Power of Caring
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5. Colorado

On the morning of a 1994 game against Oklahoma, Buffaloes quarterback John Hessler, a third-stringer at the time, overslept and missed a team meeting. Coach Bill McCartney didn't notice Hessler's absence, but quarterbacks and receivers coach Rick Neuheisel did. When Hessler finally arrived at Folsom Field, Neuheisel gave him an earful, and the redshirt freshman didn't play in the Buffaloes' 45-7 rout.

Neuheisel is now in his third season as head coach at Colorado, and his starting quarterback, should he show up on time, will be Hessler. "I've been called a slacker before," says Hessler. "I don't get stressed out about it. A lot of people take things too seriously. Things aren't always going to go your way, but if you stick it out, things usually work out for the best."

Hessler stuck it out last season as perhaps the most-heralded backup quarterback in the nation. He made a name for himself in 1995 by stepping in for injured starter Koy Detmer in the fourth game of the season and passing for 1,861 yards in leading the Buffaloes to a 6-2 record the rest of the way. Last year, though, Hessler was back on the sidelines and attempted only 23 passes.

ALSO

Colorado team page 1997 schedule

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These days Hessler is so valuable to Colorado that one of its biggest worries is how the team would fare if anything happens to him. Projected backup Jeremy Weisinger, a sophomore, is out for at least eight weeks after dropping a free weight on his right leg and breaking his fibula. Either redshirt freshman Adam Bledsoe, the younger brother of New England Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe, or sophomore walk-on Gabe Leonard will slide up to No. 2. After watching the two young quarterbacks in spring practice, Neuheisel surmised that it was as if they were "trying to pass Algebra 4 without having taken Algebra 1 and 2." Clearly, the onus is on Hessler to stay healthy, and on the line, led by guard Melvin Thomas, a 6'3", 305-pound Outland and Lombardi Trophy candidate, to protect him.

With Hessler at the controls, the nation's 10th-best passing attack (303.5 yards per game in '96) should remain potent. Senior wide receivers Phil Savoy (43 catches, 652 yards, three touchdowns) and Chris Anderson (21 catches, 344 yards, two touchdowns) are back. Further, sophomore Marcus Stiggers, a speedy 5'7" wideout, should become more of a factor.

The Buffaloes need to drastically improve their running game, which ranked No. 62 in the country a year ago. Expect Colorado to depart from its single-back alignment on occasion and experiment with some two-back sets. Whatever the formation, tailbacks Herchell Troutman (804 yards, four touchdowns) and Lendon Henry (539 yards, six touchdowns) will probably get the bulk of the carries.

Defensively, Colorado has seven returning starters, led by the two Ryans: former walk-on Ryan Black, a hard-hitting strong safety who led the team with 154 tackles last fall, and Academic All-America nosetackle Ryan Olson, who had 8 1/2 sacks and flourished in the Buffaloes' stunting and blitzing 4-3 scheme. Not to be overlooked—especially if his shirttail comes untucked—is the team's defensive MVP in the Holiday Bowl last season, 6'5" end Nick Ziegler, who has his last name tattooed across the small of his back in three-inch-high old-English letters.
—Kelvin C. Bias

TELLING STAT
37 Colorado's road wins over the past nine seasons, the most in Division I-A during that span. The Buffaloes lost seven and were tied once over that stretch.
TWO GAMES TO WATCH
SEPT. 13 AT MICHIGAN The Buffaloes return to the scene of the Kordell Stewart-to-Michael Westbrook Hail Mary touchdown pass that gave them a 27-26 victory in 1994. NOV. 28 VS. NEBRASKA Colorado hasn't beaten the Cornhuskers since '90 and knows it won't win another national title until it does.
RETURNING LEADERS
Passing	John Hessler, Sr.	12 comp., 23 att., 174 yds., 0 TDs
Rushing	Herchell Troutman, Sr.	804 yds., 4 TDs
Receiving	Phil Savoy, Sr.	43 catches, 652 yds., 3 TDs
Tackles	SS Ryan Black, Sr.	154
Interceptions	CB Toray Davis, Sr. CB Damen Wheeler, Soph.	2 2