COLORADO SPRINGS -- The 2009 college football season is still more than two months from its kickoff, but Colorado's college-football landscape was the topic du jour Thursday, June 25, at the Colorado Springs Marriott.

Northern Colorado football coach Scott Downing, along with Troy Calhoun (Air Force), Dan Hawkins (Colorado), Steve Fairchild (Colorado State) and John Wristen (Colorado State-Pueblo), met some regional media members Thursday before taking the stage for a half-hour question-and-answer session in front of more than 300 college-football fans.

Here's a breakdown of what Downing had to say:

On finishing off games in 2009, after losing five contests last year by seven points or fewer:
"We were very excited with the way we played our games last year, just not the results. Nine out of our 11 contests were within one possession entering the fourth quarter. We've just got to come into our games this season -- especially the fourth quarters -- and finish off our efforts. That's our motto this year, 'Finish Strong,' and with our older group of guys, I think that's going to be something we can do this year and establish for years to come."

On coming into the year with a touted quarterback (Bryan Waggener) in the fold:
"You're probably only as good as your quarterback. They set the tone for your entire program, are the face of your team, and they are very influential in the huddle. We're, obviously, very excited to have Bryan back. We're expecting some big things out of our team, and that starts with him. He's got the potential to do some big things for us."

On the importance of signing heavily recruited players like (OL) Bryce Schwindt:
"Well, we'll, obviously, take all the Bryce Schwindts we can get. I tell people all the time that if he was two inches taller, we probably never would have had a shot at him. But, it is what it is. He's a great player (who's currently training and playing with the inaugural U.S. Junior National Team), and his coming here has definitely given us a bit higher recruiting profile. He's one of only four FCS players on the team, so he's getting some great experience alongside guys who are headed off to the Big 10 and SEC and places like that."

On opening the season at Big 12-power Kansas:
"The opportunity to go to KU to play in a sold-out stadium and see where we are as we begin our third year here is a great thing. Last year we went to Purdue and we feel like we played pretty well for a majority of that game. Now, we know Kansas is very strong, with a great quarterback (Todd Reesing) and a great atmosphere and a great coach (Mark Mangino). But, who knows? Maybe we can get in there and hang a hickey on them. That's, obviously, our goal, and that's what we're focused on."

On what's becoming an increasingly difficult schedule (including Kansas and five FBS top-25 teams:
"We look at it this way: this schedule will be exciting for our fans and it will help our team focus, in that they know they are going to have to play at a high level from the very first game if we are going to have success this season. Playing these sort of teams always helps in recruiting, too. As in years before, we can continue to go into players' homes and say to them and their families that playing at Northern Colorado means playing on some of the country's biggest stages. In my experience, that means a lot."