Colorado University Athletics
Brooks: Cody Hawkins' Late Stats Among His Best
November 25, 2010 | Football, B.G. Brooks
Of course, with quarterbacks the stats always are reduced to wins and losses, and the Buffaloes are 2-2 in the four full games that Hawkins has started since Tyler Hansen was lost for the season with a ruptured spleen.
Still, Hawkins' passing numbers in those four games are impressive: 76-for-137, 977 yards, 10 touchdowns, 2 interceptions. Add the half he played against Texas Tech following Hansen's injury and the totals go to 98-for-180, 1,251 yards and 12 TDs.
But the better measure of what he's done in CU's offense comes from the past two weeks when he didn't throw over 25 passes in either game - as opposed to averaging 44 in the previous three - and was not intercepted. Playing from behind tends to push passing attempts w-a-a-a-y up there; playing with a lead in a balanced offense tends to keep most numbers manageable and on the pleasant side.
Against Iowa State, Hawkins hit 16-of-24 passes for 266 yards and three TDs. Against Kansas State, he was 14-of-25 for 202 yards and three TDs. The Buffs also ran for over 100 yards in each game (118 vs. ISU, 251 vs. K-State) and Hawkins is quick to acknowledge what the ground game means to his position.
"When you can run the ball, when you have balance, it sets you up for so much more success than anything else," he said.
But Hawkins, said offensive coordinator/QB coach Eric Kiesau, might be downplaying his contributions of the past two weeks: "He's just being efficient; he's not making mistakes. I just keep telling him if you do these things you'll see results, you'll see success. And he has. It's been very good and I'm very proud of him."
Since Hawkins stepped in for Hansen on Oct. 23, CU's program has been turned upside down before apparently returning to right-side-up. Hawkins' father, Dan, was dismissed the day after the Kansas meltdown. Cody joked the next week that maybe a silver lining would be him not being referred to anymore as "the coach's kid."
Many CU followers/amateur shrinks heard that as more of a revelation than a joke - particularly after watching his numbers go up over the past two weeks. He disagrees.
"That's easy for an outsider to say," he told me. "But I've always played football because I enjoyed it. I've never been somebody who held back; I've been a no-holds guy. I think a lot of the players will tell you that. I was always trying to do my best regardless, my best to compete, to lead and even lighten the mood a little bit.
"I've known that playing college football was about me and my experience and my guys, regardless of the coach . . . all that we can control is what goes on in that locker room. I've always tried to approach that the same way."
Cody's 1,200-plus yards in his past five games have moved him into second place on CU's career passing yardage chart (7,246). He's first in passing attempts (1,188), TD passes (58), TDs responsible for (65), interceptions (39), and second in completions (657).
He agrees with Kiesau that his efficiency and decision making have been good in the past two games, but hesitates - kind of - in affirming that he's currently playing his best football.
"Productivity-wise, there's an argument for that," he said. "But I really feel like I've prepared the same way, I've gone out and competed. Obviously, taking care of the football helps you win games. Like I've said before, I think Cody Hawkins is doing the same things, but having guys around me is making the difference. We have three of the best receivers I've had since I've been here. The offensive line is the most talented experienced group that we've had. I just think when you have all those pieces . . .
"But as far as being a leader and how I've been preparing and what I strive to do every game, that hasn't changed at all. I just think this is a product of what I envisioned and I envisioned it happening a lot earlier. It took time and we finally have the guys in place to have the offensive success that we wanted to have when we showed up here."
Friday's game at No. 16 Nebraska (1:30 p.m. MT, ABC) features a long list of implications, ranging from historic to postseason. The Buffs (5-6, 2-5) need a win to become bowl eligible, the Huskers (9-2, 5-2) can win the Big 12 North. It's the final regular-season Big 12 game for both schools, with CU headed for the Pac-12 Conference in 2011 and Nebraska bound for the Big Ten.
Under different circumstances, a player on either team could find ample material for reflection. Under these circumstances, there is only a focus on Friday. And Cody adds another element to the mix - from a CU perspective.
"I think the bowl implications and the last Big 12 situation, those would be very, very different if it was another opponent," he said. "But when you're playing Nebraska in Lincoln and you're in a three-game playoff like we are, it's really tough to have anything but tunnel vision for the Huskers. They're a great football team and they deserve your respect.
"If it was a lesser opponent, we might be able to think, 'Oh, we're on a hot streak. Look at all these great things we've accomplished in the history of the Big 12.' But we have our backs against the wall; we have for the last three games . . . the Nebraska-Colorado rivalry has a great history and we'd love to add to it."
I asked him about the Buffs rekindling their fire, rediscovering their edge over the past two weeks. Was it the coaching change and new leadership? He might have answered as any football player or as the former coach's son - or maybe some combination of the two.
"There was so much drama, so many people speculating about so many different things as to why you're losing, what should be done about the coaching situation," he said. "But when my dad got let go, guys were kind of so disheartened that everything else just kind of seemed to let go . . . you focused on getting one foot in front of the other. In doing that, the process kind of becomes all you can invest in.
"There was a less lighthearted mood before game days and I think that just makes guys think about the game a little bit more. Some guys were thinking, 'Oh, my gosh, this just happened to a great guy. Was it my fault? Whose fault was it?' And they kind of take it on themselves to redeem things and show why they came here and what he did here isn't all for naught, even though he's not here with us anymore."
His father appeared Tuesday on ESPN's "The Experts" - a college-football roundtable discussion format featuring sportswriters, TV analysts, former players and ex-coaches. Dan Hawkins got the call after having "ex" on his resume for only a couple of weeks.
Cody and several teammates watched the show in their locker room, hooting and laughing at some of the topics and responses but mostly intrigued by how the man who brought them to CU would fare in what might have been an audition.
It was different for Cody.
"It was the first time I've actually spoken up about my dad being my dad," he said. "Everybody was laughing, having a good time. You could tell the guys around here really miss him. It was funny, he was dropping the sayings that we've heard a lot of and chuckled about.
"He was texting me during commercial breaks and everybody was asking me what he was saying and what they were going to talk about next. I think it's good for him to get out and have a little fun, and it was great for the guys to see him again just because when you're around somebody that often, somebody that genuinely cares about you, then he just kind of vanishes out of the picture . . . a lot of guys have talked to me about how they miss him being around. It was just good to see him again."
I asked Cody if his dad has a future in TV.
"I don't know; he's a great guy, very personable," he said. "I think he does a good job making football fun for everybody. That situation we were going through . . . we wouldn't have wished those adversity-filled couple of years on anybody, but he made sure we had a great time playing college football. He did.
"And whatever he's doing, he's going to make the people around him better, he's going to make them have a great time and enjoy life. If he's doing that in the booth and is able to share it with the rest of the country, that would be awesome. I think he'd do a great job at it - but then again, he's my dad and I think he can do the best at everything. Yeah, I'm biased."
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
