff, throwing downfield, and I think I've done that . . .
"I feel good about it. Right now for the quarterbacks as a whole, I think we're doing a good job - we're making plays. We're right on it, we're studying every day and as for the mental side of the game, we're right there."
Cody Hawkins' August performance, in his view, was just as heartening.
"Camp went really well; it was an awesome carryover from what we did this summer," he said. "I think coach Kiesau did an awesome job of getting us ready for what camp was going to be like. We came in with a good idea of what to expect.
"It was awesome interacting with him and learning the new way we were going to do things around here."
Both players said the transition from Mark Helfrich, now at Oregon, to Kiesau as a coordinator and position coach was nearly seamless.
One reason: much of the same offensive terminology was used. But a major difference came in how much more Kiesau expects mentally from his quarterbacks.
"Not even close," Cody Hawkins said. "Going into position meetings, there's stuff you're going to have to look at and understand and spend time throughout the week getting familiar with.
"But it gives the entire offense a feeling of confidence in you because when you know everything you're supposed to be doing and why, I think it's a little easier for everybody to go out and execute."
Hansen called Helfrich and Kiesau similar in coaching styles and presentation, but noted, "Kiesau is definitely more energetic and likes to have more fun. But he's definitely out here to work; he wants to see results on the field.
"It's helped that Kiesau knows (from past association with the offense) rather than having a brand new guy come in who didn't know Helfrich and know what he was talking about. That might have been a little rougher."
Both of the starting candidates are optimistic about the offense's potential, regardless of who runs it first.
"You look out there - you've got more playmakers, more guys that we'll rely on than we had last year," Hansen said. "We've got guys in the right spots this year.
"We've got guys knowing coverages and what routes they're supposed to run. We've got guys blocking people. We've got guys we can actually rely on and who will be accountable. That comes with experience, and I think we've got that experience finally, that depth finally.
"We've got everything we need. Now, we've just got to do it on the field."
Settling on a starter is not Kiesau's only major decision. But choosing his third QB doesn't have to be done immediately - and that's a good thing.
"It's going to be harder than (choosing) No. 1," Kiesau said. "But the good thing about it is it doesn't have to be decided by Sunday.
"I can take us into Game 3, 4 and 5 if we need to and let these kids develop behind two pretty good ones. And they'll need that time. They'll go through the process, learn the game plan and travel. But we have time with them, so it's OK."
Kiesau's prospects are in-state freshman walk-on Seth Lobato (Eaton) and scholarship freshman Clark Evans. Both are big players - Lobato is 6-foot-6 (wearing shoes, and why would he play without them, he asks?) and weighs 210 pounds, Evans is 6-5, 225. And their running abilities and athleticism have caught Dan Hawkins' eye.
Predictably, each felt overwhelmed early in camp by their surroundings and position requirements. A month later, they're finding something close to a comfort zone.
Lobato's leap might have been bigger than Evans' because of the comparative sizes of their high schools.
"Coming from kind of small-town football, the speed of the game coming into Division 1 was a real big factor for me. But I think I have a pretty good feel for that now," said Lobato, who also considered CSU, Wyoming and a couple of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference schools before settling on CU as a preferred walk-on.
Both said they committed themselves in camp to learning the playbook and asking questions during position meetings.
"When we first came in here, they told us we were going to be overwhelmed," said Evans, a Californian (Los Alamitos). "It hit me when camp started, then I started studying a lot. All of us (freshmen) were overwhelmed, then we just kind of got over it and got with everything.
"I expected to have to study a lot and that's all I did in camp - study and go to bed."
Each has spent time with Kiesau and his assistants working on passing mechanics, and each says he has developed a fast friendship with the other.
"Clark and I are pretty close friends," Lobato said. "We'll be happy for whoever gets it. It's just good that the competition is hot like that."
Added Evans: "He does something good, I pat him on the back; I do something good, he does the same thing. It's competition, but it's really friendly competition. There's no bad blood."
Sunday is a special day for a number of reasons, but for Evans it's doubly special: "It's my birthday (19) and we've got a game," he said. "Yeah, I'm really excited."
No doubt about the present he'd like most.
THE LOWDOWN ON . . .
Quarterbacks
Coach: Eric Kiesau.
Returning starters: Cody Hawkins.
Returnees: Tyler Hansen.
Newcomers: Clark Evans, Seth Labato, Jerry Slota.
Key losses: Matt Ballenger (transfer).
Stat line: Compared to his freshman season, Hawkins struggled as a sophomore, throwing 10 interceptions (17 touchdown passes) and completing only 57.2 percent (183 for 320) of his passes. As a freshman, he set 13 first-year passing records and tied two others. Hansen appeared in five games last season, completing 34-of-64 passes for 280 yards and one TD (four interceptions). He ran 63 times for 261 yards.
Bottom line: Whomever the starter - Hawkins or Hansen - he should have more experienced talent around him than either player did last season. And, he should benefit from an offensive line that stayed relatively injury free through training camp, which wasn't the case in 2008. That being said, here's the crux: Whoever winds up No. 1, CU must have better and more efficient production from his position this season.
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
