I don't know too much about either New Mexico St or Colorado & admit I haven't done my homework. Any input for tonite's late TV game ?
LATE GAME THOUGHTS
- Thread starter THE HITMAN
- Start date
New Mexico State (0-1) at Colorado (1-0) 9:00 p.m. FSN
Why to watch: Colorado is coming off a last second win over Colorado State in a great rivalry battle, while New Mexico State looks to pick up the pieces from last weekend's 34-17 loss to New Mexico State. The Hal Mumme offense didn't blow up in its first game, but it was fun to watch with QB Royal Gill chucking it 57 times. Colorado can't let down this week with three road trips in the following four games going to Miami, Oklahoma State and Texas to go along with a home date with Texas A&M. In other words, Gary Barnett's boys need all the wins it can get before heading into the teeth of the slate.
Why New Mexico State might win: Colorado's pass defense is suspect, and New Mexico State throws the ball. A lot. That's not a good mix for the Buffaloes considering they gave up 291 yards and three touchdown passes to Colorado State's Justin Holland last weekend. On defense, the Aggies weren't bad last week considering it went against the high powered UTEP offense allowing 301 yards. However ...
Why Colorado might win: ... New Mexico State turns the ball over, and Colorado takes it away. The Aggies gave it up four times last week, and Colorado was able to pick off Holland four times. With Gill and the Aggie offense still trying to find its way, there will be mistakes for the Buffs to take advantage of. Even if New Mexico State goes on a bit of a scoring run, Colorado has the offense to hang punch for punch with a diverse attack that showed it could do a little bit of everything last week.
Who to watch: While QB Joel Klatt is the leader of the Colorado offense, RB Hugh Charles was the focal point of the attack last week on his 15 carries. He was effective rushing for 101 yards and two touchdowns, and he caught three passes for 34 yards. He'll continue to be the offense's main man, but watch out for Klatt to blow up soon. He threw for 283 yards last week, and is good enough to threw for 300+ yards if the New Mexico State secondary is having a rough day. For the Aggies, Gill got most of the headlines, but QB-turned-WR Paul Dombrowski was the biggest beneficiary of the new offense with 15 catches for 127 yards and a score.
Why to watch: Colorado is coming off a last second win over Colorado State in a great rivalry battle, while New Mexico State looks to pick up the pieces from last weekend's 34-17 loss to New Mexico State. The Hal Mumme offense didn't blow up in its first game, but it was fun to watch with QB Royal Gill chucking it 57 times. Colorado can't let down this week with three road trips in the following four games going to Miami, Oklahoma State and Texas to go along with a home date with Texas A&M. In other words, Gary Barnett's boys need all the wins it can get before heading into the teeth of the slate.
Why New Mexico State might win: Colorado's pass defense is suspect, and New Mexico State throws the ball. A lot. That's not a good mix for the Buffaloes considering they gave up 291 yards and three touchdown passes to Colorado State's Justin Holland last weekend. On defense, the Aggies weren't bad last week considering it went against the high powered UTEP offense allowing 301 yards. However ...
Why Colorado might win: ... New Mexico State turns the ball over, and Colorado takes it away. The Aggies gave it up four times last week, and Colorado was able to pick off Holland four times. With Gill and the Aggie offense still trying to find its way, there will be mistakes for the Buffs to take advantage of. Even if New Mexico State goes on a bit of a scoring run, Colorado has the offense to hang punch for punch with a diverse attack that showed it could do a little bit of everything last week.
Who to watch: While QB Joel Klatt is the leader of the Colorado offense, RB Hugh Charles was the focal point of the attack last week on his 15 carries. He was effective rushing for 101 yards and two touchdowns, and he caught three passes for 34 yards. He'll continue to be the offense's main man, but watch out for Klatt to blow up soon. He threw for 283 yards last week, and is good enough to threw for 300+ yards if the New Mexico State secondary is having a rough day. For the Aggies, Gill got most of the headlines, but QB-turned-WR Paul Dombrowski was the biggest beneficiary of the new offense with 15 catches for 127 yards and a score.
Buffs must be ready for pass-happy Ags
By Geoff Grammer/Sun-News Sports Editor
Sep 10, 2005, 12:07 am
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BOULDER, Colo. ? The old football saying is a team?s greatest improvements always come between the first and second games of the season.
?No question I believe that,? Colorado head coach Gary Barnett said. ?It?s like two different teams out there sometimes.?
Whether it be the first-game jitters, the off-season rust or just the realization for newcomers about the speed of the college game, something usually clicks for teams after their opener.
New Mexico State coach Hal Mumme hopes the old clich? holds true tonight in Boulder, Colo., as his Aggies (0-1) battle the defending Big 12 North Division champion Colorado Buffaloes (1-0) at 8:10 p.m. at Folsom Field.
But Mumme might not have to wait until tonight?s kickoff to see the upward trend of his Aggies. That started 45 minutes into last week?s loss against Texas-El Paso.
?We really started doing some things right in that fourth quarter,? Mumme said earlier this week. ?We have plenty of things to build on and I really liked how the kids stuck with it and kept fighting.?
The Aggies showed fight and scored all 17 of their points in the fourth quarter of their season opening, 34-17 loss to the rival Miners, albeit against a much less aggressive UTEP game plan filled with many reserves.
But Mumme has said from the day of his hiring that his air-it-out attack is one predicated not as much on difficult or intricate game planning as much as timing and repetition for his quarterbacks and receivers. And regardless of who it was against, the Aggie offense certainly started to roll in the final period.
The 24 1/2-point favorite Buffs have taken notice as well and claim they aren?t looking ahead to next week?s showdown with the nationally-ranked Miami Hurricanes.
?From what we?ve seen on film, that quarterback (Royal Gill) is impressive and they have some real athletic receivers,? said senior free safety Tom Hubbard. ?We aren?t overlooking them at all, so don?t get us wrong there.?
Gill, after a slow first half, was sacked eight times in the opener, but did eclipse the 300-yard passing mark and connected for a pair of late touchdowns. He also avoided any finger pointing after a very poor performance of his offensive line.
?Some of those (sacks) were on me,? Gill said. ?In this offense, there are hot routes and reads I just wasn?t making.?
His coach said he thought Gill was taking too much of the blame and added that he thought Gill played a better game after watching film than he did immediately following the UTEP loss. Mumme acknowledged the play of his offensive line would need to improve for his team to find success.
?We aren?t going to change anything there, we just need to get better,? Mumme said.
The 60-plus times the ball was in the air for the Aggie offense last week isn?t going to change in the thin air of Boulder, either.
?When you play in the secondary,? Hubbard said, ?you like games like this. You take them as a challenge. It gives you an opportunity to make plays.?
Hubbard also said ?that No. 10 looks pretty good,? referring to Aggie receiver Paul Dombrowski, who pulled in a career high 15 receptions last week for 127 yards.
Among those Buffs trying to stop ?No. 10? and the rest of the Aggie receivers will be plenty of rotating cornerbacks in nickel and dime defenses ? including some freshmen, according to Barnett.
Colorado, meanwhile, is coming off a season-opening win in its rivalry game with Colorado State University. A game-winning kick from arguably the nation?s best kicker, Mason Crosby, secured the Buffs? 31-28 victory in front of 54,972 Folsom Field fans.
Senior quarterback Joel Klatt connected on 22 of 33 passes for 283 yards, while sophomore tailback Hugh Charles carried the rock 15 times for 101 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week Jimmy Cottrell will have a hard time matching his 18-tackle performance from last week, but playing in front of his home state family and friends (he played prep ball at nearby Douglas County High School in Castle Rock, Colo.) will certainly give him reason to try.
Barnett said earlier this week that he would love to have a player like Cottrell, but CU ? overflowing with linebackers at the time ? never offered him a scholarship out of high school. Cottrell, who isn?t bitter about the snub, admitted he does want tonight?s game to be special.
By Geoff Grammer/Sun-News Sports Editor
Sep 10, 2005, 12:07 am
Email this article
Printer friendly page
BOULDER, Colo. ? The old football saying is a team?s greatest improvements always come between the first and second games of the season.
?No question I believe that,? Colorado head coach Gary Barnett said. ?It?s like two different teams out there sometimes.?
Whether it be the first-game jitters, the off-season rust or just the realization for newcomers about the speed of the college game, something usually clicks for teams after their opener.
New Mexico State coach Hal Mumme hopes the old clich? holds true tonight in Boulder, Colo., as his Aggies (0-1) battle the defending Big 12 North Division champion Colorado Buffaloes (1-0) at 8:10 p.m. at Folsom Field.
But Mumme might not have to wait until tonight?s kickoff to see the upward trend of his Aggies. That started 45 minutes into last week?s loss against Texas-El Paso.
?We really started doing some things right in that fourth quarter,? Mumme said earlier this week. ?We have plenty of things to build on and I really liked how the kids stuck with it and kept fighting.?
The Aggies showed fight and scored all 17 of their points in the fourth quarter of their season opening, 34-17 loss to the rival Miners, albeit against a much less aggressive UTEP game plan filled with many reserves.
But Mumme has said from the day of his hiring that his air-it-out attack is one predicated not as much on difficult or intricate game planning as much as timing and repetition for his quarterbacks and receivers. And regardless of who it was against, the Aggie offense certainly started to roll in the final period.
The 24 1/2-point favorite Buffs have taken notice as well and claim they aren?t looking ahead to next week?s showdown with the nationally-ranked Miami Hurricanes.
?From what we?ve seen on film, that quarterback (Royal Gill) is impressive and they have some real athletic receivers,? said senior free safety Tom Hubbard. ?We aren?t overlooking them at all, so don?t get us wrong there.?
Gill, after a slow first half, was sacked eight times in the opener, but did eclipse the 300-yard passing mark and connected for a pair of late touchdowns. He also avoided any finger pointing after a very poor performance of his offensive line.
?Some of those (sacks) were on me,? Gill said. ?In this offense, there are hot routes and reads I just wasn?t making.?
His coach said he thought Gill was taking too much of the blame and added that he thought Gill played a better game after watching film than he did immediately following the UTEP loss. Mumme acknowledged the play of his offensive line would need to improve for his team to find success.
?We aren?t going to change anything there, we just need to get better,? Mumme said.
The 60-plus times the ball was in the air for the Aggie offense last week isn?t going to change in the thin air of Boulder, either.
?When you play in the secondary,? Hubbard said, ?you like games like this. You take them as a challenge. It gives you an opportunity to make plays.?
Hubbard also said ?that No. 10 looks pretty good,? referring to Aggie receiver Paul Dombrowski, who pulled in a career high 15 receptions last week for 127 yards.
Among those Buffs trying to stop ?No. 10? and the rest of the Aggie receivers will be plenty of rotating cornerbacks in nickel and dime defenses ? including some freshmen, according to Barnett.
Colorado, meanwhile, is coming off a season-opening win in its rivalry game with Colorado State University. A game-winning kick from arguably the nation?s best kicker, Mason Crosby, secured the Buffs? 31-28 victory in front of 54,972 Folsom Field fans.
Senior quarterback Joel Klatt connected on 22 of 33 passes for 283 yards, while sophomore tailback Hugh Charles carried the rock 15 times for 101 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week Jimmy Cottrell will have a hard time matching his 18-tackle performance from last week, but playing in front of his home state family and friends (he played prep ball at nearby Douglas County High School in Castle Rock, Colo.) will certainly give him reason to try.
Barnett said earlier this week that he would love to have a player like Cottrell, but CU ? overflowing with linebackers at the time ? never offered him a scholarship out of high school. Cottrell, who isn?t bitter about the snub, admitted he does want tonight?s game to be special.
Buffs can't look ahead
New Mexico State will receive CU's undivided attention
By B.G. Brooks, Rocky Mountain News
September 10, 2005
BOULDER - The theme this week within the University of Colorado football program has been "every game counts the same."
The point, of course, is that tonight's past prime-time engagement with New Mexico State is no different than the Buffaloes' visit to Miami on Sept. 24 or the Big 12 Conference opener the following week in Stillwater, Okla.
It's a sound, workable theory, and if played that way, CU will leave Folsom Field near the midnight hour undefeated, feeling fine about itself cruising into an open week.
If it doesn't play that way, if the Buffs are found guilty of peeking toward South Florida . . .
Stop. No way, said Buffs coach Gary Barnett: "This team wants it too badly. They all know the value of each game, no matter who it is. I don't think these guys are going to let that happen.
"We can't afford to be human at this point in time, and that's what the average player would do. We cannot be average. If we want to be at the other end of the bell curve, we can't let that happen, and we won't let that happen. That will be my job to make sure we don't."
The other factor possibly coming into play is discarding any emotional residue from last weekend's harrowing 31-28 win against in-state rival Colorado State, which might prove more problematic than glancing ahead at the Hurricanes.
But for the past six days, Barnett and his staff have been preaching self-improvement, believing an experienced team will listen up, clean up the numerous Week One errors and forge ahead.
"We've got so much to work on and improve on that we can't worry about anybody but ourselves," offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Shawn Watson said. "We've got a long way to go to get where we need to be."
A 34-17 opening-week loser to Texas-El Paso, New Mexico State must travel an even longer road. The Aggies, who finished 5-6 in 2004 and were 34-56 in eight seasons under Tony Samuel, still are acclimating to a complete system change. They are a work not yet in progress until new coach Hal Mumme restocks his roster with personnel to fit his schemes.
"We've got all the system in, but it's a tough chore," Mumme said, noting the loss to UTEP was the result of "mainly just us having a kind of deer-in-the- headlights look in the first half (the Aggies trailed 31-0 at intermission). UTEP is just a really fine football team (but) we basically gave them some cheap scores and some easy field position with mistakes."
Yet with their Texas Tech-style spread offense (Tech coach Mike Leach worked for Mumme at Valdosta State in the mid-1990s) and unconventional "50" defense (the coordinator is widely traveled Woody Widenhofer), the Aggies, even if outmanned, present problems.
Tonight's best bets: The Aggies' first, last and most of the plays in between will be passes, nudging the game's finish toward Sunday morning.
New Mexico State attempted 62 passes against UTEP, completing 38 for 347 yards and two touchdowns, with three interceptions and a lost fumble. The game's official time: 3 hours, 35 minutes.
If CU senior receiver Evan Judge won't permit himself a peek at Miami, he did ponder what it might be like to play in a spread offense.
"It would be great; in those kinds of offenses, those receivers put up big numbers," he said. "But if I had to choose between 60 catches at New Mexico State or 12 catches at Colorado, I think I'd rather play for Colorado. No offense to them, but I'm happy where I'm at."
Barnett called the spread offense "a nightmare for defensive coaches, trying to prepare a package for this," adding that the Buffs likely will be in nickel and dime sets for most of the game and must pressure Aggies quarterback Royal Gill better than they did CSU's Justin Holland.
"As a D-line, we were pretty disappointed in ourselves (with pressure vs. CSU)," senior nose tackle Vaka Manupuna said. "We're pretty happy that we've got a big opportunity with a passing team. . . . We've got something to work towards."
It will be against an offense tonight that wasn't exactly pressure-proof in its opener, surrendering eight quarterback sacks to UTEP.
Defensively, the Aggies' scheme can cause pass-protection problems that might be amplified by the absence of Buffs junior guard Brian Daniels (broken rib), allowing redshirt freshman Daniel Sanders to make his first start.
New Mexico State's best defensive player is a Coloradan - senior linebacker Jimmy Cottrell, of Castle Rock. His 18 tackles (4 solo, 14 assists) in the opener earned him the Western Athletic Conference's defensive player of the week award.
Five key questions
1 Can CU's secondary cope with New Mexico State's pass-mad spread offense?
2 Can CU's defensive front generate more of a pass rush than it did in the opener?
3 If the Aggies attempt a running game, how successful will it be?
4 Are the Buffs focused on this game instead of their Sept. 24 trip to Miami?
5 Will tonight's game end in the wee hours of Sunday morning?
New Mexico State will receive CU's undivided attention
By B.G. Brooks, Rocky Mountain News
September 10, 2005
BOULDER - The theme this week within the University of Colorado football program has been "every game counts the same."
The point, of course, is that tonight's past prime-time engagement with New Mexico State is no different than the Buffaloes' visit to Miami on Sept. 24 or the Big 12 Conference opener the following week in Stillwater, Okla.
It's a sound, workable theory, and if played that way, CU will leave Folsom Field near the midnight hour undefeated, feeling fine about itself cruising into an open week.
If it doesn't play that way, if the Buffs are found guilty of peeking toward South Florida . . .
Stop. No way, said Buffs coach Gary Barnett: "This team wants it too badly. They all know the value of each game, no matter who it is. I don't think these guys are going to let that happen.
"We can't afford to be human at this point in time, and that's what the average player would do. We cannot be average. If we want to be at the other end of the bell curve, we can't let that happen, and we won't let that happen. That will be my job to make sure we don't."
The other factor possibly coming into play is discarding any emotional residue from last weekend's harrowing 31-28 win against in-state rival Colorado State, which might prove more problematic than glancing ahead at the Hurricanes.
But for the past six days, Barnett and his staff have been preaching self-improvement, believing an experienced team will listen up, clean up the numerous Week One errors and forge ahead.
"We've got so much to work on and improve on that we can't worry about anybody but ourselves," offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Shawn Watson said. "We've got a long way to go to get where we need to be."
A 34-17 opening-week loser to Texas-El Paso, New Mexico State must travel an even longer road. The Aggies, who finished 5-6 in 2004 and were 34-56 in eight seasons under Tony Samuel, still are acclimating to a complete system change. They are a work not yet in progress until new coach Hal Mumme restocks his roster with personnel to fit his schemes.
"We've got all the system in, but it's a tough chore," Mumme said, noting the loss to UTEP was the result of "mainly just us having a kind of deer-in-the- headlights look in the first half (the Aggies trailed 31-0 at intermission). UTEP is just a really fine football team (but) we basically gave them some cheap scores and some easy field position with mistakes."
Yet with their Texas Tech-style spread offense (Tech coach Mike Leach worked for Mumme at Valdosta State in the mid-1990s) and unconventional "50" defense (the coordinator is widely traveled Woody Widenhofer), the Aggies, even if outmanned, present problems.
Tonight's best bets: The Aggies' first, last and most of the plays in between will be passes, nudging the game's finish toward Sunday morning.
New Mexico State attempted 62 passes against UTEP, completing 38 for 347 yards and two touchdowns, with three interceptions and a lost fumble. The game's official time: 3 hours, 35 minutes.
If CU senior receiver Evan Judge won't permit himself a peek at Miami, he did ponder what it might be like to play in a spread offense.
"It would be great; in those kinds of offenses, those receivers put up big numbers," he said. "But if I had to choose between 60 catches at New Mexico State or 12 catches at Colorado, I think I'd rather play for Colorado. No offense to them, but I'm happy where I'm at."
Barnett called the spread offense "a nightmare for defensive coaches, trying to prepare a package for this," adding that the Buffs likely will be in nickel and dime sets for most of the game and must pressure Aggies quarterback Royal Gill better than they did CSU's Justin Holland.
"As a D-line, we were pretty disappointed in ourselves (with pressure vs. CSU)," senior nose tackle Vaka Manupuna said. "We're pretty happy that we've got a big opportunity with a passing team. . . . We've got something to work towards."
It will be against an offense tonight that wasn't exactly pressure-proof in its opener, surrendering eight quarterback sacks to UTEP.
Defensively, the Aggies' scheme can cause pass-protection problems that might be amplified by the absence of Buffs junior guard Brian Daniels (broken rib), allowing redshirt freshman Daniel Sanders to make his first start.
New Mexico State's best defensive player is a Coloradan - senior linebacker Jimmy Cottrell, of Castle Rock. His 18 tackles (4 solo, 14 assists) in the opener earned him the Western Athletic Conference's defensive player of the week award.
Five key questions
1 Can CU's secondary cope with New Mexico State's pass-mad spread offense?
2 Can CU's defensive front generate more of a pass rush than it did in the opener?
3 If the Aggies attempt a running game, how successful will it be?
4 Are the Buffs focused on this game instead of their Sept. 24 trip to Miami?
5 Will tonight's game end in the wee hours of Sunday morning?
New Mexico State is terrible, at least last week. I'm gonna wait as I'm very heavy on OSU, but I may take a shot on the Buffs, either game or half.
Buffs would sooner learn from letdown
By Chris Dempsey
Denver Post Staff Writer
Boulder - Sandwiched between an emotional game against Colorado State and a much-anticipated matchup with Miami are the New Mexico State Aggies.
Letdown material.
The Buffs are 24 1/2-point favorites over the Aggies, who visit Folsom Field for an 8 p.m. game Saturday with a new coach, a pass-happy offense and not all of the pieces in place to run it effectively. Texas-El Paso, which lost to Colorado in the Houston Bowl last season, dismantled the Aggies 34-17 in the season opener for both teams last weekend.
Everything seems stacked in CU's favor. But that was Oklahoma's situation a week ago when Texas Christian, picked to finish in the middle of the Mountain West, rolled into Norman. The Sooners started that game as the seventh-ranked team in the nation and ended up with a shocking loss, a No. 18 ranking, a quarterback quandary and a coach who openly questioned his team's toughness and attitude.
That has prompted Colorado coach Gary Barnett to request one thing of his team heading into Saturday's game.
"We can't afford to be human at this point in time," Barnett said. "That's what the average player would do. We can't be average. That'll be my job, making sure that we don't."
That means no snickering or sneering at what looks like a blowout. No slow starts. No allowing an opposing player to shred them, as happened a year ago.
That's when North Texas freshman running back Jamario Thomas, in his first collegiate start, ran for 247 yards and two touchdowns. North Texas jumped out to a 14-7 lead before the Buffs refocused and pulled away, 52-21.
"I think we learned a valuable lesson last year, especially on the defensive side, playing North Texas," Barnett said. "This is a critical game for us for where we want to go and where we want to be in our program. I don't think there's any way our guys will overlook them."
Drilled into players' heads this week is Barnett's latest motivational motto: "Every Game is Worth One."
"That's all you're going to get in the win or loss column, and you need to prepare accordingly," senior quarterback Joel Klatt said. "The way you respect any opponent is you prepare for them and make sure you're ready."
What figures to help CU is the Miami game, because it's two weeks away. If it were next week, there would be more danger of looking ahead. Players say the bye week in between has made it easier to concentrate on New Mexico State.
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Mexico State is our main focus right now," wide receiver Evan Judge said. "We have two weeks to prepare for Miami."
Said linebacker Thaddaeus Washington: "You stay focused on New Mexico State by knowing what those guys do, not thinking about Miami. We don't play them for what, two weeks, three weeks? We focus on New Mexico State. They're coming in to beat us. That's enough to stay focused and not look forward to Miami."
N.M. State (0-1) at Colorado (1-0)
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Colorado: The entire Buffs secondary, which will be forced to chase New Mexico State receivers all game. The group had three interceptions last week. ... RB Hugh Charles ran for 101 yards in his first career start. ... DEs Abraham Wright and Alex Ligon have been asked by coach Gary Barnett to put more pressure on the quarterback. They were good against CSU, but need to turn up the heat on the Aggies.
New Mexico State: WR Paul Dombrowski, a senior, was tabbed by coach Hal Mumme as the one player the Aggies need to do well. Dombrowski had 15 catches for 127 yards and a touchdown against UTEP. QB Royal Gill threw for 332 yards and two touchdowns in the opener. Gill must have a great game to keep the Aggies' offense moving.
KEY STAT
Colorado is 10-3 all-time against the current teams in the Western Athletic Conference.
KEY FOR NEW MEXICO STATE
Getting off to a good start. Moving the ball was a problem for the Aggies in the first half against UTEP, as the Aggies fell behind 31-0.
KEY FOR COLORADO
Focus. The Buffs have superior talent, but they can't afford to take New Mexico State lightly and risk a huge upset with Miami next on the schedule.
By Chris Dempsey
Denver Post Staff Writer
Boulder - Sandwiched between an emotional game against Colorado State and a much-anticipated matchup with Miami are the New Mexico State Aggies.
Letdown material.
The Buffs are 24 1/2-point favorites over the Aggies, who visit Folsom Field for an 8 p.m. game Saturday with a new coach, a pass-happy offense and not all of the pieces in place to run it effectively. Texas-El Paso, which lost to Colorado in the Houston Bowl last season, dismantled the Aggies 34-17 in the season opener for both teams last weekend.
Everything seems stacked in CU's favor. But that was Oklahoma's situation a week ago when Texas Christian, picked to finish in the middle of the Mountain West, rolled into Norman. The Sooners started that game as the seventh-ranked team in the nation and ended up with a shocking loss, a No. 18 ranking, a quarterback quandary and a coach who openly questioned his team's toughness and attitude.
That has prompted Colorado coach Gary Barnett to request one thing of his team heading into Saturday's game.
"We can't afford to be human at this point in time," Barnett said. "That's what the average player would do. We can't be average. That'll be my job, making sure that we don't."
That means no snickering or sneering at what looks like a blowout. No slow starts. No allowing an opposing player to shred them, as happened a year ago.
That's when North Texas freshman running back Jamario Thomas, in his first collegiate start, ran for 247 yards and two touchdowns. North Texas jumped out to a 14-7 lead before the Buffs refocused and pulled away, 52-21.
"I think we learned a valuable lesson last year, especially on the defensive side, playing North Texas," Barnett said. "This is a critical game for us for where we want to go and where we want to be in our program. I don't think there's any way our guys will overlook them."
Drilled into players' heads this week is Barnett's latest motivational motto: "Every Game is Worth One."
"That's all you're going to get in the win or loss column, and you need to prepare accordingly," senior quarterback Joel Klatt said. "The way you respect any opponent is you prepare for them and make sure you're ready."
What figures to help CU is the Miami game, because it's two weeks away. If it were next week, there would be more danger of looking ahead. Players say the bye week in between has made it easier to concentrate on New Mexico State.
"New
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Mexico State is our main focus right now," wide receiver Evan Judge said. "We have two weeks to prepare for Miami."
Said linebacker Thaddaeus Washington: "You stay focused on New Mexico State by knowing what those guys do, not thinking about Miami. We don't play them for what, two weeks, three weeks? We focus on New Mexico State. They're coming in to beat us. That's enough to stay focused and not look forward to Miami."
N.M. State (0-1) at Colorado (1-0)
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Colorado: The entire Buffs secondary, which will be forced to chase New Mexico State receivers all game. The group had three interceptions last week. ... RB Hugh Charles ran for 101 yards in his first career start. ... DEs Abraham Wright and Alex Ligon have been asked by coach Gary Barnett to put more pressure on the quarterback. They were good against CSU, but need to turn up the heat on the Aggies.
New Mexico State: WR Paul Dombrowski, a senior, was tabbed by coach Hal Mumme as the one player the Aggies need to do well. Dombrowski had 15 catches for 127 yards and a touchdown against UTEP. QB Royal Gill threw for 332 yards and two touchdowns in the opener. Gill must have a great game to keep the Aggies' offense moving.
KEY STAT
Colorado is 10-3 all-time against the current teams in the Western Athletic Conference.
KEY FOR NEW MEXICO STATE
Getting off to a good start. Moving the ball was a problem for the Aggies in the first half against UTEP, as the Aggies fell behind 31-0.
KEY FOR COLORADO
Focus. The Buffs have superior talent, but they can't afford to take New Mexico State lightly and risk a huge upset with Miami next on the schedule.
