Colorado University Athletics
Brooks: Buffs Seniors Take Last Turn At Folsom
November 19, 2010 | Football, B.G. Brooks
CU'S 2010 SENIORS
B.J. Beatty, OLB, 6-2, 235, Kaawa, Hawai'i
Jalil Brown, CB, 6-1, 205, Phoenix
Aric Goodman, PK, 5-10, 195, Cherry Hills Village
Cameron Ham, S, 6-1, 205, Haxtun, Colo.
Cody Hawkins, QB, 5-11, 190, Boise, Idaho
Marquez Herrod, DE, 6-2, 280, Escondido, Calif.
Scotty McKnight, WR, 5-11, 185, Coto de Caza, Calif.
Matt Meyer, S, 5-9, 190, Laguna Niguel, Calif.
Corey Nabors, RB, 5-9, 195, Aurora
Travon Patterson, WR, 5-9, 175, Long Beach, Calif.
Joe Silipo, LS, 6-2, 250, Englewood, Colo.
Michael Sipili, LB, 6-1, 245, Honolulu
Jimmy Smith, CB, 6-2, 205, Colton, Calif.
Nate Solder, OT, 6-9, 310, Buena Vista, Colo.
Keenan Stevens, C, 6-2, 290, Monument, Colo.
Luke Walters, TE, 6-3, 235, Lakewood, Colo.
BOULDER - Luke Walters knows what to expect Saturday at Folsom Field. For his Colorado teammates, it's Senior Day 2010. For him, it's Senior Day Redux.
On Senior Day 2009, the CU tight end made a mental note or two as he stood in the stadium tunnel with his teammates waiting to run behind Ralphie.
Walters glanced to either side, absorbed the scene, measured the emotion.
"A lot of guys looked emotional and were taking it pretty hard," he remembered. "I was more confused than anything because I really didn't think it was the last time I was going to run on the field."
At least, that was his hope. More than three months before, prior to the season's first game, Walters and the CU administration had begun negotiating the long procedural path that might give him a sixth season of eligibility.
He had transferred to CU from New Mexico in 2007, sitting out that season and using his redshirt year to satisfy the NCAA transfer rule. The following summer, he suffered a serious lower leg injury during conditioning work that cost him the 2008 season. Petitioning the NCAA and Big 12 Conference to regain that year was worth a shot, but he also knew such petitions don't exactly move at the speed of light.
So as the Buffs waited to take the field last November before their final home game (Nebraska), Walters was bunched with the rest of the '09 seniors. He wouldn't find out until January that he had been granted his extra year.
"I was hoping that I would be able to play again . . . it was more confusion for me than anything," he said.
The confusion eventually cleared and Walters, who went on scholarship last spring after three years as a walk-on, competed this fall. He and 15 fellow CU seniors will be in Folsom Field for the final time Saturday against Kansas State. This is it; there won't be a Senior Day III for Walters.
"Personally, it means a lot to me because I never got an opportunity before this season to do a lot on the field," he said. "I've been through four or five off-seasons, working really hard, trying to get healthy. So it would be really disappointing if I didn't get a chance to get on the field again. The fact that I did definitely meant the world to me . . . I finally got on the field and made it official - I got some official stats in the books."
His stat line isn't as gaudy as some: Eight catches, 68 yards, no touchdowns. But the mere fact that he's been able to play - even in a year that hasn't delivered on expectations and brought an in-season coaching change - overshadows almost everything else.
"Absolutely," he said. "I mean, I can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing. I know a lot of my friends had to go out and get jobs, and it sounds like they're not all that enthusiastic about it. I definitely feel like I'm on the better side of that bargain."
Most of CU's 2010 seniors arrived following a time of upheaval in the football program and will depart under similar circumstances. A handful of them have realistic shots of playing in the NFL. Others might try the game overseas and see if it brings them home to play or sends them into another line of work. Still others will never suit up again and immediately move on to whatever is next.
Scotty McKnight believes he has more football to play, and his four-year numbers here suggest that is a good possibility. He'll leave CU as the school's career receptions leader (208) and tied for first in career TD receptions (20). He's fourth in career receiving yards (2,437), and with two games remaining advancing in the latter two categories is very possible.
Although those numbers likely will be impressive enough to land him in an NFL camp next summer, they do not drive him. He hasn't played on a winning team at CU, and unless the Buffs win out over the next two weeks, then win a bowl game, he'll leave Boulder without a winning season. That's not the legacy he wanted.
"The records do mean something; they show something about hard work, what you can accomplish through that," he said. "But at the same time, that's overshadowed by not enough wins . . . that's something I strongly care about. It's no fun when you catch 10 balls for 100-plus yards and you lose."
Earlier this week, when the thought began seeping in that he was in his final days of practice at CU, he took a look around and saw the blue Colorado sky . . . the brilliant sunshine . . . the Flatirons . . . the campus with the drop-dead gorgeous backdrop.
"I'm like, 'I'm really going to miss this place,'" he said. "You don't know how often you're going to be able to come back to a place that was your home for five years. I can definitely see getting emotional about it."
A couple of years ago, that's something he couldn't see. When members of CU's 2008 senior class choked up on Senior Day, McKnight chuckled to himself. "I'll never be like that; I'm dialed in," he said.
But with most of his CU career behind him and his final home game approaching, "Yeah, I can see that happening," he said. "My family is here, my sister's already texted me saying she's going to have to wear sun-glasses. My dad, never, but my sister and mom will be emotional. It's just been a great ride here, not just for me but for everyone that's supported me, my family and close friends. That's been huge, that support system."
The in-house support system underwent a seismic shift last week when the coach who brought McKnight to Boulder - Dan Hawkins - was dismissed. The night he succeeded Hawkins on an interim basis, Brian Cabral summoned McKnight, one of four captains, and the rest of CU's seniors. His message was simple, straightforward: "I'm relying on your leadership for the final three games."
Not only did he expect the message, McKnight expected the Buffs to respond as he would. "Anyone who knows me knows I'm a fighter; I'll never quit," he said. "My goal is to finish these last two games off right and give these younger guys something to build on for next year."
After winning three times in the season's first month, the Buffs have won once since. Still, a Senior Day win against K-State would push them closer to bowl eligibility, a win on Nov. 26 at Nebraska would get them there. CU's 2010 seniors could use a nice parting gift.
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
