LAST TIME OUT

The Buffaloes squandered an 11-point second-half lead, losing 31-28 to Oklahoma State on Thursday in Stillwater, Okla., to fall to 3-8 overall and 2-5 in the Big 12. The Cowboys played without starting quarterback Zac Robinson and got nothing from their top backup but managed to find a spark from 26-year-old third-stringer Brandon Weeden. CU went up 21-10 on Tyler Hansen's 28-yard touchdown throw to Markques Simas midway through the third quarter. Brian Lockridge's 98-yard kickoff return gave CU a 28-24 lead early in the fourth quarter, but Oklahoma State answered immediately with the wining TD march. Hansen threw for 169 yards in the loss, but Colorado rushed for just 13. A road win against OSU surely wouldn't have salvaged a dismal season for the Buffs, but it would have ranked, by far, as the biggest CU triumph of the year. Colorado is 0-6 away from home. It beat Kansas, Texas A&M and Wyoming in Boulder but lost to Missouri and Colorado State at Folsom Field.

RECENT HISTORY

Nebraska has won four of six from CU, including a 40-31 thriller a year ago at Memorial Stadium in which Alex Henery's school-record 57-yard field goal provided the decisive points with 97 seconds left. The Huskers are 2-1 in Boulder after a program-changing 62-36 defeat in 2001. Since that game, the potential spoiler has traditionally played close, if not won. In 2005, NU beat the Big 12 North champion Buffs 30-3, sending Colorado into a title-game tailspin against Texas. The 70-3 loss cost Gary Barnett his coaching job. This time, another Colorado coach is on the hot seat, and there's likely nothing the Buffs can do against the North champion Huskers to change sentiment about Dan Hawkins, now 16-32 in his fourth season.

QB SHUFFLE

Junior Cody Hawkins started the first five games of the season, and sophomore Hansen has started the past five. CU pulled the redshirt from Hansen in the third quarter against Texas on Oct. 10. He started a week later against Kansas and threw for 175 yards in the Buffs' 34-30 win. Hansen has completed 57.8 passes of his throws for 1,171 yards with five touchdowns and four interceptions. Since his benching, Hawkins has played in every game but the win against Kansas and an Oct. 31 loss to Missouri. He's thrown for 1,277 yards on 50.6 percent passing with 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Against Oklahoma State, Hawkins replaced Hansen for three possessions as the starter underwent an X-ray on his right hand. Hansen returned late in the first half and played 58 of 71 offensive snaps. Hansen, while gaining 316 yards on the ground to Hawkins' 16, has been sacked 32 times in his six appearances. In fact, Colorado ranks 117th nationally out of 120 teams, allowing nearly four sacks per game.

GO-TO RECEIVER

Another of the Big 12's top receivers will test the Nebraska secondary after consecutive games against Oklahoma's Ryan Broyles, Kerry Meier and Dezmon Briscoe of Kansas and Kansas State's Brandon Banks. This time, it's Scotty McKnight, who has caught at least one pass in 35 straight games, a Colorado record. He ranks sixth in the Big 12 with 779 receiving yards and fifth in receptions with 69. The junior from Coto de Caza, Calif., is second on the CU career charts with 158 catches, nine receptions behind Michael Westbrook, and seventh on the career yardage chart. Interestingly, Dan Hawkins coaches the Colorado receivers himself — one of just seven BCS conference head coaches to handle a position group.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

They say you can throw out the statistics when the Huskers and Buffs clash in their annual post-Thanksgiving duel. CU might prefer to just erase the stats and never see them again. It ranks 108th or lower in six of 17 major categories tracked by the NCAA — rushing offense (113), total offense (108), net punting (113), punt returns (117), passing efficiency (111) and sacks allowed (117). Colorado's average ranking in the 17 categories is 82.6. Nebraska, with no triple-digit rankings, averages 42.3.

— Mitch Sherman

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