BOULDER - He is a big guy who's very big on getting it right, and Saturday poses one of the largest challenges of Jeff Grimes' coaching career.

For the University of Colorado's offensive linemen every week, it will be Grimes' way or the wrong way. And if it's the latter, no one will suffer in solitude on college football's opening weekend.

Grimes' guys, a hefty and diverse blend of experience and budding talent, are charged with protecting quarterback Cody Hawkins, a promising redshirt freshman who can hear the clock tick-tick-ticking toward his first Division I-A start.

It comes Saturday at Invesco Field at Mile High against rival Colorado State, and anyone who has followed football for more than 24 hours knows the formula defensive coordinators instinctively dial up when facing young and inexperienced quarterbacks.

"They'll try to get him rattled," CU passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Mark Helfrich said. "We're trying to prepare everybody for everything - various fronts, blitzes, coverages. . . . They'll try to confuse him."

If Hawkins is a bit of a game-day stranger to these tactics at this level, Grimes isn't. In his last coaching stop before joining the CU staff during the offseason, Grimes worked as Brigham Young's offensive line coach - the same position, plus running game coordinator, he holds now.

He remembers BYU's trip two seasons ago to New Mexico, a Mountain West Conference team that prefers an unconventional 3-3 stack defense "where they blitz and twist and every play is like chaos," he said.

Not satisfied his linemen were sufficiently prepared for countering the Lobos' lunacy at the line of scrimmage, Grimes took his troops into their hotel parking lot on game day for a 90-minute, eleventh-hour walk-through.

"They were sweating their butts off," he recalled. "But I said, 'Hey, fellas, I'm not going to let you go on the field for this game until you know you're ready.' "

The Cougars offensive line showed up on time and well-schooled for their first play from scrimmage. BYU won "and we got it right most of the time," Grimes said. "They thanked me afterwards.

"I'm going to do whatever it takes to make sure that I feel confident. If your players go on the field and they have questions - particularly the young guys - they're going to be hesitant. And if you play hesitant, you're dead."

By game's end, your quarterback doesn't feel so good, either. Hawkins' scrambling isn't fear-provoking, but he can move sufficiently and has conditioned himself superbly. Yet, at 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds, neither he nor his personal protectors want him body-slammed on a regular basis.

"Cody will be fine, and we will be, too," junior center Daniel Sanders said, adding that during last week's final four days of practice, Grimes had Sanders and his pals "working on any zone blitzing you can think of - I think he's even making up blitzes. We've been working on them nonstop during our individual periods."

Mostly a guard last season, Sanders now is charged with trying to recognize what defense the opponent is in, where a blitz might originate and relaying that information to his linemates.

If the tackles - seniors Tyler Polumbus (left) and Edwin Harrison (right) - detect something amiss or read an outside blitz key Sanders might not see, they prompt him.

Grimes' focus, though, usually hasn't been on Sanders, Polumbus and Harrison - all experienced hands - getting it right. CU is expected to open with two guards,, sophomore Devin Head and redshirt freshman Wes Palazzi, who count one start between them (Head's last season against Montana State).

Any guesses where CSU might try and channel most of its inside chaos?

Sanders said the Buffaloes' two new guards "were a little bumpy at first, but they're picking things up."

Since game planning for CSU began, Palazzi said CU's linemen have been shown "zone blitzes, boundary blitzes, field blitzes - the whole nine yards. We've practiced everything (the Rams) have shown on tape. . . . Come Saturday, I think we should be prepared for about anything."

And what if CSU zeroes in on him and Head?

"If they want to throw it our way, sure, go ahead. . . . We'll be ready for it," Palazzi said.

With three days remaining before kickoff, Grimes assures no defensive look will go unseen.

"Whatever it takes, midnight review sessions in the film room, whatever," he said. "I want them to be able to say, 'Whatever they give us, we're going to be ready for it.'

"But, yeah, they're going to try and give us some stuff. They're a big zone-blitz team and they try to disguise where it's coming from. I'm sure they'll have a full arsenal of blitzes ready for a young quarterback and young (offensive) linemen. I'm sure they're going to test us early."

As certain as CU's coaches and players are about CSU's defensive intentions, they equally are confident in Cody Hawkins' abilities to cope with whatever is thrown at him - provided the line does.

"That's his strongest asset," Grimes said. "He can think his way through the game without becoming mechanical. Some guys start thinking their way through a game and overanalyze and can't make a quick enough decision.

"Cody kind of sees it all, but he's relaxed enough and poised enough that it never slows him down. I just think he's going to be great in that regard."

Passing game coordinator/receivers coach Eric Kiesau said Hawkins is a "very special young quarterback. He takes a very different approach (and) we've prepared him a lot."

And Helfrich's hope is "when the real lights come on, he's just who he is all the time."

Hawkins plans to be the same guy who seems unflappable in practice, sees the field and coverage in full and is setting the standard among CU quarterbacks for after-hours preparation and playbook time.

"One of this strengths is he's so smart and cares so much about the game, he'll get in and watch more film than anyone," redshirt freshman receiver and close friend Scotty McKnight said. "He's in his playbook more than anyone. That was his strength in high school football.

"They can throw some confusion at him, but for the most part, he's smart enough to handle it and break things down. He does a really good job of controlling the game."

For his part, Hawkins expects to be pressured and even expects the unexpected.

"Pressure is always a big deal, just because people want to see how you handle it. But we've done a good job in practice of simulating it, and the (offensive) line has done an awesome job picking it up. We'll just keep working on it and definitely expect it on Saturday."

The only dissatisfaction Grimes & Co. will experience is if they're not able to handle it - which CSU's defensive minds are undoubtedly counting on.

Cody Hawkins' bodyguards

Pos Player Yr. Ht. Wt. Comment

LT Tyler Polumbus Sr. 6-8 300 Developed into formidable tackle

LG Wes Palazzi Fr.* 6-1 295 Swift camp ascension was surprise

C Daniel Sanders Jr. 6-3 310 Made huge strides at guard in 2006

RG Devin Head So. 6-4 295 Becoming one of line's vocal leaders

RT Edwin Harrison Sr. 6-4 300 Line's Iron Buffalo spring honoree

TE Riar Geer So. 6-3 245 Blocking catching up with receiving

TE Joe Sanders Sr. 6-3 235 Converted linebacker made impact

* Redshirt freshman

brooksb@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5466

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