Brooks: Cabral Will Depend on Game-Day Collaboration

BOULDER - Three guesses (and the first two don't count) as to who received Brian Cabral's first telephone call on Monday night when he was named Colorado's interim football coach for the regular season's final three games.

Here's a hint: Cabral telephoned the same person first in 2004 when the CU program also turned to him as its interim leader. And if there's a third, fourth . . . ad infinitum . . . summons to serve on an interim basis, Cabral's first call will go to the same guy.

"Bill McCartney's my mentor," Cabral said Wednesday after finishing his second practice of his second tour as the Buffaloes' interim boss.

There is a significant amount of irony here. Both men have let it be known that they would like to coach CU on a permanent basis, McCartney making a return after being away for 16 seasons and Cabral remaining at his place of employment for the past 21 seasons. McCartney hired Cabral in 1989.

Cabral and McCartney are kinsmen, not quite close enough to complete each other's sentences, but certainly close enough to share thoughts. The mentor's chief advice to his pupil this time around was to inspire the Buffs - sound advice after their woeful weekend in the Heartland - and bring them together after the subsequent firing of Dan Hawkins.

Cabral has had all of two days, two team meetings, two practices, to begin working on that. At the conclusion of Wednesday morning's work in the Buffs' practice bubble, with his players on one knee in front of him, Cabral put his normally calm demeanor on hold.

Other than most of what he witnessed last weekend or some of what he might have seen Wednesday, I'm not quite sure what set him off. But he used - ah, let's see - an equestrian term to describe it.

And rather loudly.

"We need some of that," senior linebacker B.J. Beatty said later, referring to the coach's temperament and not the actual, well, horse droppings.

Beatty and his fellow 'backers have seen the fiery side of Cabral as a position coach. The other Buffs . . . not so much. Cabral has joked for the past couple of days that he's putting in rare quality time on the offensive end of the field for the first time in his career.

"I'm learning," he said. "If we have a drill and I'm mad at the defense, I'm like, 'Oh, I've got to go congratulate the offense.' So I run back to the other side of the field and become an offensive fan; I kind of bounce back and forth.

"I'm trying to spend more time with the offense to just see what they do and how they do it. I want to them - the players - to see me and see that I'm interested, that I care about what they're doing and how they're doing it."

So until now the offensive players haven't interacted much with their interim head coach, except for a "team clap" - a kind of quick reaction, one-heartbeat, unity exercise that Cabral leads. But over the past 48 hours, all the Buffs have seen enough of Cabral to know where he's coming from.

"There's a man with passion," junior right guard Ryan Miller said. "The room goes quiet when he speaks. There's a presence about Cabral."

There's also a humility. With defense prominent on his resume as a player and coach, Cabral is not above conceding that come Saturday against Iowa State (11:30 a.m., Folsom Field, Fox College Sports) he will be depending heavily on his assistant coaches.

"I'll confer," he said when asked about critical sideline decisions. "I don't have all the answers. I don't. And I'm going to have to depend and rely on my guys. I'll confer on all the decisions.

"The offense is going to run the offense, the defense is going to run the defense . . . I'm very confident in our offensive coaches. I've been having on-going discussions with them, just helping me understand what I'm looking for."

Whether it is or not, Cabral doesn't see his current role as an audition for the permanent position. Rather than viewing it as such, he is "looking for these seniors to finish on a good note. I'm looking for us to do what we're capable of doing - and I believe we're very capable of doing a lot. That's what I'm looking for."

When he filled in for former head coach Gary Barnett during spring drills in 2004 (Barnett was on paid administrative leave), Cabral kept on coaching the Buffs linebackers. This time, he's yielded the position duty and has technical defensive intern Bert Watts helping in that capacity.

A former Cal safety and graduate assistant with the Bears, Watts recognizes this opportunity for him, but notes, "I've had great support from the defensive staff all season. My role has been redefined; sometimes things change, as it's done over the last couple of days. With that, we all have to change and with the additional responsibilities, you have to ask, 'What can I do, how can I make this defense better and contribute more?'

"These (players) are resilient. We've had some adversity this season and with the departure of coach Hawkins it continues. I've been amazed at their ability all season to step back up to the plate, shake it off and get ready for the next one. They've done a great job this week, despite all the distractions. They came (Tuesday) ready to go; we haven't had to address it (Hawkins' firing) any more than in those initial meetings."

Since the historic collapse at Kansas, players and coaches have been asked - and justifiably - if CU has anything left in the tank for Saturday's game and the pair that follows.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, said Miller, "The mental intensity was great. But it's been tough; until you've gone through something like that, I really don't know how you would explain it. There's a feeling in the pit of your stomach that you just want to get rid of. Definitely."

Many coaches latch onto motivation wherever it appears, and rebounding from the embarrassment in Lawrence would seem to qualify as a motivator. Cabral said he wasn't concerned with the team reenergizing itself: "I'm surprised with the way this team is responding - in a positive way . . .

"I'm trying to give them some direction and leadership; we'll see if they respond. Their attention's been good; I've been impressed every time I've had the opportunity speak with them . . . with the fact they're interested in what I have to say."

Mathematically, the Buffs (3-6 overall, 0-5 Big 12 Conference) haven't been eliminated from bowl eligibility. Six wins are required, but to hit that number they must win their final three games. Winning out would make for a fairytale ending rather than another nightmare season merely slamming shut.

Miller believes bright possibilities remain.

"Nothing is set in stone," he said. "We have the capability to come out and do some great things - still."

Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU