—
November 27, 2009 Nebraska 28, Colorado 20
—
For the Colorado Buffaloes, the 2009 season ended the way it began, with a disheartening home loss to a rival. A season which had the potential for “ten wins”, and the expectation of at least seven or eight wins and a bowl game, ended with a 28-20 loss to Nebraska to put an end to a miserable 3-9 season.
Against Nebraska, the offense rolled up 403 yards, a season-high against Nebraska. But, when the game was on the line in the second half, the Colorado offense failed on three consecutive trips to the red zone to produce any points.
Against Nebraska, the defense limited the Cornhuskers to 217 yards of total offense. But, when the game was on the line in the fourth quarter, the Colorado defense gave up a 13-play, 80-yard drive which consumed 6:52 of game time, and resulted in a touchdown which clinched the game for Nebraska.
Against Nebraska, the Buffs had a 100-yard rusher (Rodney Stewart, 110 yards), two 100-yard receivers (Scotty McKnight, 114 yards; Markques Simas, 108 yards), but could not produce a sustained offensive attack.
Against Nebraska, the Buffs again allowed non-offensive touchdowns, giving up a punt return for a score and an interception for a score – the difference in the game.
In sum, the 28-20 loss to Nebraska, played out before a sun-bathed Folsom Field crowd of 52,817 (at least two-thirds of which were Colorado fans), was the Buffs’ 2009 season in microcosm.
A day after receiving a reprieve from the Colorado administration, granting him a fifth chance to produce a winning season, Colorado head coach Dan Hawkins’ Buffs won the opening coin toss. Rather than defer to the second half, Hawkins chose to receive, pitting the Buffs’ inconsistent offense against a top 15 defense.
The game may have been lost before it ever began.
Colorado started its first possession at its own 17 yard line, and punted three plays later. Nebraska took over at its own 47, and drove to the Buffs’ 34 before two sacks forced a punt.
Colorado started possession number two at its two yard line, and punted three plays later. Nebraska started possession number two at its 46, but went backwards before punting.
Two drives for each team. Colorado had 13 total yards; Nebraska six. Still, the Buffs, starting inside its twenty while giving the ball to Nebraska near midfield, were playing with fire. Three plays later, the Buffs got burned.
The Buffs’ third possession started at their seven yard line. Three plays netted nine yards, and senior punter Matt DiLallo was sent out for the third time. This time, though, Nebraska did not start their drive near mid-field. Instead, Niles Paul ran right up the middle of the Buffs’ kick coverage for 59 yards and a 7-0 Nebraska lead with 3:34 to play in the first quarter. After the Buffs’ fourth first quarter possession again ended in a three-and-out, the makings of a rout were in the offing. Colorado fans were eyeing the exits a few plays later, as Nebraska capped a six-play, 56-yard drive with a 24-yard touchdown pass from Zac Lee to Ben Cotton on the first play of the second quarter.
When the Buffs trotted out for their first possession of the second quarter, they were coming off a “perfect” first quarter. Four possessions; four three-and-outs; four punts. The fifth possession showed a modicum of improvement, as Colorado picked up its first first down of the game on a quarterback sneak by quarterback Tyler Hansen on third-and-one at the CU 29-line. Any thoughts of righting the Buffs’ ship were muted a few moments later, as Tyler Hansen was intercepted by Nebraska defensive back Dejon Gomes at the Nebraska 48 yard line. Nebraska drove as far as the Colorado 32-yard line, but a 50-yard field goal attempt by Alex Henery missed wide right. Colorado had dodged a bullet, but, with 8:54 to play in the first half, Nebraska had as many touchdowns on the scoreboard as Colorado had first downs (2).
Still, the missed field goal seemed to bring new life to the Buffs. Stuffed all afternoon, the Colorado offense found its rhythm. After a three yard completion from Hansen to Scotty McKnight on third-and-two at the 41-yard line kept the drive alive, the Buffs put together three straight double digit gains: a 13-yard run by Brian Lockridge; a 22-yard pass from Hansen to McKnight; and a 19-yard Rodney Stewart run. A first-and-goal at the Nebraska two yard line was quickly converted, as Hansen hit fullback Jake Behrens for a touchdown, cutting the Nebraska lead to 14-7 with 5:39 to play in the half.
Colorado fans were in full voice a few minutes later, after the Colorado defense forced a three-and-out. Then … the only cheers were from the 10,000 Nebraska fans.
On third down, Tyler Hansen threw the ball directly to Nebraska’s Matt O’Hanlon. The Cornhusker free safety took the ball 20 yards for a Nebraska score. Hansen’s second pick of the quarter gave the Cornhuskers a second non-offensive touchdown of the game.
Colorado had the edge in yards gained, 148 to 89. Unfortunately, total offense was not the measure of success.
Halftime score: Nebraska 21, Colorado 7.
Determined not be routed in their final game, the Buffs came out and played well in the third quarter. The defense forced a quick punt, and the Colorado offense put together its most impressive drive of the game. Rodney Stewart carried much of the load, carrying the ball five times in the 12-play, 59-yard drive. Assisted by a defensive holding call against Nebraska on a third down incompletion, the Buffs scored when Tyler Hansen hit Scotty McKnight for a six yard touchdown.
Nebraska 21, Colorado 14, with 6:50 to play in the third quarter. It was a new ballgame.
The next three possessions by the Colorado offense all pushed the ball inside the Nebraska red zone … and put up no points.
The Colorado defense, with the Buffs down only a score, gave the CU offense the ball back five plays later. A 58-yard pass from Hansen to Markques Simas, the longest offensive play of the season by Colorado, put the ball at the Nebraska 25 yard line. Two plays later, on third-and-two at the Nebraska 17-yard line, Tyler Hansen was called for intentional grounding. The 17-yard loss pushed the Buffs back to the Nebraska 34, where Aric Goodman missed a 52-yard field goal attempt.
Undeterred, the Colorado defense quickly gave the offense the ball back. On the first play of the fourth quarter, freshman defensive lineman Will Pericak forced a fumble by Nebraska running back Roy Helu, Jr. The ball was recovered by sophomore defensive lineman Eugene Goree at the Nebraska 49-yard line.
After a 28-yard run by Rodney Stewart to open the drive, an upset, for the first time since the opening kickoff, seemed plausible. Three more plays, though, netted only two yards, and Aric Goodman was again called upon to pull the Buffs closer. Goodman’s 37-yard effort, though, missed wide left. The score held at 21-14, Nebraska.
Nebraska’s next drive brought back memories for fans wearing both black-and-gold and crimson-and-cream. For Buff fans, it was the memories of games of recent past, when the Colorado defense finally succumbed after making a valiant effort. For Cornhusker fans, whose offense has not been the reason for Nebraska’s success this season, it brought back memories of the days of Tom Osborne. Nebraska put together a 13-play, 80-yard drive, taking up 6:52 of the fourth quarter game clock. Cornhusker running back Rex Burkhead carried the load, with nine carries for 60 of those yards, including a seven yard touchdown run with 6:43 to play.
Game all but over. Nebraska 28, Colorado 14.
The Buffs did engineer a third consecutive drive inside the Nebraska 20-yard line on their next possession, with a 23-yard Hansen-to-Simas connection setting the Buffs up at the Nebraska 15-yard line. Then, with just over four minutes to play, the Buffs of 2009 returned. The sequence: complete pass for no gain; incomplete pass; delay of game penalty; false start penalty; and incompletion. Then, on four-and-20, a Tyler Hansen’s pass was intercepted by Nebraska.
Colorado did get the ball back at their 20-yard line for one last drive with 1:30 to play. An 80-yard drive was completed with a 56-yard touchdown pass from Hansen to Scotty McKnight as time expired. The longest touchdown play of Colorado’s 2009 season came on the last play of the season, as, under NCAA rules, the extra point attempt is not allowed when the score comes with no time to play and the attempt will not affect the outcome. (The inability to attempt the extra point hit two Buff players harder than others. Senior long-snapper Austin Bisnow was to make the snap, with junior placekicker Ryan Aweida to be given the chance at the extra point. With the chance at point taken away, neither player made the final participation chart).
Final score: Nebraska 28, Colorado 20.
Here is a link to the YouTube video of the game.
Pop quiz: guess which quote goes with which coach …
1) “We didn’t play well today. I’m disappointed in our effort and how we played … I don’t like the way our football team played in any phase of the game”;
2) “I think those guys are coming together a little bit. The O-line is growing up … We just have to clean a few things up …”.
You guessed it. The first quote is from winning coach Bo Pelini; the second quote is from losing coach Dan Hawkins. One coach was “disappointed” – the winning coach. One coach was looking to “clean a few things up” for the next game – nine months from now.
The Colorado head coach also stated, “I think it’s one of those seasons where, if you take away ten plays, you are probably a bowl team.”
Assuming the NCAA will not be giving Colorado any “do-overs” anytime soon, the Buffs are still 3-9. The Colorado defense did hold Nebraska offense to 217 total yards, the lowest total since the 1961 Buffs held the Cornhuskers to 31 total yards (a 7-0 Colorado victory). Rodney Stewart did post his eighth career 100-yard game, and the Buffs’ offense did have two 100-yard receivers in Scotty McKnight and Markques Simas. The 403 yards gained against the Nebraska defense is the highest of the season; the Buffs were only the second Big 12 opponent to reach the 20-point mark.
“It was closer than it looked,” said fullback Jake Behrens. “We had a lot of missed opportunities out there”. Linebacker B.J. Beatty also had the party line down. “Like Coach (Ron) Collins always tells us, ‘We have a small margin of error,’ ” said Beatty. “You go back and look at this game, and it could have been three or four plays … it’s the little things that killed us.”
Colorado finished the season with a 3-9 record, 2-6 in Big 12 play. Colorado finished 5th in the Big 12 North, just ahead of Kansas, which started the 2009 season 5-0, but lost its final seven games to finish with a 1-7 conference record.
The Buffs will not play again until September 4, 2010, taking on a Colorado State team which also finished 3-9, losing its final nine games of the season.
Game Notes –
– Junior wide receiver Scotty McKnight continues on a pace which will place him atop most of the Colorado receiving records next year. McKnight had seven catches for 114 yards and two touchdowns against Nebraska, giving him season totals of 76 catches and 893 yards. The 76 catches ties McKnight with Michael Westbrook for second on the single season charts, behind only D.J. Hackett, who had 78 catches in 2003. It is telling, though, to note that McKnight’s total of 893 yards well off the pace of what Hackett did with his 78 catches (1,013 yards) and what Westbrook did with his similar total of 76 (1,060 yards in 1992).
– In 2010, Scotty McKnight, barring injury, will smash the all-time record for receptions at Colorado. McKnight finished the season with 165 career receptions, just two behind the 167 posted by Michael Westbrook. McKnight also has a decent chance at the all-time yardage record. His 114 yards against Nebraska give him 1,900 career yards, seventh on the all-time list (Westbrook’s 2,548 yards lead that category).
– Sophomore running back Rodney Stewart is also on pace to set records at Colorado. Speedy’s 110 yards against Nebraska gave him 1,426 career yards, good enough for 30th on the all-time list. His fifth 100-yard game of the season (and eighth career) pushed Stewart past Bo Matthews (1,339 yards, 1971-73) and Marlon Barnes (1,364, 1994-98). Stewart total is the second most for any Buff with two years of eligibility, trailing only Eric Bieniemy’s 1,751 yards (Bieniemy would go on to post the all-time high number, 3,940, after two great seasons in 1989 and 1990).
– Rodney Stewart’s 804 yards for the season are the second highest of the Dan Hawkins’ era, second only to the 989 put up by Hugh Charles in the bowl season of 2007.
– Sophomore wide receiver Markques Simas continues to give the Buffs hope for the future. Coming on late in the 2009 campaign, Simas posted three 100-yard receiving efforts in the final four games, including 108 yards on six catches against Nebraska. Simas had only 12 catches in the first eight games of the season, but had 31 catches in the final four games. The 31 catches are a Colorado record for such a span, besting the 30 catches by Charles E. Johnson (1992) and Derek McCoy (2003) had over similar spans of games. Simas finished the season with 585 yards receiving, already good enough for 49th place on the all-time yardage list.
– One of those players who Simas will likely pass next year will be Riar Geer. The senior tight end did not have a catch against Nebraska, finishing the year with 36 catches for 402 yards. Geer’s career totals: 87 catches (16th on the all-time list); 974 yards (22nd); and 68 points (73rd). Amongst those who played primarily tight end in their careers, Geer ranks in the top five in each category.
– Sophomore quarterback Tyler Hansen also has posted some impressive second half numbers. Despite not seeing any action in the first half of both 2008 and 2009, Hansen has still found his way into the top 20 in passing at Colorado. His 269 yards passing gave Hansen 1,440 yards for the season and 1,911 for his career, passing Bobby Pesavento (1,770; 2000-01) for 19th on the all-time list.
2009 Records
Colorado set a number of individual and team records over the course of the 2009 season. With a 3-9 record, though, those records, as you may have suspected, are largely negative. Many came out of the Toledo game, where Cody Hawkins set many a passing record in the course of a season-crushing 54-38 defeat. A brief summary of individual and team records set in that debacle:
Most pass attempts, half (46); Most pass attempts, game (64), Most total plays in a quarter (27), half (50) and game (69) … all set by Cody Hawkins. Also against Toledo, Darrell Scott tied a school record for kickoff returns (8), and set a school record kickoff return yards (204). Linebacker Douglas Rippy tied a single game record set by Tyrone Henderson against Washington State in 2004 when he blocked two Toledo kicks.
Cody Hawkins, before being pulled as a starter after the Texas game, will return as a senior already holding the records for most touchdown passes in a career (45, besting Joel Klatt’s 44), but also holding the all-time record for career interceptions (36, ahead of the 33 thrown by Joel Klatt and Steve Vogel).
On the positive side, Scotty McKnight continues to extend his school record for consecutive games with a catch – at 36 after his six catches against Nebraska).
One last team record worthy of note … the Buffs set a school record for penalties in a game with 20 flags called against them in the game against Texas. The previous record of 18 had held up for almost 60 years (v. Kansas State, 9/30/1950, a game the Buffs won, 34-6).
Hot Turkey Sandwich
Other than flying in on Friday morning rather than Thursday night, my ritual for Nebraska gameday was pretty much the same as it has been since Colorado/Nebraska moved to Thanksgiving weekend. See if you can pick out the variation …
My flight from Bozeman to Denver was on time, and there was little traffic on my Friday morning drive to Boulder (apparently everyone else was still asleep on in a mall somewhere). The weather was perfect for football: hardly a cloud in the sky; a forecast calling for a mid-afternoon high in the 60’s. Quite simply, you couldn’t ask for more, weather-wise, from a Thanksgiving weekend. I drove up the turnpike, and, as I crested the hill overlooking Boulder, I felt that familiar twinge of excitement. Before me lay the landscape of Boulder, with snow-capped peaks in the background; the Flatirons shining in the mid-morning sun.
I stopped off at the home of Tony and Julie, who have served as gracious hosts for my CU pilgrimages for years. We sat around for awhile and caught up (okay, it had only been three weeks since the Texas A&M game, but between jobs and family, there are always topics of conversation). With a 1:30 kickoff, we had an early lunch, consuming a fare familiar to millions of Americans on the day after Thanksgiving: wamed turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes, all covered in gravy. Tony and I set out for the game around noon, and, after catching a few tailgates, headed into Folsom Field with plenty of time to spare to be there for the running of Ralphie and the introduction of the seniors.
Okay, so what’s wrong with the above picture?
Being a clever CU at the Game reader, you probably already surmised what was out of place in my narrative … it was the hot turkey sandwich.
I didn’t make note of it at the time, but the fact is, for many, many years, I was not able to eat before a Colorado football game. I would try and nibble on snacks in order to maintain some equilibrium, but sit down for a meal? Never. I couldn’t do it – I was always too nervous. My hands would grow cold; my conversation skills would evaporate. I would go into a trance-like gaze (I preferred the word “focused”), and would remain so until the outcome of the game was no longer in doubt.
My inability to eat or communicate was not limited to home games. For road games on television, my pattern of behavior was the same. Over the years, my loving wife has made a habit of staying upstairs, or finding another activity outside the household, when Colorado is playing. Twelve to fifteen days each year, my wife disowns me.
I’m not like that anymore, and I suppose I have Dan Hawkins to thank for that.
Now, I can eat full meals before games, and not think twice about it. Breakfast burritos for a 11:30 a.m. kickoff? No problem. Thursday night ESPN game? Take-and-bake pizza at the ready. There is no longer any extra angst prior to kickoff – I can be a “normal” person. Colorado has so little to play for anymore, and is so unlikely to win a given game, that the rituals before and after the game are now more important than the game itself. [Quick stat: including the 48:34 of game time in which Colorado trailed Nebraska in the final game of the season, the Buffs spent 444.13 minutes of game time playing from behind in 2009. That translates into over seven full games looking up at the scoreboard to see Colorado with fewer points. By contrast, the Buffs spent 165:18 (or about ten quarters over the course of the season) in the lead; 110:29 minutes tied. For any given game, then, Colorado spent three times as much game clock behind as ahead. It’s hard to get excited about watching a documentary about Custer – you know how it ends]
While there are those that have taken offense to the recent references to the “Colorado sky blue” days of the early 1980’s, for me, the parallels are clear. Colorado football, relevant for two decades on the national stage, has become a footnote, meriting little more than the cursory coverage. There is no longer any point in anticipating the preseason magazines – we know what they will say (I’ve done this with the preseason basketball magazines for decades. Step 1: Skip the top 25 coverage; Step 2: Find the Big 8/ Big 12 section; Step 3: Look to see if Colorado is picked to finish anywhere near the top half of the conference; and, Step 4) Replace magazine on the shelf after confirming what was already suspected). Just like in the days of Fairbanks and the early days of McCartney – the only other period in the history of Colorado football with a similar drought – there is not much to look forward to, before or during the season).
This is not to say that I do not enjoy the company of others before and after games. And it’s not that I don’t appreciate my wife remarks about how much I have “matured” in my game day attitudes.
And I did enjoy Julie’s turkey and Tony’s stuffing before the Nebraska game.
I just long to go back to the days when I would have to pass on the pregame meal.
11 Replies to “Nebraska 28, Colorado 20”
Stuart,
Like many of the other posters have stated “thank you” for all your reporting during the season. I look forward to your emails every week, and literally stop what I’m doing once I receive notification of a new article.
I’m frustrated with the decisions to keep Hawkins, but understand that money played a major part in the University’s decision. No matter who the coach is I will continue to support the Buffs because they have been my team since I was 12yrs old. I hope between now and spring practice Hawkins sits down and looks to fix the problems that plagued the team throughout the season. The schedule next year isn’t any easier, but I expect the Buffs to perform at a higher level based on the age and experience of the team.
It will be interesting to see what kind of recruiting class Hawkins is able to put together over the next couple of months.
Thanks again for all your hard work.
Thanks again Stuart for the great coverage of the Buffs all year long. The loss to Nebraska and the announcement on the retention of Dan Hawkins definitely puts the icing on a very disappointing season. It was excruciating to watch this team lose last Friday after putting up over 400 yards of offense against an NU team that supposedly has one of the better defenses in college football, and it’s totally unacceptable that in the 12th game of the season the Buffs continue to ruin offensive opportunities with delay of game and false start penalties. Such miscues are 100 percent on the coaching staff. This team desperately needs to develop the killer instinct and a disciplined approach but I’m afraid that such things will never be accomplished under Dan Hawkins. Right now it’s not about “cleaning up a few little things,” it’s about making fundamental changes in the way the team prepares for and approaches the game.
In the interest of keeping it simple, here is my short list of things to work on for next year: (1) do not allow Aric Goodman to kick anymore field goals or extra points; (2) focus on improving punt coverage; (3) insert a better punter; (4) find a player that can both field and return punts and teach that player not to field punts inside the 10 yard line; and (5) reduce/eliminate the false start and delay of game penalties. Of the above, I think number three might be the easiest as Zach Grossnickle looked excellent in pregame warm ups all year and his red shirt season is now over, so there should be no excuse for him not playing.
One positive coming out of Friday’s game is that I liked some of the running plays we had and I also liked how we lined up both Lockridge and Stewart with Hansen in the shotgun. Maybe we can build on this and develop a finesse running attack similar to what Florida is doing with the zone read/option. With the departure of Darrel Scott we are left with two small running backs on our roster and we are better off using a system to get them in space rather than attempting to run them up the middle, which we attempted with little success this year. I realize it is not very likely, but let’s hope at least in private Hawkins stops making excuses and instead makes an honest assessment of his personal failures with this program and puts forth the effort to make the changes necessary for a successful 2010 season. Even with all of the dissolution I have experienced with Hawkins this year, as an alum and longtime CU fan, I will always have hope and will always love every player that puts on the black and gold uniform.
Stuart,
Great read once again. Bohn must go!! Bohn must go!!
Amazing reading these other posts with regard to what this season has done to our Buff football mindset. I used to get so anxious and excited before every game. I would writhe in pain every time the opponent scored or jump around giving imaginary high-fives when we scored. In contrast to the present, I watched these last few games completely void of emotion and seemingly indifferent to the final outcome. I guess the good thing that comes from this is that my mood for the balance of the day is unaffected by a W or a L. At the same time, I’m saddened by this change. Stuart, keep up the good work.
Stuart:
Although it was a very difficult season, “CU at the Game” is always a must read
and one of the few bright spots.
Stuart
Thanks for another great year of “CU at the game!” As always your insight is spot on. Funny but sad that you are no longer a slave to your pre-game rituals. Like you I have always had my quirks related to Buff football. Also like you, the Hawkins Buffs teams have broken me of those old pre-game emotions.
Guess we can always look forward to improvement going forward since the Buffs are definitely at rock bottom now. I only wish I had more enthusiasm for Hawk’s ability to steer this ship in the right direction.
Keep up the good work.
Stuart,
When covering next years recruits, rank them like the NFL does: 40 yard time, vertical leap, standing jump, 225 lb. reps, etc. This “stars ranking” is not helpful at all. A “4 star” in Colorado is a “2 star” in Florida.
Chuck
There are two things that worry me about any football coach we have now and in the future. One is the amount of time the coach apparently “working” the school facility. This is something the AD should be doing. I think that time should be spent coaching. And the fact that he is unable to bring players who have trouble qualifying for CU when they don’t at other schools. Our average SAT scores for the general student population is not exceptional when compared to Stanford and other schools CU likes to compare itself to. CU is being a little hypocritical in this area. Gorden Gee (now the Ohio State Pres) allowed waivers that helped Mac do so well recruiting.
Stuart,
Thank you for your informative and entertaining reports on the Buffs. I truly wish you were writing about the search for a new coach, instead of trying to satisfy your readers with hopes for the future. We have a head football coach that should be sitting on a mountain in Tibet, asking himself philosophical questions about the meaning of football, especially in the Big XII. The Zen Master’s double speak wordsmithing is getting very old and boring. I quit watching the Buffalo Stampede, all the excuses were mind boggling. Excuses are for losers and they fit the Zen Master perfectly.
Keep up your outstanding reporting. At least it is factual.
Go Buffs!!!!!!!
Another year of disappointment and too high a chance of repeating it next year. Based on money alone CU retains a coach who has failed at recruiting, failed at keeping the good players he did get, and failed on the field in embarrassing fashion. It is not just the good teams that beat us: Toledo finished 5-7 in a poor MAC and CSU was much worse finishing with 9 straight losses. Despite obvious flaws, Hawkins continues to preach that we were “this close” and ignores the deficiency in talent and more so the deficiencies in coaching that got the program to this point. The first step to improvement is acknowledging what went wrong and Hawkins lacks the ability to do that.
I have rooted for 25 years and will for another 25. By spring hope may return. Yes a young team will get more experienced and hopefully the starting QB decision is finally made so if you squint and look hard, then there might be reason for hope. But until the man in charge will admit to mistakes and move to fix them, nothing much will change.
Stuart,
Thanks again for a great year on your website.
Scotty McKnight says that the issues with the team are with the players not performing. I do agree to some extent. The big problem with his line of reasoning is that in a time of crisis, you tend to do what comes instinctually. If the coaches have drilled and drilled and drilled on things they will come out during those times when you don’t have time to think. Call it muscle memory or whatever.
The most telling graphic I saw yesterday during the game was when they showed how many seniors there are on the offense vice juniors, sophomores and freshman. Looking at that gives me great hope. That hope only goes as far as the coaching though. Those young players make young player mistakes but coaching needs to drill that out of them. The other thing I lament is Hansen. I love Cody Hawkins. He seems to be a smart team player. I can see why he may have looked like the best choice but I think that was terribly short sighted. Unfortunately for Cody he does not possess the physical attributes to be a D1A QB. Hansen would be so awesome with all of that experience.
I will be ready to bleed black and gold again next year. Coach Hawkins will have my support until he is not the coach. Not so much for him as much as for the players who deserve it. I wish that I lived on the mainland and could make the trip to Boulder or other places more often to watch the team. There is a possibility of being stationed in Colorado Springs next and I would gladly make that drive.
Thanks again for the great website. I will be checking on it every now and then while deployed this winter.
GO BUFFS!!!