UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BUFFALOES / SPORTS INFORMATION SERVICE www.CUBuffs.com Fieldhouse Annex #50, 357 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309‐0357 © 2011 CU Athletics Telephone 303/492‐5626 (FAX: 303/492‐3811; E‐mail: [email protected]; [email protected]) David Plati (Associate AD/Sports Information), Curtis Snyder (Associate SID), Andrew Green (Assistant SID), Troy Andre (Assistant SID/ COLORADO Internet Managing Editor), Linda Poncin (Assistant SID), B.G. Brooks (Contributing Editor/CUBuffs.com), Cole Mickelson (Graduate Assistant)
2011 COLORADO BUFFALO Football GAME 12—UCLA BUFFS SEEK SECOND STRAIGHT WIN AND TO END ROAD LOSING STREAK SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2011 5:35 p.m. MST Rose Bowl Stadium (91,000), Pasadena, Calif.
RELEASE NUMBER 12 (November 13, 2011) Versus (National) | KOA-RADIO | CUBUFFS.COM (Live Stats)
QUICKLY SPEAKING …
The Colorado Buffaloes (2-9, 1-6 Pac-12) ended one streak and are out to halt another this Saturday as they travel to Pasadena to take on the UCLA Bruins (5-5, 4-3 Pac-12) in a 5:35 p.m. mountain time kickoff at the Rose Bowl … The game will be televised nationally by Versus … CU snapped a seven-game losing streak with its 48-29 win over Arizona last Saturday, and now turn its attention to ending a 22-game losing streak on the road (last win: 31-26 at Texas Tech in 2007) … Colorado is 50-10 against unranked opponents in November games dating back to the 1985 season … The Arizona game was CU’s most balanced of the year, with 273 yard rushing and 223 passing for 500 overall; it was the 56th time in school history the Buffaloes accumulated at least 200 of each in a game (going 51-5 in those games, 43-2 dating to 1981); one of the five losses was at UCLA in 1980 … CU improved to 56-2-1 all-time when rushing for 250 or more yards … UCLA is coming off a 31-6 loss at Utah in the snow, but still is the only team in the Pac-12 South that controls its own destiny to get the championship game on Dec. 2; the Bruins, while 5-5, have not lost back-to-back games this season … The schools have played three times in California, the first two meetings in the L.A. Coliseum, but the last was in the Rose Bowl, a 31-17 Colorado win in 2003 … The Buffaloes sold 3,000 tickets for the UCLA game, bringing the total to about 12,000 for the four league road games to date, more than double any season in CU’s 15 years in the Big 12 … CU is closing a regular season with two road games for the first time since 1989 and just the second time in the last 38 seasons … All CU games this year will be televised for the first time since 1995, and the first time all will have been national (11) or regional (2) telecasts … Visit CUBuffs.com/ gameday as your one stop for everything, including our on-line media guide and live stats. DEPTH CHART ON PAGE 62; ROSTER ON PAGES 63-64
CU-UCLA TV: Versus / Ted Robinson (play-by-play) / Glenn Parker (color analyst) / Akbar Gbaja-Biamila (sideline reporter) / Michael Molinari (producer)
STAT OF THE WEEK
Colorado is six yards shy of a school first—having three players in the same year with 500 or more receiving yards. The “three-headed monster” atop the stats are share similar numbers: WR Toney Clemons (36 receptions, 528 yards, 14.7 average, 7 TD); TB Rodney Stewart (36-525, 14.6, 0 TD) and WR Paul Richardson (32-494, 15.4, 5 TD). The closest CU has come to three 500 yard receivers in the same season was in 1984, when current head coach and then tight end Jon Embree had 51 grab for 680 yards; WR Ron Brown had 673 and WR Loy Alexander 496.
OBSCURE NOTE OF THE WEEK
CB Jason Espinoza has two interceptions in as many weeks, coming against two of the top quarterbacks in the nation, Southern California’s Matt Barkley and Arizona’s Nick Foles. As a sophomore in 2009, when he was a receiver, he caught eight passes for 109 yards and a touchdown. Research shows that Espinoza is just the third player in Colorado history to have a 100-yard receiving game and make at least one interception in their Buff career, with nearly half a century passing in- between. The only other two to do it were Leon Mavity (two receptions for 112 yards/1TD vs. Utah in 1961) and Ken Blair (2-105/2TD vs. Kansas, also in 1961); Blair had an interception in 1962 and Mavity picked off three career balls, one in 1962 and two in 1963.
2011 COLORADO SCHEDULE & RESULTS (2-9, 1-6 PAC-12)
2011 Date CU* Opponent Opp* TV Result/Time Record Series This-N-That Sept. 3 NR at Hawai’i NR ESPN2 L 17-34 5-5 1- 2-0 UH jumped to 17-0 halftime lead; CU pulls to within 24-17 but Warriors hang on SEPT. 10 NR CALIFORNIA NR FCS (P) L 33-36 (OT) 6-4 2- 4-0 Buffs rally from 10 down twice, but open OT with a FG and Cal countered with TD Sept. 17 NR Colorado State (Denver) NR FSN W 28-14 3-6 61-20-2 Hansen accounts for 4 TDs (2 rush/2 pass); CSU: 163 yards after opening drive Sept. 24 NR at Ohio State NR ABC/ESPN2 L 17-37 6-4 1- 4-0 Field position dictated game: CU (its 18), OSU (the CU 47) made it a tough go OCT. 1 NR WASHINGTON STATE (FW) NR FCS (P) L 27-31 4-6 4- 3-0 Cougars score two TDs down stretch (2:35, 1:10 left) to spoil CU’s Pac-12 debut Oct. 8 NR at Stanford 7 Versus L 7-48 9-1 3- 4-0 Likely NFL #1 draft pick Andrew Luck (370 yds/3 TDs) too much for Buffs Oct. 15 NR at Washington NR Root/FCS (P) L 24-52 6-4 5- 6-1 UW scores five TDs on first five possessions, CU loses Rippy & Stewart to injury OCT. 22 NR OREGON (HC) 9 FSN L 2-45 9-1 8- 8-0 Ducks race to 29-0 1Q lead; Smith’s T for safety averts first home SO since ’86 Oct. 29 NR at Arizona State 23 Root/FSN L 14-48 6-4 0- 3-0 Turnovers play first real role all year, as CU commits a season-high five NOV. 4 NR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (N) 21 ESPN/3D L 17-42 8-2 0- 6-0 Barkley’s 6 TD passes steal the show in CU’s first-ever home Friday night game NOV. 12 NR ARIZONA NR FCS (P) W 48-29 2-8 13- 1-0 Stewart (204 yards/3 TD), Hansen (3 TD), Clemons key CU offensive explosion Nov. 19 NR at UCLA NR Versus 5:35p 5-5 2- 4-0 Embree to line up against former mentor (Neuheisel) and own son (Taylor) Nov. 25 at Utah FSN 1:30p 6-4 30-24-3 Old rivals were actually set to resume series in 2012 after 50-year dormancy Dec. 2 Pac-12 Championship Game FOX 6:20p at campus site of the division winner with the best record (All times mountain. KEY: *—AP rank at time of game; —Pac-12 Conference game (Cal game is non-league; N—Night game; HC—Homecoming; FW—Family Weekend.) 2011 COLORADO BUFFALOES FOOTBALL / The Media Page Page 2
COLORADO FOOTBALL MEDIA SERVICES everything you’ll need to know about CU football. “BuffsTV” offers the
opportunity to listen and/or watch live game action of several CU athletic teams. ¾ Head coach Jon Embree holds a Tuesday press luncheon in the Dal Ward Breaking news with the program will be found here first every time and Athletic Center, starting at 11:30 a.m. with lunch (Embree starts promptly at delivered in full without others editing out what they might deem unessential. Noon). This year’s dates: Aug. 30, Sept. 6-13-20-27, Oct. 4-11-18-25, Nov. 1-8- ¾ Audio. Colorado football and basketball can now be heard for free on the 15-22-29, Dec. TBA (bowl). The press conference portion of the luncheon Internet at either CUBuffs.com or KOA-Radio (or its sister station, KKZN/AM760 is streamed live on www.CUBuffs.com (in the BuffsTV area); press for hoops). Links: www.CUBuffs.com, www.850koa.com, www.am760.net. conferences on CUBuffs.com are free and do not require access codes. ¾ Embree can be heard Tuesdays (Aug. 31-Nov. 30) on the Pac-12 THE BUFFALOES ON THE AIRWAYS
Teleconference Call at 11:00 a.m. MT, with a taped replay available after 4 ¾ KOA-Radio in Denver (850 AM) originates the 10-station CU Football Network, p.m. MT those afternoons. All coaches participate; for access numbers to the with sports director Mark Johnson in his eighth year as the play-by-play voice ) conference call and the replay, e-mail David Plati ([email protected] of the Buffs. Larry Zimmer (analysis) is in his 38th season broadcasting with audio files available at www.pac-12.org). Colorado football (he handled play-by-play from 1971-81 and 1985-2003). Pre- ¾ Video highlights of CU football games are available anytime provided by the and postgame shows/sidelines are handled by KOA’s Andy Lindahl (second Pac-12 Digital Xchange. To gain access, send an email with name, job title, year). Other cities on the network in addition to KOA/Denver metro: Alamosa company and phone to [email protected] with the subject line “Request for (KALQ/94.5FM), Aspen (KFNO/106.1 FM, which also serves Eagle, 96.7FM; Pac-12 Media Access.” Special requests can also be made through CU’s Roaring Fork, 94.3FM and Old Snowmass, 93.9FM), Durango (KRSJ/100.5 FM), BuffVision (Deric Swanson or Eric Pelloni: 303/735-3637). Stock Embree Grand Junction (KTMM/1340AM), Rifle (KNAM, 1490AM) and Salida (KSBV/ footage can be found here: http://buffvision.com/FTP/embree.zip and his weekly 93.7FM). KOA has been the home to CU football for 67 of the last 70 years. presser here: http://buffvision.com/FTP/embree_presser.zip. ¾ Tuesdays at 7 p.m. (Aug. 30-Nov. 22), the CU Coaches Radio Show originates ¾ The Colorado lockerroom (home and road) is closed after games; following from The West End Tavern (926 Pearl Street, Boulder), with Johnson and the customary 10-minute cooling off period, players will be available (a list will Zimmer hosting the program which airs on KOA (or AM760 if a conflict with be solicited immediately following the game; no cutoff to request players). Colorado Rockies baseball. ¾ Colorado’s regular season football practices are closed to the general public. ¾ Satellite Radio: Sirius-XM is the satellite home of the Buffaloes; the CU-UCLA The first 20 minutes of the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday practices are open game (UCLA broadcast) will be on Sirius Channel 92. to the media for any photography/video needs (follow parameters listed in CU’s ¾ ROOT Sports is the television home of the Buffaloes, as “The Buffalo media policies). Thursday practices are entirely closed (except network TV). Stampede” is broadcast in the six-state ROOT area. The show airs a bit ¾ This year’s standard meeting/practice schedule (mountain time, pre-time erratically in September due to Colorado Rockies baseball, though will be on change): Sunday: off; Monday: 3:30-5:00/5:10-5:30; Tuesday: 2:15- all Fridays; the schedule: Sept. 2 (6 p.m.), Sept. 9 (5 p.m.), Sept. 16 (4 p.m.), 4:00/4:00-6:15; Wednesday: 2:15-4:00/4:00-5:45; Thursday: 2:00- Sept. 23 (4:30 p.m.), Sept. 30 (6 p.m.). Former CU QB Charles Johnson 3:30/3:45-5:15), Friday (3:00-4:00/4:00-5:00 walkthrough/evening meetings). hosts the program, which airs through the end of basketball season. It is also ¾ Interviews with Colorado players are allowed pre- (12:45-2:00) and post- online at http://buffalostampede.tv/. practice on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays (the cutoff moves up to Wednesday pre-practice for Friday games). Phone interviews with out-of-town ROSTER CHANGES / DUPE NUMBER IDENTIFICATIONS media are allowed all three days in all time slots. Interviews on Sundays are at the discretion of the player, as it being the standard player day off (no Number Changes: WR Toney Clemons (now #7, was #17); TB Josh Ford (now meetings/practice), CU can’t arrange due to NCAA rules. #29, was #42); P Darragh O’Neill (now #8, was #90); P Mark Brundage (now ¾ Collegepressbox.com is the official media website for Pac-12 football. Access #90, was #8); ILB Derrick Webb (now #1, was #5); WR Keenan Canty (now and download weekly game notes, quotes, statistics, media guides, headshots, #84, was#4); TE Alex Wood (now #46, was #84). Position Changes: Jason logos and more for the conference and each member of its member schools. Espinoza (now DB, was WR); Nick Kasa (was DL, now TE; also moved into #90, Most FBS conferences are also accessible as well. Login information will be was #44); Brian Lockridge (now CB in #10, was TB in #20); K.T. Tu’umalo distributed to accredited media, and media members can also apply for a (now DB, was ILB). DUPE NUMBERS: Those who appear below are in dupe number password by sending an e-mail to [email protected]. where both are likely to see action; CU jerseys also have name tags. Skin tone key: ¾ CU On-Line Photo Database. The CU SID office has an online photo database A—African-American, C—Caucasian, P--Polynesian:
that allows registered members of the media instant access to print quality head Offense/Kicker Defense/Kicker shots of all CU coaches and student-athletes as well as action shots of key 2 Logan Gray, WR (C) 2 Juda Parker, OLB (A) players. Registration is easy: for a login and password, simply log on to 7 Toney Clemons, WR (A) 7 Anthony Perkins, SS (A) www.CUBuffs.com, select "Sports Information" from the "Athletic Department" 8 Nick Hirschman, QB (C) 8 Darragh O’Neill, P (C) menu located on the left navigation bar and follow the instructions. 9 Tyler Hansen, QB (C) 9 Chidera Uzo-Diribe (A)
10 Brian Burnette, QB (C) 10 Brian Lockridge, CB (A) THE BUFFALOES ON THE INTERNET 15 Zach Grossnickle, P (C) 15 Jason Espinoza, DB (C)
¾ Colorado has its information available to both the media and fans alike on the 26 Tony Jones, TB (A) 26 Ray Polk, FS (A) Internet. Visit the official CU site at www.CUBuffs.com for the latest 50 Paulay Asiata, OL (P) 50 Curtis Cunningham, DT (C) information, releases, game notes, press conference broadcasts (free) and 54 Kaiwi Crabb (P) 54 Brady Daigh, ILB (C) articles by former Rocky Mountain News sportswriter B.G. Brooks. Go to 83 Dustin Ebner, WR (C) 83 Will Pericak, DL (C) www.CUBuffs.com/media and click on Media Center: it will link you to
PRONUNCIATION GUIDE
Coaches/Staff Players Nate BONSU (bonn-sue) STEPHANE NEMBOT (steff-on MAKIRI Pugh (muh-keer-E) Eric BIENIEMY (be-enemy) Tyler AHLES (alice) Kyle CEFALO (seff-el-low) name-bot) Kyle SLAVIN (slay-vinn) Brian CABRAL (cuh-browl) CORDARY Allen (core-dairy) KAIWA Crabb (kuh-E-vee) LILOA NOBRIGA (lee-low-ah, TERREL Smith (terr-L) KANAVIS McGHEE PAULAY ASIATA Brady DAIGH (day) no-brigg-uh) SIONE TAU (see-own-E (kuh-nave-iss McGee) (paul-lay ah-see-ah-ta) Ryan DANNEWITZ (dan-uh-wits) DARRAGH O’Neill (darr-uh) towe, as in now) Rip SCHERER (share-er) Matthew BAHR (bar) JARROD Darden (Jared) Conrad OBI (oh-bee) K.T. TU’UMALO (two-ooh-ma-low) Mike TUIASOSOPO David BAKHTIARI (bock-T-are-E) Nick KASA (cah-suh; casa) DEJI OLATOYE (day-ghee CHIDERA UZO-DIRIBE (two-E-ah-suh-so-poe) Blake BEHRENS (bear-ens) Patrick MAHNKE (main-key) O-la-toy-ye) (chee-derra u-zoh da-ree-bay) JERED Bell (jair-red) Josh MOTEN (moat-in) Will PERICAK (pre-check) Paul VIGO (vee-go) 2011 COLORADO BUFFALOES FOOTBALL / General Page 3
GAME-BY-GAME STARTERS
Here are CU’s starters for the 2011 season (bold indicates first career start); this list often does not reflect who might be “listed” first at a position, as especially on offense, the first play selected often involves personnel for a specific play:
OFFENSE WR WR LT LG C RG RT TE QB TB FB Hawai'i Bahr (TE) Richardson Bakhtiari Adkins Munyer Miller Harris Deehan Hansen Stewart Harrington California McCulloch Richardson Dannewitz Adkins Munyer Miller Harris Deehan Hansen Stewart Bahr (TE) Colorado State McCulloch Richardson Lewis Adkins Munyer Miller Tau Deehan Hansen Stewart Bahr (TE) Ohio State Clemons Richardson Bakhtiari Adkins Handler Miller Dannewitz Deehan Hansen Stewart Bahr (TE) Washington State Clemons Richardson Bakhtiari Adkins Handler Miller Dannewitz Deehan Hansen Stewart Slavin (TE) Stanford Clemons Canty Bakhtiari Adkins Handler Miller Dannewitz Deehan Hansen Stewart Lewis (TE) Washington Clemons Gray Bakhtiari Adkins Handler Miller Dannewitz Deehan Hansen Stewart Bahr (TE) Oregon Clemons Lewis (TE) Bakhtiari Adkins Handler Miller Dannewitz Deehan Hansen Jones Bahr (TE) Arizona State Clemons Canty Bakhtiari Adkins Handler Miller Dannewitz Deehan Hirschman Jones Thornton (TE) Southern California Clemons Richardson Bakhtiari Adkins Handler Miller Dannewitz Deehan Hansen Stewart Gray (WR) Arizona Clemons Richardson Bakhtiari Adkins Handler Miller Dannewitz Deehan Hansen Stewart Bahr (TE)
DEFENSE LDE NT RDE JOLB MLB WLB SOLB LCB SS FS RCB Hawai’i Pericak Obi Uzo-Diribe Hartigan Rippy Orms (N) Major Sandersfeld Perkins Polk Henderson California Pericak Obi Uzo-Diribe Hartigan Rippy Webb Major Sandersfeld Perkins Polk Orms Colorado State Pericak Obi Uzo-Diribe Hartigan Rippy Webb Major Orms Perkins Polk Henderson Ohio State Pericak Obi Poremba Hartigan Rippy Webb Major Orms Perkins Polk Henderson Washington State Pericak Obi Parker Hartigan Rippy Smith (N) Major Espinoza Perkins Polk Henderson Stanford Pericak Obi Goldberg Hartigan Rippy Webb Major Smith Perkins Polk Henderson Washington Uzo-Diribe Obi Goldberg Pericak (RDE) Rippy Espinoza (N) Major Smith Perkins Polk Henderson Oregon Uzo-Diribe Cunningham Goldberg Pericak (DT) Major Goodson (N) Mahnke Hawkins Perkins Washington Henderson Arizona State Uzo-Diribe Cunningham Goldberg Pericak (DT) Major Webb Sandersfeld (N) Moten Washington Polk Henderson Southern California Pericak Cunningham Goldberg Hartigan Major Mahnke Goodson (N) Sandersfeld Washington Smith Henderson Arizona Pericak Cunningham Goldberg Hartigan Major Sandersfeld (N) Mahnke Orms Smith Polk Henderson
(N)—Nickel back. CONSECUTIVE STARTS— Pericak 35, Miller 26, Adkins 21. CAREER STARTS— Miller 46, Pericak 35, Adkins 31, Cunningham 28. PLAYER PARTICIPATION (dressed/played): Hawai'i 71/58; California 83/58; Colorado State 79/58; Ohio State 64/57; Washington State 71/53; Stanford 62/55; Washington 63/54; Oregon 72/55; Arizona State 61/55; Southern California 68/55; Arizona 76/58.
COLORADO COACHES’ WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS
A look at Colorado's weekly award winners for each game as selected by the coaching staff (none selected following losses):
Opponent Offensive Defensive Special Teams Scout Team Offense Scout Team Defense Colorado State TB Rodney Stewart SS Anthony Perkins SS Terrell Smith not awarded not awarded Arizona multiple multiple
INJURY UPDATE
Here’s a look at Colorado’s current injury situation as of November 14:
Pos Player Injury Notes Status/UCLA WR Logan Gray leg suffered a bruise in the second half against USC (Nov. 4) DAY-TO-DAY CB Brian Lockridge ankle suffered a sprained ankle late in the Washington State game (Oct. 1) DAY-TO-DAY CB Parker Orms hamstring suffered in the second half against Arizona (Nov. 12); gave him trouble earlier in fall camp QUESTIONABLE SS Anthony Perkins ankle suffered a high sprain after 9 snaps against Oregon (Oct. 22); working hard to get back QUESTIONABLE WR Paul Richardson concussion suffered in the second half against Arizona (Nov. 12) DAY-TO-DAY TB Rodney Stewart ankle suffered a sprain late in first quarter against Arizona (Nov. 12), but returned for second half PROBABLE DE Chidera Uzo-Diribe shoulder suffered a sprain in the second half against Arizona (Nov. 12) PROBABLE FS Kyle Washington concussion suffered in the second quarter against USC (Nov. 4), wasn’t cleared to return and missed UA DAY-TO-DAY OUT FOR THE SEASON OL Blake Behrens shoulder chronic shoulder and bicep tendinitis ended career (did play last two snaps vs. UA on FG/PAT, kneel-down) OUT CB Jered Bell knee suffered a torn ACL in the third fall practice (Aug. 6); scheduled for surgery OUT TB Malcolm Creer knee suffered a severe sprain in the second quarter at Arizona State (Oct. 29); surgery pending OUT DB Will Harlos concussion also endured a hamstring injury OUT OT Jack Harris ankle suffered a break in the California game, had surgery Sept. 22 OUT DL Tony Poremba concussion suffered in practice (Oct. 4); has had multiple in his career OUT ILB Douglas Rippy knee suffered torn ligaments against Washington (Oct. 15); will undergo surgery after a healing period OUT HIPAA: The players listed above have signed waivers for their injury information to be released/discussed with the media. NOTE: Injuries are reported in conjunction with the HIPAA laws. CU releases player name, body part (but no right or left ID’s), the general nature and playing status when it comes to reporting injuries. Status will be listed as either OUT, DOUBTFUL, QUESTIONABLE, DAY-TO-DAY, PROBABLE or DEFINITE. Injuries will be updated in-game, postgame, the Sunday after the game, and for game notes at the end of the week.
CLOUGH RETURNING TO IRAQ
CU’s Faculty Athletics Representative and Engineering Professor Dr. David Clough is making a return visit to Iraq from Dec. 2-9, where as in a previous visit this past May, he will work with the administrators, faculty and students of the American University of Iraq in Sulaimani [AUIS] (Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq) to establish an engineering degree program. Clough’s efforts will include curriculum design, staffing and facilities. On this trip, Peter Heinz, a local architect, will accompany Clough for the first two days of his visit. Peter has collaborated on the design of the science laboratories at AUIS in the past few months, and likely will be instrumental in the design of the engineering laboratories. Clough will also visit with AUIS women's basketball team, which has a connection to the Colorado team and head coach Linda Lappe; he will deliver the team some CU t-shirts and videos. 2011 COLORADO BUFFALOES FOOTBALL / General Page 4
INJURY BUGABOO STRIKES AGAIN
The injuries have been mounting all season, with perhaps the most severe hits coming in the 52-24 loss at Washington when the Buffaloes lost two of its most productive starters, junior ILB Douglas Rippy (torn knee ligaments), and his cousin, senior TB Rodney Stewart (severely sprained knee).
How valuable was Stewart? At the time of his injury, he led the Buffs in rushing (473 yards) and was second in both receptions (28) and receiving yards (435); his 1,169 all-purpose yards represented 38 percent of CU’s team total (3,082) at the time. Rippy, Colorado’s leading tackler with 62 when he went down, was the fourth player to be lost for the season due to injury; previously OG Blake Behrens (shoulder), cornerback Jered Bell (knee), OT Jack Harris (broken ankle) and DE Tony Poremba (concussions) had their seasons come to an end. Behrens and Poremba are fifth-year seniors while Bell is a sophomore who had a redshirt year available. A classy move by the coaches was to insert Behrens on the last PAT kick against Arizona, as well as for the game’s final play, a kneeldown on offense.
Colorado has thus far in 2011 lost a total of 99 games to injury by players who figured in either the two-deep or prominently on special teams, or just over 20 percent of the possible 484 (11 games times 44); this currently projects to be the second-highest figure in the last 25 seasons at the school. Below are the worst regular seasons for injuries/illness for the CU program over the last 25 years (KEY: GL—Games lost to injury; GL/2—Games lost by 2-deep scrimmage players; MG—“Man games” as defined by as the total number of games if all players NOT ticketed to redshirt played every game; Pct. Lost – percentage of man games lost, knowing that in actuality, the number is higher as third-team players and reserves don’t see that much action; 2/MG—2-deep man games, or starting 22 positions plus backups):
Season G GL MG Pct. Lost GL/2 2/MG Pct. Lost Season G GL MG Pct. Lost GL/2 2/MG Pct. Lost 2011 11 117 902 13.0 99 484 20.5 2010 12 103 924 11.1 88 528 16.7 2008 12 121 1008 12.0 110 528 20.8 2002 13 139 1118 12.4 80 572 14.0 1998 11 101 864 11.7 89 484 18.4 2003 12 74 876 8.4 58 528 11.0 2000 11 101 880 11.5 82 484 16.9 1997 11 51 770 6.6 41 484 8.5
Dating back to 1987, only eight times has CU lost over five percent of its “man game” count due to injury (1995-97-98-2000-02-03-08-10).
EMBREE SUSPENDS FIVE; THREE BACK IN GOOD GRACES
On October 6, Jon Embree announced the indefinite suspensions of five players for failing to meet the expectations of being member of the team. Four of the five are sophomores: outside linebacker Liloa Nobriga and defensive backs Ayodeji Olatoye, Parker Orms and Paul Vigo; the fifth was redshirt freshman defensive back Josh Moten. Embree said the five are prohibited from engaging in any football-related activity, but are still responsible to meet all academic requirements. “We are disappointed that these student-athletes have not lived up to the high expectations we have here at the University of Colorado,” Embree said. “While not going into specifics, there are no issues with law enforcement, but they have not met their obligations and responsibilities to be active members of the team.” ¾ Moten did all that was required for reinstatement and rejoined the team on Oct. 10; Orms and Vigo did the same and rejoined the team on Oct. 31.
RANDOM LINERS
¾ Iron Man. No one has played every snap for CU in 2001, but OG Ryan Miller has missed just one, the final play of the Arizona game when four senior backups came in to take the final snap. He’s been in there for 724 snaps on offense (OG Ethan Adkins is next with 678; QB Tyler Hansen has the most snaps of the non-linemen with 653). CB Greg Henderson has played 702 of 747 on defense. ¾ Atop The Rushing List. For a game, that is: TB Tony Jones led CU in rushing with 49 yards on 14 carries (two touchdowns) at Washington; that snapped a streak of 15 straight games where TB Rodney Stewart led the team (and 27 of 28 games). Stewart has led the team in 33 of the 40 games he has played in. ¾ Buff Baptisms. Through 11 games, 33 players have seen their first action as Buffaloes this season; that is a high for the most players getting their first taste of ball as a Buffalo in one single year over the last 28 seasons (dating back to 1984). Within that number are 25 freshmen (15 true/10 redshirt); the 15 true frosh are tied for the fifth most in the nation in 2011, and the most who have played for CU in a single season dating back to at least 1984. In only three other years since then has Colorado played double digit prep rookies: 11 in 2002 and 10 each in 1984 and 2000. ¾ Precision. QB Tyler Hansen has thrown just seven interceptions in 345 attempts this season, an interception percentage of just .0203; that is flirting with the school record for a minimum of 250 passes (.020, 8 in 400, by Joel Klatt in 2005). Hansen’s 18-to-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio right now stands to be one of the best in team history; Kordell Stewart’s 10-to-3 ratio in 1994 is the best for player with at least 10 touchdown passes. ¾ Forcing The Issue. Sophomore DE Chidera Uzo-Diribe has three forced fumbles—that’s the most at Colorado since CB Clyde Surrell had three in 2003. ¾ Terrel Smith’s tackle for a safety against Oregon averted CU’s first home shutout since Nov. 15, 1986 (a 28-0 loss to Oklahoma); the last time the Buffs did not score at least one touchdown at home was on Sept. 16, 2006 (a 21-3 loss to Arizona State); the last time the offense did not score at Folsom was on Oct. 30, 2004 (a 31-7 loss to Texas; CU’s touchdown was on an interception return by Terrence Wheatley); the last time CU’s only points in a game came on a safety was on Nov. 14, 1914 in a 6-2 loss to Colorado Mines in Denver (the only other game in CU’s 1,158-game history its only points came via a safety). ¾ Audition/Got The Part. Freshman D.D. Goodson, ticketed for a redshirt year and practicing mainly on offense, “auditioned” for the defense for four snaps in 7-on-7 drills on Oct. 18 ahead of the Oregon game; he then moved there full time the next day. Thus, he had all of two full practices before seeing his first career action, which included starting against the No. 9 Ducks and playing 44 snaps (he had four tackles, three solo, and returned five kickoffs for 97 yards). ¾ Take The Week Off, Please. October was a basic nightmare for the Buffs, as injuries kept mounting and an overall record of 0-5, all Pac-12 games, saw CU outscored 224-74. Three of those five opponents, Washington State, Washington and Arizona State, all had a bye week before playing CU to compound matters. ¾ Two Months Of Taking Care of The Football. The Buffaloes committed just seven turnovers (three fumbles, four interceptions) in the first eight games of the season, tied for the sixth fewest in the NCAA at the time. But disaster finally hit in game nine at Arizona State, when CU turned it over five times. While leading only to 10 ASU points, they did more damage in preventing the Buffs from scoring up to 21 points. CU did bounce back with zero against USC the next game. ¾ Taking Care Of The Ball II. Colorado has not committed a turnover in four games this year (California, CSU, Washington, USC), tying the school record for the most games in a season without a turnover, done three times previously in the regular season, in 1989 (11-0 record), in 1993 (7-3-1) and in 2006 (2-10). ¾ Double Duty. Through 11 games, a CU-record 40 players have earned at least one point in CU’s special teams points system/competition (previous high was 35 in 2009. It is a grading program that was first implemented in 1987 that rewards players for a variety of accomplishments on special teams, from the standard tackles and caused fumbles to forced fair catches and knockdown blocks. ILB Derrick Webb had a season-high nine points against Oregon (four tackles, two inside-the-20, two forced fair catches and a knockdown), as has assumed the team lead and is pulling away with 27 points. 2011 COLORADO BUFFALOES FOOTBALL / Honor Candidates Page 5
Honor Candidates
There are a few Colorado players worthy of consideration for national and conference honors as the season; for those of you who have votes in such, please consider the below players that the coaching staff thought were deserving: