Returning home from a heart-wrenching 36-35 letdown in Waco last weekend, is a healthy dose of Memorial Stadium lovin’ enough to help the Jayhawks snap a four-game losing streak? To do so, Kansas must get past Colorado, who it hasn’t defeated since the 2000 season. To get you as informed as possible on the visiting Buffaloes, join Kyle Ringo, the Buffs’ beat writer for the Daily Camera in Boulder, Colo. He can tell you all you’ll need to know about the visitors from the west.

patton6

Since Colorado’s biggest strength is a run defense, would you say KU’s best chance this week is to call spread plays to go with their spread offense? I don’t see any other way to open it up for Cornish.

Moderator

Welcome to today’s chat, my name is Ryan Greene, editor of KUSports.com. Our guest today is Kyle Ringo, who covers the visiting Colorado Buffaloes for the Daily Camera out in Boulder. Kyle, thanks for taking some time to join us during a busy afternoon.

Kyle Ringo

My pleasure. I’m looking forward to the game on Saturday.

Moderator

Let me start with a question. Obviously everybody here sees Colorado’s 1-7 record, and looks at it as a very winnable game. This is a team that’s been pretty competitive, though, most notably in a 14-13 loss at Georgia. Is it a case where we shouldn’t let a 1-7 record be so misleading?

Kyle Ringo

I think without a doubt that’s a case. CU has been competitive ine very game outside of maybe the Oklahoma game, and even there it was 10-0 in the fourth quarter. Georgia’s being exposed as weaker than everybody thought, but it’s still impressive to go in there in their building and compete like that. I can understand why people would look at them 1-7 recoard and think of it as a winnable game. They probably should think that. I think it’s the wrong idea for people to think it’s going to be a blowout.

Moderator

Well, let us now get to some reader questions.

DSommersby

Do you think Dan Hawkins will be a better coach than Gary Barnett?

Kyle Ringo

Better coach at Colorado is what i’m assuming he’s asking. I would say yes. Just because I don’t anticipate Dan Hawkins going through a sex and alcohol recruiting scandal. As long as he can avoid that and roughly replicate what Barnettt has done on the field, that alone makes him a better coach at Colorado.

Moderator

Well as a follow-up to that, how do the two coaches differ as far as gameplanning?

Kyle Ringo

Dan Hawkins is totally about gameplanning. He doesn’t mind switching a ton of what he does offensively and defensively on a weekly basis if he believes it gives them the best opportunity to win against a particular opponent. So basically what I’m saying there is you could look at what the Buffs did last week against Oklahoma and plan to defend that this week if you’re Mark Mangino. And what you might see Saturday could be completely different. Whereas Barnett was much more of a ‘I’m going to do what I do and make you stop me’ type of coach. Barnett was much more about trusting his system than gameplanning.

Teapot9

Are people in Boulder calling for your coach’s head as much as some are here in Lawrence?
ps Love the St. Julien in Boulder (great hotel).

Kyle Ringo

If you’ve stayed at the St. Julien, you’ve obviously got a lot more money than me. It’s ridiculous to call for a coach’s head eight games into his tenure. The majority of Colorado fans realize that, but there are a few cooks out there who already think it was a bad decision to hire Hawkins.

beenahawk

How are the “ordinary’ Colorado fans handling this disappointing first year of Hawkins following all the bad press of the Barnett era, especially now with the news that Patton has issued his own walking papers? Surely this is a rough time to be a Buff!

Kyle Ringo

Without doubt it’s a rough time to be a Buff. When it comes to the football situation, people understand the football team is going through a lot of growing pains right now adjusting to a new system, new staff and a new way of doing things, essentially. There are a lot of people who are wondering how this is all going to play out over the long haul, but I don’t think people are abandoning ship yet.

Kyle Ringo

When it comes to Ricardo deciding not to be the coach anymore, that’s actually a good thing because it allows the school to avoid the sort of negative press and public reaction that sometimes comes with a bad divorce. This basically pulls the rug out from under any kind of bad scenario playing out at the end of the season.

thabergman

Which way is this game going to play out – KU’s pass defense making CU’s pass offense look great, or CU’s pass offense making KU’s pass defense look spectacular?

Kyle Ringo

I doubt great or spectacular will be associated with any one of the groups at the end of the day. I think both will probably cancel each other out, maybe even each other out.

Moderator

What about in terms of the run game? Which side do you see having the advantage there? Both are pretty decent against the run.

Kyle Ringo

I think Colorado has been consistently good against the run all season, no matter who they were playing. And they’ve played some pretty good teams. At the same time, I think Kansas has a pretty strong attack with Jon Cornish. I’ll give the Buffs a slight edge. Not because I’m a homer or anything, but because they’ve just played consistently well against probably better competition over the first eight games.

patton6

With run defense being CU’s strength already, plus Kansas’ lack of a mobile QB, would you say the KU’s best chance to move the chains is to call some spread plays to go with that spread offense? I don’t see any other way we consistently open holes for Cornish.

Kyle Ringo

I’m not a believer in completely changing what you do just because your opponent might be good at defending it. At the same time, I think Colorado has had trouble defending the pass and I wouldn’t be surprised if Mangino and his assistants haven’t noticed that too and decide to throw the ball a little bit more this wek.

Moderator

Do you think that even with Barmann under center as opposed to Meier?

Kyle Ringo

Yeah. I would say that I still believe the same thing. I don’t think you change what has been working for you. You have to make your opponent prove they’re capable of stopping you the same way they’ve stopped other people.

Moderator

Any spots you’re definitely going to make sure and hit up in Lawrence this weekend?

Kyle Ringo

I’m actually not going to stay in Lawrence. I’m going to be in Kansas City. But I wouldn’t even know where to hit up in Lawrence. I’d probably have to find somebody to be my tour guide.

Moderator

Well I’m sure some of our readers could fill you in on where to visit, but unfortunately that’s all the time we have for today. Kyle, thanks for joining us today, and we look forward to re-visiting with you in the future.

Kyle Ringo

Thanks for having me, and send all of your angry e-mails to ringok@dailycamera.com