UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BUFFALOES / SPORTS INFORMATION SERVICE www.CUBuffs.com Fieldhouse Annex #50, 357 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309-0357 © 2005 CU Athletics Telephone 303/492-5626 (FAX: 303/492-3811; E-mail: [email protected]) David Plati (Associate AD/Sports Information), Lindsay Lew (Associate SID), Andrew Green (Assistant SID), Troy Andre COLORADO (Assistant SID/Internet Managing Editor), Linda Poncin (Assistant SID), Erich Schubert (Graduate Assistant). 2005 COLORADO Football: GAME 5 — TEXAS A&M Saturday, October 8 in Boulder, Colo. (5:00 p.m. MDT; Fox Sports Net National) RELEASE NUMBER 5 (October 3, 2005) QUICKLY SPEAKING… The Colorado Buffaloes (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) host their Big 12 Conference home opener this Saturday, as the Texas A & M Aggies (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) visit Boulder in a 5:00 p.m. kickoff at Folsom Field… It is also the 91st edition of homecoming at CU, as the Buffs are looking to snap a 2-game losing streak in homecoming games as well as to sell out homecoming for the third time since 1972 (having done so in 1991 and 2003)… Fox Sports Net will televise the game nationally, with Joel Meyers (play-by-play), Dave Lapham (color analysis) and Jim Knox (sideline reporter) returning to Boulder to call the action… Westwood One will also offer a national radio broadcast, with John Tautges and Fran Curci behind the mikes… Colorado is 3-1 for the third time under Barnett; the previous two times (2001, 2004) the Buffs won the Big 12 North… The Buffs snapped a 9-game losing streak versus Big 12 South Division teams last Saturday with a 34-0 win at Oklahoma State; CU has lost three straight to the South in Boulder, but is 9-5 overall at Folsom against the division… This marks the first time since 1981 that CU will play two straight home games against schools with the same nickname (Aggies; a pair of Cougars, Washington State and Brigham Young, came through in consecutive weeks in Sept. 1981)… Assistant coach Brian Cabral will coach in his 200th (all consecutive) CU football game this weekend, with Larry Zimmer set to be in the radio booth for his 400th CU game the following week at Texas… CU’s website, www.CUBuffs.com features game day updates and live stats for all games… There are roughly 4,900 tickets remaining for the Texas A&M game… CU’s next game, at Texas on October 15, was selected by ABC for a 1:30 p.m. regional telecast. DEPTH CHART ON PAGE 45; ROSTER ON PAGES 46-47 IN THE POLLS CU was unranked in the top 25 in both the Associated Press (media) and USA Today Coaches polls of Oct. 2, but received enough votes to come in 29th in the coaches and 30th in the AP. The Buffaloes were not ranked at any point in 2004, notching 31st in the coaches and 32 in the AP; Colorado was last ranked on September 7, 2003, having risen to No. 17 in both after opening 2-0. Dating back to the preseason 1989 polls, CU has been ranked in 182 of the last 269 polls (AP; 69%), which includes a tremendous run of 143 consecutive between 1989 and 1997 (the 10th longest streak of all-time). Since 1989, CU has played the fourth most ranked teams in the nation (84), trailing Florida (92), Florida State and Michigan (both 88). STAT OF THE WEEK Special teams are the key to the Buffs winning the field position battle: opponents have started 33 of 56 drives at or inside its 20 on the season, or 59 percent of its possessions. But that’s the raw number; eight of those drives started on CU’s side of the field after turnovers, revising the above to 33 of 48, or an astonishing 69 percent. Chalk the bulk of it up to the legs of PK Mason Crosby, who has 14 touchbacks and three inside-the-20 on returns on 22 kickoffs, and P John Torp, with 10 boots inside-the-20, as the two have personally accounted for 27 of the 33 starts by the opponent deep in their territory. OBSCURE NOTE OF THE WEEK Colorado has forced the opponent into three plays and out 23 times in 56 possessions this season, or 41 percent of the time. That’s almost half the number of times CU did it last season—47 of 159, or 30 percent. In addition, opponents are averaging a touchdown every 44.2 snaps on offense, compared to 28.8 for the Buffs (and to 25.6 last season by the enemy). You have to go back to 1998 to find where the opponent averaged more than 26.2 snaps per offensive TD—that team surrendered one every 37.0 snaps. That’s also the last team to force an opponent into three plays and out over one-third of the time for a season (62 of 166 times, or 37.3 percent). 2005 COLORADO SCHEDULE (3-1, 1-0 BIG 12) 2005 Date CU* Opponent Opp* TV Result/Time Record Series This-N-That SEPT. 3 NR COLORADO STATE NR TBS W 31-28 2-2 57-18-2 Crosby 47 FG wins it; CU outscores CSU 13-7 in last 2:32 SEPT. 10 NR NEW MEXICO STATE (FN) NR FSN W 39- 0 0-5 1- 0-0 Buff ‘D’ posts first shutout since ’02; NMSU: 5 rush yards Sept. 24 NR at Miami, Fla. 12 ABC L 3-23 3-1 5- 3-0 CU crosses midfield 8 times in 13 tries but nets only one FG Oct. 1 NR at Oklahoma State NR none W 39- 0 3-1 26-17-1 Charles 74-yard YD run on game’s first play sets tone OCT. 8 NR TEXAS A & M (H) NR FSN 5:00 p.m. 3-1 4- 2-0 Buffs look to avenge 2004 OT loss in College Station Oct. 15 at Texas ABC 1:30 p.m. 4-0 7- 7-0 UT won 3 of last 4, but CU win was in the ’01 title game OCT. 22 KANSAS (FW) TBA TBA 3-1 40-21-3 CU has won 9 of last 10 at Folsom, four straight overall Oct. 29 at Kansas State TBA TBA 3-1 42-17-1 Klatt 64 TD pass to Monteilh with 0:05 left wins ’04 game NOV. 5 MISSOURI TBA TBA 2-2 30-36-3 Barnett 5-1 vs. alma mater (CU leads 17-3 in last 20) Nov. 12 at Iowa State TBA TBA 3-1 46-12-1 CU, ISU garnered majority of preseason Big 12 North votes NOV. 25 NEBRASKA ABC 1:30 p.m. 4-0 17-43-2 CU has won three of last four; NU leads 12-6-1 since ‘86 Dec. 3 Big 12 Championship Game ABC 11:00 a.m. (Houston, Texas) Buffs have appeared in thee of last four title games (All times mountain. KEY: *—AP rank at game time; —Big 12 Conference game; FW—Fireworks Night; H—Homecoming; FW—Family Weekend) 2 | 2005 Colorado Football: The Media Page | 2 MEDIA SERVICES Coach Gary Barnett holds a Tuesday press luncheon in the Dal Ward Athletic Center, starting at 11:30 a.m. with lunch, followed by Barnett beginning the interview session promptly at Noon. This year’s dates: Sept. 6-20-27, Oct. 4-11-18-25, Nov. 1-8-21 (Monday)-29, Dec. TBA (bowl). NOTE that there are no organized press luncheons on Sept. 13 and Nov. 15 (Tuesdays of bye weeks). The press conference portion of the luncheon is streamed live on www.CUBuffs.com (in the Buffs Backstage Pass area); media can watch and listen by contacting David Plati in advance for free access codes ([email protected]). Barnett can be heard Mondays on the Big 12 Football Teleconference Call at 10:40 a.m. MT. All coaches participate; please call 913/981-4913 for access (media only—you must register). The teleconference replay is available after 3 p.m. MT that day; for access call 402/222-9912. Video highlights of CU football games are available Tuesdays on the Big 12 Conference’s satellite highlights package, which can be found at Galaxy 3C, Transponder 6 (C-band), 4100 MHz vertical, standard audio 6.2-6.8 MHz between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. MT from Aug. 30 through Dec. 6 (trouble number: 972/868-1861 or 1446). Special requests can also be made through CU’s BuffVision (303-735-3637). The Colorado lockerroom (home and road) is closed after games; following the customary 10-minute cooling off period, players will be made available (a list of players will be solicited immediately following the game; no cutoff to request players). Colorado’s regular season football practices are closed to the public and media in 2005 (preseason practices between August 4 and 20 were open to all). The first 20 minutes of practices in-season are, however, open for photography (video) needs from the end zones and sidelines. This year’s tentative meeting/practice schedule (mountain time, pre-time change): Sunday (off); Monday (2:15-3:30; 3:30-6:00); Tuesday (2:15-3:30/3:30-6:00), Wednesday (2:15-3:30/3:30-6:00), Thursday (2:15-3:30/3:30-5:30), Friday (5:00-5:45, evening meetings). Interviews with Colorado players are allowed both pre- and post-practice on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays (the cutoff moves up to post-Tuesday practice for Friday games).