Font ResizeTri-captain and middle linebacker Marcus Burton might be the lone exception.
Burton won`t have to remember Sunday as the day he lost to Colorado State on his home field to start his senior season. His second son, Noah, was born at 9:59 Sunday morning forever claiming the day as his within the Burton family.
"It was an exciting experience," Burton said. "I tried to take that into the game and use it as motivation. Obviously, I didn`t do a good job of affecting my teammates or myself.
"But that can never be taken away. That`s something in life that not too many people get to experience. I got that chance. I feel
Burton made four tackles in the loss to the Rams and was credited with half a sack. He left the Dal Ward Center shortly after the game to return to the hospital hoping to feed his son for the first time.
Where was Darrell Scott?
The prized recruit of Colorado`s 2008 recruiting class continues to be a missing man on game day in the Colorado offense.
Scott looked healthy and even explosive at times returning kickoffs Sunday, but he only touched the ball twice on offense. He turned an overthrown screen pass into a 14-yard gain after making a nice one-handed catch. He only had one rushing attempt, which went for 1 yard. It was the first play of the season.
Coach Dan Hawkins was asked about Scott`s limited touches and the running back rotation afterward. He said the offense had to get away from the running game after falling behind early.
Scott was not available for comment afterward.
Trouble in the trenches
CSU seemed to have its way in matchups on the offensive and defensive lines.
The Buffs managed only 29 net rushing yards offensively and regularly allowed Cody Hawkins to be pressured to throw early. It didn`t help that starting center Mike Iltis suffered a sprained ankle and missed a significant portion of the game.
The defensive line struggled to stop the Rams` running game and usually needed blitzing linebackers to put pressure on quarterback Grant Stucker.
Third-down struggles
One of the areas of emphasis for the Buffs in the offseason was winning on third downs. The defense did its job much of the night, outside of a long pass on the first drive of the game, and a touchdown pass in the second quarter.
Both teams went 3-for-14 on third downs. Colorado converted two third down opportunities on one second-half drive in which it ended up punting, meaning it went 1-for-12 the rest of the night.
First action
A dozen Buffs played for the first times in their careers Sunday. Offensive lineman Bryce Givens and Mike Iltis, defensive lineman Will Pericak and safety Ray Polk all started their first games in the program. Polk started at safety because of an ankle injury to sophomore Patrick Mahnke.
Nate Bonsu, Dustin Ebner, Steven Hicks, Will Jefferson, Doug Rippy, Andre Simmons, Paul Vigo and Forrest West all played for the first time, as well.
Nice start
Place-kicker Aric Goodman kicked his season off on a good note with a career-best 54-yard field goal in the second quarter. Goodman made both extra-point attempts and showed distance on his kickoffs, including sending the opening kickoff of the game into the end zone for a touch back.
Notable
Cornerback Jimmy Smith led the Buffs with 10 total tackles. ... Senior linebacker Jeff Smart finished with eight tackles, becoming the 57th player in the program`s history to record more than 200 in his career. Smart now has 206 career tackles. The only former walk-on with more in CU history is Ryan Black, who finished his career with 275. Smart also made his first career interception. ... The announced attendance was 53,168 about 170 tickets short of a sellout.
