 Rocky Mountain High... After all that self-righteous talk - “There will be no upset in Colorado.” Who woulda thunk it? The Colorado Buffaloes defense came up big in the 2nd half, for the biggest win of the Dan Hawkins era. Hawkins had high hopes of getting this program turned around, and who can argue after Saturday afternoon? A few eyebrows were seeking the stratosphere when red-shirt freshman, Cody Hawkins (son of coach Dan Hawkins), was named the starting QB before the season opener. His continuous improvement has been more than impressive. Needing three scores in the second half to get back in the game, slowly but surely, Hawkins and the offense chipped away at the Oklahoma lead, overcoming some early turnovers that seemed potentially detrimental. The young man is reminiscent of Brett Favre: Tough, loves the game of football and at his essence is a true competitor. The Colorado defense looked as if they were given the Oklahoma game plan at half time. They came out prepared to contain Allen Patrick, and force Sam Bradford to finish the game with his decision making – Bradford wasn't up to the task. Without a doubt the young man is a future Sunday leaguer, but Colorado defensive coordinator Ron Collins, and the Colorado defensive coaches finally picked up on what Oklahoma's first four opponents seemingly failed to recognize – Sam Bradford still has a tendency to stare down his first option. The CU defense keyed on Bradford's eyes, and ended up taking two of his passes and handing the ball to the suddenly capable Colorado offense. After tying the game with just over 4 minutes remaining, the offense stood on the sideline hoping the defense could once again deliver. As if scripted, the Colorado D came up big, forced a punt and a great return by Chase McBride set up Hawkins and the offense for the biggest Colorado win since a young man named Colt Brennan was on the roster. (Oh, how soon we forget.) A few quick hits, a last second career long kick by Kevin Eberhart and the fans were on the field! How I see it Colorado is better – better than they're getting credit for. Just as Oklahoma was getting too much credit for their weak pre-conference wins. It just wasn't supposed to happen this weekend. Everyone was hoping to see a battle of undefeated Sooners and Longhorns in Dallas, but clearly, such just wasn't to be the case. At the very least, the Colorado win makes the Big XII race so much more enjoyable to watch for the next 8 weeks; the conference is now wide open on both the North and South sides. I don't expect to see another Big XII school in the top 10 for a few weeks, yet if Missouri can take care of business at home vs. Nebraska on 10/6, look out! The Tigers may have the best chance at being the next Big XII school in the single digits. Everyone look out a window – I think I saw a pig just zip by.
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