Wednesday's local college football notes

B.G. Brooks (CU), Randy Holtz (CSU), Pat Rooney (Northern Colorado) and wire services (Wyoming).

Published October 25, 2007 at midnight

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Paying the price

Tailback Hugh Charles' penance for his red-zone fumble against Kansas last week was holding a football in each hand and doing 100 yards of belly flops - without fumbling either ball.

That's standard work for any of position coach Darian Hagan's backs when they fumble, although Hagan considered doubling Charles' yardage.

"It keeps it in your memory; it's not fun, so you don't really want to do it again," Charles said. "It makes you want to hold onto the ball."

Charles is not a chronic fumbler - the one last week was his first of the season, and he hasn't lost one in practice since camp started in August. He called the drop at the Kansas 12-yard line "the kind of lessons you learn and put away. I'm not the type of guy to put the ball on the ground."

Charles said he was trying to stretch for more yardage when he lost control of the ball with his right hand. He called it an "effort play, and the ball just came out."

Hagan scoffed at that explanation, saying if it had been an "effort play," Charles would have had the ball tucked and covered and would have been leading with his shoulder rather than an outstretched arm.

Bad company

CU is in need of a turnover or three. Or four. Badly.

In the vital statistical category of turnover margin, the Buffaloes sit in a three-way tie at the bottom of the Big 12 Conference (and 106th nationally) with Baylor and Nebraska.

Each has a minus-9 turnover margin, and in CU's case, that figure includes 14 interceptions and seven lost fumbles. Conversely, the Buffs have recovered six fumbles and intercepted six passes.

A key in CU's win against the Texas Tech last season was forcing five turnovers, something the Buffs hope to duplicate Saturday.

He said it

"We're playing great football teams, and there are still a few of them left on the schedule, so we've got to get going."

CU coach Dan Hawkins, on his team's mental state.

Numbers game

5 consecutive eight-win seasons puts Texas Tech third in the Big 12 behind Texas (eight) and Oklahoma (six).

Etc.

• Ponderosa High School linebacker Jon Major, the state's top prospect, told Rivals.com he will announce his choice of colleges Saturday. Major, who has narrowed his list of schools to CU, Oklahoma and Wisconsin, has been a regular sideline attendee at Buffs home games since making his official visit to Boulder.

• Through four Big 12 games, the Buffs are the conference's most- penalized team (31, costing them an average of 69 yards a game).

CSU

Mack is the man

When Utah running back Darrell Mack excels, Utah wins.

The tough-running, 220-pound junior has rushed for 100 yards or more five times this season, and the 5-3 Utes have won all five games.

"Their running back is really running and playing hard for them," CSU coach Sonny Lubick said of Mack, who leads the Mountain West Conference and ranks 29th nationally with an average of 107 yards a game. "Utah on paper is one of the top two teams in our conference right now."

The Utes still are running the modified spread-option offense that helped take them to national prominence under coach Urban Meyer (now at Florida) and quarterback Alex Smith (now with the San Francisco 49ers).

But coach Kyle Whittingham and his offensive staff have tweaked it some this season.

In 2005, before missing last season after knee surgery, quarterback Brian Johnson ran for 478 yards. This season, he has only 41 yards on 28 rushing attempts, though those numbers are skewed a bit by 131 yards lost on sacks.

Injury update

Two key Utah players have been struggling with nagging injuries but are expected to play Saturday at Hughes Stadium.

Senior middle linebacker Joe Jiannoni, considered a strong candidate for the NFL draft going into the season, has sprained both ankles but continues to play despite being hobbled at times.

Starting free safety Robert Johnson, a sophomore junior-college transfer from Southwest College in Los Angeles, is playing through a painful shoulder injury.

Numbers game

1is where Utah quarterback Brian Johnson ranks in the MWC in pass efficiency. He has a rating of 138.5, just ahead of CSU's Caleb Hanie's 137.8.

He said it

"This has been one of the most unpredictable college football seasons I've ever been around. There's no rhyme or reason to what has happened."

Whittingham, on the jumbled college football scene.

Wyoming

Hetrick to start at QB

Quarterback Ian Hetrick, a redshirt junior, will make his first start for the Cowboys, on Saturday against Nevada-Las Vegas.

He replaces sophomore Karsten Sween, who took over the starting job from junior Jacob Doss in the second half of Wyoming's fifth game last season, against Syracuse.

"Karsten is in a little bit of a slump with his reads and he's missed a couple of passes," coach Joe Glenn said. "That happens, but if it happens and you don't turn the ball over, you can still win like we did with TCU. But if it happens and you turn the ball over, then you need to take a step back and look at what's going on."

Sween has completed 61.7 percent of his passes (140-for-227) for 1,315 yards and eight touchdowns but has thrown 12 interceptions in seven games.

UNC

Dilapidated home

After logging ridiculous frequent-flyer miles for games in Hawaii, Idaho, Northern California and San Diego, the Bears will play three of their final four games at Nottingham Field, beginning Saturday against Big Sky Conference rival Montana State (noon, no television).

Home cooking, though, has been a distasteful thing for the Bears. In two home games this season, UNC has been outscored 54-0. Going back to last season, the Bears have been outscored 108-3 in their past three home games.

Injury update

Running back David Woods, UNC's leading rusher, with 536 yards and four touchdowns, is questionable for the game against Montana State because of a hamstring injury he suffered last week at Montana.

Woods' backup, Tyrone Wilson, had missed two games because of an ankle injury before returning to rush for 50 yards on nine carries against Montana.

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