Hagan Expects Emotional Day in Berkeley - Cubuffs.Com - Official Athletics W

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CU running backs coach Darian Hagan Sr. (left) and his son, Darian Jr. (26), will chase the same prize Saturday. Photo Courtesy: CUBuffs.com

09/05/2010 B.G. Brooks, Contributing Editor Brooks: Hagan Expects Emotional Day In Berkeley

BOULDER Native Californian Darian Hagan expects about 10 close family members to be in the stands at California Memorial Stadium Saturday afternoon when Buy Tickets Colorado plays at Cal. Gameday CSU Game DVD But that's not what excites CU's running backs coach the most: one family member will be on the field.

Hagan's son, Darian Jr., is expected to start at cornerback for the Golden Bears. He's a senior, a two‐ year starter (13 games in 2008, four in 2009) and is Cal's active career leader in pass breakups.

"It's going to be a special opportunity getting to see him play in college and especially getting to see him against my alma mater . . . but he's going to have a little something special going on, too," said Darian Sr., a former Buffs quarterback (1988‐91).

Darian Jr. considered coming to Boulder "for a little bit," his father said. "What it pretty much came

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down to, I was telling him he could come here and with the name that was already established he could have ‐ if he was to do everything right ‐ people doing things for him and set himself up for the future.

"But he was thinking he wanted to have a name for himself and set his path somewhere else. That's pretty much why he didn't come here."

The decision hasn't been a point of contention between father and son, the elder Hagan said: "Absolutely not. I wasn't going to deter him. I wanted the best decision for him; if that was at Cal, then it was at Cal. He considered UCLA at one time, when Eric (Bieniemy) was coaching there and recruiting him.

"He also considered Oklahoma, where our family was from and Chris Wilson (former CU assistant) was recruiting him. He considered a lot of things, but it pretty much came down to him being comfortable somewhere he could make a name for himself."

Opening at corner Saturday in Cal's 52‐3 rout of UC‐Davis, Darian Jr. made a pair of solo tackles. The Bears limited the Aggies to four first downs and 81 yards of total offense while amassing 517 yards (230 rushing, 287 passing).

Darian Jr., a 6‐foot, 180‐pounder, played in 10 games (four starts) in 2009 but went through an emotionally trying season. He recently disclosed in an interview with the Oakland Tribune that his then‐1‐year‐old daughter, Kaiyana, had battled a rare form of kidney cancer and had undergone chemotherapy treatments throughout the season.

Kaiyana lives with her mother in Los Angeles, and Darian Jr., rarely saw their daughter during a season in which he struggled to retain his academic eligibility and lost his starting job.

"Me being up here, I couldn't be by her side. It took a toll on me; I got behind in a lot of stuff as far as school and football," he told the Tribune.

At the time, he considered quitting school but was talked out of it by his mother, Pier Bruce. Darian Sr. called his son "a private person" who struggled with his daughter's illness: "He didn't want to tell anyone about it for a long time." Not even Cal coach Jeff Tedford was aware of the situation.

After having a kidney removed and undergoing the chemotherapy treatments, doctors have told Kaiyana's parents that she could remain cancer free.

"I was looking at her picture the other day in meetings," Darian Sr. said. "I showed coach (Eric) Kiesau her picture and thought, 'I can't believe I'm a granddaddy.'"

He characterized his relationship with his son as "not as close as I want to be. It's difficult . . . him growing up with me here in school and now me working here and him being far away in college. It's difficult to keep that tight relationship."

In the scant time they are able to spend together, Darian Sr. called their relationship "good . . . (but) it could be better. It's not an ideal relationship, but it's not a broken one."

He said they have kept in contact, but not too much over the summer with Darian Jr. concentrating

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on academic improvement and Darian Sr. attending to preparation for the 2010 season.

"I know last season he had a lot on his mind; he started good and then faded," Darian Sr. said. "You could see him starting to gas a little bit. But I've heard he's turned the corner now and is a totally different player. I know he's cat‐quick and real, real competitive.

"I'm looking forward to seeing him against 'TP' (Travon Patterson) and Paul (Richardson) and Toney (Clemons).

"It'll be a special day, but we still might be talking junk the whole time. On game day, ain't no friendship, ain't no love lost."

ORMS OUT FOR SEASON: Nickel back Parker Orms, one of the rising redshirt freshmen on the CU defense, will undergo surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and will miss the remainder of the 2010 season. A magnetic resonance imaging test on Sunday revealed the extent of the injury. A date for the surgery has not been set.

The 5‐11, 185‐pounder from Wheat Ridge was injured in the first quarter of Saturday's season‐ opener against Colorado State while playing on the punt coverage team. He said he was running downfield when his knee buckled after making a sharp cut. "I thought I was going to make the tackle . . . my knee went one way and my leg the other way."

Orms called the injury "pretty disappointing. It went from being the best day of my career to the worst day in one second. It hurts, but we got the win and I still have a big career ahead of me."

Orms, the team's Hale Irwin Award winner (most improved defensive back) in spring practice, was replaced by junior Travis Sandersfeld, who responded with his first career interception and five tackles (four solo, one tackle for loss).

Sandersfeld acknowledged he felt bad for Orms, but added CU now has depth that was missing in the past.

"That's what we said from the start of the year," Sandersfeld, of Limon, said. "At every position, we feel like we have depth . . . we feel comfortable with our two‐deep."

Contact: [email protected]

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Sep 6, 2010 1:36 pm US/Mountain Colorado Boasts More Speed On Offense

ARNIE STAPLETON, AP Sports Writer DENVER (AP) ― Speedy finally has some burners around him.

A healthy offensive line and new threats on the outside make Colorado's ground game "a lot easier," tailback Rodney "Speedy" Stewart said.

"We got some great receivers and some bigger lanes, so it's harder for the defense to choose what they want to do," Stewart said after rushing for 67 yards and a touchdown in Colorado's 24-3 win over archrival Colorado State in the Buffs' opener.

The additions of Toney Clemons, Travon Patterson and Paul Richardson, to go along with Will Jefferson, means Stewart will see fewer safeties in the box ready to help stuff the run.

1 of 2 Click to enlarge Coach Dan Hawkins hasn't had this much speed or talent on the outside since bolting Boise State for Boulder in 2006, and the newcomers could go a long way in determining whether he posts his first winning season this year -- and keeps his job. Rodney Stewart Doug Pensinger/Getty Images With so much new speed and talent on board, Hawkins suggested senior Scotty McKnight, the school's all-time receptions leader after breaking Michael Related Slideshows Westbrook's mark Saturday, will be hard-pressed to match last year's production of 76 receptions for 893 yards and six touchdowns. CU Joins Pac-10 "It's pretty clear with our receiving corps this year it would probably be hard to imagine him eclipsing last year's numbers," Hawkins said. "Maybe. But he's a guy that just really wants to win. He has the ability to reach out and touch other guys on the football team. He's been a real blessing for us."

While McKnight is mentoring the new receivers, don't discount his impact on game day. He led the Buffs with six grabs for 78 yards and a 27-yard Related Stories touchdown against the Rams.

"I think I'll still put up good numbers," said McKnight, who figures to find the same space over the middle that Stewart will with the downfield threats Buffaloes Will Play Buckeyes In garnering so much attention. Ohio In 2011 (8/24/2010) McKnight has caught a pass in a school-record 38 straight games, counting the 2007 Independence Bowl. It's also the longest active streak in the NCAA. CU-Georgia Gametime Changed He insists the only numbers he's concerned with are the ones on the scoreboard. (8/10/2010)

"I've been through a season where we won three games and I caught 76 balls and it's not fun," McKnight said. "It's not fun waking up every day realizing that your team is letting down the school and the community. I'm much more focused on getting wins and taking care of business so we can get this school back on the map."

That's what the new wideouts want, too.

Patterson, a senior, transferred from Southern Cal last month. Because the Trojans program was penalized by the NCAA over the summer and the sanctions included a two-year bowl ban, upperclassmen were free to transfer without penalty.

He wasted no time making an impact with his new team, scoring on an 18-yard pass from Tyler Hansen on Saturday, his first TD catch since his senior year in high school in 2005. He also returned four punts for 46 yards, including a 25-yarder.

Clemons, a junior, sat out a year after transferring from Michigan. He was selected the Big 12 preseason newcomer of the year. He had three catches for 25 yards in his Buffaloes debut.

And Paul Richardson is a freshman who was jettisoned by UCLA after an off-field incident this summer. He had one catch for 11 yards Saturday.

"These guys are great," Hansen said. "They're playmakers and have a lot of speed. I feel like once the lights are on and it's game day, they are even better. I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do."

McKnight relishes the thought of how all that speed will affect defenses this season, although the competition gets tougher starting Saturday at Cal (1-0).

"They had to change things up a little bit when you have guys as fast as Travon and Toney, Paul and Will," McKnight said. "It opens things up for a guy like me in the slot. (Defensive backs) have to get off the hash and they can't just single those guys up on the outside or we'll run 'nine' routes and they'll go right by people.

"Having those guys have helped so much. You saw what Travon was doing on punt returns and I couldn't do that last year, so it's nice that he can take over there and start making some plays for us. It's great to have those guys. We've added a lot of depth and a lot of talent."

And, they hope, a change in fortunes.

"If we lose next week," Stewart said, "then this win means nothing."

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CU Buffs expect big turnout at Cal game

At least 7,000 CU fans to be on hand at Cal

By Kyle Ringo Camera Sports Writer Boulder Daily Camera

Posted:09/05/2010 11:16:21 PM MDT

The University of Colorado comes face to face with its future this week as its football team travels to Berkeley, Calif., to face future conference foe California.

But coach Dan Hawkins` team certainly won`t be alone or as close to it as is typically the case when it leaves home for road games in Big 12 Conference outposts such as Ames, Iowa, Manhattan, Kan., Norman, Okla., Waco, Texas, and the list goes on.

No, the Buffs will be joined by thousands of fans from up and down the West Coast who are eager to see whether their team has made real progress in the offseason or if its Week 1 win over Colorado State was partially due to the Rams` futility. CSU does have a 10-game losing streak after all.

CU officials were expecting a minimum of 7,000 Buffs fans to attend the game in Memorial Stadium based on ticket sales through the end of last week. Some of those fans are attempting to organize a blackout in the CU section in Memorial Stadium.

A game against a Pac-10 opponent is interesting because it will provide a much better gauge of how good the Buffs actually are, but also will be a glimpse into their future in the conference.

CU announced it was leaving the Big 12 for the Pac-10 earlier this summer with the move slated for 2012. Utah was invited to join the league a short time later and is doing so in 2011, which opened the door to the Buffs leaving a year earlier.

Regardless of when the school officially makes the move, CU officials have been pointing to this week all summer as a chance to make an impression on their future conference partners. It is also seen as the first opportunity for CU officials to begin to understand how road trips will be different in the future.

Having a much higher percentage of alumni on the West Coast than in the Big 12 Conference footprint was one of the selling points in switching conferences. CU officials believe playing more often on the road in front of more alumni will lead to increased donations to the athletic department and the school. It could also help bringalumni back to Boulder for home games.

Athletic director Mike Bohn and other CU administrators leave for California on Tuesday morning and will spend much of the week working their way up the coast from Southern California, meeting with alumni and boosters along the way.

Hawkins and his players will carry an 11-game road-losing streak into the game. It`s actually 12 games if a game against Florida State in Jacksonville on a "neutral field" in 2008 is counted.

The Buffs are hoping to end the streak against the Bears and having so much support in the stadium should help their cause.

"I think that`s great, because a little yelling is certainly more encouraging than none," Hawkins said. "I think for the rookie player, it`s hard to explain when you make the big fantastic play and there is absolutely nothing going on in the stadium. That`s kind of a weird feeling."

Hawkins said he will probably know at least 300 people in the stadium and most of them probably purchased their tickets through Cal. Hawkins has never coached a game in Memorial Stadium in Berkeley but he has been there a handful of times.

Players such as safety Anthony Perkins and defensive lineman Josh Hartigan said it will be a big change to have a big group of CU supporters in the stands on the road.

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"It`s going to definitely boost our morale just because we know we have so many people behind us," Hartigan said. "When we do make a big play or somebody breaks off a big run, we`ll be able to hear somebody cheer instead of a few claps. I think it`s really going to help us. It`s going to help us want to come out a lot faster, a lot harder just because all those fans came and traveled that way for us."

Notable

Hawkins confirmed Sunday evening that redshirt freshman defensive back Parker Orms suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the opener and is out for the season. Orms was hurt covering a punt, but the injury happened in a non-contact situation when he planted his foot. "It`s just really sad for him," Hawkins said. "He works so doggone hard." ... Hawkins called it "amazing" that the Buffs won with only 60 offensive plays. "Typically, when you have 60 plays, you don`t win," he said. "... I was kind of shocked about that." ... Hawkins said the Buffs are going to have to get a lot better to beat a team like Cal because the Bears bring a lot of athleticism and speed to the table.

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CU's Hagan proud of way son persisted

Buffs RB coach will face son this weekend at Cal

By Ryan Thorburn Camera Sports Writer Boulder Daily Camera

Posted:09/05/2010 09:07:28 PM MDT

Darian Hagan's heroics on the football field aren't the only fond memories he has of life as a young Colorado student.

During the fall of 1989, as Hagan was on the verge of leading the Buffs to back-to-back Orange Bowl berths and the program's only football national championship, his son Darian Hagan Jr., made a visit to CU before one of dad's big games.

"It's funny, he didn't take his first steps until he came to Boulder," Hagan said of Junior, who was born on Nov. 5, 1988. "And then he saw me in my dorm. His mom put him down and he took off running. So he was running before he was ever walking. That was pretty cool."

The elder Hagan, still only 40, was one of the greatest players in CU history. He knew Junior would not follow his path, either as a quarterback or a Buff.

"I begged him to come to CU," said Hagan Sr., who is currently the running backs coach at his alma mater. "But his thing was he wanted to pave his own way though life, his own path. And you respect him for that. It was easy to come here and follow through my footsteps. Or he could go somewhere else and set his own footsteps."

Junior, who grew up in Los Angeles and attended Crenshaw High School, is a senior cornerback at Cal. The Darian Hagans will reunite on Saturday when the Buffs play the Bears in Berkeley.

"I'm looking forward to it. It will be kind of difficult playing against your son in a game that you desperately want to win, and being his senior year he wants to go out on top," Hagan Sr. said. "At the same time, I'm a Buffalo through thick and thin. I want the best for our program, he wants the best for his program. On that day there won't be any love loss there."

Junior, who declined an interview request made by the Camera, has had a tough year. His 1-year-old daughter, Kaiyana, went through a battle with cancer last season and the ordeal took a toll on Hagan's grades and play.

Right now things are looking up with a positive prognosis for Kaiyana and Junior back on track to graduate from Cal. And the Bears are coming off a 52-3 victory over UC Davis in the opener.

"I am proud of him. He kind of went in the tank during that time, but at the end of the day, with the experience and the heartache he went through, it will make him a better person in the end," Hagan Sr. said. "It was definitely hard. There's not a lot you can do. You put it in God's hands and then you just pray for the best. Thank God she came out healthy."

Hagan Sr., who finished his degree at CU in 1996 after a professional playing career, believes his son has the talent to play at the next level. He had a feeling Junior was going to be a good defensive player a long time ago, maybe even during that first tackle in the dorm room.

"From an early age you could tell he wasn't going to be a running back or anything like that the way he was built. And he was always an aggressive dude. So playing defense wasn't a stretch," Hagan Sr. said. "I was the first in our family to get a degree, and he'll be my first born to get one. It would be awesome to have him get his degree from a prestigious university like Cal and be successful in life."

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colorado now. He's delivering great balls, and when he needed to elude or scramble, he got out of there too. CU's Hansen a "He's really turned into a complete quarterback, more complete QB and the quarterback our team needs to be successful this season."

now Hansen's numbers against the Rams — 17-of-25 passing for 192 yards, two touchdowns, one By Chris Dempsey interception — weren't eye-popping, but his The Denver Post efficiency was. He displayed a higher comfort level with the team, the situation and the looks Posted: 09/06/2010 01:00:00 AM MDT the CSU defense presented. That wasn't the case a year ago, when he took his first significant Summertime was prove-a-point time for Tyler snaps as a college quarterback in his sophomore Hansen. season.

The periphery — coaches, teammates, fans — "He's very dedicated," CU offensive coordinator needed convincing that this player, the one with Eric Kiesau said. "A lot of that came from the raw physical tools, could actually lead as fact that he's a coach's kid and been around Colorado's starting quarterback. Beyond that? football his whole life." Hansen wanted to prove his worth to himself. Hansen prepared for this season with a chip on So the film room, the playbook and the weight his shoulder. room became Hansen's closest friends. Assertiveness became his calling card. And in the "Absolutely," Hansen said. "I wanted to up my Buffs' season opener Saturday, a 24-3 victory leadership. I wanted people to know I'm the guy, over Colorado State that was Hansen's first as I'm that No. 1 guy, look for me and I'm always the clear-cut starter, it was obvious his going to show up. I think I did that. I think I offseason work paid dividends. gained some leadership over the summer."

"I knew Tyler was going to have a great game," According to McKnight, Hansen's CU wide receiver Scotty McKnight said. "Aside from the one pick that he just kind of threw out there, he played awesome, and I think that's a biggest area of improvement has been "mentally, testament to Tyler. He's a different quarterback his brain. He's always been a big-armed, fast kid

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that can move around and make plays. But he's a gamer. He's gotten so much more cerebral this Said Hansen: "I've got to be smarter with the ball offseason." at times.I've got to know when to throw the ball Colorado Football away. Or know when to scramble."

View slide show of CU- "He's got to continue to manage the game, CSU football Sept. 4 . mentally, because physically he can do it," View slide show of Buffs WR Kiesau said. "We've had a lot of time here in the Scotty McKnight . summertime to get ready for Colorado State. View slide show of Buffs QB Now you've got to turn around a week later and Tyler Hansen . put a game plan in for Cal, digest that film, get Preview CU's 2010 team, the game plan in. . . . That will be a big thing to broken down by unit, including watch this week, how he prepares and gets QBs, RBs and OLs . ready for the next game." View slide show of CU scrimmage at Folsom Field on Orms out for season. Redshirt freshman Parker Aug. 12 . Orms of Wheat Ridge High School will miss the Read a preseason Q&A with rest of the season after injuring his knee vs. CSU. CU football coach Dan Hawkins . Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or Visit the CU Stats Page for [email protected] boxscores, Big 12 standings, team leaders and more . Find analysis, notes and buzz on the All Things Buffs blog .

Kiesau was just happy to get Hansen through the season opener and all of the jitters, butterflies and adrenaline that can come with it.

"That was probably the biggest accomplishment (Saturday), kind of get that first game out of the way," Kiesau said. Throw a pick, make a mistake; get sacked, make a mistake; and kind of clean those things up as we move forward."

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Home > Sports > Colleges > CU COLORADO BUFFALOES CU's Hansen a more complete QB now COLLEGE FOOTBALL CU Buffs have eye on ... The Bears PRINT EMAIL Henderson: Kansas looks like dust in the wind under CU Buffs have eye on ... The Bears 0 COMMENTS Gill CU at California, 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Berkeley, Calif., FSN STORY STATS Paige: CU's beatdown shows improvement Buffs' defense helped set tone for 24-3 win over CSU POSTED: 09/06/2010 01:00:00 AM MDT Recommend One person recommends this.

For the record: California is 1-0 after opening its season at home with a 52-3 rout of Cal-Davis.

Who's hot: The Bears' entire offense. Albeit against a lower-level opponent, the Bears showed the offensive balance that coaches love with 287 yards passing and 230 yards rushing. There was just one turnover by the Bears, a lost fumble, committed by senior quarterback Kevin Riley on a dropped snap during the first series.

Who's not: Nothing to quibble about, frankly. Some may wonder if the Bears were tested enough in the tuneup for this week's game against Colorado. Riley completed his first nine passes and gave way to backup Beau Sweeney early in the second half. California dominated the game's time of possession, keeping the ball for 38:26.

Key stat: Cal-Davis, the alma mater of Colorado coach Dan Hawkins and an FCS member of the Great West Conference, managed just four first downs and 81 yards of offense against the Bears. The Denver Post Like FYI: Jeff Tedford became the winningest California coach in the modern era (post 1950) with his 68th victory. Pappy Waldorf won 67 games at the school from 1947-56. 27,298 people like The Denver Post Tom Kensler, The Denver Post

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Longmont, Colorado Monday, September 06, 2010

Publish Date: 9/6/2010

Instant Impact

BOULDER — Statistically, the University of Colorado’s trio of new receivers didn’t do a whole lot in Saturday’s 24-3 win over Colorado State.

Toney Clemons, Travon Patterson and Paul Richardson combined for just five Colorado’s Toney Clemons, right, catches for 54 yards. is forced out of bounds during the third quarter against Colorado State But, the impact of the three speedsters can’t be measured in those numbers. on Saturday at Invesco Field at These numbers are more telling: six for 78 and 4.4. Mile High. Clemons caught three passes in his debut with the The speed of the new receivers opened up the field on Saturday, helping senior Buffaloes. Lewis Geyer/Times-Call slot receiver Scotty McKnight catch six passes for 78 yards. That speed also spread the field and helped the Buffs’ running game average 4.4 yards per rushing attempt.

“It’s a lot different,” quarterback Tyler Hansen said of CU’s offense this year compared to 2009. “We can now blow the top of the coverage and open some lanes up for the other guys. I thought Speedy (running back Rodney Stewart) played well. I thought Travon, Toney Clemons, all the guys that have hype about them, all produced pretty well today.”

Simply adding that speed to the lineup gave CU a different look than it has had in recent years.

“All three of those end guys give them a little juice,” CSU head coach Steve Fairchild said. “That’s a much better group of receivers than they had last year. That’s an advantage to their quarterback and their run game.”

The Rams had to respect CU’s speed so much that McKnight found himself open throughout the afternoon.

Also, because the new set of receivers can get down the field in a hurry, the line of scrimmage is less clogged. That helped Stewart as Saturday’s game wore on. Stewart had just 10 yards on his first four carries on Saturday, but averaged 4.8 yards per attempt the rest of the day.

“I think it’s a lot easier (than last year),” Stewart said. “You’ve some great receivers and some bigger running lanes. It’s hard for the defense to choose what they want to do.”

When the talented trio of receivers did catch passes, they were often impact plays.

Patterson’s one catch of the day went for an 18-yard touchdown. Richardson’s one catch went for a first down, and two of Clemons’ three grabs went for first downs.

The group figures to make a bigger impact as the season goes along, but Saturday was a good start.

ORMS OUT FOR SEASON: CU head coach Dan Hawkins confirmed on Sunday that redshirt freshman Parker Orms will miss the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

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“It’s really sad for him,” Hawkins said. “He works so dog gone hard and he’s such a really good player and he cares so very much. You just feel so crushed for him.”

Orms, from Wheat Ridge High School, came into the season as CU’s starting nickel back on defense. He was injured covering a punt less than 5 minutes into Saturday’s game. There was little to no contact on the play and Hawkins said it looked more like a basketball injury.

Orms still has three years of eligibility, but could apply for a medical redshirt to regain a fourth year.

“All you can do is make the best of it,” Hawkins said. “He’ll come back and he’ll be fine and we’ll get him going.”

NOT A TYPICAL FORMULA: Hawkins said that one of the numbers that jumped out at him from Saturday’s game was that the Buffs ran just 60 offensive plays.

“Typically, when you have 60 plays, you don’t win usually,” he said. “Normally, when we win you’re probably going to have in the mid-70s. I was kind of shocked about that when I looked at it.”

Saturday was the 12th time in the Hawkins era that CU ran 60 plays or less. They are now 3-9 in those games. The other wins came against CSU in 2007 (60 plays) and against Iowa State in 2006 (57 plays).

CSU ran just 58 plays on Saturday.

EXTRA POINTS: After reviewing Saturday’s game, Hawkins said he was pleased with the number of big plays the defense made. Offensively, he said, “I think we left a few things on the table there, but it’s something to build on.” ... CU will visit Cal on Saturday. Cal defeated UC Davis, Hawkins’ alma mater, 52-3 on Saturday. “They’re a good football team,” Hawkins said. “We’re going to have to get a lot better.”

Brian Howell can be reached at [email protected]. Read his Buffs blog at www.timescall.com/blogs/howell.

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