LINCOLN — The media storm is brewing around the Colorado football program, with head coach Dan Hawkins the biggest lightning rod in a season that started with disappointment and has never recovered.
But tight end Pat Devenny said the storm hasn't had much effect on the team.
“There's a lot of stuff being said outside of the program, but you step into our locker room or in meetings or in practice and it's hardly spoken of,'' Devenny said. “A lot more is being said outside the program than inside. I think from the perspective of outside-in it looks a lot worse than inside-out.''
Devenny is a senior whom Gary Barnett brought into the program. He has lived through the messy breakup that resulted in Hawkins coming to Boulder. Whether it's naïve or not, Devenny said the walls of the locker room sometimes can block out what's being portrayed by the public or news media.
“I think we're going about it the right way,'' he said.
Colorado (3-8, 2-5 Big 12) is down to a Friday home game with Nebraska before its season is finalized. The Buffs are choosing to play first and analyze later.
“The whole situation, we haven't given it the slightest amount of attention,'' CU junior cornerback Jalil Brown said. “We're just focused and ready for Nebraska — and the whole part of what happens next season is not on our mind.''
Hawkins again was overloaded with questions about his job status Monday both on the Big 12 teleconference and during the Buffs' weekly press conference. Hawkins regularly tried to steer the conversation elsewhere.
“We're excited about playing Nebraska,'' he repeated.
The Buffs will miss out on a bowl game for the third time in four seasons under Hawkins. Colorado has lost four of its last five, but took Nos. 11 and 12 Oklahoma State to the wire last week before losing 31-28 in Stillwater.
Brown said you will see more of that resolve Friday against Nebraska (8-3, 5-2).
“If you look at most teams that expected to go to a bowl game and it's not there any more, you see guys hanging their heads and not being as dedicated,'' Brown said. “But guys around here are still going in and watching film and putting in extra time on the practice field. This is the time when you show your character.''
Hawkins said the Buffs have battled in every game but often hurt themselves with slow starts and big plays. In retrospect, he said he might have been a little optimistic coming into a season where CU was inexperienced in some key areas.
“They continue to bring it, despite all and anything that goes on,'' Hawkins said.
Both Devenny and Brown declined to say what they thought of Hawkins' job stability. Sophomore quarterback Tyler Hansen told cubuffs.com that Hawkins addressed his future in a team meeting Sunday and told his players he was “solid'' for 2010.
Former Colorado coach Bill McCartney spoke with the team Sunday, and Brown said the Buffs left the meeting fired up for practice. It's his hunch that they will carry it into Friday.
“If we go out and get a win in this game, it'll definitely show we're not a team that's going to bow down and let people have their way with us,'' Brown said. “We're going to fight even though the season didn't go well for us, and that's going to help us going into next season.''
With the effort and dedication poured into this season, though, Brown said it has been tough to see it crumble.
“If you had asked people prior to this year, they would say this was probably going to be the best season since we've been here,'' Brown said. “It's very disheartening to have the season start and go the way it's gone. But it's kind of the adversity you have to go through, and you have to keep fighting and keep up.''
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444-1042, rich.kaipust@owh.com
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