2008 Colorado Buffaloes - Recruiting Class

Colorado Buffaloes 2008 Head Coach: Dan Hawkins

  

Colorado Buffaloes

2008 Recruiting Class

Star of the Class

Darrell Scott  TB 6-0  204 Oxnard, Calif. (St. Bonaventure)
The most complete running back in the West in the class of 2008, Scott is a powerful runner, has excellent vision and can stop on a dime. One of the most prolific runners in California history, could own several records by end of his career. The California State Junior of the Year from Moorpark (Calif.), Scott rushed for 3,194 yards on 337 carries and scored 45 touchdowns. He ran for over 200 yards in 10 games and against Camarillo had a career day, rushing for 306 yards, scoring six touchdowns and a pair of 2-point conversions.

Potential Instant Impact Players

Lynn Katoa

ILB

6-2

220

Salt Lake City, Utah (Cottonwood)

Katoa plays the game with heart, passion and no fear. Katoa is fantastic on the blitz, displaying great skills of timing, anticipation and instincts. He is a brutal and physical hitter that shows excellent fundamentals when it comes to tackling. Katoa fights off blocks well and gets to the ball. He chases sideline to sideline and moves well laterally. Katoa is quick, has excellent speed and is very strong. As a junior, Katoa recorded (90 solo) 109 tackles, 13 sacks, and four forced fumbles playing at middle linebacker and defensive end. It was his first year playing football. He was named second team all-region and all-state. He benches 315 pounds, squats 335 and has a 30-inch vertical jump.

Jon Major

ILB

6-3

225

Parker, Colo. (Ponderosa)

Major has great size and good speed. Major can move very well both north-south and side to side. He is cat quick playing inside out. Major reads and reacts as quick as anyone you will see among his peers. He is a ferocious hitter who plays with passion, aggressiveness and is relentless on the field. Major can shed blockers and get to the ball. He shows good vision, agility and instincts for the linebacker position. As a junior, in seven games, Major had 107 tackles (15 for losses), three forced fumbles and one interception. He missed four games due to an ankle sprain. As a junior, in seven games, Major had 107 tackles (15 for losses), three forced fumbles and one interception. He missed four games due to an ankle sprain.

Rest of the Class

Chance Blackmon	WR	6-3	185	Tatum, Texas (Tatum)
Curtis Cunningham	DL	6-2	270	Littleton, Colo. (Columbine)
Ryan Dannewitz	OL	6-6	285	San Jacinto, Calif. (San Jacinto)
Jameson Davis	PK	5-11	190	Eagle, Idaho (Eagle)
Ryan Deehan	TE	6-6	230	Poway, Calif. (Poway)
Vince Ewing	S	6-1	200	Carlsbad, Calif. (Carlsbad)
Bryce Givens	OT	6-6	250	Castle Rock, Colo. (Denver Mullen)
Tyler Hansen	QB	6-2	205	Murrieta, Calif. (Chaparral)
Steven Hicks	DB	6-0	185	Tyler, Texas (Whitehouse)
Patrick Mahnke	S	6-2	190	Parker, Colo. (Mountain Vista)
Will Pericak	TE	6-4	235	Boulder, Colo. (Boulder)
Ray Polk	TB	6-1	200	Scottsdale, Ariz. (Brophy Prep)
Douglas Rippy	LB	6-2	220	Trotwood, Ohio (Trotwood-Madison)
Rodney Stewart	TB/KR	5-8	185	Westerville, Ohio (Brookhaven)
Maxwell Tuioti-Mariner	OL	6-4	300	Corona, Calif. (Corona)
Paul Vigo	WR	6-1	172	Moorpark, Calif. (Moorpark)
Ryan Wallace	TE	6-5	230	Bowling Green, Ky. (Bowling Green)

- 2007 Colorado Season
- 2007 Colorado Preview
- 2006 Colorado Season

2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 6-6
2007 Record: 6-7

Sept. 1 Colorado St W 31-28 OT
Sept. 8 at Arizona St L 33-14
Sept. 15 Florida State L 16-6
Sept. 22 Miami Univ. W 42-0
Sept. 29 Oklahoma W 27-24
Oct. 6 at Baylor W 43-23
Oct. 13 at Kansas St L 47-20
Oct. 20 Kansas L 19-14
Oct. 27 at Texas Tech W 31-26
Nov. 3 Missouri L 55-10
Nov. 10 at Iowa State L 31-28
Nov. 23 Nebraska W 65-51
Independence Bowl
Dec. 30 Alabama L 30-24

2007 Recap

Recap: The Buffaloes’ four-game improvement from 2006 and 15 additional practices that came with an Independence Bowl berth were exactly what Dan Hawkins needed in his second year in Boulder.  Colorado finished a respectable third place in the Big 12 North, showing some life on offense, and beating Oklahoma and Nebraska in the same year for the first time since 1990.  Just when the offense started to click in the second half, however, the defense sprung unexpected leaks, allowing an average of 36 points over the final seven games.

Offensive Player of the Year: QB Cody Hawkins

Defensive Player of the Year: LB Jordon Dizon

Biggest Surprise: The Sept. 29 upset of No. 3 Oklahoma was a blockbuster win for Hawkins and the entire Colorado program.  The Buffs stormed back with 20 unanswered points in the second half, leaving the Sooners stunned after Kevin Eberhart booted a 45-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.    

Biggest Disappointment: The Buffaloes had absolutely no business losing to Iowa State on Nov. 10, particularly after opening up a 21-0 halftime lead on the 2-8 Cyclones.  Colorado disappeared in the second half, getting outscored 31-7 in a collapse that cost the program a winning season.

Looking Ahead: Colorado will be looking to build on last year’s momentum by adding another win or two to the final record.  While a winning season for the first time since 2005 will be another brick in the wall, a Kansas-like leap into prominence isn’t likely in 2008 with a schedule that includes trips to Florida State, Missouri and Kansas, and visits from West Virginia and Texas.

Dec. 30
2007 Independence Bowl
Alabama 30 ... Colorado 24
Alabama was unstoppable early on as QB John Parker Wilson hit 13 of his first 15 passes with a 15-yard touchdown throw to Keith Brown, and 34-yard play to Matt Caddell, and a 31-yard strike to Nikita Stover on the way to a 27-0 lead early in the second quarter. And then the Tide took its foot off the gas as Wilson went ice cold for the rest of the first half allowing the Buffs to get back in the game with two Cody Hawkins touchdown passes. Colorado pulled within ten on a 39-yard Kevin Eberhart field goal, but Alabama got up 13 on Leigh Tiffin's third field goal of the game coming with just under five minutes to play. Colorado wouldn't go away as Hawkins hit Tyson DeVree from 14 yards out for his second score of the game. The Buff D held, but there was only one second left on the clock. Alabama had to sweat out a few laterals on a final play, but got out with the win.
Offensive Player of the Game: Alabama QB John Parker Wilson completed 19 of 32 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns with an interception, and ran four times for 24 yards
Defensive Player of the Game: Alabama S Rashad Johnson made 13 tackles and broke up a pass, and DE Wallace Gilberry made eight tackles, a sack and five tackles for loss
Stat Leaders: Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson, 19-32, 256 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Glen Coffee, 19-72. Receiving: Matt Caddell, 4-76, 1 TD
Colorado - Passing: Cody Hawkins, 24-39, 322 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Hugh Charles, 14-69. Receiving: Tyson DeVree, 9-94, 2 TD
Thoughts & Notes ... For about 20 minutes, Alabama QB John Parker Wilson showed why he has the potential to be one of the SEC's best offensive weapons, and then for the last 40 minutes he showed why there might be a big battle for the starting job going into next year. Consistency is his problem, but when he's on, the Bama offense hums. ... Colorado QB Cody Hawkins wasn't always sharp, but he's a gamer, and was tough as nails against a good Tide pass rush, which showed up with decent pressure for one of the few times this year. He did a fantastic of spreading the ball around and taking what the Tide defense gave him. He'll be an interesting player to keep an eye on over the next few years. He's only a freshman. ... This is a young Buff team that's still rebuilding, and while ending the season with a loss is never a positive, it was a good showing after a rough start. ... Nick Saban can breathe a big sigh of relief. Of course he's not an any sort of a hot seat, but after the way the team finished out the regular season with four straight losses, including the gaffe to UL Monroe and the defeat at Auburn, this would've been a disaster had the Tide blown a 27-0 lead. Saban hand the coaching staff had the best of all possible worlds getting the win, but being able to rail on the team all offseason for not putting it away earlier.

Nov. 23
Colorado 65 ... Nebraska 51
In a wild shootout with Nebraska cranking out 610 yards of total offense to Colorado's 518, the Buffs got three Hush Charles touchdown runs, a 31-yard Jimmy Smith interception return for a touchdown, and a ten-yard Scotty McKnight scoring grab in a 34-point second half run to turn the game around. Maurice Purify caught two of his three touchdown passes in the final 2:08 of the game, but to no avail. Joe Ganz bombed away for 484 yards and four touchdowns for the Huskers, and an for a score, but he also threw three interceptions. Colorado's Jordon Dizon made 18 tackles.
Player of the game: Colorado RB Hugh Charles ran 33 times for 169 yards and three touchdowns and caught a pass for 33 yards.
Stat Leaders: Colorado - Passing: Cody Hawkins, 17-29, 241 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Hugh Charles, 33-169, 3 TD. Receiving: Tyson DeVree, 4-51, 1 TD
Nebraska - Passing: Joe Ganz, 31-58, 484 yds, 4 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Marlon Lucky, 12-69, 1 TD. Receiving: Maurice Purify, 11-136, 3 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...  Consistency has been a problem all season long for Colorado. Beat Oklahoma, get waxed by Kansas State. Play well in a loss to Kansas, get blasted by Missouri. Lose to Iowa State, obliterate Nebraska with a breathtaking offensive performance, especially after making halftime adjustments. With near-perfect balance and without making the key mistakes Nebraska did, the Buffs were able to come up with the type of offensive game everyone was expecting out of the Dan Hawkins' team. Going ten of 16 on third down chances, while holding the Huskers to 2 of 11 certainly helped matters. Of course, it came against a dying Nebraska, but whatever; CU is bowl eligible.

Nov. 10
Iowa State 31 ... Colorado 28
In a strange and wild game, Iowa State rallied from a 21-0 deficit with Todd Blythe touchdown catches from 12 and 55 yards out and Alexander Robinson touchdown runs from 13 and nine yards out. But Colorado would come back with a nine-yard Scotty McKnight catch to make it a three-point game, and then the craziness kicked in. The Buffs got the ball back and got in a position for Scott Eberhart to try a 50-yard field goal. He nailed it, but Colorado got hit with a delay of game penalty. Eberhart hit the 55-yarder, but the officials ruled that time had expired and that the snap didn't get off in time.
Player of the game: Iowa State WR Todd Blythe caught four passes for 124 yards and two scores
Stat Leaders: Colorado - Passing: Cody Hawkins, 23-40, 262 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Hugh Charles, 21-83, 1 TD. Receiving: Scotty McKnight, 5-54, 1 TD
Iowa State - Passing: Bret Meyer, 9-19, 149 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Alexander Robinson, 29-127, 2 TD. Receiving: Todd Blythe, 4-124, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Alright, so Colorado sort of got screwed on the final field goal attempt against Iowa State, with the officials and the clock operator a bit too quick on the draw, but that's the least of the team's problems. It had a 21-0 lead and blew it against an anemic Cyclone offense. If the Buffs can't handle Iowa State's passing game in the clutch, how's it going to deal with Nebraska's air show next week? With four losses in five games, a near-certain bowl season might now be gone unless the team rallies and plays a sharp game when it travels to Lincoln in two weeks.

Nov. 3
Missouri 55 ... Colorado 10
Missouri QB Chase Daniel's first pass was picked off, and Colorado took advantage getting a two-yard Byron Ellis touchdown run. That would be Daniel's only mistake of the day, as he hooked up three times with Chase Coffman for scores from 25, 23 and five yards out, and threw two other touchdown passes, highlighted by a 46-yard play to Jeremy Maclin as the Tigers overcame an early 10-7 deficit to score 48 unanswered points. The Tigers rolled up 598 yards of total offense to Colorado's 196, and forced the Buffs to punt 11 times.
Player of the game: Missouri QB Chase Daniel completed 26 of 44 passes for 421 yards and five touchdowns with an interception, and ran six times for 24 yards
Stat Leaders: Missouri - Passing: Chase Daniel 26-44, 421 yds, 5 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Derrick Washington, 8-48, 1 TD. Receiving: Jeremy Maclin, 6-108, 1 TD
Colorado - Passing: Cody Hawkins, 12-25, 100 yds
Rushing: Hugh Charles, 14-55. Receiving: Dusty Sprague, 4-43
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The Buffs didn't have any hope of keeping up the pace with Missouri once things started to get ugly. This was a horrible all-around game, with five fumbles (losing two of them), 12 penalties, three of 17 third down conversions, and little production from a secondary that was so brilliant the week before against Texas Tech. There's still time to close out strong with Iowa State and Nebraska, the lightweights of the North, to close out the regular season, but to win those, Cody Hawkins has to throw far, far better than he has over the last few weeks. He needs more help from his receivers to make more plays.

Oct. 27
Colorado 31 ... Texas Tech 26
Colorado picked off Texas Tech's Graham Harrell four times with Terrence Washington getting three, and Jordon Dizon taking one 42 yards for a score. Hugh Charles started off the scoring with a 31-yard touchdown run, and all but put the game away late in the third on a six-yard scoring grab. The Red Raiders rallied with a 19-yard Michael Crabtree scoring catch and with two minutes to go, a seven-yard Edward Britton scoring grab, but the Buffs held on. CU outgained Texas Tech 217 yards to 39 on the ground.
Player of the game: Colorado RB Hugh Charles ran 20 times for 121 yards and a touchdown, and led the team with five catches for 26 yards and a score, and CB Terrence Washington made 3.5 tackles, three interceptions, and broke up a pass.
Stat Leaders: Colorado - Passing: Cody Hawkins, 15-26, 123 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Hugh Charles, 20-121, 1 TD. Receiving: Hugh Charles, 5-26, 1 TD
Texas Tech - Passing: Graham Harrell, 46-62, 431 yds, 3 TD, 4 INT
Rushing: Aaron Crawford, 2-31 Receiving: Michael Crabtree, 12-131, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Colorado pulled off a strong win over Texas Tech with good defensive pressure and excellent offensive balance. Cody Hawkins threw just well enough to keep the Red Raiders on their heels, while Hugh Charles showed why he might be worthy of First Team All-Big 12 consideration. With Missouri ahead, this was a huge win to keep bowl hopes alive. Beat the Tigers, and then it'll be time to make plans for a nice 13th game with Iowa State and Nebraska, both likely wins, to finish.

Oct. 20
Kansas 19 ... Colorado 14
Kansas didn't get the offense consistently working, but it capitalized on almost every opportunity, with two Scott Webb field goals, a two-yard Jake Sharp run, and early in the fourth quarter, a four-yard Derek Fine touchdown catch for a 19-7 lead. And then Colorado bombed its way back into the game with Cody Hawkins finding Byron Ellis for a five-yard touchdowns with just under four minutes to play. The Buffs got one last shot, but couldn't get out of its own end. CU outgained KU 353 yards to 333.
Player of the game: Kansas LB James Holt made 15 tackles with two tackles for loss
Stat Leaders: Kansas - Passing: Todd Reesing, 20-29, 153 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Todd Reesing, 7-84. Receiving: Jake Sharp, 6-18
Colorado - Passing: Cody Hawkins, 27-44, 287 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Hugh Charles, 11-39. Receiving: Tyson DeVree, 7-90, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... It's hardly a moral victory for a team that beat Oklahoma, but the Buffs gave Kansas a nasty time. The defense did a great job of preventing the big play and letting the game get out of hand, and the offense was able to get back in the game late with a chance to pull it off at the end. The final drive never got going, but this was still a good showing in a loss for a young offense. Cody Hawkins can certainly bomb away, and now he has to do a better job of moving the chains. With a trip to Texas Tech coming next week, he'll have to rest his arm and make sure it's ready.

Oct. 13
Kansas State 47 ... Colorado 20
Kansas State got up 10-0 helped by a five-yard James Johnson run, but Colorado hung around in the first half on a one-yard Jake Behrens touchdown catch and two Kevin Eberhart field goals. But the Wildcats kept the Buffs at bay in the second half, with Deon Murphy catching a 28-yard touchdown pass and Courtney Herndon returning a blocked punt for a score. Johnson put the icing on the cake with a 68-yard scoring dash. Colorado's Jordon Dizon mad 11 tackles, while Kansas State's Justin McKinney led the way with 12 tackles and an interception.
Player of the game: Kansas State RB James Johnson ran 20 times for 159 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Colorado - Passing: Cody Hawkins, 19-41, 223 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Hugh Charles, 22-171, 1 TD. Receiving: Scotty McKnight, 6-63
Kansas State - Passing: Josh Freeman, 15-27, 214 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: James Johnson, 20-159, 2 TD. Receiving: Jordy Nelson, 4-93
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The Buffs are going to have games when things don't quite work right on offense. Cody Hawkins is still learning on the fly, and while he struggled against Kansas State, he had a few decent moments to compliment a fantastic day from Hugh Charles. Now he has to learn how to cut down on his mistakes on the road against aggressive defenses, and he'll have to be more accurate for CU to have a chance against Texas Tech in two weeks, and Kansas this week. He'll be consistent in time.

Oct. 6
Colorado 43 ... Baylor 23
Kevin Eberhart hit field goals from 41, 44, 54, 42 and 30 yards out, and Cody Hawkins threw two first half touchdown passes as Colorado rolled to an easy win. The Buffs got up 17-0 early on a seven-yard Demetrius Sumler touchdown catch, and answered a Baylor field goal with a three-yard Sumler run. Sumler also added a two-yard score  in the second half to help CU go up 40-9, before the Bears got a few late scores. The two teams combined for 21 penalties for 176 yards.
Player of the game: Colorado QB Cody Hawkins went 17-of-26 for 293 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
Stat Leaders: Colorado - Passing: Cody Hawkins, 17-26, 293 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing: Hugh Charles, 20-122. Receiving: Dusty Sprague, 5-95, 1 TD
Baylor - Passing: Blake Szymanski, 36-60, 410 yds, 1 TD, 2 INTs
Rushing: Brandon Whitaker, 11-26, 1 TD. Receiving: Brandon Whitaker, 11-166
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Colorado did exactly what it was supposed to do to a team like Baylor, and impressively managed to come out rolling after the huge win over Oklahoma. There were too many penalties, two turnovers, and the secondary gave up 410 yards, but it was an easy win thanks to good offensive balance and an effective day from Cody Hawkins. For Colorado, it's not just about winning the big games; it's also about winning the games it's supposed to. Now another statement needs to be made against Kansas State next week.

Sept. 29
Colorado 27 ... Oklahoma 24
Kevin Eberhart nailed a 45-yard field goal as time ran out to cap a run of 20 unanswered Colorado points to stun Oklahoma. The Sooner offense came up with two Allen Patrick touchdown runs, from 34 and 17 yards out, and started off the scoring with a 13-yard Juaquin Iglesias grab, but the high-powered attack was held to just 230 yards of total offense with three turnovers. The Buff defense helped give the offense great field position over the final 20 minutes, with scoring drives of just 50, 62, 16 and 23 yards. Cody Hawkins connected with Tyson DeVree for a four-yard score, and Dusty Sprague for a 15-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Player of the game: Colorado LB Jordan Dixon made 7.5 tackles and a sack
Stat Leaders: Colorado - Passing: Cody Hawkins, 22-36, 220 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Hugh Charles, 24-110, 1 TD. Receiving: Hugh Charles, 5-48
Oklahoma - Passing: Sam Bradford, 8-19, 112 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Allen Patrick, 18-96, 2 TD. Receiving: Juaquin Iglesias, 2-15, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Talk about a program-changing win, the upset over Oklahoma has just raised the bar. The offense did its part, with a gutty performance from RB Hugh Charles, and a tough game from QB Cody Hawkins, but this win was all about the defense. Jordon Dizon and company stuffed the Sooners time and again in the second half, setting things up for the offense to come through. Hawkins is a true gamer, finding ways to make plays time and again to keep the positive momentum going, but the tone was definitely set by the D. Now it's on to Baylor, and there can't be a letdown at this point. The team is playing too well.

Sept. 22
Colorado 42 ... Miami University 0
Colorado got two passing touchdowns and a rushing score from Cody Hawkins, and Hugh Charles ran for a 17-yard score in the blowout. The Buffs outgained Miami 634 yards to 139, and allowed just six first downs. The second quarter proved to be the end for the RedHawks, with CU getting three touchdowns, including a three-yard Patrick Devenny catch with 15 seconds to play in the first half. Brian Lockridge closed things out with a 43-yard touchdown run early in the fourth .
Player of the game: Colorado QB Cody Hawkins went 19-of-30 for 275 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions, while running twice for eight yards and another score.
Stat Leaders: Miami University - Passing: Daniel Raudabaugh, 11-32, 95 yds
Rushing: Austin Sykes, 9-29. Receiving: Eugene Harris, 3-22
Colorado - Passing: Cody Hawkins, 19-30, 275 yds, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
Rushing: Hugh Charles, 17-123, 1 TD. Receiving: Scotty McKnight, 3-60
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The program desperately needed an easy, blowout win just to get things flowing after struggling for the last two weeks. The defense was stifling against Miami University, but it was the offense, with 359 rushing yards and 275 through the air, that controlled the game throughout, holding the ball for 40:24. That's what the Buffs have to try to do against Oklahoma next week. Limit mistakes, get the running game going, and control the clock. This isn't an explosive enough team to come up with many, if any, home runs.

Sept. 15
Florida State 16 ... Colorado 6
Gary Cismesia hit thee field goals and Antone Smith tore off a 36-yard touchdown run as Florida State battled its way past Colorado. The Seminole offense sputtered and coughed all game long, but it appeared unstoppable compared to a Colorado attack that was stuffed for -27 rushing yards and could only manage an 11-yard Tyson DeVree touchdown catch in the final minutes. The two teams combined for a mere 500 yards of total offense.
Player of the game: Florida State DB Tony Carter made seven tackles, picked off two passes and made a tackle for loss
Stat Leaders: Florida State - Passing: Drew Weatherford, 8-18, 126 yds
Rushing: Antone Smith, 19-66, 1 TD. Receiving: Greg Carr, 3-61
Colorado - Passing: Cody Hawkins, 34-53, 306 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Demetrius Sumler, 8-14. Receiving: Scott McKnight, 6-62
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Cody Hawkins threw for a ton of yards against Florida State, but the offense didn't go anywhere thanks to a non-existent running game. Even with Hugh Charles back, but limited, the Buffs weren't even remotely close to establishing anything on the ground. Despite all the problems, the defense did a great job, holding FSU to ten first downs and just 221 yards of total offense. This was an ugly game and an ugly loss, but the Buffs have to focus on beating Miami University, or it'll be a four-game losing streak with Oklahoma coming to town for the Big 12 opener.

Sept. 8
Arizona State 33 ... Colorado 14
Colorado jumped out to a 14-0 lead on a 35-yard Terrence Wheatley interception return for a score and a ten-yard Scotty McKnight touchdown catch, and then ASU took over with a 33-point run over two quarters to coast to the sloppy win. Rudy Carpenter threw three touchdown passes with two to Michael Jones. Kyle Williams caught a 22-yard touchdown pass on a brilliant Carpenter throw at the end of the first half on the drive following a 26-yard interception return for a score from Troy Nolan. Ryan Torian added a seven-yard touchdown run.
Player of the game ... Arizona State QB Rudy Carpenter completed 19 of 37 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns with an interception
Stat Leaders: Colorado - Passing: Cody Hawkins, 16-43, 162 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Demetrius Sumler, 16-34  Receiving: Scotty McKnight, 6-63, 1 TD
Arizona State - Passing: Rudy Carpenter, 19-37, 269 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Ryan Torian, 17-91, 1 TD  Receiving: Michael Jones, 6-96, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The Buffs are going to have to take a few baby steps before becoming a power again, and it's going to take even longer if they have to rely exclusively on the passing of Cody Hawkins. With no ground game to help out, thanks to the absence of Hugh Charles, Hawkins has to be razor sharp, which he wasn't against Arizona State, and the defense has to be stifling. While it's a bit simplistic to suggest the Buffs wilted in the heat, they definitely appeared to run out of gas.

Sept. 1
Colorado 31 ... Colorado State 28 OT
Colorado's Terrence Wheatley intercepted a Caleb Hanie pass in the end zone on Colorado State's offensive possession in overtime, and Kevin Eberhart nailed his 35-yard chance to give the Buffs the win. The two teams traded scores all game long, with Cody Hawkins throwing two first quarter touchdown passes for Colorado and Caleb Hanie responding with three scoring passes to Kory Sperry. Down 28-17, Colorado came back with a three-yard Demetrius Sumler touchdown run late in the third quarter and got a 22-yard Eberhart field goal with 13 seconds to play to force overtime.
Player of the game ... Colorado PK Kevin Eberhart connected on 3-of-4 field goals, including a 22-yarder that sent the game into overtime and the game-winner from 35 yards.
Stat Leaders: Colorado State- Passing: Caleb Hanie, 20-27, 229 yds, 3 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing: Kyle Bell, 40-135, 1 TD  Receiving: Kory Sperry, 8-103, 3 TDs
Colorado - Passing: Cody Hawkins, 18-31, 201 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing: Demetrius Sumler, 16-85, 1 TD  Receiving: Scotty McKnight, 8-106, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... After last year, Colorado needed to start out with a tough win to prove that this is a new season and a new team. While the defense was far softer than expected against the Colorado State offense, it was solid late and came through when it absolutely had to have stops in the fourth quarter along with overtime. Making the win more impressive than it might appear was the way the Buffs were able to win with top RB Hugh Charles on the sidelines. New starting QB Cody Hawkins didn't have anyone to take the pressure off. To beat Arizona State or Florida State over the next few weeks, Charles needs a healthy hamstring.