Posts Tagged ‘Barry Helton’

CU Transition Classes

//posted 2.1.2011

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Transition Classes

It is axiomatic that a new head coach will have a difficult time with their first recruiting class. After all, the new coach comes in late in the recruiting cycle, usually in December, well after other schools have their incoming class of recruits fairly well formulated. What’s more, in most instances, the new head coach is coming into a situation where the former coaching staff has been let go, with losing records most often the culprit.

Jon Embree became the 24th head coach in Colorado history on December 6th. He took over a program mired in a five year streak of losing records, the second longest streak in Colorado history. Because of the recent record, and because of his late hire, Embree is being given a pass by most of the Buff Nation on the recruiting Class of 2011.

But should that be the case?

For guidance, let’s take a look at the first recuiting classes of the past four Colorado head coaches …

Dan Hawkins – Class of 2006

Unlike Jon Embree, Hawkins inherited a team with a winning record. In fact, Colorado had won the Big 12 North title four of the previous five seasons, including the previous two. By the same…

#8 Alabama – New CU offense not a Blockbuster in bowl game

//posted 12.28.1991

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Colorado v. Alabama – 1991 Blockbuster Bowl

The 1991 season was a mixed bag for Colorado and its fans. An 8-2-1 regular season record, along with a share of a third consecutive Big Eight title, were certainly nothing to be ashamed of. Still, after posting an 11-1 record in 1989 and an 11-1-1 record in 1990, an eight win season seemed like a letdown to many in the Buff Nation. Still, there were some memorable games in 1991, including a big 34-17 win over Oklahoma in Norman (when the Buffs were ranked 22nd and the Sooners ranked 12th), and the epic Ice Bowl 19-19 tie with Nebraska in Boulder which earned the Buffs a share of the Big Eight title.

After a 2-2 start, Colorado had gone 6-0-1 in conference play. The Buffs were far from dominant down the stretch, though, defeating unranked Oklahoma State, Kansas, and Iowa State by a combined 13 points. The Buffs finished the regular season ranked 15th in the nation, earning a trip to Miami for the 2nd annual Blockbuster Bowl. The opponent would be 8th-ranked and SEC runner-up Alabama, looking for its own measure of national recognition.

What followed was a memorable game which came down to the…

#12 Washington – Best seats in the house

//posted 9.29.1990

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September 29th – Boulder #20 Colorado 20, #12 Washington 14

In a battle between two ranked teams in search of national recognition, Colorado held off a late Washington drive to defeat the Huskies in Boulder, 20-14. A defensive first half gave way to a flurry of scoring in the third quarter, with the game ending with the Colorado defense backed up against its goalline. Sophomore cornerback Deon Figures intercepted a Mark Brunell pass in the endzone with only :59 left to play to preserve the Colorado win.

The first drive of the contest was all Washington, as the Huskies took the opening kickoff and marched 80 yards in 15 plays to post a 7-0 lead. The Washington drive consumed 8:35 of the first quarter, keeping the football away from the explosive Buff offense until only 6:25 remained in the opening stanza. The Washington score made Colorado opponents in 1990 a perfect five-for-five – in each game the Buffs’ opponent scored first.

All Colorado could muster in the first half on offense was a 47-yard field goal in the second quarter by Jim Harper. Fortunately for the Buffs, the Colorado defense stymied the Husky offense the remainder of the half, limiting Washington…

#5 Nebraska – Brad incites Cornhusker fans with rendition of “Boomer Sooner”

//posted 11.28.1987

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November 28th – Boulder #5 Nebraska 24, Colorado 7

Colorado had Nebraska right where they wanted them.

The Cornhuskers had lost the 1987 Game-of-the-Year to Oklahoma the week before. Nebraska, ranked No. 1 in the nation for the first time all season, fell to No. 2 Oklahoma (which had been ranked No. 1 every week previous) at home, by a final score of 17-7. Nebraska players could have been forgiven for not being up for playing Colorado after absorbing a natioanal championship run-ending defeat. Oklahoam was now heading for Miami, the Orange Bowl, and a shot at the National Championship, while Nebraska, though still playing on New Year’s Day, was relegated to the Fiesta Bowl and diminished national attention.

Colorado, angry at having been passed over for a bowl bid despite a 7-3 record, could take the opportunity to defeat hated Nebraska for the second consecutive year, tie the Cornhuskers and Oklahoma State for second place in the conference race, and earn for the Buffs much needed national respect.

The only problem was that, despite the loss to Oklahoma, Nebraska remained ranked in the top five in the country, and with good reason. Coming into the Colorado game, Nebraska was second in the nation…

Stanford – Bieniemy’s 1st 100-yard game – Fun with initials

//posted 9.19.1987

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September 19th – Boulder Colorado 31, Stanford 17

Colorado looked to right its ship, and even the 1987 season mark at 1-1, with a game against Stanford.

The Cardinal came into the game 0-1, having lost its season-opener to Washington, 31-21. Stanford was not to be overlooked, however, having posted an 8-4 mark in 1986, including a trip to the Gator Bowl. Stanford’s bowl appearance had been its first in eight years, and the first for fourth-year head coach Jack Elway.

Unlike the Oregon game, which ended 10-7, scoring in the Colorado-Stanford game came fast and furious. The Buffs took the opening kickoff and traveled 75 yards in eight plays to take the lead. Tiny (5′ 6″, 185 pounds) freshman halfback Eric Bieniemy did the honors from two yards out, giving Colorado its first lead of the 1987 season, 7-0. Stanford quickly responded with a touchdown drive of its own, scoring on a 48-yard pass from Greg Ennis to Walter Batson against the Buffs’ heralded secondary.

On the Buffs’ next series, halfback J.J. Flannigan scored on a 17-yard run to cap an 80-yard drive. With 8:27 still remaining in the first quarter, the score was 14-7 Colorado. The two teams…

1987 Preseason – “Breaking Away” – Buffs hope to build on successful 1986

//posted 8.25.1987

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National and Big Eight recap – 1987

A pattern established in 1982-83 repeated itself in 1986-87. In 1983, the Miami Hurricanes won the school’s first national championship, a year after Penn State had won its first crown. In 1987, a year after Penn State recorded national championship No. 2, the 1987 Hurricanes again followed suit, giving both schools two titles in the 1980′s. Led by offensive stars quarterback Steve Walsh, running back Melvin Bratton, and wide receivers Michael Irvin and Brian Blades, Miami went 12-0 in 1987. The Hurricanes completed its undefeated season at home by defeating a previously unbeaten Oklahoma squad, 20-14, in the Orange Bowl. Despite going undefeated and having multiple stars, the Hurricanes were shut out of the national awards. Notre Dame flanker Tim Brown received the Heisman trophy, while Miami’s Big East rival Syracuse took home two awards, as Orangeman quarterback Don McPherson received the Maxwell award, while coach Dick MacPherson was named Coach of the Year.

In the Big Eight, it was the same-old same-old at the top. In 1987 Oklahoma, for the third consecutive year, went undefeated in conference play. For the third time in five seasons, the Sooners played for the national title. The…

#4 Oklahoma – Goaaalllposts … Goaaalllposts!

//posted 11.15.1986

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Colorado v. #4 Oklahoma – November 15, 1986

Goaaaalposts …. Goaaaalposts

On October 25th, as the final seconds of the Nebraska game ticked away, the chant of “Goaaaalposts …. Goaaalposts” drifted through the student section. The indication was clear – the goalposts were coming down. In the stands before the start of the Oklahoma game, the chant returned.

The confidence that lightning really could strike twice, that the Buffs really could conquer both of the “Big Two” in the same season, was only enhanced when the a 120-yard gold ribbon was unfurled just before the kickoff of the Colorado/Oklahoma game. The ribbon stretched from goalpost to goalpost, and was presented by some corporate sponsor (I’m sorry, I can’t remember which one. I’m guessing it was Coors) who had donated the funds to replace the goalposts torn down after the Nebraska game. The fans were given a clear message – nothing would please the school more than to have to replace the goalposts a second time.

It would not be easy.

Oklahoma in 1986, defending its 1985 national championship, was a juggernaut. Coming into the contest against the Buffs, Oklahoma was first in the nation in rushing offense (431.6 yards/game), first in the…

No. 3 Nebraska – The Signature Win

//posted 10.25.1986

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1986 – Colorado v. Nebraska - Preface

In September 1989, almost three years after the Colorado/Nebraska game of 1986, Brad and I traveled to Seattle, Washington for the Colorado/Washington game. Colorado was in the midst of the most tumultuous season in its 100-year history, entering the game undefeated, but also on the heels of the loss of quarterback Sal Aunese, who had succumbed to cancer the week before. The game story will be retold in the appropriate chapter, but the relevance of that game to 1986 came just after the 1989 Washington game had ended.

It had rained for much of the second half, so, by the end of the game, the sellout crowd had thinned to a thousand or so Buff fans, soaked but jubilant over the Buffs’ 45-28 victory, separated only by a few pockets of the true Husky faithful. Walking through the parking lot after the game, Brad and I encountered a group of young Buff fans gathered around a van. They warmly greeted the sight of the black and gold we were wearing, and Brad and I in turn hailed the meeting of fellow travelers. In our brief conversation, Brad and I learned that this group of five or six…

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Posts Tagged ‘Barry Helton’

CU Transition Classes

#8 Alabama – New CU offense not a Blockbuster in bowl game

#12 Washington – Best seats in the house

#5 Nebraska – Brad incites Cornhusker fans with rendition of “Boomer Sooner”

Stanford – Bieniemy’s 1st 100-yard game – Fun with initials

1987 Preseason – “Breaking Away” – Buffs hope to build on successful 1986

#4 Oklahoma – Goaaalllposts … Goaaalllposts!

No. 3 Nebraska – The Signature Win

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