Colorado University Athletics
BUFFS KEEP UPBEAT ABOUT REMAINING GAMES
BOULDER ? Noting that his team needed a “mental break” and more film study, head coach Gary Barnett cancelled the University of Colorado football team’s Monday practice, as the Buffaloes (4-4, 1-4 Big 12) also remained indoors due to snowy practice fields and cold conditions.
“It’s a combination of things,” Barnett said earlier in the day. “It’s miserable out there. For what we usually get done on a Monday, we can do it inside ? we can just watch film inside.”
Though the offensive line drilled shortly in the Balch Fieldhouse working on timing and formations, the rest of CU’s squad propped itself down for advanced film sessions to recap the weekend Texas loss and to study up for Saturday’s road tilt at Kansas (11:30 a.m. MST, no TV).
As several Buffs talked to the media during the afternoon, it became apparent that CU remains upbeat after suffering two consecutive losses. Knowing that they still remain alive in the Big 12 title hunt, and are solid contenders in a wide-open North race, Barnett and Co. said they look forward to the task ahead.
Needing wins in their final three games and help from a couple conference foes, CU feels it can bounce back from two tough tests against stout South opponents and make a run in the North.
“(The possibility of winning the North) looks good on paper,” Barnett noted. “They (the players) have to see it. It has to be something that we see and we take advantage of.”
“If we can win these three games and get a little help, we can get in the championship game, which has been our goal from the start of the year,” senior captain Sam Wilder added. “It’s a little crazy to think about but it’s still possible.
“This team is upset and it has a right to be after the way we’ve played. But, we are not going to give up. We still have three games to make something happen and we need to find a way to do that.”
Injury Updates: Tailback Bobby Purify, who has been playing with a sore left shoulder, suffered another shoulder injury against Texas, but this time it came in his right joint. The senior captain said his newest wound was minor compared to his first injury, and that he was just a little sore today. Purify also said his status remains day-to-day and that he’ll continue with the same workout/practice routine he’s upheld the past couple weeks.
Added Barnett on his star back’s availability against a 3-5, 1-4 Big 12 Jayhawk team: “I don’t know if we know much, but it’s a concern. We probably won’t play him as much as we did the last couple weeks.”
Senior wide out Ron Monteilh, who missed the Texas game with a nagging shoulder sprain, should be back at full speed this weekend. Fellow receiver Dusty Sprague (broken collarbone) will be sidelined the rest of the season, as the junior must recover from the injury he sustained in Saturday’s fourth quarter.
Other Notes: Despite being replaced by sophomore James Cox late in the Texas game, Barnett said junior quarterback Joel Klatt will start against the Jayhawks.