If Jon Embree had gotten to choose the road site to begin his stint as Colorado’s head football coach, things probably wouldn’t be any different than they are now.
Embree, who has taken over for the fired Dan Hawkins, says the importance of Saturday’s visit to Hawaii goes beyond the game itself.
"I think it’s important we kind of become that second team on the island," Embree said after Tuesday’s practice. "It’s important that kids know that Mom and Dad are going to have a chance to at least see them play once at home, and those kids having a chance to compete against some of their former teammates."
The Buffaloes have always had a Hawaii presence — from recent players B.J. Beatty, Michael Sipili and Jordon Dizon to alumni such as Chris Naeole, Vili Maumau and Vaka Manupuna.
Linebackers coach Brian Cabral and defensive line coach Mike Tuiasosopo have helped continue that trend, playing large roles in the recruitment of freshmen Juda Parker and Paulay Asiata (Saint Louis) and K.T. Tu‘umalo (Punahou).
No team had a better haul of players from Hawaii this summer than the Buffaloes, who convinced Asiata to change his commitment from Washington in the final moments before signing day in February.
The newcomers join returnees Sione Tau (Damien ’07) and Kaiwi Crabb (Punahou ’10) as five Buffaloes from Hawaii who have yet to play a single down in college.
All are listed on the Colorado depth chart this week, although none in starting roles. How much, if any, playing time they get on Saturday remains to be seen.
"I feel like I finally get to at least give my part to this team," said Tau, a redshirt senior.
"I’ve just been working hard so that when the opportunity shows itself I can get in."
The other four are newbies to college football compared to Tau, whose path toward playing time has been anything but smooth.
He redshirted his first season despite dressing for nine games, including the Independence Bowl. He had earned the backup offensive tackle spot in the offseason, but was ruled academically ineligible at the end of the summer and missed the entire year.
In 2009, he was excused from all team activities after violating team rules and spent last year backing up Nate Solder, an All-American taken in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft.
"It’s been a tough road, but now that I’m looking (back) at it, it came by real quick," Tau said. "Physically, I’m feeling much better than what I used to feel, and mentally, I’m sharpening things down, feeling a lot better."
Tau has dropped from 385 pounds to 335 since January, all in hopes of getting to play at Aloha Stadium.
"It’s a little nostalgic, but exciting," Tau said. "My first time playing at Aloha Stadium was high school and to be able to start the season off there is something the whole team is excited about."
Crabb, who redshirted last year as a freshman, is also in the mix to rotate in on the offensive line.
"They have me playing two different positions in hopes of getting some playing time, which would be great, especially since it’s back home," he said.
The Buffaloes are predicted to finish near the bottom in the Pac-12’s South Division, something not lost on the players.
For Crabb, Saturday marks the beginning of what he hopes to be a special next four years.
"It’s a perfect time for me because it’s a fresh start for everybody," Crabb said.
"It’s a fresh start for myself because I feel like I’ll be playing now, it’s a fresh start for our program in the Pac-12 and a fresh start for our coaching staff that is professional in everything they do.
"They treat (the players) like professionals and have changed the mentality around this program. Everything is serious now because we look at this as a job."
