2008 Colorado Buffaloes
July 17, 2008
Dan Hawkins led the Colorado Buffaloes to some impressive wins last season over the likes of Oklahoma , Texas Tech and Nebraska en route to a bowl game. Expect bigger things from the Buffaloes in 2008 in Hawkins’ third season at the helm. See for yourself with Info Plays 2008 Colorado Buffaloes football predictions below.
Offense:
Sophomore Cody Hawkins will be the Buffaloes starting quarterback for a second year. He threw for 3,015 yards as a freshman and should take a big step forward this season. Hawkins threw 14 interceptions last season, but showed he had matured with just one pick in his last four regular-season games. He also threw for 19 touchdowns in ‘07. The players around him will be better and more experienced, and the coaches installed a no-huddle shotgun offense in the spring that players fell in love with.
The Buffaloes will have to groom three new starters on the offensive line. But they’ll be blocking for the No. 1 prep running back in the nation for the 2008 class. Darrell Scott will see plenty of playing time, but sophomores Demetrius Sumler and Brian Lockridge will play regardless of how well Scott performs. Wide receiver has been a sore spot in recent memory, but with players like senior Patrick Williams, sophomores Scotty McKnight and Josh Smith and freshman Markques Simas, it could be a strength come fall. Smith averaged 19.6 yards per catch and was the fastest man on the team until Darnell Scott arrives.
Defense:
Having too all-conference caliber tackles in George Hypolite and Brandon Nicolas in the middle will make this unit stout against the run, just as they were in ‘07. The problem has been stopping the high-powered passing attacks of the Big 12. Colorado mustered up just 19 sacks last season, a number they’ll have to improve greatly on this year. Young ends in Marquez Herrod, Conrad Obi, Lagrone Shields and Jason Brace have to develop quickly. Coaches are toying with the idea of using a 3-4 look because of so much young talent and speed in the linebacker corps.
Marcus Burton and Michael Sipili will be back this season at linebacker after missing last year with academics and discipline issues respectively. They return to join senior Brad Jones, junior Jeff Smart and sophomore B.J. Beatty as the nucleus. The Buffaloes lose both starting cornerbacks and look to be undersized at the position. Senior Gardner McKay is just 165 lbs. while Cha’pelle Brown is a 5-7 player who has been at nickel back the past two seasons. Safety will be a strength with seniors Ryan Walters and Daniel Dykes delivering the big hits. Redshirt freshman Anthony Perkins showed potential in the spring and will be the safety of the future at Colorado.
Colorado Buffaloes Predictions at Info Plays: 3rd in the Big 12 North
The rebuilding project in Boulder is moving nicely entering Dan Hawkins’ third year. They snagged a Top-15 recruiting class in February and although they’re still young, the Buffs will be improved. It may not be reflected in the final record because of a brutal schedule that includes West Virginia and Florida State in non-conference play.
Big 12 Wins Expected in ‘08: KANSAS STATE , IOWA STATE , OKLAHOMA STATE
Potential Scares/Losses: TEXAS , at Kansas , at Missouri , at Texas A&M , at Nebraska