Undefeated Buffs take day off

News flash: Colorado coach Dan Hawkins is giving his team most of today off. A walk-through and light lifting are scheduled this morning, with a paintball/team bonding excursion scheduled in the afternoon.

From Izvestia's Boulder Bureau:

BOULDER -- Fresh from its stirring season-opening victory in Sunday's intrasquad scrimmage, the Colorado Golden Buffaloes will take Tuesday off for what Coach Dan Hawkins calls a "bonding experience" over paintball.

Hawkins initially considered several options as a reward for the 1-0 Buffs, including extending the Annual P. Rick "Doogie" Newhouser Bluegrass and Tubing Festival into its 9th year, but he decided to start a new tradition.

"It's Division I paintball! It's the Big 12! It ain't intramurals!" he roared.

"You've got two weeks after finals, you've got a week of July Fourth and you get a week before camp starts," Hawkins continued, still shouting at the top of his voice. "Now we get another day off? Yep. And if you don't like paintball, go play intramurals, brother … go play intramurals."

Senior captain and backup cornerback Biff St. Jacques, while excited about the paintball trip, had hoped he could persuade the coach to schedule a yachting trip.

"I mean, Daddy's sloop is parked right on Santa Monica Pier," said St. Jacques, a transfer from Tufts. "We could Gulfstream out and back, and return to Boulder in time for tea."

Student equipment manager Ross Tafarian said today's event will be a little extra work for his staff.

"Paintballs, guns, those kinds of things, might be tough to find," Tafarian said. "The 'other' supplies . . . in Boulder, those will be an easy score."

CU will resume practice Wednesday in preparation for Saturday's scrimmage, in which the fourth-team CU defense (with nine players) will wear Montana State replica jerseys. The Buffs are favored by four points.