Iowa State @ Colorado preview
Folsom Field
Last Meeting ( Nov 14, 2009 ) Colorado 10, Iowa State 17
Dan Hawkins’ five forgettable years at Colorado were punctuated by the biggest collapse in school history and his subsequent firing.
The search for a replacement is under way. In the meantime, long-time assistant Brian Cabral will try to rally the troops this Saturday against Iowa State, whose coach is also under fire for a questionable decision last week.
Hawkins' hiring in 2006 was met with great fanfare after he helped Boise State gain national prominence by going 53-11 over four years.
But Hawkins never came close to duplicating that success in the Big 12. In fact, he never had a winning season in Boulder, finishing 19-39 at Colorado. He was fired Tuesday.
The final nail in Hawkins’ coffin came last Saturday when the Buffaloes (3-6, 0-5 Big 12) blew a 28-point fourth-quarter lead to Kansas, marking the biggest collapse in the school’s 121-year history.
Hawkins was roundly criticized for throwing the ball with the game well in hand —some surmised it was to help his son Cody break the school’s passing record (he is 597 yards shy of the record). Dan Hawkins denied the allegations.
Nevertheless, the poor coaching move helped the Jayhawks mount their rally and sealed his fate.
Now Cabral, who coaches the inside linebackers, is left to pick up the pieces. It’s something he’s familiar with though, as he served as the interim coach when Gary Barnett was suspended in 2004.
Cabral shouldn’t have to give a pregame pep talk to a team that is fuming after blowing a 45-17 lead in the final 11:05 last week.
Scotty McKnight, who has caught a pass in a school-record 45 straight games, was quoted as saying he had never been so upset about a game.
Colorado will look to snap a five-game conference losing streak behind Rodney Stewart, who could take advantage of the nation’s 112th ranked run defense (198.4 yards per game). Stewart ran for 177 yards and three touchdowns in the loss to Kansas.
Meanwhile, Iowa State (5-5, 3-3) second-year head coach Paul Rhoads is probably grateful that the Hawkins’ firing has taken some of the spotlight off his questionable call in Iowa State’s 31-30 overtime loss to No. 9 Nebraska last Saturday.
Iowa State pulled within one point on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Austen Arnaud to Jake Williams. Rhoads then called for a fake extra point, which was thwarted by Eric Hagg, who intercepted holder Daniel Kuehl’s pass to seal the win for the Cornhuskers.
Instead of celebrating a program-defining win, the Cyclones are left to wonder what might have been if Rhoads opted to extend the game.
The Cyclones can’t dwell on it too long, however, since there is still work to do. Iowa State can become bowl eligible for a second straight season with a win over Colorado.
The Cyclones will likely continue to ride tailback Alexander Robinson, who has three straight 100-yard games. He gashed the Buffaloes for 138 yards in a 17-10 win in Ames last season.