Shoulder to Shoulder we will fight, fight, fight-fight-fight! (and win) - It's always nice to win, but, with everything going on with the program this week, I was overjoyed for the players. They played with heart and earned a much needed win to keep bowl hopes on life support. It was an all encompassing victory; dominating defense and strong offense combined with an uptick in emotion to push the Buffs back towards respectability. It was the type of performance that most people expected with the current talent level, and their effort showed the benefits of a coaching change; they played free and seemed to enjoy playing football again. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, with two tough games left this team is still a very long shot to make a bowl. However, it's good to see the Buff pride back on the East Sidelines.
(The pride is back! From: The BDC)
Defense - I've been racking my brain since Saturday afternoon, and I still can't come up with a more dominating defensive performance in the past 8 years. Sure, we've shut out a team or two during that time-span, but nothing can compare with an 8 sack shellacking of the opposing quarterback. Just utter domination. Not only did the D have 8 sacks, but those 8 came from 7 different players. This wasn't a one or two man show, it was the whole team, and they killed it out there. CU held ISU to negative yards rushing and to less than 230 total yards; they even forced 6 three-and-outs and scored a touchdown. Damn was that an awesome thing to watch.
(Sipili, and his defensive mates, made life hell for ISU Saturday. From: The BDC)
Cody - While many doubted him in the wake of his fathers termination, Cody Hawkins went out there and had one of his best games in a CU uniform. His second quarter TD toss to Toney Clemons may have been the single best throw of his career; rolling to his right he launched a strong, tight spiral to the back of the end zone to find a falling Clemons. It was a thing of beauty. Overall, he finished with a very strong line of 16-24 for 266 and 3 TD's. Just a great performance from the much maligned Buff QB.
Rodney Stewart - There was some rumblings in the press that the reason Speedy wasn't pounding the rock in the 4th quarter of the KU game was that the coaches were worried about his durability. Really? I know he's had a little injury issue here and there, but the guy is a horse. He certainly erased any doubts by putting the team on his back Saturday. Speedy has 39 total touches for 148 yards. While he didn't find the endzone, he was consistently running between the tackles and wearing the defense down. Yeah, he did have a few problems holding onto the ball, which I'm sure Coach Hagan will be all over for, but give credit where credit's due; he was a workhorse out there.
Coach Cabral - I don't want to hyperventilate and start demanding his inclusion as a serious candidate for the head coaching job, but doesn't he deserve consideration to be the next defensive coordinator? I understand that, more than likely, the next guy will bring his own DC, but damn does Cabral get his guys going. He brought back some of the passion and tradition (we're banning red again!) that had been missing the last 5 years. He didn't hold his guys back from "getting too pumped up," and he allowed the players to play by not over-analyzing key situations. Hey, look, a kick on a 4th and short! A 12-2 run-pass ratio in the 4th Quarter when up by 20+ points! Hawk sometimes tried to re-invent the wheel when it came to game management; Cabral kept to what works. It's a well deserved 1st win for the man who best exemplifies what it means to be a Buff.
(The man cares about what it means to be Buff, and I love him for it. From: The BDC)
( "This is Air Buffalo, Flight #10, requesting clearance to land." From: The BDC)
Andre Roberson - He looked ready to contribute. The rangy 6-7 freshman guard from Texas provided 11 big rebounds and 6 points in only 21 minutes. Yes it came against a team picked to finish next to last in the Big Sky conference, but he looks ready to contribute. He even had a spectacular pass inside the paint, and he looks solid at both ends of the court. He may not set the world on fire as a freshman, but, if he keeps this up, could prove to be an important cog in the Buffs wheel.
Bears game, Devin Hester, and Brad Childress - There were a couple of interesting story lines that emerged from the Bears 27-13 win on Sunday over the Vikings. First and foremost, it was an important home win over a divisional foe for a team looking to cling the division lead. While I still think the Packers will eventually come out on top, the Bears somehow keep winning games while their offense keeps stubbing its collective toe, and, with a win in hand over the Pack, control their own destiny.
Devin Hester even made a return to the special teams highlight reel with his 147 return yards. Hester hasn't returned kicks in 22 of the Bears last 24 games. Why? He's clearly the best option on the team. Why can't he both return kicks and run routes with the offense? I've always thought the object of offensive football is to get the ball into the hands of your best offensive player as many times as possible. Getting the ball into Hester's hands just makes winning easier, and having him return kicks is a great way to get him an extra 5 or 6 touches a game.
(Hester needs the ball in his hands, and kick returns are a great way to get him the ball. From: The Trib)
Poor, poor Brad Childress. His team hates him, his owner is looking to fire him, and he had to stand on the sidelines and watch his team throw away it's dying playoff hopes. He's certainly not going to keep his job past the end of the season (you just don't get away with going over you boss' head like he did while releasing Randy Moss), but the question remains weather he'll stay employed through season end. Sure, Vikings owner Zygi Wilf says he won't fire him during the season, but isn't that exactly what Jerry Jones said about Wade Phillips? Put me down for Childress being fired in a few weeks.
Happy Monday!
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