Colorado Buffaloes 2010 Review

2010 Record: 5-7 (2-6), 5th Big 12 North
2010 Bowl Game: None
2010 Schedule/Results: @ Colorado State, W 24-3, @ California, L 52-7, Hawaii, W 31-13, Georgia, W 29-27, @ Missouri, L 26-0, Baylor, L 31-25, Texas Tech, L 27-24, @ Oklahoma, L 43-10, @ Kansas, L 52-45, Iowa State, W 34-14, Kansas State, W 44-36, @ Nebraska, L 45-17

REVIEW

     You had to see what happened in 2010 coming from a thousand miles away. Dan Hawkins would end up gone, the Buffaloes would suffer another losing season, and hey limped away from their final season in the Big 12 while headin into another potential beat down in the newly minted PAC 12. This was all written in stone, and now that it's done, one has to wonder what the future holds?
     If you want to start blaming someone for what went wrong, don't blame Cody Hawkins, the son of the now former coach did what he could, it's just that he was never really capable of more. He passed for 1547 yards and 14 TDs to just 5 picks, but his 53.7% completion percentage was awful. Eventually Tyler Hanson got more time in and won the job by passing for 1102 yards. Hanson, however, only passed for 6 socres and 6 picks, hardly anything to write home about, even if he was more accurate.
      The Buffaloes found a solid back in Rodney Stewart, as he busted out for a solid run of 290-1316-10. That was a solid season by anyones expectations, and he should be applauded as he basically carried CU on his shoulders. Scotty McKnight did manage to become the all-time leading receiver at Colorado with a season of 50-621-7, and UCLA transfer Paul Richardson and Toney Clemons combined for a line of 77-996-9. Richardson will have the first chance to be the go to guy in 2011.
     Defensively, the Buffs major problems came against the pass. CU gave up 259.8 yards per game through the air, and gave up over 400 yards per game overall. The defense gave up 26 or more points 8 times on the season, and gave up over 40 4 times.
     LB Michael Spill was the tackles leader, but even his production wasn;t what it shold have been, as he only averaged 6.17 per game.Senior LB BJ Beatty was the leader when it came to putting pressure on the run game with 10 TFL's, but nobody else threatened double digits there. The Buffs did collect 29 sacks on the season, but Josh Hartigan's 7 led the way. 11 different players had sacks, but nobody dominated.
     The secondary was a disgrace, as nobody had any big play potential on the year. Nobody had more than 4 pass breakups during the season, and the opposition outplayed the Buffs on that line 48-23. Jalil Brown's paltry 3 picks on the season actually led the way. When you see these numbers, it's no wonder why the secondary was an open door for opponents.
     Aric Goodman was highly average at PK, having only hit on 10 of 15 attempts in 2010. He'll have to be replaced, as will many of the starters or stat leaders on this team. Zach Grossnickle was barely passable as a freshman at punter, as he averaged just over 39 yards per punt on the season.

FINAL NOTES

This team quit on Dan Hawkins in October. They just gave up. That's when everything went to hell after a promising start that saw the Buffs beat bowl bound teams in Hawaii and Georgia. After a 3-1 start that included a win over arch rival Colorado State, the Buffaloes went on to lose 5 in a row, and Hawkins never survived the season. Enter Jon Embree, a fromer UCLA assistant and recruiting specialist who has never been a head coach. If you ask me, the Buffs reached on this hire. It was a hire on the cheap, and even though he is a Colorado man, he does not fit what they should have been shooting for. Budget shortfalls drove this hire, and although I am pulling for him to succeed, I have a bad feeling, especially given the state of the roster as it sits now.