Bowl Blog: Benjamin Burney


Benjamin Burney

Junior cornerback Benjamin Burney will be providing a daily blog of his experience in Shreveport, La., leading up to the PetroSun Independence Bowl on Sunday, Dec. 30.

 

Sunday, December 30

Independence Day
 

Buff faithful, 

We woke up and had our last little walkthrough to get us out of bed and get us awake. Then we had a breakfast; it was cool, it was kind of our last meal together as a team. After that we just had some down time, and I think most of us slept like I did. After that I just kind of kicked back and watched football with some of my boys?NFL Sunday.

Then as we got ready for our positional meetings we all watched the season highlight video on the hotel channel and that got us pumped up. We were also clowning with each other, joking about how skinny this person is and this and that.

Then we got into our positional routines, went over some of our tests that we do every week and then I had dinner with my secondary guys?T-Wheat and Lionel. I was joking that it was our Last Supper. T-Wheat was in the middle like Jesus and we were all around him like his disciples.

Then it was lights, camera, action! It was Showtime and we got our police escort to the stadium. We didn’t need any rah rah speeches before the game, we were just excited to play for ourselves and for the seniors. Coach Hawk didn’t give us a pregame speech. Alonzo Barrett, Ryan Walters and Lionel Harris gave us some. Then Samson Jagoras led us through the prayer and some of us got a little choked up because of how heartfelt it was.   

When we got to the game, Alabama got on us quick. Then we settled down and started to do what we should have done the whole game. Ryan Walters got that interception that really jumpstarted us. We played hard for four quarters; it’s not the outcome we wanted, but we hugged it out with the seniors after the game.

It was a great experience playing a bowl game against a team like Alabama?a team from the SEC. It just reinforced the fact that we can play with anyone?we just have eliminate some mistakes and stop beating ourselves. It was a great trip; I made a lot of memories?some crazy memories! It’s always fun getting to hang out with your teammates and your boys. We gave cigars to all the seniors to send them off and congratulate them on a job well done.

This is the first time in my life that I’ve been on a team that was this close?we really are a family. That’s not just on the field, it’s everywhere, and I will never forget this team. The adventure is over, now we just have to wait for next year and we will start up again. It was a great trip; I love the Southern hospitality and I hope everyone enjoyed the trip as much as I did.     

Thanks to everyone out there in Internet Land reading my blog. I hope you enjoyed it and the 2007 Buffaloes!

-Ben

Saturday, December 29

 

The Boardwalk

 

Dear Black & Gold,

 

Today started with a good breakfast at the hotel. Then we went as a team to Independence Stadium to take a team photo. We all gathered around the bowl logo at midfield, but it wasn’t just a regular team photo. We had Ralphie there and they timed the photo so that she was running in front of us. A photographer got an aerial shot of us from the press box. I haven’t seen the photo yet but it must be pretty cool.

 

After that we surprised a bunch of boosters, club members, cheerleaders and other program supporters who came to the stadium. We got to hang out with them and Ralphie and thank everybody for their support. We went back to the hotel for lunch after that and we had a little down time to relax.

 

After a couple of hours, we left for the stadium again for our walkthrough. We did some special teams work and did some finishing touches on our game plan. Now we are starting to get into game mode. We’re still loose, but you are starting to see guys putting on headphones and focusing a lot more than they were earlier in the week. I’m going to continue to get more focused for the game tomorrow. We have some meetings here in a few minutes and then I’ll just be staying in with my teammates tonight. We’re going to relax and just get ready for the game.

 

Over the course of our trip, one thing I’ve learned is that they have good food down here! These Southern people really know how to prepare their food. We had some prime rib today and it was delicious. I’m going to miss all the good eats when I get back home.

 

After dinner we walked down to a pep rally at the Boardwalk where there was a Battle of the Bands. Our whole team went down and we had a bunch of little gold Colorado footballs to throw into the crowd. That may not be the best idea because it started a mini battle with balls being thrown back and forth. It was all in good fun though?everybody was having a blast! There may have been some casualties but that’s what happens when you get a group of warriors together. We united under coach Hawkins kind of like the movie 300, you know?

 

I got to see my family today; they arrived in Shreveport for the bowl game. It was fun to get to see them and hang out with them a little bit. They came down to the Battle of the Bands with us. The band led us through the Boardwalk; they did a great job tonight. They were very energetic, the most excited I have ever seen them. It was fun to watch, and they really represented for the University of Colorado.

We followed them, handing out little balls to the crowd?CU, Alabama, LSU fans?it didn’t matter. We gave them to anyone who wanted one. We don’t discriminate; we were sharing the CU football love! After finishing up another great day here in Shreveport it’s time to head to my meetings and put the finishing touches on our preparation.

 

I’ll give you all one more entry tomorrow after our game which will be posted pretty late, but hopefully you can wake up Monday morning and read about our victory!

 

-Ben

Friday, December 28

Sleeping In

 

Hey Buff fans,

 

This morning I was able to sleep in a little longer then usual. After enjoying a little extra sleep I awoke to a pleasant surprise?sunshine! Today was the first day that we’ve been treated to the sun; when I saw the sun outside I was so excited, it made me feel like I could change the world.

 

Last night was a lot of fun; we got to see some of the night life here in Shreveport. The coaching staff worked with a local night club and arranged for us to go down there and have some fun. I got to hang out with some of my boys and make some more memories. That is what I love to do, no matter the situation, make memories that I can enjoy when I think back on my life’s experiences. My brothers and I had a lot of fun at the hotel last night too, like I said we enjoy making memories no matter what.

 

I really enjoyed lunch today; we went to a huge lunch with both us and Alabama in attendance. At the lunch we learned a lot about Shreveport and the Independence Bowl and their history. We were able to see what people expect of us. Coach Hawk and Coach Saban got up on a podium together and answered some questions.

 

After lunch we came back to the hotel and had some meetings to continue polishing up our game plan. It’s nice getting all of the guys together because we know these are our last few practices with the seniors, in fact today was our last real practice together because tomorrow is just a walk through.

 

Tonight I’m planning on going down to the Boardwalk and getting to see more of Shreveport and do a little shopping down there. I just want to have a nice relaxing night while taking in some more of the sights. I’m sure my boys and I will have a lot of fun but we’re not going to go crazy. We’ll have fun but we also realize that we’re a football team and we’re here to play football and win a bowl game.

 

We’ve been getting various bowl gifts over the course of our trip. Yesterday the bowl gave us some custom footballs to commemorate our game with Alabama. We’ve already received one installment of our per diem but tomorrow we are getting our second installment and I love getting that cash. The things I love about going to a bowl game is the excitement of getting to go somewhere new, getting to play another game against a new team and getting our bowl gifts?especially that cash. Last year I remember watching some bowl games with some teammates and friends and joking with them about how we need to get back to a bowl because all the clothes in my closet were paid for by the bowl game per diem. I’m looking forward to being able to buy some new items for my closet when I get home. I know I still use my iPod that I got from the Champs Sports Bowl two years ago, and I know that I’ll still be using some of this year’s bowl gifts for years to come.

 

-Ben

Thursday, December 27

Charity Day

 

Hey Buff fans,

 

Today was another great day. I started by going to the FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) breakfast with some of my teammates. It was early, but great to see people from the community here and being able to interact with the community and meet some of the Alabama players who were at the breakfast.

 

After I got back to the hotel we went to go hand out chicken that Tyson had donated to people in need. It was great to get out there and do our part to help the community; our whole team went which was nice to see. They only asked for us to send a few representatives but we sent around 100 people out to help hand out thousands of boxes of chicken. One guy that really stuck out to me was an elderly man who walked down to get the chicken and was struggling to carry it back to his home, so a few of our players helped him take it back to his home a few blocks away. It was really just an awesome experience to go out and do what we can to help the community. After we finished, the man that was running the program went on our buses to thank us for our support and told us that this was by far the best turnout he has ever had from a group of people. Many college and professional teams have participated over the years, but it was just nice to know that we came down here and were able to make a little ripple in the community.

 

After lunch, Coach Hawk took us to a local Air Force base where we were able to see a lot of airplanes up close, including some B-52 Bombers. It was cool to get to see the American War Machine (the Army) up close. We got to see some of the aircrafts that they use, both old and new. It was a great experience to get to see what goes on at a real Air Force base.

 

Dinner was great, we had prime rib and it was delicious. Today was nice because we were able to see Shreveport. We were able to see different parts that we wouldn’t be able to see on a normal road trip. It was fun to get to see some cool places and things but the best and most rewarding part was being able to help out in the community. Tonight I think I’m going to go out and kick it with my boys, it should be a lot of fun.

 

Tonight’s practice was more focused then yesterday’s. We reached our goals that the coaching staff had set for us. Game day is getting closer, and we are getting more ready for the game, the practice was more competitive because the starting offense and defense got to go up against each other some, rather then just working with the scout teams. We’re really trying to polish some things up and get ready for the Crimson Tide. Practice was better than yesterday and we just need to keep improving every day.

 

Check back with you tomorrow,

 

-Ben

Wednesday, December 26

Greetings from Shreveport

 

Hey Buff fans,

 

The bowl trip has been great so far. Everyone down here has been amazing; I really like how everyone here is really nice and they work so hard to help make our trip better and easier on us. Since we arrived in Shreveport, we have been escorted by State Troopers everywhere we go; it makes me feel like a superstar. I really appreciate what everyone has done for us, they have made this trip easy for us. There are some things that I am excited to do while I am here. I really want to go see the Boardwalk down here. I love spending time with my teammates, they are like family to me; they are all my brothers so whenever I get to spend time with them it is something I look forward to doing.

 

I’ve already made some memories on this trip. The airplane was a different experience, we had a delay because of a problem with the air conditioner and we thought it was funny when they served us hot pockets that weren’t heated up. This is the last time we get to spend time as a group with the seniors so every time we’re together is a good time. We have fun together and make memories we can share and laugh about when we look back at our time together.

 

We had a good practice tonight. It’s a time for us to improve, but also a time to be with my boys. We’re a family so it’s still work but it doesn’t feel like it, it just feels like we’re out there having fun together and enjoying our last days together as teammates.

Again, I just can’t get over how helpful everyone has been on our trip. I am really grateful to everyone who has worked so hard to make us feel comfortable and welcome. Speaking of which, I’m excited to get back to the hotel and see if Santa JT (Galloway, Head Equipment Manager) has brought us any more gifts. We’ve been getting a bunch of great bowl gifts so far this year. We got a Nike CU carry on bag that was filled with Petro Sun Independence Bowl CU gear, including the travel suit I am wearing.

 

We’re staying in the Shreveport Hilton, which is SUPER nice. It is basically brand new, and it’s so nice that I may just stay in tonight and enjoy the amazing high definition flat screen TV in my room.

 

It’s fun getting back around my brothers, we had two days off for Christmas and it’s funny we got back around each other this morning and if you didn’t know any better you would have thought it had been two years since we last saw each other, not two days. It was nice getting a little time away from everyone and getting to see my family. Although, I spent most of my time sleeping, I couldn’t seem to stay awake. I really enjoyed getting to spend those two days with my family, we opened presents and had a big dinner. It was a little easier for me because my family lives in Denver, but you can ask anyone on the team when you get to go home for a couple of days and be with your family you really enjoy it and appreciate your time together.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

-Ben