Colorado University Athletics
CU-CSU Notes
September 07, 2009 | Football
PROUD PAPA Colorado ILB Marcus Burton and his wife Krislen welcomed their second child into the world earlier today as Noah Alanea Christopher Burton was born at 9:59 a.m. at Boulder Community Hospital. They already have another son, Tysen, 2.
FIRST STARTS Eight players made their first career starts this evening, four each on offense and defense. OLB B.J. Beatty, DT Curtis Cunningham, DT Will Pericak and SS Ray Polk started the game on defense, while OG Ethan Adkins, WR Jason Espinoza, OT Bryce Givens and C Mike Iltis lined up for the first play on offense. Polk replaced Patrick Mahnke, who suffered a sprained ankle in Friday's practice.
-Pericak became the first freshman, true or redshirt, to start a season opener at defensive tackle in CU history.
TWELVE SEE FIRST ACTION In addition to Givens, Iltis, Pericak and Polk above, who started in their first collegiate games, eight others saw their first action: DT Nate Bonsu, WR Dustin Ebner, CB Steven Hicks, WR Will Jefferson, OLB Douglas Rippy, WR Andre Simmons, CB Paul Vigo and DE Forrest West.
FOURTH DOWN BUFFS The 12-yard pass from Cody Hawkins to Scotty McKnight on 4th-and-5 in the second quarter was the 12th consecutive conversion on fourth down dating back to the last five games of 2008. CU made its final 11 tries last year in finishing 18-of-25 for the season. The streak ended in the third quarter when Demetrius Sumler was stopped for no gain on a 4th-and-1 at the CU 44.
PK ARIC GOODMAN The junior placekicker got the Buffs on the board with a career-best 54-yard field goal with 2:50 left in the first half. His CU best came last November at Nebraska (37 yards), but his overall best was 52 yards against San Diego State in Laramie on Nov. 4, 2006, when he was a freshman at Wyoming.
QB CODY HAWKINS (40-24-1, 222, 1 TD) Hawkins is still third in all-time attempts (784), completions (446) and touchdown passes (37) in CU history, but moved from sixth into fourth in passing yards (4,807). He passed Mike Moschetti (4,797) and John Hessler (4,788) on the list tonight.
ILB JEFF SMART He made his team best 23rd consecutive start tonight, and in the process made his first career interception in the third quarter. He also had 8 tackles, giving him 206 for his career which made him the 57th player in school history to record at least 200 in a career. A former walk-on, the only former walk-on with more in CU annals is Ryan Black, who racked up 275 from 1993-96.
