Nick Hirschman ready to take the field if called upon

While the future of the Colorado quarterback corps brightened considerably this week with the signing of former Texas quarterback Connor Wood, the present depth chart is a bit unnerving.

Behind senior quarterback Tyler Hansen there are no quarterbacks who have taken a snap in a Division 1-A football game. Red-shirt freshman Nick Hirschman, who missed over a week of fall practice with a foot injury, is the primary backup.

Reason for concern?

Not according to Hirschman.

“I didn’t feel like I was far behind at all”, Hirschman told BuffaloSportsNews.net. “I was able to get in the playbook while I was hurt, and I didn’t fall behind. I got on the tape. The only thing I couldn’t do was move. So I wasn’t far behind at all. I attended all the meetings. The first couple days when I wasn’t out at practice they said there was no point to be out there just standing around. So I was in the training room.”

Is Hirschman ready to lead the team if called upon? “It’s very exciting,” said Hirschman. “Any time an athlete gets an opportunity to go out and show what he can do it’s very exciting. Of course you never wish for anybody to get hurt, but if that unfortunately happened to go down, I’d be ready. It would be a smooth transition and I think the guys trust me. I trust all of them to be doing there jobs. It will be my first college playing experience. No matter when I get to step on the field, I’m going to be ready and I’m going to be excited to do it.”

August 30th

Jon Embree Press Conference Quotes – August 30th

On the status of the team for game week – “A lot of energy and enthusiasm, inside and outside, in the program right now. We’re looking forward to getting on this plane Thursday, and heading out to Hawai’i.”

On facing Hawai’i without some of the star players from last season – “As long as they have the trigger guy, it doesn’t really matter. I equate it to Peyton Manning (and the Indianapolis Colts) last year. They had some guys go down, and they just plugged some new guys in, and he just kept on going … We just have to do the best we can as far as pressuring him, trying to get our hands up, that’s one thing that you can do to try and negate the quick throws, and make him hold it a little bit longer. You have to be good at getting into your zone drops.”

On his confidence in senior Travis Sandersfeld and freshman Greg Henderson – “I have a lot of confidence in them. I believe a lot in this team; I believe a lot in these players … I think that Greg Henderson has had a very good camp … Travis (Sandersfeld) is doing a very good job. Part of being a good player is knowing what you can’t do, and Travis does a good job with that. He does a good job of using angles. He has good ball awareness, he’s a physical player. So I feel comfortable with both of those guys being out there.”

On what the defense needs to do to stop the Warriors – “Unless we put 12 guys on the field, we’re probably not going to show him something that he hasn’t seen. So what I’ve been impressing upon our guys is that we have to do a good job of tackling. When you look at that offense, when they get the big plays – when an eight yard gain becomes a 20-yard gain, that’s when you have problems. That’s when they start to get a little swagger, a little attitude with their offense.”

On the Hawai’i defense – “They’re physical; they run. They are really good up front. Their two defensive tackles are really good players – they do a really good job of getting a push. When you watch their defense play, they play as a unit.”

On the importance of the first game to the program – “I’ve been saying since Day One that this is a big game. It’s an opportunity for us to bring the bricks back. It’s a big game because it’s the first game … As far as setting the tone for the program? What the guys will find out is that every game is a big game. If we want to accomplish the things we say we want to accomplish, as a team and as a program, you can’t put too much importance on one game, and not enough on the next one. So I have made this a big game because it’s the next game. And I’m going to put a lot of importance on Cal because it’s the next game, and I am going to do that every week.”

On the CU seniors – “It’s important to me that these seniors go out of here with a good experience. I look back here on my time at Colorado, and it was tremendous … I’ve been around for many of the bricks which have been put up, and the one which stands out to me is the 1986 brick: ‘Nebraska 10, Colorado 20′. It was important because it was the first time we had beaten Nebraska in 18 years. And it was important because that game was kind of a watershed moment for this program, and it helped springboard us … I want these seniors to have (a similar experience), because one day they are going to be sitting on the couch, watching a college football game, and their kids are going to ask, ‘Hey daddy, did you ever …?’. My kids asked, ‘Did you ever beat Nebraska?’ – it was important to be able to say, ‘Yes’ … I want (the seniors) to have the same experiences I had … I want them to be able to say, ‘This is why I came to Colorado’ “.

Senior quarterback Tyler Hansen Press Conference Quotes

On preparing for his senior season – “We have won some big games but we haven’t done much. We want to compete for conference championships and we want to go to big time bowl games and we haven’t done that so we want to leave on a special year.”

On senior running back Rodney Stewart – “‘Speedy’ has matured a lot. He has changed from the quiet little freshman guy who didn’t talk at all and now he won’t shut up. He is one of the more vocal guys on the team and years prior, he wasn’t like that.”

On his health and his role in the Colorado offense – “I haven’t been hit since October so it is going to be interesting but I think I am going to enjoy it. “I think it is going to feel good.”
Will he run in the new offense? ”I think with this type of offense, with what they are asking me to do, I think I am going to be a game manager and get the ball out, let the playmakers outside and Rodney get after it and let them make plays. That is what I want to do as a quarterback, let guys outside work for you and focus on making sure the protection is right, making sure you know what guys outside are doing so you can get the ball out to them and let them go run 60-yards and get some touchdowns.”

Senior safety Anthony Perkins Press Conference Qoutes

On the goals of the seniors for their final season as Buffs – “There is definitely some unfinished business that we need to get accomplished in order for me to be able to look back and know that I did something significant. I feel like there is still much to be done.”

On the new offensive and defensive schemes - “The whole mentality of the offense right now is they are going to come right at you and that definitely affects your mindset as a defensive player. [Our opponent] may know exactly what we are going to do but stopping it is a whole ‘nother’ deal. We’re going to get after you no matter who we’re playing, no matter where we’re playing. It is going to be just as physical, just as intense, no matter what the situation is.”

August 29th

Jon Embree Quotes – August 29th

On playing Hawai’ian music during practice – “Yeah, we had a little music going, just so they will get used to it – not going out there and being hypnotized. So we played a little Hawai’ian music, just so they can get used to it. What happens is, you end up blocking it out. I asked the guys if they had been playing the music throughout practice, and they said ‘yes’. After about two minutes, you learn to shut it out. Just another way for them to concentrate, and focus on the task at hand.”

On game week demeanor – “A lot of excitement and energy. I told them that we don’t play tomorrow, so let’s just keep building. Let’s keep improving; there’s a lot of work still to do … They had a lot of fun out there (on Monday night), which is important also.”

On keeping out of harms way – “I told them to stay out of trouble. I told them that after the first Saturday scrimmage, that if they mess up, they are jeopardizing their time here … and you have to look out for each other as teammates. I told them about the journey we want to go on, and the things we want to establish, means you’ve got to sacrifice. If it’s not important enough for you to be home at a certain time, if it’s not important enough to you to walk away from something, then we’re just fooling ourselves. They’ve done a good job so far of protecting each other, and keeping out of trouble.”

On preparing for Hawai’i – “They are an excellent team. They won ten games last year. We were fortunate to win (last season in Boulder). Anytime you win ten games, you have got to be doing a lot of things right. So, we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

August 26th

Jon Embree Quotes – August 26th

On preparing for the time change next weekend – “We’re going on Hawai’i time. We’ll get them up at 8:00 o’clock, which is noon for these guys, they’re probably used to sleeping until noon. So we probably won’t have to change much. We’ll practice at night (the Buffs will practice from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Monday – Wednesday next week), just so we get used to running around that time frame. Other than that, we’ll just go on their time”.

On sight-seeing in Hawai’i – “It’s all business. They can see (Hawai’i) when we land and again when we take off. They can see everything they need to see then. We’re there for one reason.”

On his experience in coaching in Hawai’i – “I’ve coached over there. We’ve played two bowl games over there (the 1993 and 1998 Aloha Bowls, both Colorado victories), so I’ve been around it.  I don’t see it as being a factor, I really don’t. Even though it’s early over there, with it being a 4:00 game (it won’t make a difference). If it was a ten o’clock game, or a seven o’clock game, where it was midnight back here, I could see it, but with it being at four o’clock, it’s just like a night game here.”

On the two Aloha Bowl wins – “We beat Fresno State with Trent Dilfer, and then we beat Oregon with Akili Smith. We have played well over there on that island. Unfortunately, none of those guys are on this team (and CU didn’t have to play the University of Hawai’i in those games). There were a few things in our favor in those games. But our guys are excited”.

On Hawai’i's home field advantage – “They’ve done great in defending their home turf. They’ve done a good job with their program over the past few years. You win ten games, that says a lot. So it will be a lot of fun, I’m excited.”

On whether Hawai’i quarterback Bryant Moniz (who threw for 5,040 yards and 39 touchdowns last fall) is “legit” – “Yeah. Those guys get kind of a bad rap. I was with Colt (Brennan, Hawai’i quarterback from 2005-2007) in Washington. He’s unbelievably accurate. Colt may not have had the ‘NFL arm’, but he’s real accurate, and throws the ball on time. And that’s what matters in that system. If you can be accurate and throw on time, there’s guys open all over the place. The thing that jumps out in seeing some things, and his interviews and all that. It’s the same thing I like about Tyler (Hansen) - you can tell (Moniz) is a leader, you can tell the team follows him. You can tell the team hangs on every word he says. You can tell he commands respect on both sides of the ball. Coach Mac used to say, ‘be careful when you play a senior quarterback, no matter who it is or where it is’. (Moniz) had a great year last year, I think he led the nation (in passing). He doesn’t get the respect he’s earned, because not enough people see him play.”

On resting stars – “There out there today. Speedy (Rodney Stewart) - the last two practices have been really good. I’m excited. I’m excited for these players. I’m excited for them to have their opportunities.”

On senior Matt Bahr listed second on the depth chart, ahead of sophomore DaVaughn Thornton – “He does a good job blocking; he does a good job catching the ball when it’s thrown to him. Just his overall grasp of the scheme. Matt was a guy we didn’t get to evaluate this spring, because he was out with injuries (post-season shoulder surgery). He made an impression quickly, and then just kept building on it.” On whether Bahr (a converted offensive tackle) is “athletic” enough – “He gives us enough athleticism there. I don’t know, when we’re playing hoops, when he’s going to be drafted (laughs).”

On the leadership of senior safety Anthony Perkins – “I hate to use the cliche, but he’s the quarterback back there. He gets them lined up. He knows where he’s supposed to be, he knows if someone’s not where he supposed to be, and helps make it right. I think if you look at the team last year, when he got hurt, the production in the back end dropped significantly.”

August 25th

Schedule for Friday, August 26th: Practice (4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.)

Jon Embree Quotes – August 25th

On Thursday’s practice – “It was really good from a physical standpoint. We were banging and getting after it. Guys were pressing a little bit, but I can tell we’re getting closer to a game. They’re trying a little to hard to be perfect, instead of just trusting their technique and doing their job. So I’m happy where we are from a physical standpoint, now we’ve got to get the details down of our assignments, the mental aspect of the game, which I think over the next two days, and of course next week, we can get that accomplished.”

On hitting in practice on Friday – “No. We’ll hit a little bit on Monday, and then that’s it. Tomorrow we’ll be in ‘spiders’. We’ll just try and get some timing things down in the passing game; some more assignment stuff for the defense, in the secondary, and just keep working the details of the game plan.”

On improvement in team unity – “I’m not sure what it was last year. But one of the first things I did when I got here was to blow up the locker room, I changed in around. I moved the walk-ons and seniors and freshmen, the black kids, the white kids – I just moved it all around so that we didn’t have any cliques. And I’ll do it again after this season’s done. I felt it was the one of the quickest ways for us to get to know each other. Like I said, we’re not going to have the best talent, but we can be the best team … To be the best team, we have to know each other and trust each other … They seem like they like each other; they seem like they know each other. I guess we’ll find out when we hit some adversity, just how tight we really are.”

August 24th

Schedule for Thursday, August 25th: Practice (4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.)

On momentum building toward the season opener – “Some. There is still some lingering, ‘the game’s a ways away’, with some of the guys”.

On Wednesday’s practice – “The offense today I thought had a heckuva practice, until the last period of practice, we didn’t finish. But we’ll get it. They don’t have a choice. But we’ll get it.”

On whether the culture has changed with regard to away games – “I don’t know. I haven’t been with them on away games. This will be my first away game with them. We’re going to just keep preparing. We’re going to keep talking about it, and we’re going to keep making sure they understand what they need to do to win. We’ve got to have confidence, and confidence comes from preparation. Only they know if they have prepared like they need to. A lot of the things we’re trying to do in practice is to expose the guys who haven’t prepared, or don’t know what they’re doing. So that we can either not have them in that situation or not have them out on the field, so that we have our best opportunity to win.”

On the play of the tight ends – “(Senior) Ryan (Deehan) has had a solid camp, he really has. I’d like him to be a little bit better in a few things, but, for the most part, he’s had a really solid camp. That group in general has had a pretty good camp.”

On the play of his co-starters at center, sophomore Gus Handler and red-shirt freshman Daniel Munyer – “I have confidence in both of those guys. Gus Handler’s had just a great summer, and he’s earned everything that he is getting.”

On this Saturday’s “scrimmage” – “We call it a ‘scout’ scrimmage. It’s really a mock game. We go through substitutions; special teams situations; where do we go for pre-game warmup. We’re just in helmets, so it’s not like a real scrimmage … All those things, we need to know where we’re going.”

On the running back depth chart – “I wish there was a little more definition in (the rotation). We have Speedy and just some guys. I wish some guys would separate themselves, I’d like that. You know. (Running backs coach) Eric (Bieniemy) could probably speak to that more, what he is looking for in those situations. They all flash, they all have different strengths. I just wish one of them would say, ‘I’m the next guy. I’m taking that role’.”

On the play of junior safety Ray Polk – “Ray is physical, and he runs really well. I like his attitude. I think he has really good range. I wish he was younger. I know we’ve got him for two years, but I think he’ll be a very good player for us here when it’s all said and done.”

August 23rd

Schedule for Wednesday, August 24th: Practice (4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.)

Jon Embree Quotes – August 23rd

On Tuesday’s practice – “It was good today; a little sluggish in spots. At the end, they got a little bit tired, but it was good. We did some live work today, ones v. ones, so that was good. And guys got after it, so I was glad. We were tackling good, and hitting.”

On the return of backup quarterback Nick Hirschman, who missed last week with a bad ankle – “Yes, he was a full participant. He threw some in there today, he was doing some stuff. He did everything as a normal backup. He’s been participating since Monday, even threw some on Friday.”

On contact in practice – “We’ll continue to hit through this week, and then we’ll see where we’re at as far as what we do next.”

On the play of Josh Hartigan, David Goldberg and Juda Parker in the new Jack (Outside) Linebacker position – “I think Mike (Tuiasosopo) and Kanavis (McGhee) are doing a good job of getting those guys off of the ball, and converting from run to pass rush moves, so I expect those guys to do a good job in putting pressure on the quarterback.”

On depth at linebacker, then on depth in general - “I wouldn’t say pretty deep (at linebacker), but we have decent depth. We’re not where I’d like us to be from that standpoint. When I am comfortable with our depth is when we have great scout teams. When you have guys like Chad Brown on your scout teams, but he’s going to be a great player for you … I remember some of the scout teams that we had (in the early 1990′s), and some of the guys who were on it. When we get to that point, that allows you to have better quality practices. It allows you to do some things, more things from a physical standpoint … I’m not knocking the guys we have now, but I feel like when we get to that point (of having exceptional scout teams), that’s part of the deal about building a program.”

On junior linebacker Jon Major, who led the team in tackles last season before being injured midway through the season – “Major’s done very well. He’s a captain, so that says a lot when your peers think that much of you to vote you a captain. Jon’s had a very good camp. He’s got better in the pass game, and that’s were I felt he needed a lot of work, just watching him from last year. He’s got a lot better feel for that, so, I’m pleased with him.”

On preparing for the Hawai’i game – “We’ll get going on that stuff. There’s a lot of stuff that they do, so we’ve started mixing some of that stuff in.”

On the reason for the elevation of freshman wide receiver Tyler McCulloch to co-starter (along with senior Toney Clemons) – “He gets open and he catches the ball. A simple task, but it’s obviously not something everyone can do. He has a knack for it. He has a knack for finding the seems, makes the tough catches in the middle. He plays physical. That’s what I liked about him on his tape, was how physical he was. When you get those long touchdown runs? That’s because you have wide receivers downfield blocking. That’s the difference between a 12-yard run and a 60-yard run. It’s your wide receivers, and what they are doing in your running game. I think (McCulloch) has got a bright future here.”

On recruiting “sleepers” like McCulloch – “You can make recruiting numbers say anything you want them to say. When you recruit, you’ve got to find guys who fit your system; guys that have the mentality that you want. When I look at programs like Iowa – I don’t know what their recruiting classes are every year, but I can guarantee you that they are probably not in the top 30 in recruiting every year, let alone top ten. But they find a way to be in a BCS bowl every four years, because (Iowa head coach) Kirk (Ferentz) does a great job of finding linemen, a great job of finding players for his system. Same with Wisconsin. I mention those two programs in terms of recruiting because they are similar to us, in terms of the numbers of in-state players that you are going to have consistently every year. This is a very good year this year in Colorado (in terms of elite prospects), but normally, you’ll have what, three or four guys? So you have to go out of state, just like Iowa. They have to go out of state. Wisconsin, they have to go out of state. So you have to do a good job of identifying, you have to do a good job of coaching them up when they get here. A lot of times you can get guys who are five stars or whatever they are, and they have peaked out. They don’t know how to compete; they have maxed out. (Recruiting) is an inexact science. You can make the numbers say whatever you want them to say; you can spin it however you want. At the end of the day, I’d wish they would rate classes when they graduate. Then we’ll know who had what kind of class.”

August 22nd

Schedule for Tuesday, August 23rd: Practice (4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.)

Jon Embree Quotes – August 22nd

On the new depth chart, which is littered with freshmen - “We’re just trying to put the players who have performed the best in camp. I played as a freshman; they trusted me (in 1983) … (This group of freshmen) have a sense of urgency, and that’s okay. We’ve got to play them.”

On whether Daniel Munyer and Gus Handler at center might both play in the opener against Hawai’i – “They’ll both play. There’s no ‘might’.”

On the offensive line in general – “(Offensive line coach) Steve (Marshall) feels great about having eight pretty solid ones, especially going in there with the heat. With the situation work, getting in as many fresh bodies as we can. We’ll do that on both sides of the line … We have to play a lot of people. That’s why last week was so important from that standpoint, figuring out which guys you can play.”

More on the high number of freshmen in the depth chart - “The other thing about having this many freshmen playing, and being around it. They’re going to go through this, and have some experience to draw on. I’ll never forget how Coach Mac used to bring guys on certain road trips, because it was a big game. It was like, ‘This guy’s going to play football for us at one point, I want him to see what it’s like in a hostile environment, playing in front of this crowd in two years’ … Maybe it’s getting Tyler McCulloch or Nelson Spruce around, being involved in some of those game situations. One day, we’re going to need them. Maybe this year; maybe two years down the road. I think it’s hard for a kid when he starts for the first time, and its also the first time he’s playing, but he’s been on campus for three years. Three years experience on campus is not experience. Experience is being in the ballgame, and being around it, or at least seeing it. I think it’s important that we get those guys around it as much as we can.”

On the 3-4 alignment on defense – “From a personnel standpoint, it’s a good fit, and we can do a lot of different things out of it.”

On the punting choice of freshman Darragh O’Neill over sophomore incumbent Zach Grossnickle – “You know, ‘Dar’ beat him by about half a yard in (head-to-head competition), and .01 something on hang time, so I went with Dar. We’ll see how he does. We’ll see if he takes off like the young kid (freshman placekicker Will Oliver) did. I told Zach, that doesn’t mean you quit competing. I told (senior transfer Mark) Brundage that too. Sometimes kids react differently. Sometimes kids, when they’re in a competition, they don’t perform as well as they are capable. Then, when there is no pressure on them, they relax and find their groove. Sometimes other guys, they win a competition, they relax and say, ‘Okay, I got it’, and don’t perform. So, we’ll always be evaluating, throughout the whole year. The depth chart is fluid, it’s always going to be fluid. So don’t ever feel like, ‘Hey, I’m the guy, so I can just relax’.”

Embree reconsiders dressing down team

As fall camp shifts into preparation for the 2011 season, practices are moving to 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. daily, with the first on-field work since Friday’s scrimmage taking place Monday afternoon.

Before taking the field with his new depth chart and a closed facility, head coach Jon Embree softened some of his language from Friday.

“Talking with other coaches – some guys whose opinions I value – and reading what other programs in our conference are doing, I feel better,” he said. “There’s a lot of programs trying to (develop depth and avoid injury) and that’s the only way to develop the depth you have. No matter how ugly it may have been, that’s what we had to do to evaluate . . . I feel better about it from that standpoint. I’m still not happy with the results, but I understand it’s part of what camp has to be.

“When I look at camp as a whole, I feel like we had 17 really good practices. I mean really good practices. We had one that was OK, and we had the one that I felt was not good enough. So when I look at the big scheme and the roster from a health standpoint, camp was good. Some of the other guys I talk to have (injury) issues; we’re good from that standpoint.”

Notes and quotes from Monday’s scrimmage will be posted here as soon as they are available …

August 19th

Second scrimmage lacking

Summing up the 105-play Friday scrimmage, Colorado head coach Jon Embree was to the point: “The defense played well, the offense was not good enough.”

The lack of production on offense will lead to changes in the depth chart, which is to be updated and released on Monday. “We’re going to have changes on the depth chart,” Embree told reporters after the scrimmage. “It’s the same three or four guys – and that’s the thing on offense, all it takes is one guy (misfiring). It’s the same three or four guys consistently making mistakes at the critical times.

“From a depth standpoint, we have to stay healthy. There are guys who continually show they can’t do it or they won’t do it. We’re going to have to stay healthy and we’re going to have to get creative. If we get some injuries at some positions . . . I’m not going to just put somebody in because they’re next on the depth chart.”

Embree was clearly frustrated about how his team performed, and the small number of players he can count on with less than two weeks to go before the September 3rd opener at Hawai’i. “We’re at that point where I know what (a few of the front-line players) can do. I want everyone healthy for Hawaii. Maybe it’s paranoia or whatever, but I was really conscious about that going into this thing. I didn’t want to get anybody hurt. We need to be able to prepare Monday full speed ahead.

“It’s been a hard week physically. It seems every day there’s a new seven guys coming down with something or being ruled out or fighting their way through it. But it is what it is.

“I know it’s ugly and it’s frustrating. I know the offensive coaches wanted to do some things and do more . . . I probably handicapped them some, but I just want to evaluate guys. I want to see how guys play, how when things aren’t going good who can pull themselves out of it. (Friday) confirmed what I thought about some of the guys.”

August 18th

Schedule for Friday, August 19th: Scrimmage- not open to the public -  12:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Jon Embree Quotes – August 18th

On Thursday’s practice – “We’re definitely a tired team. We rested some guys today. We didn’t have Tyler (Hansen) throw or do anything today, so we can get some other guys some reps. Some guys had some opportunities to show what they know and what they can do. I was disappointed in how some of the backups played, and what they did. So that was disappointing from that standpoint. The kicker was good; 91 (freshman Will Oliver) kicked it through every time, so I was pleased with that.”

On freshman quarterback John Schrock: “I was pleased with 14 (Schrock) and his decision making … I think he definitely solidified himself as the No. 3 guy (over fellow freshman Stevie Dorman and junior transfer Brent Burnette). I feel good about our quarterback position … We can run the whole offense with (Schrock). That’s been the good thing about him getting all the reps in practice with Nick (Hirschman) resting his foot, and then us not using Tyler at all today. He’s been in a lot of two minute situations, which is critical for that position. He’s been in some situations where he’s had to think and figure out what we want to do … Being quick with his decisions and understanding there is no wrong decision. I’m not going to get mad if it’s third-and-12 and you had a guy open and you got us seven (yards) and we take the points (by getting the field goal unit closer). That’s okay, because if you sit there and hold it, like he was doing earlier, we’re getting sacks. Now we’re definitely out of field goal range, and some of those sacks turn into turnovers. I feel very comfortable with John Schrock if we needed to play him.”

On the play of backups - “I was disappointed in a handful of guys that need to step up, that are backups, and they’re not doing it. So we’ll make plans accordingly … Some guys think that their opportunities are going to be, ‘well, you’ve got 12 plays, now show us what you can do’. What they don’t understand - I’m evaluating every day, every play, every rep. I don’t believe in the, ‘Oh, it’s game day. I’m going to play better’. So that’s what they have to understand. Every time they are out there, we’re putting it on tape, and they’re going to be evaluated. Some of these guys don’t understand that, and that’s okay. I’m not going to let them prove me wrong on game day. They’re not going to be out there. That’s just how it is. I look to the guys who do it right in practice. The guys that we know who will do it right on Saturday. There may be a more talented guy standing next to me, but I’m okay with that. I’m not going to let some guy go out there and beat me, and lose the game, and then have some guy say, ‘Well, he did it in practice. What made you think he wouldn’t do that in a game?’ . That’s okay. We need to know who we can count on, and who we can’t”.

On giving a scholarship to walk-on senior Kyle Cefalo – “Kyle’s been great on and off the field. Like I told the guys last night, I’d rather give it to a known commodity, than giving it to a guy coming in new, where you don’t  know what you’ve got. Kyle’s been tremendous here, since I’ve been around him; he’s earned it. So we put him on scholarship.”

On the influence of defensive coordinator and secondary coach Greg Brown – “If you look at what was our passing defense when he was here, and what it was like the year he was gone for a year. Same players. I think that speaks for itself … He’s got tremendous experience. You’re talking 15 years in the League. He’s been a college coach at different levels. Sometimes I think when you look at a college coach at lower levels, at a different quality of player, you have to be creative. You have to be a good teacher if you’re going to get your players to have success. He’s been able to do that at every level. He’s always had success. I like his temperment. To be in the back end, you have to forget that last play. I think he has a good balance of when to get on guys, and when to help them get on to the next play.”

On the play of junior defensive end Nick Kasa – “Nick is going to help us a lot. Nick has had a good camp. As far as the star stuff (Kasa was one of the highest rated players of the Dan Hawkins regime), I don’t pay attention to that. You’re a zero star when you get here. You’ve got to start over. So that (Kasa’s rating) doesn’t affect me one way or the other. He’s had a very good camp. He was off to a decent spring and then got hurt and missed most of spring, so that was a little disheartening, because I know in the back of his mind, and Jon Major, and a couple of others, about staying healthy. Like I said the other day, along the defensive line, whether you are a starter or a backup, you’re going to see equal snaps, so that doesn’t matter. So I feel comfortable in what he brings”.

August 17th

Schedule for Thursday, August 18th: Practice (9:30 – 11:30 a.m.) (Last practice open to the public) and a walk-through (5:45-6:30 p.m.)

Jon Embree Quotes – August 17th

On running two minute drills during Wednesday’s practice – “I’m doing it as a form of conditioning. There’s just some more situations; being aware of a few things – wanting to work a few field goal attempts with no time on the clock; work the ten-second run off (the new penalty which can be imposed this year). We had that (penalty) in the League, but we just wanted to get the guys used to that and understand what that is, and how we’ve got to react … We did all right (with the drills). We’re down some bodies at the receivers. We need to be better there, in better shape. I know they’re tired, but they’ve got to keep pushing themselves.”

On how much he’s looked at Hawai’i – “A ton. I’ve seen every game on both sides, and I have certain opponents of theirs that I have watched, five or six times, both sides.”

On whether facing a 5,000-yard passer keeps him up at night – “Nope. I like my guys. I do. I like my guys. We’ll see; we’ll see. But I like my guys. I like what they’re doing back there. I think guys are starting to step up. I think we’re figuring out what we need to do from a defensive standpoint, to kind of give us our identity on that side of the ball. It’s a great test, right out of the box. We’ll know after that game what we need to work on.”

On the good play of  the defensive line - “I’m confident in the whole team right now. Some guys who I think are doing well … our D-line has been maligned (in the past), but I think they have had a very good camp … I think we have good quality. I feel like there is not this huge drop off when one guy comes out and the next guy comes in. More importantly, I feel like they all play together; they all play for each other; they pull for each other. You need to have that up front, because the starter may play 50 plays, and the next guy may play 45 … Just because you’re the first guy out, doesn’t mean that the guy behind you is not going to get a lot of reps.”

On the play of the offensive line – “I like what our O-line is doing when we’ve got our (starting) five in there. We look bad at times, but that is because we are moving guys around in there, cross-training them. Left side; right side, they get their lefts and rights mixed up at times, and that makes us look bad, but I’m not overly concerned about that, because we are developing depth, and that’s what we need to do on that side of the ball.”

On the play of red-shirt freshman cornerback (and former quarterback recruit) Josh Moten – “J-Mo has played well the last couple of days. He really has. He’s one of the few guys out there who catches it when he touches it. That’s always good. He’s had a couple of picks in some of these situations, and he’s doing a good job of being aggressive, being physical. J-Mo has certainly put himself in the mix. He’s just to make sure he’s doing something on (special) teams now … He’s made some really good plays, he really has.”

On junior transfer cornerback Makiri Pugh moving over to wide receiver – “He wants to try, try to look at receivers. So we’ll go ahead and let him go there.” On whether Pugh has a chance to play – “We have to see. It’s hard to evaluate him right now. I guess we’ll find out more in the spring.”

August 16th

Schedule for Wednesday, August 17th: Practice (8:30 – 11:00 a.m.) and a walk-through (5:15-6:15 p.m.)

Jon Embree Quotes – August 16th

On the passing game – “I’m not worried about our passing game (even though it may appear that the offense is struggling) … We’re doing play-action pass movements. We’re doing ‘nakeds’ and bootlegs. Our defense knows they’re doing it, so they’re calling blitzes to make us throw hot. So, no. I’m not worried about where we are with our passing game.”

On the saga of the punters – “They both (sophomore Zach Grossnickle and freshman Darragh O’Neill) did well today. Grossnickle is a little bit ahead, because he’s been a little more consistent … but that’s not saying much. We’ve got to be way better … But I’d say (Grossnickle) is a little bit ahead right now.”

On whether red-shirt freshman walk-on Josh Ford has a chance to play – “Yes he does. Josh just keeps making plays. He keeps showing up. He’s does that since spring (practices).”

On the status of the offensive line – “You know, we feel good. We’re moving guys around – center to guard, guard to center, guard to tackle. That’s part of the issue with the passing game. A guy thinks he’s at tackle and he’s the guard. You know, it’s a different call, so a guy’s coming in free. We have a good idea who are five guys are, but we are working guys in other positions, so if we have an injury, they can move in. It’s not their first time doing it. It may cost us some reps in practice, but it’s what we need to do. Because we don’t have true depth as far as saying, ‘Okay, we have these ten guys’. We’ve got to use eight guys to fill the ten spots, so we’re moving guys all over the place. That’s why sometimes you see a guy coming in Scot-free on pass protection, our guys forgotten he’s not the left tackle, he’s the right guard. There’s a lot that has to go through their mind … But when they are in there at their right positions, they do a good job at it.”

On the status of the centers (note: senior Shawn Daniels has been slightly injured, and has been held out of some of the most recent practices) – “They’re both (sophomore Gus Handler and red-shirt freshman Daniel Munyer) doing well. They’re both doing very well, and Kaiwi (Crabb) was in some at center also.”

On the number of players who have the flu – “We’re getting killed by the flu. Guys are taking four bags of IV … but, like I told them, they came out and practiced. They got after it, they were physical. (The morning practice) wasn’t perfect, but that’s okay. USC has got 19 people hurt, I asked how many of our guys are hurting, and they all raised their hands, but we aren’t having that many guys out of practice”.

On holding out some starters due to injuries – “(Senior running back Rodney Stewart)’s hamstring was a little tight. It gives us a chance to work other guys. That’s what we need to do. Same with (sophomore wide receiver Paul) Richardson, his groin was a little sore. We know what he can do. We’ve got to evaluate other guys … I bet we’ve had 15 to 20 guys hit (with the flu). We’re like a M*A*S*H unit, we’ve got so many IV’s. Most guys are getting two or three bags. But all but (red-shirt freshman tight end Kyle) Slavin and (freshman defensive back Will) Harlos were able to practice today. I think that says a lot about the mindset of these guys.”

On the release of an updated depth chart – “Probably after the second scrimmage (August 19th). Probably during the week of the 22nd.”

August 15th

Schedule for Tuesday, August 16th: Last of the three two-a-day practices (8:30 – 11:00 a.m. and 3:30-5:30 p.m.)

Jon Embree Quotes – August 15th

On review of the scrimmage tapes from Saturday – “Early on offensively, we were having one guy break down here or there, so, after seeing that, that was disappointing. But nothing that we couldn’t fix, so it was good for them to be in that kind of environment, under that kind of pressure – getting them to think and react. That explained why we started kind of slow on offense. We have to start fast. We have to start creating our own momentum. We’re learning how to do that a little bit, but we’re not where we need to be as far as that.”

On clearing up position battles – Yeah, I think I know who are corners are going to be, so we’ll see if they finish like that. I’m not announcing it now, but I think that (Saturday’s scrimmage) cleared that up. I think that there are some guys at the back end, at the safety position, who can help us. Also, on the defensive side, I felt a couple of the young ‘backers played particularly well. So, we’ll see how some of the guys fit in on the special teams with us, and get that cleared up”

On the receivers - ”I felt some of the receivers started distinguishing themselves (during the scrimmage)”. Was Toney Clemons one of those? – “No, we’ve got to figure out a way to get him more consistent. He’s hard on himself, I don’t know what it is, but it’s just something we just have to keep working with him on. I’m sure if you ask him, (he’ll say) he expects more of himself than what he’s done.”

On the return of defensive back Parker Orms – “I really wasn’t watching him much today, but the good news is I don’t see him riding off today on a cart, so there’s a positive sign. I think that having him back, and having him in the mix, and having him going will help us back there.”

On senior right guard Ryan Miller not seeing much action in practice on Monday – “We’re trying to find our combination up front … That was the reason for some of the problems early on, just some of the communication. Guy has been playing center now he’s guard, going from tackle to guard or guard to tackle, just trying to get these guys to communicate. We’re battling some things right now, a lot of guys are going through I’d guess what you would call the flu bug, so that’s why we were a little lethargic. Also, guys are beat up and sore. But they keep ‘making the pads talk’, so that’s an encouraging sign, because we are going to feel like this in Week eight. So let’s see how we react in Week eight when we’re beat up, sore and tired like this.”

On it being good to have Chidera Uzo-Diribe (who suffered a neck injury last week) back in practice – “Yeah. I was teasing him – I still haven’t got the note from his mom saying that it was okay for him to come back to practice, cause he was begging me to practice from the first day back. He wanted to come back out, and I told him, ‘Get a note from your mom and we’ll do it’. He still hasn’t produced one, but it was great having him back out there.

On the play of senior defensive end Josh Hartigan – “Josh Hartigan also had a good day out there, coming off of the edge … One of the things as coaches that we’re trying to see is who is out there asserting themselves. There were plenty of times out there today when I normally would have had a different reaction, but I just wanted to see if some of the players would take it upon themselves to say something, because we’re on the sidelines come gameday. So, they’ve got to learn how to lead out there on the field and get after each other in the right way, when things are going as they should be (and Hartigan is one of those players assuming a leadership role)”.

On naming a starting punter mid-week, as previously discussed – “After today, gol-ly, I don’t know. In a perfect world, yeah (he will name a punter this week). We’ll put the pressure on them tomorrow, see if someone just asserts themselves … no one wants it. No one wants to do it … it was average at best (on Monday). And that’s just because I don’t know anything else to say.”

August 13th

Schedule for Sunday, August 14th: Academic meetings; no practice.

Jon Embree Post-Scrimmage Quotes – August 13th

On the scrimmage overall – “Overall, I’m happy. I don’t think we started sharp, offensively, that was a little disappointing. But I was happy from the standpoint that we ran the ball. We were physical. The defense was hitting people. The passing game got going; once again we were rusty. We came out throwing early. It was not as sharp as I would have liked. We came out of it healthy, That was the main thing. I’m happy with where we are after the first week … It was physical; there were some guys taking some shots. I’m glad we came out of that one healthy.”

On the play overall – “There were not a lot of mental mistakes. The one thing I am disappointed in are the penalties on the offensive side. I think we had five illegal procedures; we can’t have that. We’re working different people at center, so it’s always going to be a little bit different, but that’s no excuse. We’ve got to be dialed in, it doesn’t matter who is in there.”

On whether the number of sacks which would have been given up (if the quarterbacks had been live) were attributable to poor offensive line play, or good defensive line play: “I think our D-line has had a very good camp, so I think it’s a combination. Some of the things we’re doing on offense, we’re moving people around – Because of some guys being nicked, we’re moving people around, just trying to evaluate people. So it’s a combination, I think it’s more D-line than our guys. Off the top of my head, I would say that there were probably five or six sacks. But I just tell the official to let it go. We need to see the ball throw, we need to see the people on the back end … Our defense is giving us a lot of different looks. Our defensive is doing a lot of things which is going to help us and make us better.”

On freshman quarterback John Schrock – “John Schrock’s doing great. I’ve been very hard on him, because he’s made some mistakes that he can’t make at the quarterback position. At the same time, I’ve got to remember that he’s just a freshman. But he has a good awareness of where to go with the ball; he has a good feel for the offense … He’s a  guy that I think, had he been used differently in high school, we wouldn’t have got him as a walk-on … He’s probably entrenched himself as the number three guy (behind Hansen and Hirschman).”

On whether freshman Nelson Spruce has played well enough to make the travel team – “Yes. We’ll see what he can do with special teams, to help solidify that. He had a good scrimmage. (Nunmber) 87 (freshman wide receiver Tyler McCulloch) had a good scrimmage. I think those two freshmen wide receivers have put themselves in a position to have a chance to contribute.”

On freshman D.D. Goodson - ”D.D. ran well. We’ll see how it looks on tape; we’ll see how the running backs guy (Eric Bieniemy) thinks about him. But my initial impression is that he did run well.

On whether a decision has been made as to a starting punter – “No. I think we’re going to just have these guys keep competing, keep putting pressure on them; put them in more situations. The main thing I want from that position is good hang time.  I just want a guy who can kick it 40 yards, and make the guy fair catch it. I don’t need Superman; let’s just start there and build off of that.”

On the kickers – “Castor and Oliver both had good scrimmages … I think if Justin continues to do what he’s doing, we’ll have two good kickers. I’ve been here before when we’ve had one kicker for the longer kicks and one for the shorter kicks, and that could be (Castor’s) role, along with kickoffs. He still has an important role … And (Oliver) still has to go. Like I say, we’re one week in … I’ve got to keep putting those guys in pressure situations.”

On the play of the cornerbacks – “Corners? I’m pleased. I may be the only one. I like 20 a lot (freshman Greg Henderson). I like his demeanor; I like the fact that he’s physical. I like him a lot. I thought 25 (sophomore Ayodeli Olatoye) and 32 (sophomore Paul Vigo) did some good things. Sandersfeld did some good things. I know we need corners, and I just feel like some players will emerge. I think the guys are getting more comfortable in some of the things we’re asking them to do. And I think that helps is that our guys (on the defensive line) are getting some pressure, so they’re not covering all day long.

On players who stood out during the scrimmage – “On the defensive side, (freshman defensive back) Kyle Washington, (freshman defensive back Will) Harlos, and Henderson. I really felt like those guys really stepped up. On the offensive side, I was glad to see No. 87 (freshman Tyler McCulloch) do some stuff. I thought 5 (senior running back Rodney Stewart) ran well. He’s got to learn that – all I need is four yards. He doesn’t have to try and get 30 yards, 40 yards, every time he carries the ball. Just get us four. Tyler (Hansen) did well. He started a little bit rough. I want to get him more aggressive, with his leadership; with his teammates. I want him to be more vocal than he’s been.”

August 12th

Schedule for Saturday, August 13th: Scrimmage – 12:00 – 3:00 p.m., down on the practice fields. (Note: This will be the only scrimmage open to the public. The second scrimmage, scheduled for Friday, August 19th, was to be open to the public, but is now closed. The reason cited is parking. It will be summer graduation next weekend, and students will begin moving onto campus for the fall semester. No parking spaces = No open scrimmage).

Jon Embree Quotes – August 12th

On evaluations during the Saturday scrimmage – “We’ll evaluate everybody tomorrow, as best we can. Some players like Chidera (Uzo-Diribe, who was injured during Wednesday’s practice) will be on a ‘pitch count’, but other than that, we’ll be trying to evaluate as many guys as we can.”

On how the scimmage be conducted – “Situational, as far as just starting it out on the 20 or the 30. I doubt we’ll do anything starting in the redzone; we may do some of that just to get some kicks, but I’ve never been big on that. You end up with 49 points, and you feel like you’ve done something, but there all 25-yard drives.”

On what he hopes to get out of the first scrimmage – “Just to see how well guys know what we want them to do; how they are with details; how well they can think when there are no coaches on the field … It’s just good to get them out there and see how well they play when they don’t have that security blanket.”

On the injury to quarterback Nick Hirschman – “He’ll be out here tomorrow. Like with Parker (Orms), when you have a foot like that, it’s just the swellinging issue you’re dealing with. You want to keep him elevated as much as he can. We’ve got him in a boot. If not tomorrow, for sure next week … He’s doing everything else, there’s just no need to have him out here and making things worse. We want him to heel as quickly as he possibly can.”

On the importance of special teams – “A lot of places, coaches look at (special teams), and players look at special teams as a punishment; doing something extra. They want to be the position coach, or as a player, they want to play their position. They don’t understand the importance of special teams and being on it. Having someone who understands that (special teams coach J.D. Brookhart) was huge.”

August 11th

Schedule for Friday, August 12th: Practice (9:30 – 11:30 a.m.); walk-through (5:15 – 6:15 p.m.)

Jon Embree Quotes – August 11th

On naming a new punter – “I know who I think it is, but I want to be 100% sure … Hopefully, we’ll have it finalized by early next week. We’ll kick some in the scrimmage, I don’t know how much, but then we’ll put the screws to them on Monday. So, hopefully by Monday we’ll have our punter.” Embree went on to say that all three of the punters – senior transfer Mark Brundage; sophomore Zach Grossnickle; and freshman Darragh O’Neill – were all still in the competition. “I believe it’s like the quarterback position. The sooner they know, then the more they can relax. It’s just a different mindset. I would like to decide early, then let them prove me wrong one way or the other … I think it’s easier on a guy when he knows if he’s the guy or not.”

UPDATE: Quotes from after the afternoon practice – “We had a punt off to get it down to two. (Freshman) Darragh O’Neill is definitely in it. I’ll see who the other will turn out to be, but it will probably be (senior transfer Mark) Brundage going at it. We’ll see when I see the stats, but that’s what it looked like here on the field”. As for Zach Grossnickle, last year’s punter, and the apparent odd man out? “That by no means does it mean for him to stop working. Just like I told (Justin) Castor (who lost out on the kicking job earlier this week), ‘Keep working. Things happen. Keep working’.” And a final decision? – “Mid to late week (next week). Unless one of the two clearly distinguishes themself.”

On picking the 70-man travel roster for the season opener in Hawai’i – “Friday we’ll continue to go over it. We’ve got to wait and see on some guys, from a health standpoint. But, to the coaches, it’s pretty clear cut … We’ll come up with our list, and then see how the scrimmage (Saturday) shakes out. There are some guys who are very good ‘shorts’ players, but who are really good in pads. That’s why the scrimmage will still be very important from that standpoint. We’ll get a chance to see if they can separate themselves.”

On Chidera Uzo-Diribe getting back to practice – “He wants to practice. I talk with (the trainers) on that. I know what he can do. I’m comfortable with what he can do; in his abilities … I want him for Hawai’i. We’ll see how sore he is”.

On Brian Lockridge – “He has just a tailbone bruise, so that’s why he hasn’t been running … This gives us the opportunity to look at some of the younger guys. We’ve got to make sure that we’re evaluating them too.”

On the Thursday afternoon practice – “About three-quarters of our practice will be with the freshmen; with our ‘threes’, guys who maybe aren’t getting a lot of reps. It will be more of a teaching (practice), getting them more involved with things.”

On freshman D.D. Goodson – “He has a chance to help us on (special) teams and offensively. That’s another guy we’ve got to get some more evaluation on, him and (freshman running back) Malcolm Creer. So we can see who can do what; how it all fits” … On Goodson as a returner – “Good quickness; good hands as far as catching the ball. He’s a real natural at getting underneath it, at catching it. He shows good quickness, at getting to the hole … He’ s got some wiggle to him. After we get the punting thing going, we’ll have more time to evaluate the returners.”

On freshman quarterbacks – “(John) Schrock’s progressing, even faster than Stevie Joe (Dorman). That’s been encouraging, so we’ve been getting him some reps. They’ve both got a long ways to go, but you just have to bring along those guys as they pick up what they can. We don’t want to throw them out there in the middle of  the ocean … we may never get them back!”

On centers and corners, anything worked out? – “Nope. Nope. Still open tryouts … We’ll hope to have it down to four cornerbacks by the end of scrimmage. I can say that Travis Sandersfeld has done well.”

On the play of Tyler Hansen – “He’s really sharp. He was a little rusty at the beginning of camp. I don’t know if he was just pressing a little bit, trying to be perfect, but he’s good. He does a good job of getting us out of the huddle, getting in the right plays; all of those different things that we need to do. He does a lot of little things that don’t necessarily show up … getting the ball snapped, getting the right motion, a lot of detail things. He does a good job with that … He does a heckuva job throwing the ball on the run … He’s a good player.”

On Friday’s practice – “It will be even more special teams. We’re going to do all phases, so it will be a heavier special teams practice. We’ve been doing a lot of drills. Now, we’re going to start trying to put some of the pieces together.”

August 10th

Schedule for Thursday, August 11th: Second of three two-a-day practices – 8:30 – 11:00 a.m.; 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.

Jon Embree Quotes – August 10th

On sophomore defensive lineman Chidera Uzo-Diribe, who was taken off the field with a head/neck injury – “Chidera’s going to be fine. I think it’s similar to what happened to DaVaughn (Thornton), so I’m sure he’s going to be sore. He’s just a little bit of tingling I guess. So (what the trainers did) was just precautionary. You never want to take a risk on something like that. I guess he just landed kind of funny on his neck/shoulder, so what was done was precautionary … He was conscious; talking. He had feeling and everything.”

On Uzo-Diribe’s efforts this fall – “He’s been great. We’ve put him inside some (at defensive tackle). He does a great job of using his hands and getting on the edge. He’s a guy that I forgot that we didn’t have much during the spring (due to a toe injury). It’s been good seeing him out there.”

On the defensive line in general – “I’m happy with our D-line depth as a whole. Both inside and outside, we have some guys who can spell each other, because … the way we play, we’re going to have to roll guys. We’re going to have to get everybody who is traveling, who is up for the game, ready at the D-line position.” On the incoming freshmen, Juda Parker and Stephane Nembot – “I would expect both of those guys to be involved some.” 

On the intensity on Wednesday (after Embree complained about the lack of intensity in the Tuesday afternoon practice) – “The intensity was what I wanted (Wednesday morning); what we need … I told Mike Bohn this in my interview, I’m not a ‘want’  guy, I’m a ‘need’ guy. We need to practice at a certain level. We’re not good enough to just roll our helmets out there. We can’t let the standard dip because we’re sore, tired, or whatever. We have to go at a certain pace and a certain tempo … That’s on us too as coaches. We talked at the coaches’ meeting last night, ‘We’ve got to get it out of them’. I know it’s hard; I know it’s a grind. Everybody else is in that same situation. This is your opportunity to separate yourself; to get ahead. We have to practice with that mindset; have that mentality.”

On the recovery of sophomore defensive back Parker Orms – “He’s starting to work back in. We’re doing some individual work with him now. I’d like to have him back Monday or Tuesday … It all depends on the swelling in the calf.”

On the search for a third wide receiver after sophomore Paul Richardson and senior Toney Clemons – “We’re all right. We’ll see in the scrimmage. We have to be better at catching 50/50 balls. They have got to be better when you have to compete for a ball. You have to go up and catch it – you have to. We have to be better about that.”

On freshman defensive back Greg Henderson – “I got on Greg today. Here’s what I see from Greg. He’s there every time – now make the play. Great feet, hips, he’s there with them when he runs. Now – just don’t let them catch the ball. As he continues to grow, and get some confidence … A lot of these guys think they have to be perfect … A lot of these guys press because they don’t want to let the team down, but just ‘go play. Trust your technique, and everything else will take care of itself. You’ve got ten other guys out there who’ve got your back.”

On the tight ends – “Right now, I’d say we probably have four (most likely seniors Ryan Deehan and Matthew Bahr, sophomore DaVaughn Thornton, and red-shirt freshman Kyle Slavin) that we can play with … They all have a different skill set … As coaches, you don’t ask players to do what they can’t do, so if Matt Bahr is the blocking end, we’re not going to ask him to go out and catch a corner route … But we need them. We need them because they help bring the physical element that we need for our run game.”

August 9th

Schedule for Wednesday, August 10th: Practice – 8:30 – 11:00 a.m.; Walk-through – 4:45 – 5:45 p.m.

Jon Embree Quotes – August 9th

On whether the Buffs have a new No. 1 kicker - ”Yep. Will Oliver. We had 24-yard field goals, and he made ten in a row. The other guy (Justin Castor) had three opportunities, couldn’t make ten in a row. That guy (Will Oliver) did it his first time. He’s our kicker.” Will this decision be subject to change?: “It’s like the quarterback, right? How long are we going to just keep pretending? If I’ve got a guy, and I think that it’s him, and I have confidence in him … I know he may have a bad day here or there, but you know what? He’s come out and earned it. He’s had two very good days when he has not missed. I’ll take my chances right now with him.”

On recruiting Will Oliver to be a starter as a freshman – “I knew we needed someone. All I heard when I got here was about the Cal game and that we had kicking problems. So I did know we needed to get somebody … He’s got a work a little better in getting some lift, but that will come. Like I said, he’s had two very very good days. The pressure was on them, neither one of them knew what was going to happen today. (Oliver) was ready; he was prepared.”

On what he sees in Oliver: “He seems confident. The thing I like about him, he’s been in some pressure situations. One day, he struggled a little bit, got down. But the other days, he’s responded. So, we’ll see.”

Will he do the same type of competition with the punters? – “We’ll see. We’ll get it down to two, and out of those two, figure out who the one is. I told them that they are on notice. They don’t know when, but they know it will happen.”

On handling kickers as part of the team – “I try to coach them with kid gloves, but I just can’t. I’ve got to be me, so, if you can’t handle me, you can’t kick for me. It’s like any other position. I can’t all of the sudden become gentle and kind … You have to be thick-skinned. I want a guy who embraces pressure. I spent some time with Mason Crosby this summer; he embraces pressure … I want a guy who embraces pressure, who wants that. I don’t want a guy (who says), ‘I can’t kick today, I’m a little sore’. Everybody’s sore. Everybody’s tired and beat up. If you want to be on this team, we all have got to do it together.”

On senior transfer Logan Gray – “He’s starting to get a grasp, get a little more comfortable. His first couple of practices, I was like, ‘Where is it? Where is it?’. I think he’s getting comfortable now. I don’t know if it’s just the weirdness of being in a whole different environment … but his last two practices have been pretty good. He’s going up, so that’s’ always encouraging.” Coach Embree also noted that, since Gray also played quarterback at Georgia, that he gives the team some flexibility in terms of travel (having an emergency quarterback on the roster), as well as on the field, with reverse passes and option plays.

On red-shirt freshman quarterback Nick Hirschman being kept out of practice – “He has a foot or ankle [injury] and we just don’t want it to get bad. I would assume a week or two, just to be safe.” Then, when Embree was asked about Hirschman’s availability for the first scrimmage on Saturday, Embree said, “Yeah, I am not going to scrimmage him. We need to look at those other guys and see who the third [quarterback] is.” … Guess that makes it pretty clear who the No. 2 quarterback is …

On freshman linebacker Woodson Greer, who was wearing a “no-contact” jersey on Tuesday – “Yeah, we are running him, getting him in a little better shape. With him, he is coming off shoulder surgery, he had it like five and a half months ago so we just want to make sure we ease him into it. He has done a good job in the classroom as far as learning the stuff but I just don’t want to get him out there and we get banging, he gets fatigued and then we lose him for the whole year because he needs to be able to practice and go against the one offensive unit and see how it is.”

August 8th

Schedule for Tuesday, August 9th: Practice – first of three two-a-day practices (8:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. and 3:30 – 5:30 p.m., with the second practice in shorts)

Jon Embree Quotes – August 8th

Overall – “Our intensity level didn’t change from what it has been (in the first day practicing with pads). We had a back-up scrimmage; we had some penalties that we just can’t have; we roughed a kicker on a tight punt, which we just can’t do … The offensive line did a good job of asserting themselves. We are a little dinged up there so guys are getting a lot of reps but it doesn’t matter. They are starting to take on the identity that we need … but the offense totally won it today.” Is that a good thing? – “Yes. because the defense won it the past three days.”

On limiting two-a-day practices (the first of which comes Tuesday) – “I understand it. (Two-a-days) came about to get guys in shape. Players now are working out all summer, if not year-round, so they’re in shape … It is a violent game, so there is only so much you have in you. There’s a fine line in practicing and learning how to do things, and embracing it (without having to have two-a-day practices)”.

On sophomore defensive back Parker Orms, who sat out of practice for the third straight day – “He’s the guy in the golf cart – to keep his leg elevated.” On Orms’ return – “I’m hoping to have him for the scrimmage. I’m hoping to have him Thursday. That’s me – the trainers might have a different deal”.

On Evan Harrington establishing himself as the top fullback – “Yeah, he is. They’re both physical (Harrington and Tyler Ahles, both of whom moved over from linebacker last season to play fullback), Evan’s just a little bit further along in the playbook, and understanding what we want, how we block and how we want it done. So he has the edge right now.”

On wide receiver Toney Clemons, who was called out by Embree on Sunday (see August 7th quotes, below) - “Toney practiced today. He did it. Now, can you do it tomorrow? Anybody can do something once, so hopefully, he continues on. But he had a great attitude (Monday), he understands it’s about him getting better, about him helping the team. He’s a pro when it comes to that. He understands what the criticism is all about.

“I know they’re college kids and all that, but there is only one way to do it, and if you’re not doing it, your teammates need to know. That’s how it is; we’re a family. I don’t necessarily look at it as calling someone out. We’re a family. We all know everyone’s business. So I’m going to make sure that teammates know when someone isn’t doing what they’re supposed to do, and when guys are going above and beyond – because we need to know.”

August 7th

Schedule for Monday, August 8th: Practice – first practice in pads  (8:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.); Walk-through (4:45 – 5:45 p.m.)

Jon Embree Quotes – August 7th

Overall – “It was very good, very good from a defensive standpoint. They are making a lot of strides. Offensively, we have one guy at wide receiver right now. Nobody wants to step up so we’ll just play with one. So that was disappointing. The kickers, the competition was good. [Justin] Castor got the best of it today. But I am very happy with the practice. The thing that pleases me the most about it is being very physical. So now when we get the pads on, nothing should change so I am very pleased with that aspect of it.”

On the wide receivers - “Yep, that’s the one (that is playing well, sophomore Paul Richardson). Toney Clemons is dropping too many passes. We got guys running wrong routes, guys can’t compete for balls in traffic. Guess what? You are not going to be open when you catch the ball. You have to catch the ball in traffic. Can’t catch in traffic? Can’t play. So we’ll find someone or we’ll just play with one.”

On the status of injured cornerback Jered Bell – “It’s unfortunate for Jered. It is what it is. We go 13 weeks. If we are fortunate, we’ll have the same starting lineup but we probably won’t. This will just give us an opportunity to develop some other people. It will give Jered an opportunity to learn from a coach’s standpoint, watching tape and seeing it from a different perspective. He can make this positive if he chooses to.”

On Parker Orms, who watched practice on Sunday – “He just strained his calf. He wants to be around watching practice and I saw him standing on it. He comes in, the swelling is down, then he stands for two and half hours and the swelling goes back up. So we just wanted him to keep it elevated as much as possible. I think we are making good headway with him.”

August 6th

Schedule for Sunday, August 7th: Practice (8:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.); Walk-through (4:45 – 5:45 p.m.) – in shells (first practice in pads on Monday)

Jon Embree Press Conference Quotes – August 6th

- On first three practices – “Fall camp has gone very well so far for us … The intensity level keeps rising … The thing I am most pleased about with these guys is that they seem very physical, and there are not a lot of mental mistakes, it is more technique stuff … It shows they’ve been working all summer in the playbook, watching tape, and seeing how things fit.”

- On staying in a hotel during camp, rather than in dorms – “We needed to be better as a team, as far as knowing each other … We have them rooming offense and defense, and trying to split them up and make it as diverse as possible, to try and get guys who don’t know each other to room together”.

- Why the different approach? – “The only way we’re going to win is if we’re the better team on that day. We are not going to have the best players; I’m okay with that, but we can be the better team … Part of that is trust, and the only way you’re going to trust somebody is if you know them. That’s why we’re doing it.”

- What are his expectations for this team? – “I don’t have expectations as far as numbers. I have expectations that we’re going to hit you in the mouth. I have expectations that we’re going to compete. I have expectations that  the other team has to beat us, that we’re not going to go out there and lose.”

—- Sorry for the interruption, but the above two sets of quotes gave me chills. They remind me of the first time I heard Bill McCartney speak. It was the week of the Nebraska game, in Coach Mac’s first season, 1982. Colorado did not win that week, but the Buffs did compete, something we hadn’t seen during the Chuck Fairbanks’ years. If you need a short diversion, here is my write up of the 1982 Colorado/Nebraska game —–

- On traditions, in addition to bringing back past players with open arms – ‘We won’t have the inflatable thing, the tunnel, and the smoke. We’re just going to come out and run behind the buffalo … We’re going to bring back the bricks at some point … We’re going to do a lot of things that we’ve done around here before.”

- On running the ball – “I’ve got to beg Eric (Bieniemy) to run the ball, so that’s the first thing (laughs). It’s what we have to do. We have to run the ball for a couple of reasons. One, that needs to be our identity. If we are going to be a physical team, we need to run the ball and implement our will on the other team.

“The other thing about it, it helps our defense. If you’re on the field all the time, you’re not going to be a good defense … For us to be a successful program, that’s always going to be our staple. We have to be able to run the ball. We have to be able to control the clock; wear people down.”

- On Eric Bieniemy – “The great thing about Eric is that what you see is what you get. He is relentless in everything he does. He is all in all the time … He is very good at multi-tasking … He’s intense; he’s very focused.” Embree also noted that Bieniemy would be calling all of the offensive plays (“I’ve hired good coaches, I should let them coach”), and that Bieniemy would be up in the booth during the games (“at least until they kick him out”).

- On the newly implemented celebration penalty – “I understand the spirit of it, but I’m not a fan of it … I understand about celebrating before (scoring a touchdown), and we’ve talked about it. We’re going to try and coach it up as much as we can. I hope it never happens, but kids are going to be kids … I just hope (the officials) use common sense on it. I really do.”

- On utilizing the tight ends in the new offense – “The joke in the offensive room, because they say that every pass read starts with the tight end … and that’s okay. It should! … I know I’m biased, but I believe that when you have good tight ends, you can create mismatches … When you’re good from the inside out, you’ve got a chance.”

- On Hawai’i being a “trap game” – “It’s not a trap game; we’re the underdogs. I got a text message, I guess we’re 11-point underdogs, so we’ve got our work cut out … I’m excited to go.”

- On former head coach Bill McCartney – “Since I left here (in 2003, to coach at UCLA), we’ve talked semi-regularly. Mac and I have always had a good relationship. Since I’ve been back, we’ve had a number of talks. He’s given me a lot of great advice … He’s a guy I’ve told that he can be around anytime. He can sit in on any meeting; any practice”.

- On McCartney’s leadership – “No disrespect to our players – the guys who were with Mac when I was here, but he tricked us a lot, into thinking that we were better than we were. We won a lot of games that we didn’t know we weren’t supposed to win”.  Embree then went on to talk about the difficulties the team endured during the 1-10 season of 1984, including the brain injury to fellow tight end Ed Reinhardt. “We had beat Iowa State, I believe they missed a field goal late in the game for us to win (with 2:17 left, to be precise. Here is a write up of the 1984 Colorado / Iowa State game). We came in, celebrating, and we have (No. 5) Nebraska the next week. When we walked out of that locker room, I felt bad for what was going to happen to Nebraska.

“Now, they beat us (but not without a fight. My writeup for the game is entitled, “You tell ‘em, Bill!”), but in my mind, and in a lot of players’ minds, it was like, ‘Man, they have no idea what they’re in for!’. That was Coach Mac. That’s what made him such a great coach. He had a great way to communicate with you to get you to not see what your negatives were, but to understand what your strengths were … and why that was going to lead to victory.”

 Any guesses on how Jon Embree intends to handle the 2011 season, when the Buffs will likely be underdogs in most of their games? …

 August 5th

Schedule for Saturday, August 6th: Practice (8:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.); Walk-through (4:45 – 5:45 p.m.)

Jon Embree Quotes – August 5th

Overall – “I thought we had a really good practice. We didn’t start fast on offense, but once we got going, I thought it was good. The defense did a good job on some little things, from a detail standpoint, that was better than yesterday … It was spirited, so that was good.”

On his son, Tyler, a UCLA senior, “spying” on the Buffs’ practices (UCLA doesn’t start practice until Monday) – “I’ll send him the tape, I don’t care! He was here for three days of spring practice. By the time we play them (November 19th). we won’t have anything left to hide. It’ll all be out”. (Embree also noted that he wouldn’t walk his son out at the beginning of the game, which is Senior Day at UCLA, noting that his energy that day will be on defeating his son’s team).

On Brian Lockridge, who was injured this spring, and is playing before Embree for the first time – “Good bursts with him; some good speed … good to have him out here for depth at that position.”

On the competition for starting punter – “I stand at the 40-yard mark (at the beginning of practice) and see how many (punts) get past me”. Noting that after two days of practice, the punters should have the line calls and formations down. “Tomorrow (Saturday), the competition starts in earnest”.

On his approach to voting in the USA Today coaches’ poll – “Alphabetical order … that way Colorado makes it in there (laughs) … I’m a sports addict; a sports fan. I feel like I have a good feel for it.” Embree then went on to say something which should make every Buff fan proud (and also give members of the Buff Nation, as the head coach went after one of Buff fans’ least favorite columnists … “The reality of it is, if you’re not number one, who cares? Right?”, then challenging the assembled media – “Who was No. 17 last year in the country? Anybody know? C’mon Henderson (John Henderson, from the Denver Post, who wore red on the day Embree was introduced as head coach), C’mon, Henderson, this is your job!”.

 Embree concluded the meeting with the press by noting that he was in favor of a playoff – “I’m a playoff guy … Because the year we won the Big 12 championship (20o1), we made that run. I believe if we had playoffs, it would have been interesting what would have happened. We got hot at the end of the year … As a coach, you want to get better as the season goes on; it’s unfair to be punished for a loss early in the season.” Does it still bother Embree, ten years later, that Colorado defeated Nebraska, 62-36, but the Cornhuskers played for the national championship? – “Yeah, it still bothers me. It’s one of a handful of things that you don’t ever forget. How do come second in your division, and you play for a title …?”.

Nice to know that the end of the 2001 season still bothers Jon Embree, too …

August 4th

Schedule for Friday, August 5th: Walk-through (6:30 a.m. – 7:30 a.m.); Practice (5:30 – 8:30 p.m.)

Jon Embree Quotes – August 4th

On the first practice of fall camp – “It was actually good. There was a lot of carryover from what we did in the spring. The ‘ones’, the older guys got it figured out. Now we’ve got to get these younger guys. We’re getting some mistakes … but I felt it was a really good tempo practice.”

On the evaluation of new talent in camp – “Evaluating; especially the younger guys. See who can help us early” … How long will it continue? – “When we come out of the second scrimmage (August 19th), we have to know (who we are going to play in the opener)”.

On his “vocal” assistants – “We’ve got to be positive. At the same time, we’ve got to be demanding. If we see something, we’re not going to be shy about it.”

On the battle for starting cornerback – “Travis Sandersfeld looked good. Parker (Orms) looked good before he got dinged up (a cramp in Orms’ calf, not related to his knee injury). Deji (Olatoye) showed up. A couple of the younger guys: Kyle Washington; (Greg) Henderson … It was a good competition”.

On the move of running back Cordary Allen to tight end – “We’ve got a log jam at running back. With his big body (6’1″, 235-pounds as a red-shirt freshman), he might be able to do some things from the ‘move’ tight end position. It’s similar to what we do with the fullbacks, so he should have some knowledge of what we’re asking him to do.”

Bryce Givens no longer with the team 

The star-crossed career of offensive lineman Bryce Givens will not continue at the University of Colorado. “That ship has sailed,” said Jon Embree after Thursday’s practice.

Thursday night, head coach Jon Embree announced that Givens, suspended by the school for an off-the-field incident last December, will not be a member of the 2011 Buffs.

As a sophomore in 2010, Givens was severely limited by injuries. After missing most of spring practices due to academic issues, Givens suffered a high ankle sprain during fall camp. Givens saw limted action in the first two games of the season (13 plays against CSU; 14 plays against Cal) before sitting out the next four games. Givens was in for 24 plays against Texas Tech, but then did not see the field again the remainder of the season.

In 2009, Givens, as a red-shirt freshman, was on the field for 524 plays, the fifth-highest total on the offensive line. Givens earned six starts that year, which proved to be the only starts he would see as a Buff.

August 3rd

Schedule for Thursday, August 4th: Walk-through (6:30 a.m. – 7:30 a.m.); Practice (5:30 – 8:30 p.m.)

Buffs Report for Duty

While the first official practices are not until Thursday, the Buffs are now officially in camp. Wednesday’s schedule include the checking in of the players, physicals, and a team meeting.

A total of 105 players reported for camp, and only one, senior offensive lineman Blake Behrens, is reported to be limited for the start of fall practice (recently aggravated bicep). This same report did not mention senior running back Brian Lockridge, who has been tentative about his status all summer. Apparently, Lockridge is fully recovered from his ankle surgery last fall, which is good news for the Buffs and their fans.

There are a number of invited, or preferred, walk-ons this fall. Included on the list:

8    BRUNDAGE, Mark                  P              6-  1       180        Sr.       TR       Centennial, Colo. (Cherokee Trail/Rice)

65    LaMAR, Keegan                     SN           6-  1       265        Fr.       HS       Boulder, Colo. (Fairview)

23    NORTON, Parker                    WR         6-  0       190        Fr.       HS       Costa Mesa, Calif. (Newport Beach)

38    PLIMPTON, Nick                    FB           5-11       220        Fr.       HS       Phoenix, Ariz. (Chaparral)

14    SCHROCK, John                    QB          6-  4       215        Fr.       HS       Kansas City, Kan. (Shawnee Mission East)

38    THOMPSON, River                 DB           5-  9       160        Fr.       HS       Denver, Colo. (East)

92    WALKER, Casey                     DE           6-  4       220        Fr.       HS       Grand Junction, Colo. (Grand Junction)

33    YATES, Richard                      DB           6-  2       180        Fr.       HS       Denver, Colo. (Kent Country Day)

46    YELLEN, Cody                        TE           6-  3       225        Fr.       HS       Trabuco Canyon, Calif. (Mater Dei)

Among the 105 players are 30 newcomers, including 19 freshmen recruits – four of whom signed on after National Letter-of-Intent Day last February 2 – one junior college transfer, two four-year college transfers (one as an invited walk-on) along with the eight other true freshmen walk-ons listed above.

“I’ve been waiting for this day since spring football ended,” said Colorado head coach Jon Embree.  “The players worked hard over the course of the summer, and we’ve had some leaders emerge just like you want to see.  I’m very optimistic about our team and that they are committed to what we want to accomplish.”

What to look for from fall camp …

Let’s start with the obvious:

- Identify two new cornerbacks. In 2010, Colorado pulled off a statistical anomaly … The Buffs had two NFL draft picks at the starting cornerback positions, yet somehow managed to finish 110th in pass defense. New/old defensive backs coach Greg Brown has slotted sophomore Parker Orms and senior Arthur Jaffee atop the depth chart as fall practice begins. Will those two players be the starting cornerbacks on September 3rd … against 2010′s top-ranked pass offense?;

- Find two solid kickers. Colorado’s special teams have been an embarrassment for the past several seasons. Whether it was coaching, technique, confidence or talent, the fact of the matter is that the kicking and punting game have fallen far short of that which the Buff Nation has become accustomed. Sophomores Justin Castor and Zach Grossnickle are the returning players, but both will be challenged this August;

- Is Conrad Obi for real? Colorado returns its three starters from the 2010 defensive line – seniors Josh Hartigan; senior Curtis Cunningham; and junior Will Pericak. However, in the move to more of a 4-3 style of defense, there is now room for another starter, and senior Conrad Obi had a great spring. Can the previously forgotten/overlooked lineman (if that’s possible with a man who is 6’3″, 290-pounds) turn spring promise into fall production?; and

- Stay away from the “I” word. To date, 2011 has been fairly kind to the Colorado Buffs, at least in terms of injuries. While there was almost a score of players out for some or all of spring practices, most of those players were recovering from 2010 injuries, and will be a “full go” for fall practices. Only senior offensive lineman Blake Behrens was not listed as a “full go” for the start of camp (running back Brian Lockridge is still nursing an ankle injured last fall, but was not reported as being limited for practices). In addition, one 2011 recruit, center Alex Kelley, remains in California, recovering from a broken ankle (Kelley will grey-shirt, and enroll in January). Colorado is very thin at several positions, so avoiding injuries this fall will be paramount.

Other stories of interest:

- Who will be the starting center? With senior Mike Iltis calling it a career after suffering multiple injuries, the job of starting center will fall to red-shirt freshman Danile Munyer or senior Shawn Daniels or sophomore Gus Handler. Colorado’s success this year depends upon a ball-control, physical, smash-mouth offense. The offense lives and dies with the success of the offensive line. The offensive line gets its direction – and, to an extent, its leadership – from its center. This will be a competition worth following;

- Can solid backups be identified at quarterback and running back? Again, not to mention the dreaded “I” word, but Colorado is an injury away at these two positions from having to re-think its offense. Behind Tyler Hansen is junior college transfer Brent Burnette and red-shirt freshman Nick Hirschman (with true freshman Stevie Dorman entering the fray this August). If Hansen suffers an injury, the Colorado offense goes vanilla. The same is true, to a lesser extent, at running back. Rodney Stewart is a workhorse, but if he goes down, and Brian Lockridge is not fully ready to go, three underclassmen will vie for carries – Tony Jones; Josh Ford; and Cordary Allen. This August, the race will be to see which of those players is the first man at backup in come September 3rd;

- Will DaVaughn Thornton become a star? Colorado has two senior tight ends returning, Ryan Deehan and Matthew Bahr. However, with the new running attack, Colorado will be employing a number of two tight end sets. Stardom has been forecast for Thornton, now a sophomore. Will the former Denver East star become the next Daniel Graham … or Jon Embree?;

- Can a kick returning star be identified? Colorado all but abandoned the search for a kick returner during spring practices. The coaches, rather than work with what was there, opted to wait for fall and a fresh set of fast legs coming out of the recruiting Class of 2011. As fall camp opens, the Colorado depth chart lists starters for every position … except kick returner. Under that heading, the listing is “TBA in the fall”. Well, it’s now fall …

Also …

- How will key players, including safety Anthony Perkins, defensive end Chidera Uzo-Diribe, linebacker Derrick Webb, and cornerback Parker Orms, fare in coming off of their 2010 injuries;

- Who will be a third wide receiver behind Toney Clemons and Paul Richardson? Will senior transfer Nelson Gray have an immediate impact?;

- Who will win the snapper position? Ryan Iverson handled long snaps last season, and was rewarded with a scholarship. Still, the sophomore faces competition this fall. May the best man win!; and

- Which of the incoming freshmen will have an immediate impact? There is plenty of raving going on about 6’8″, 280-pound defensive lineman Stephane Nembot. There is also a great deal to like about defensive lineman Juda Parker, wide receiver Nelson Spruce, linebacker K.T. Tuumalo, and linebacker Brady Daigh. The safest bets to see the field early, though, come from the defensive back recruits – Will Harlos; Kyle Washington; Greg Henderson; and Sherrard Harrington. There – as well as on special teams – the need is immediate, making it likely that several red-shirts will be torn off early in 2011.

Enough talk – let’s get 2011 started!!!!!!!!!!

July 28th

Colorado practices to be a lesson in contrasts

Colorado head coach Jon Embree wants his team to be more physical than the Buff teams of the past five seasons. “You have to practice in such a manner that you can’t hide. You got to expose guys”, Embree told the Boulder Daily Camera. “You’ve got to let their teammates see if they’re doing what they’re supposed to do so that they can’t hide. You do those things and that will either make you tough or get you out of there.”

There are two problems facing Embree, however, as he seeks to improve his team. First, Colorado has one of the most difficult schedules in the nation, with 13 straight games without a bye week. Second, the Buffs are not deep enough or talented enough to withstand significant injuries.

So, do you work your team, and hope that you can avoid significant injuries and fatigue? Or do you lighten up the practices, preserving your team, but leaving yourself with the hope that the players will learn toughness without repetition?

“What this will do is give us an opportunity to learn how to practice some other ways because we can’t do like we would do in a normal season if you had a bye, say, in October, you know to recover,” Embree said.

Colorado starts fall practices next week, with the first team practice next Thursday night.

July 26th

Pac-12 Media Days Notes, quotes and updates …

Colorado opens fall camp on Wednesday, August 3rd, when the players check-in and report for physicals. The first on-field practice will take place on Thursday, August 4th, from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Leading up to the opening of fall camp, and in anticipation of Pac-12 media days, the CU media relations office has issued its 2011 Media Day Notes.

As usual, CU assistant athletic director/media relations Dave Plati has come up with some tidbits I never would have known. First, though, some important details …

Roster update

- Two senior walk-ons, David Goldberg and Tony Poremba, have been placed on scholarship. As Colorado could give the scholarships and still remain under the 85 total scholarship limit, and as these scholarships will again be available for the incoming  class of 2012, this was a nice move. Goldberg and Poremba have toughed it out for three years, without receiving much in the way of recognition (both played in three games in 2010 – Goldberg for 11 total plays (with two tackles) and Poremba for seven plays (one tackle). Congratulations, gentlemen, and thank you!

- Another scholarship was handed out to sophomore snapper Ryan Iverson. Unlike Goldberg and Poremba, Iverson saw extensive action in 2010, taking care of the snapping duties on all 63 of Colorado’s punts. Iverson has been penciled in as both the long and short snapper for the 2011 season.

- Only two players from the recruiting class of 2011 will not be on campus for the start of fall camp. We have known for some time that running back Rashad Hall did not qualify academically, and will be attending junior college. Offensive line recruit Alex Kelley broke his ankle running on a beach this summer, and, after surgery, would have been unlikely to see the field of play in 2011. As a result, Kelley will grey-shirt this fall, enroll at Colorado in January, and still have five years to play four with the Buffs.

- Two players will open the 2011 season on the Inactive Roster. One, defensive back Hunter Harrison, is a transfer from Ft. Lewis College, and is ineligible to play in 2011 under NCAA transfer rules. He will have four years to play three commencing in 2012. The other is junior offensive lineman Bryce Givens, who is listed as “suspended”, with no other explanation given.

First game trivia

- Colorado opens on the road for the first time since 1995. That might be good karma for new Colorado head coach Jon Embree, as in 1995, Colorado was also opening the season with a new head coach (Rick Neuheisel), who started his career at Colorado with an impressive 43-7 victory over No. 21 Wisconsin (for those of you in need of a little positive CU mojo, here is a link to the story of that 1995 game against Wisconsin).

- Neuheisel was the first full-time head Colorado head coach to win in his debut since William Saunders pulled off the trick in 1932.

- The Hawai’i game will represent only the fourth time since 1974 that Colorado has opened on the road. One of the games was my very first game as a Buff fan. If you can take it, here is a link to the 1980 opener against UCLA (fair warning: Colorado set a verrrry bad record in the first half of that game, a record still not matched).

Scheduling quirks

- Colorado and Nebraska both jumped ship from the Texas League, but, ironically enough, both will play Ohio State this year. The last time Colorado and Nebraska shared a non-conference opponent was 1996, when both teams played Colorado State (The Buffs won their game against the Rams, 48-34, in the last game Colorado has played in Ft. Collins).

- The September 10th matchup against Cal does, of course, represent a scheduling fluke, as Colorado is playing Pac-12 opponent Cal in a non-conference game. What Dave Plati tells us: the last time this happened was in 1923, when Colorado played Rocky Mountain conference opponent Northern Colorado in a non-conference game. What Dave didn’t tell you: Colorado went 9-0 that season (including a 60-0 whitewash of Northern Colorado). That season – the last undefeated season in Colorado history – the Buffs shut out four opponents, gave up only a field goal to two others, and only a touchdown to the other three victims. In all, Colorado out-scored its 1923 opponents by an average score of 31-3.

Incestuous coaching relationships

- Okay, here is research I never would have undertaken … Dave Plati notes that CU’s hiring of Jon Embree, a former Buff, is not all that unusual. In all, there are 18 FBS teams in the nation who have alumni as head coaches, including all three head coaches in the state of Colorado (Steve Fairchild, CSU 1981; Troy Calhoun, Air Force 1989). What’s more, six schools, including CSU and Air Force, have at least half of their staff made up of alumni.

- Of those six teams, Utah is the leader, with six alumni. Five of the six (Utah, BYU, Colorado State, Air Force and Kansas State) are west of the Mississippi (Penn State the lone exception), with four of the six – until this season – members of the Mountain West Conference.

- A total of 19 schools have at least three alumni coaching their team, including Colorado, which has four (Jon Embree, 1988; Eric Bieniemy, 2001; Brian Cabral, 1978; Kanavis McGhee, 1995).

“Guys are showing who they are”

Colorado conducted its last practice before the Spring game on Thursday, with the practice, at the last minute, being opened to the public. Jon Embree described the two-hour run-through as a “good practice. The defense had a couple of lapses, but otherwise they did well. Offensively, we got some things accomplished, some things done we wanted to get done as far as some install stuff. Guys are showing who they are.”

The Colorado head coach then raised some eyebrows when he was asked about whether there were some players who had not lived up to expectations. “It’s a privilege to be a Buffalo; it’s not a right,” said Embree. “If they can’t play, and they’re not doing what they are supposed to do academically, and buying into the program, they won’t be here.” Embree went on, ” Some won’t be back; everyone’s year-to-year.  It’s simple. I don’t ask a lot. I want effort; I want you to compete. I want you to do it on and off the field. That’s basically all I ask … and for some guys, they can’t do that.”

Player Notes -

- Jon Embree spoke about his wide receivers on Thursday, noting that Toney Clemons, when he was available, along with Paul Richardson, have “done well”. But that’s about it in terms of wide receiver play. “After that, we haven’t had anyone really step up and say, ‘I’m the next one in line’.

- Paul Richardson drew praise from his head coach. “He’s fast; he’s good with the ball after he catches it; he has good hands,” said Embree. “He could have great hands. He’s almost to the point where literally anything near him, he will catch. He’s a football player. He really understands football. And he’s hard on himself. He wants to be really good.”

- Junior wide receiver Will Jefferson, according to Embree, “has been up and down”. Jefferson has tendinitis in both knees. “Some days,” joked Embree, ” it looks like I could beat him running.”

Jon Embree Quotes – Thursday

On the desire to build toughness back into the Buffs – “We’re physical … Guys have a little bit of an edge. It’s been a very good spring from that standpoint. I know that they understand how to practice. It’s been pretty grueling; we’ve done a lot … 95% of the guys have responded.”

On what he is looking for from the Spring game – “Health” and … “A couple of guys are pushing for some positions, whether it’s a number two at a certain spot, or a starter, or just a spot on the team – to have a chance to go to Hawai’i. When the freshmen come in (in August), we’re plugging them in, because we’re going to evaluate them. These guys have had 15 practices, they’ve had off-season workouts. They’ve had all their opportunities to show what they can do. So we’ve got to evaluate the young guys coming in to see what they can do so we can get the best guys out there … So, for some of the guys (the Spring game) is a big day.”

April 5th

“Eric has two kids he needs to feed”

Colorado ran its second-to-last closed practice before the Spring game on Saturday (the next practice will be a light run through on Thursday, focused on special teams and “on-field” teaching). Colorado head coach Jon Embree was not dismayed by not being able to evaluate some of the injured personnel, either this week or throughout the spring. “I don’t look at it as being a negative,” said Embree. “I look at it as a positive, being able to evaluate who our backups could be, and maybe some starters. There are some guys who I thought would be backups, who have a chance to play a lot of football for us.”

Player Notes

- Sophomore tight end DaVaughn Thornton, ushered into an ambulance on Monday, was back on the field on Tuesday, though not practicing. “He’s fine,” said Jon Embree, noting that Thornton’s injury was related to the tight end’s back. “He’ll do some stuff on Thursday, and then we’ll decide if we’ll do anything with him on Saturday. He wants to play, but we’ll see.”

- Also in the “maybe” category for the Spring game is senior wide receiver Toney Clemons, who has been nursing a hamstring injury. “I have no idea (if Clemons will play in the Spring game)”, said Embree. “We’ll see if he can do anything on Thursday”, noting that he did not want Clemons to aggravate his injury just to put into action during the Spring game. “Once August comes, I don’t want any issues,” said Embree.

- The fullbacks, Tyler Ahles and Evan Harrington, are doing well in their transition from linebacker. “They bring a physical element to us,” said Embree. “They are a lot better than I thought they would be, being defensive players … I’ve been surprised by them, pleasantly. I think between the two of them, we’ll be fine.”

Jon Embree Quotes – Tuesday

- On what sophomore wide receiver Paul Richardson needs to do to become an elite performer: “He’s got to be better running routes; he’s got to get better understanding what the coverage is, and what the defense is trying to do to him … More consistent catching the ball. He’ll make the spectacular catch, but then he’ll drop some, too … He can be a great one.”

- On running backs coach Eric Bieniemy riding his players hard, making them do extra work and drills: “Eric has two kids to feed. So, if they (the running backs) fumble the ball, I’d rather be hard on them than tell the family we’ve got to move. We had a fumble; we had a back run out of bounds in (the) four-minute (drill), when we’re trying to run out the clock … They earn (the punishments) … If that’s too much for them, we’ll find some guys who will hold onto the ball, or understand that they will be held accountable when they don’t.”

April 4th

Defense bounces back

Perhaps motivated by the impressive numbers put up by the Colorado offense in the second scrimmage, the Colorado defense made a statement of their own during Monday’s practice. “The defense had a great practice,” said CU head coach Jon Embree. “Very physical. They did a good job of tackling; forcing some turnovers … The (defense) won every situation today.

Embree saw the rise of the defense as an issue the coaches have had to deal with all spring. “Right now as a team, we’re not very good when things don’t go our way early,” said Embree. “We’ve got to get better about playing the next play. We still watch the scoreboard too much.” The flip side was true for the offense on Monday. After doing well in the second scrimmage on Saturday, the offense struggled in its first effort back on the practice fields. “(the offense) didn’t know how to handle success,” said Embree.

Player Notes

- Sophomore tight end DaVaughn Thornton was escorted off of the playing field by trainers during Monday’s practice, but Embree did not see the injury as serious. “He jogged off the field”, explained Embree, explaining that the injury was “something in (Thornton’s) back”, but that he felt the attention afforded Thornton was largely precautionary.

- Sophomore kicker Justin Castor continues to improve, according to Embree. “Each day, he gets better and better. He’s been fixing things from a mechanical standpoint”, explained Embree, noting that improved play from the snapper and holder was helping Castor be more consistent.

Jon Embree Quotes – Monday

- When asked if injuries to the defense was an excuse for the unit’s poor play on Saturday, Embree laughed off the explanation. “This is your opportunity to show you want to be on that plane going to Hawai’i,” said Embree, noting that there would be some freshmen coming into camp in August that would be more than happy to take the spots of these players if they are too tired this spring. “You want to be tired?”, asked Embree. “You can watch the game on TV”.

- Embree also spoke about an increased emphasis on special teams this spring (except for kick returns, which will be worked on more this fall, when some new players, who will be asked to fill some of those roles, will be in camp. “We’re trying to get our kickers, especially our punter, to understand how he can change the field; the importance of putting the ball where we need it from a coverage standpoint,” said Embree. “When you’re not the most talented, you need to win all three phases of the game. We need to make (opposing offenses) go a long way (to score)”.

April 1st

“A good mental day”

Colorado went through a lighter practice on Friday (no pads, no tackling) in preparation for the second scrimmage of the spring season, set for 1:30 on Saturday (open to the public). Buff head coach Jon Embree indicated that it would be a regular scrimmage, with “1′s v. 1′s and 2′s v. 2′s” starting at the minus-30 yard line. Embree also stated that the Buffs would mix in “a little red zone, because we want to get in a little more red zone work”. There will also be some field goals attempted during the scrimmage.

“I don’t know how many plays it will be,” said Embree. “We’re beat up on one side of the line, the D-line, but we’ve got to go.”

Player Notes -

- Red-shirt freshman tight end Harold Mobley has been reinstated to the team. Mobley was held out of the first nine practices so that he could concentrate on school work (and remaining eligible). Embree noted that Mobley was “way behind”, but that “is his own fault”.

- Senior defensive tackle Curtis Cunningham has been nursing a sore elbow, but should be available for the spring game, so as to let his elbow “calm down a little bit”, according to Embree.

- Red-shirt freshman defensive tackle Kirk Poston, slowed by an ankle injury, will be allowed to participate in the April 2nd scrimmage.

- Sophomore defensive tackle Nate Bonsu should also play on Saturday. Bonsu’s injury has been a sore shoulder.

- True freshman offensive lineman Alex Lewis has been “down on himself”, said Embree, but needs to remember that he is still just a true freshman (Lewis was a member of the recruiting class of 2010, but gray-shirted, enrolling in January. He still has five years to play four). Embree remains high on Lewis. “He’s going to have a bright future here,” said Embree.

Jon Embree Quotes – Friday

Embree was asked after the Friday practice what the biggest issue is facing the Buff offensive players in adjusting to the West coast offense. “Details,” Embree replied. “It really falls on the receivers and tight ends. Those are the guys who have to do the most learning”. Still, Embree is pleased overall. “They have done pretty good with it. I’m pleasantly surprised at how well they’re picking up some things. It’s starting to click.”

The Colorado head coach was particularly impressed with the work of the offensive line under new line coach Steve Marshall. “They’re a lot farther along than the other positions,” said Embree. “That’s been very encouraging, because usually that’s the group that you have to hold things back for … The good thing is, we can put in as many passes as we want, as soon as (the wide receivers and tight ends) can learn the ones we have in.”

March 31st

“I’m finding out who we can count on”

“Early on, the defense was wearing them out,” said Colorado head coach Jon Embree about Thursday’s practice. “The defense was very good against the run today.”

While Colorado has made it through its first nine practices without a significant new injury, there still have been a number of players who have spent time on the sidelines. The walking wounded total, though, does not bother Embree. “”The guys that are playing for the guys who are injured are doing a great job of taking advantage of their opportunities,” said Embree. “They’re showing up. We’re going to play 13 straight weeks, we’re not going to have everybody. As a staff, we don’t really talk about it. We just coach the guys that we have.”

Player Notes -

- Embree is encouraged by getting to see his new team on the field. “I’m finding out who we can count on,” said Embree. “The guys that aren’t necessarily workout warriors; the guys who are football players.”

- Colorado may be naming a starting quarterback sooner rather than later. “If there is a clear cut guy, then we’ll do it,” said Embree. “I’m not into playing games, or trying to make the other team figure out all that stuff. When I know, we need to let everyone know. The team needs to know who their leader is in the huddle.”

Jon Embree Quotes – Thursday

- On his tight ends: “They’re getting there. We need tight ends. We need more.”

- On the cornerbacks biggest problem: “Knowing what to do. No one does anything consistently. No one does it every play yet.”

March 29th

“There’s nobody on this team that we need to go out there and lose”

Colorado passed the midway point of spring practice, 2011, on Tuesday, with the eighth of 15 practices. Overall, head coach Jon Embree was pleased. “This was the first practice that both sides did stuff good, so that was encouraging,” said Embree. “We continued to run the ball good. We’re still not sharp in the passing game, so we’ve got to clean that up.” As for the defense, Embree noted that “the defense created some turnovers at the right time.”

Still, there is plenty to improve upon before September. “We’ve got to start learning how to handle success,” said Embree, explaining, “The defense stops them twice, and they start feeling good about themselves, and then the offense scores a couple of touchdowns.”

Player Notes –

- Embree was asked about junior defensive end Nick Kasa, who Embree noted on Monday was amongst the walking wounded. “Something in his knee,” Embree said. “one of those L’s” – but Embree did not indicate that Kasa was being held out of practice, or that Kasa’s injury was long term.

- With Kasa limited, Embree noted the play of sophomore defensive end Chidera Uzo-Diribe, walk-on senior defensive end Tony Poremba, senior walk-on outside linebacker David Goldberg, and senior defensive end Josh Hartigan. “Guys are taking advantage of their opportunities,” said Embree.

- Senior wide receiver Toney Clemons has been bothered by a hamstring this spring. “He’s about 85%,” said Embree. “He caught a deep ball (Tuesday); about a 60-yarder.”

Jon Embree Quotes – Tuesday

- On the play of the cornerbacks: “I guess good and bad. No one is jumping out and taking the lead.”

- On the kicking game: “We have to be more consistent. And it’s not all on (the kickers). We’ve been inconsistent snapping (where the Buffs are replacing Joe Silipo) and holding (where the Buffs are replacing Scotty McKnight and Cody Hawkins), so it’s the whole battery which has to be more consistent.” Embree went on to note that he has not had to deal with kickers before, so they are not getting special treatment. “They’re not fragile. I’m treating them like everybody else.”

Only “Players” will earn the trip to Hawai’i

The best quotes from Tuesday’s practice came after Embree was asked about sophomore center Gus Handler, seen running laps. Embree said he wasn’t exactly sure about the nature of Handler’s punishment, but felt it had to do with Handler not getting treatment. Which led Embree to the following monologue:

“We can take 70 to Hawai’i, but we may not be taking 70. I’m going to take guys who can play and who can help us. I’ve told the team, ‘We’ve lost enough games with everybody, so there’s nobody on this team that we need to go out there and lose. We can lose without them.’ If you can’t do it right off the field, you won’t do it right on the field, either.”

Is it too early to start campaigning for Pac-12 coach-of-the-year?

Offensive line picture crystalizing?

Colorado only has one hole to fill along its offensive line this spring … but it’s a big hole.

Off to the NFL as a likely first round draft pick is CU left tackle Nate Solder. Rather than replace Solder at the all-important “protect the quarterback’s back” position, sophomore David Bakhtiari, who started 11 games at right tackle last season as a red-shirt freshman, has been practicing at left tackle.

Which moves the hole in the line over the right tackle position.

Through the first half of spring practice, sophomore Jack Harris has been getting the most repetitions. Harris was doing well in practice last fall before a shoulder injury kept Harris from playing.  “We were almost done with camp, and everything was going well, but I ended up with a shoulder injury and I was out for about eight weeks,” Harris explained to BuffStampede.com. “It was definitely disappointing … It took me a long time to get all the strength back in my shoulder. I feel like I didn’t get back to 100 percent until winter conditioning with (strength and conditioning) coach (Malcolm) Bracken.”

Harris has done well at right tackle so far, but he still has work to do before he will be considered as a lock at becoming the Buffs’ next starting right tackle. “Jack has been up and down,” said Jon Embree after the March 28th practice. “He had an up-and-down day (Monday). He went the wrong way a couple times. But he brings a physical presence that you need on the right side.”

For his part, Harris appreciates the chance to prove his worth. “I am very grateful that I am getting an opportunity to work with the starting team,” said Harris. ”I am going to try and keep my job, and fend off other guys who are coming up.”

In words which will be pleasing to hear from Buff fans confused by the use of the offensive line the past few seasons, Harris said, “(offensive line) coach (Steve) Marshall is different (from former offensive line coach Denver Johnson). He just  has a totally different demeanor,” said Harris. He just seems more into it. He wants you to get it perfect, and, if you don’t, you’re going to hear about it.

“One word that I hear coach Marshall use a lot is ‘displace’. He definitely wants us to pound people into the ground in the run game, and be aggressive in pass pro(tection),” said Harris. “So I would say there is more emphasis on being aggressive all the time.”

March 28th

 “Really good practice for the defense”

Colorado conducted its seventh practice of the spring on Monday, with this week’s practices to be culminated with a scrimmage on April 2nd (at 1:30 – open to the public).

All of the players were back from spring break and accounted for.

Player Notes -

- Several players who have not been able to practice much to date are working their way back into the rotation. Offensive lineman Shawn Daniels, defensive end Nick Kasa, sophomore linebacker Derrick Webb, and defensive end Chidera Uzo-Diribe are amongst those walking wounded who are getting onto the practice fields more after the break.

- Sophomore Jack Harris has been practicing with the first team offensive line. David Bahktiari is doing well making the transition from right tackle to left tackle.

- In reviewing the tape of the March 18th scrimmage, head coach Jon Embree noted that senior defensive tackle Conrad Obi played well, as did senior linebacker Doug Rippy. Embree also noted that red-shirt freshman running back Tony Jones ran well.

Jon Embree Quotes – Monday

- On Monday’s practice – “A really good practice for the defense; a really good practice. I was very encouraged to see them come out and respond. They were really sharp.”

- On the play of the offense in the March 18th scrimmage – “I felt better about the run game. We do have to get better throwing it; I was happy with the quarterbacks running of the offense.”

- On the play of the defense in the March 18th scrimmage – “Defensively, the tackling could have been better at times; could have been better up front. Conrad Obi played well, Doug Rippy had a very good scrimmage.”

- On sophomore defensive back Terrel Smith, who tore off his red-shirt last midway through the 2010 season, compiling 60 tackles in six games – “I need to see more from him … I haven’t seen it yet.”

March 27th

Back from break

The Colorado Buffaloes have had ten days off since their scrimmage on March 18th. Monday’s practice will be the seventh of 15 allowed practices (the April 2nd scrimmage and April 9th Spring game count against the total).

“I’m happy with the way they’ve responded, and now we’re going to pick it up again when we come back,” said Jon Embree. The Colorado head coach, did spend some time on the west coast meeting with boosters before spending some time with family in Boulder looking for a house for he and his wife and daugther.  

On the sixth day, they rested …

After going through five straight days of practices, the Buff players had a day off on Wednesday. They will be back at it on Thursday, but in the meantime, let’s take a look at how the quarterback race is shaping up.

Five practices are in the books, with ten practices, including a scrimmage (April 2nd) and the Spring game (April 9th) yet to come. Still, if the season were to start tomorrow, it appears clear that senior Tyler Hansen would be the starting quarterback. Head coach Jon Embree has noted Hansen’s efforts on the field, and also named him as one of the leaders of the team.

What about Hansen’s position coach, Rip Scherer?

“I think Tyler, he has game experience, game maturity. I’ve been really pleased with him,” said Scherer. “Some of the things I saw on tape that were bad habits, that I thought he needed to correct right away, he has taken to heart and improved right off the bat. I like his leadership. I like his huddle demeanor. And he’s done a good job of playing with the pocket.”

Hansen, for his part, is embracing the challenge of having to prove he belongs in the starting role. “I am. That’s life; you have to live through and battle through the tough times,” Hansen told BuffStampede.com. “But I like it. I have to re-prove myself, it is more exciting. It’s fun to learn a new offense; it’s fun to compete.” Hansen also is embracing the role of being a senior leader. “Coach Rip has asked me to be more of a leader within our group, too, to help Nick and Brent along … I am teaching them tricks and trying to relate it to something I have learned in the past … As a senior quarterback, the coaches have asked me to be a leader, and asked me to be the guy the other guys look to and ask questions, and look to for leadership.”

This is not to say that the starting position has been ceded by Hansen’s competitors. Redshirt freshman Nick Hirschman, for one, is excited about the change in offensive philosophy. “It’s more pro style than we were last year,” said Hirschman. “That suits me a little better than last year’s offense did. I’m more of a traditional drop back guy who can run around with his feet if he needs to, but I’d rather stay in the pocket and throw.”

Junior transfer Brent Burnette has the advantage of being “more of a pocket guy – at least that’s how it looked on his junior college tapes,” said Scherer. “His team (Western Arizona) ran some spread and shotgun, so there’s still going to be a learning curve. But I think his forte is to play from the pocket.” Still, Burnette is under the handicap of not having spent time with the Buffs’ receiving corps, as have Hansen and Hirschman. “We’d throw a little bit in the bubble after we got done running,” said Burnette of the winter conditioning period. “But it really doesn’t compare to coming out here and strapping the pads on and going full against the defense and against the rush. That’s something I’m still working on, and figuring out how this receiver runs routes compared to another. That’s just something that with time, it will come.”

As a result, all three players have a great deal to learn this spring. “Anytime you go from a spread offense to a pro-style, it’s different for everybody, but more different for the quarterback,” said Scherer. “It’s a whole different perspective for the quarterback to take the ball from center and go back three, five or seven steps, put your foot in the ground and make a decision – as opposed to standing back there and kind of sorting things out.”

So, who will win the job?

“What will go into it is the guy that has leadership skills and also will handle the ball and value the ball,” said Scherer. “You know, if you don’t turn the ball over in this game, you’ve got a chance to win. So it doesn’t matter how talented a guy is, if he is going to spray the ball around and turn it over, you’ve got problems. so value the ball and then making plays.

“The bottom line with a quarterback is how many times do you take the offense and cross the last line? If you can put the ball in the end zone, you may not be the most stylish guy doing it, but the bottom line is making sure the ball gets in the end zone.”

Meanwhile, quarterbacks coach Rip Scherer is already looking to the future

“I think we’ve created a niche for ourselves in recruiting,” said Scherer. “We’re going to try and go nationally and recruit the top quarterback that we can every year. I think for a young player who has aspirations to play at the next level, you’re in this kind of offense you’re more readily prepared, and there’s not many of us doing it.”

College offenses, Scherer contends, are cyclical, with the spread offense the current rage. “It’ll cycle back to this, but we’ll be on the cusp of it, the front edge,” said Scherer. “We create an alternative for a top flight quarterback that has projected ability to move beyond college.” Scherer pointed out that 18 NFL teams “run a west coast offense of some sort. I think you can sit in front of a high school kid and his parents – not that that should be the only reason that a guy comes to Colorado or anyplace else – but the fact is, it gives us a different niche. The NFL’s not changing; the NFL’s not going to the spread offense. I think it will allow us to get our foot in the door of some of the top prospects in the country.”

The 2011 season? It may well be that Hansen, Hirschman or Burnette – whoever wins the job – will struggle to make the West Coast offense work in Boulder.

But the future looks bright …

March 15th

Buffs have a more productive practice

Player Notes

- Head coach Jon Embree was asked after Tuesday’s practice to name players which were assuming leadership of the team. On offense, Embree named quarterback Tyler Hansen – “He’s taking the reins of the offense”; right guard Ryan Miller – “trying to do some stuff”; as well as wide receivers Toney Clemons and Paul Richardson. On defense, Embree had a tougher time coming up with names, noting that he wanted to see more out of defensive tackles Curtis Cunningham and Will Pericak. Jon Major was named as the linebacker doing the most in terms of leadership, while Embree named safety Anthony Perkins, who is injured and not participating in hitting drills, as the likely leader of the secondary. Of the players named, all are seniors except for Pericak and Major, who are juniors, and Richardson, who is a sophomore.

Running backs

The running back corps has been getting  a great deal of attention in the early going. (Yes, I know there is a rumor about a running back quitting the team. I would like to have that confirmed by the player or the team first, though, before taking that issue any further). Much of the discussion has centered around the coaching style of offensive coordinator and running backs coach Eric Bieniemy, who is known for his energy, as well as his fiery attitude. “Bieniemy is a little bit more experienced,” senior running back Rodney Stewart said when comparing Bieniemy to Stewart’s former position coach, Darian Hagan. “He’s more aggressive than Hagan, but Hagan’s pretty aggressive, too.”

“It think it takes a while to get used to,” said Bieniemy of his coaching style. “But one thing I always tell them is don’t confuse the message with the speech. Make sure you listen to what I am saying … When they do it right, I’m going to be the first one to praise them. When they do it wrong, I’m going to critique them and make sure they understand why they did it wrong, and make sure I stay on their tail so that they don’t make the same mistake again.

“I tell my guys I coach hard, but I coach fair,” said Bieniemy. “I’m your biggest fan, and I expect you to be great at all times. If we make a mistake, things happen. If we get physically beat, things happen. If we make a mental error, I take personal issue with that.”

Rodney Stewart, for one, doesn’t have a problem with Bieniemy’s style. “He wants me to be more of a leader, helping the other guys out,” said Stewart. “I’ve got to get better, too. There is a lot of things I need to work on to be a good back, and if I want to go to the next level and be good at that. I think he’s going to get me where I need to be.”

Jon Embree Quotes – Tuesday

Coach Embree was asked which running back is the number two back behind Stewart this spring: “Tony Jones is doing very well. He needs to get stronger, but he has a good knack of finding the seem.”

On how many backs he would like to have in the rotation this fall, Embree said he was looking for at least three backs to be ready (including Stewart and Brian Lockridge, who won’t be able to practice until August): “People remember Chris Brown for all those touchdowns against Nebraska, and he was the third back in. It was Cortlen (Johnson) who got a ‘hammie’; then (Bobby) Purify got an ankle sprain. And then Chris came in. You’ve got to have them. You’ve got to have them ready.”

On running nine-on-seven drills, something Dan Hawkins specifically went away from in his practices: “You could tell (Monday) that it was the first time doing it for some of them. For some of them, the first time ever. Today was a little better; the intensity. You could hear the pads. Yesterday, it was like a pillow fight. Today we’re hitting.” (Note: In a nine-on-seven drill, the offense pits the offensive line, a tight end, the quarterback, and two running backs against the front seven of the defense. The drill is designed to improve both the run offense and the run defense. It is considered a “high intensity” drill).

March 14th

“We don’t know how to work yet … We’ll get it”

Player Notes

- There have been rumors about players leaving the team (specifically, a running back). Head coach Jon Embree was asked about player defections after practice on Monday. “Not that I know of yet,” said Embree. “I think there might be some guys that are on the fence, so we’ll see.”

- As to players who are standing out, Embree had several names in mind. “You know the guy I am really proud of?, said Embree. “Forrest West. After day one, I ripped him and demoted him, and all he has done since then is make plays. Now, he can still get better, but he responded.” Embree also singled out red-shirt running back Tony Jones. “He is responding,” said Embree. “He is stepping up his game and doing some things.” Embree also gave props to quarterback Tyler Hansen, wide receiver Paul Richardson, the tight ends, and the offensive line.

Jon Embree Quotes – Monday

 On “Separation Day”: “Oh yeah, some guys got exposed, and that is good because their teammates will know about them. It is habits right now. That is the problem right now, habits. They want to feel sorry for themselves a little bit. We don’t know how to work yet … We’ll get it.”

On intensity during Monday’s practice: “We are still up and down. We can’t get to a certain level and just sustain it. Offense beats the defense in nine-on-seven and then we go to team run offense and offense does well again and then defense dominates the rest of practice. We can’t be like that.”

On focusing on running plays: “I feel like we are really progressing. There are going to be some plays we can hang our hat on. Short yardage scrimmage, like I said, the defense got us. But we put in new plays and new personnel groups for that, but when we ran the plays that we’ve been running; we were very good at it. So I am encouraged by that. But yet, at the same time, we have to be able to take new stuff on the field, and get going. We can’t keep taking a day to figure it out. We have to do better. We have to have some football IQ to be able to take some of that to the field.”

March 13th

“We can run, but we can’t throw worth a dang”

Sunday’s practice, the last practice open to the public, brought about mixed reviews from the Colorado head coach.

“I was pleased from a running standpoint,” said Jon Embree. “I feel like we can run the ball, but we can’t throw worth a dang. Some of that is because we installed new plays today. So guys are swimming, but we have to get better. We can’t have center-quarterback exchange (problems); we can’t keep putting the ball on the ground. We can’t have that.”

Sunday was the last for the Buffs in shoulder pads and shorts. On Monday, the Buffs will conduct the first full contact practice of the spring.

“It counts tomorrow,” said Embree, who called Monday “separation day”. “Anybody can play in shells and shorts, but when you really have to tackle and not tag off, we are going to find out who can play. It is going to separate who can play from the pretenders”.

Player Notes

- Sophomore linebacker Liloa Nobriga sat out Sunday’s practice with a minor hamstring injury.

- Senior wide receiver Toney Clemons suffered a minor hamstring injury during Sunday’s practice.

- Junior wide receiver Will Jefferson has been hobbled, but has practiced this spring. “Will just has knees older than mine, that’s his problem,” said Embree. “He just has to take care of them … I think he’ll be alright. He has tendinitis.”

- Sophomore defensive back Parker Orms continues to recover from his torn ACL, suffered in the first quarter of the Colorado State game. “Prior to that, I hadn’t missed a game since I was seven years old,” Orms told BuffStampede.com. “Last fall was the toughest time of my life, for sure.” Orms is doing some light workouts this spring. “I am about 90 percent right now, they say the last ten percent is the hardest,” said Orms. “There is definitely still some pain … They say six months after the injury is the projected time when I should be getting close. It will be six months (on March 24th), so we will see. After we come back from spring break, I will see if I can participate. It is better to come back a little late than too early.”

- Sophomore offensive lineman Maxwell Tuioti-Mariner is also on the mend, recovering from two torn ACL’s. “He has done a good job of re-habbing it, we’re trying to give him an ample opportunity to get back,” said Embree. “I don’t want to get him out there too soon and then have to shut him down for sure … So it is just a matter of when he is going to put in some actions.”

Jon Embree Quotes – Sunday

On reported struggles by kicker Justin Castor: “The issue is our snapper and holder. We have to get that worked out. One time the ball was four inches inside the spot; another time it is behind it.”

On the overall effort through three practices: “Yeah, they are (learning new plays), but, as I told the coaches, we can’t accept, ‘Oh, we almost did it,’ or, ‘That is close enough’. If we say a six-yard split, (it has to be) a six-yard split. There is going to be a standard you can’t bend on … They are doing a lot of things right, but we are not doing everything right. I was told my job as a coach was not to be satisfied, so I will find something.”

On closing the next eight practices: “(It’s) so we can get some work done with the players … As we get going, as this program progresses, I want people around all the time.”

March 12th

Offensive line moves

With starting center Mike Iltis out for the spring, and All-American left tackle Nate Solder waiting to hear his name called during the first round of the NFL draft, there has been some movement along the Buffs’ offensive line. Sophomore David Bakhtiari, who started 11 games at right tackle last season, has been running with the first team at left tackle.

“I actually practiced at left tackle last spring, so I feel comfortable there,” Bakhtiari told BuffStampede.com. “I am still good friends with Nate, so when he came back for (pro) timing day, we went in the practice bubble and we did some sets. He taught me some new tricks he learned while training for the draft.”

In Bakhtiari’s place at right tackle, grey-shirt freshman Alex Lewis has impressed head coach Jon Embree in the first two days of practice, but it has been sophomore Jack Harris who has been lining up with the first team at the position.

At the center position, sophomore Gus Handler has been getting most of the snaps with the first team, with both Iltis and possible backup Shawn Daniels out for the spring recovering from off-season surgeries.

Starting offensive lineup – first weekend

The Colorado depth chart lists players alphabetically, and Jon Embree has taken pains to remind everyone that each and every starting job is up for grabs, but someone has to run with the first team. The first weekend of practice, the “ones” on offense are:

QB – Tyler Hansen; TB – Rodney Stewart; FB – Tyler Ahles; WR – Paul Richardson; WR – Toney Clemons; TE – Ryan Deehan; LT – David Bakhtiari; LG – Ethan Adkins; C – Gus Handler; RG – Ryan Miller; RT – Jack Harris.

This could all change several times before fall (it could change several times before the spring game), but, if the Hawai’i game were next Saturday, this might well be the lineup the Buffs would trot out onto the field in Honolulu. Not bad …

Player Notes

- Junior offensive lineman Bryce Givens is being held out of practice until his fate is decided by the Office of Judicial Affairs. Givens was caught on video vandalizing three cars in a Denver parking garage in December. Teammates Eric Richter and Will Pericak were with Givens that night, but both are practicing with the team.

- Harold Mobley may never get his shot at quarterback. The red-shirt freshman tight end is being held out of practice for undisclosed disciplinary reasons. Mobley may be back to practice sometime this spring, but no timetable was given by Jon Embree for Mobley’s return.

- Quarterback turned defensive back Justin Gorman may have found his way onto the field. Gorman is being given a look at holder for extra points and field goals. The job was held down by Cody Hawkins and Scotty McKnight the past few seasons.

- Red-shirt freshman defensive lineman Kirk Poston is concentrating on playing inside at defensive tackle.

- There are a total of six new walk-ons listed on the Colorado roster (Hunter, a transfer, would not be eligible to play until 2012): 

Drew Ebner                 WR          5-11       200        Fr.        HS       Arvada, Colo. (Pomona)

Jacob Frost                  PK           6-  0       170        Fr.        HS       Bakersfield, Calif. (Liberty)

Harrison Hunter        DB           5-10       170        So.       TR        Fountain, Colo. (Fountain-Fort Carson/Fort Lewis)

Andre Nichols            DE           6-  4       220        Fr.        HS       Colorado Springs, Colo. (Rampart)

Alec Parker                OLB         6-  0       210        Fr.        HS       Westminster, Colo. (Standley Lake)

Conner Wilhelm        WR          5-11       170        Fr.        HS       Los Angeles, Calif. (Hamilton)

Jon Embree quotes – Saturday

On the second day of practice: “The intensity stayed up high. Anyone can do it once. They answered the call; competed well.”

On the coaches getting on players for making mistakes: “Someone’s in their ear. Someone’s on them when they make a mistake. So they have that constant pressure on them, and I told them that we’re going to keep the pressure on them. We’re not going to let them breathe and relax.”

Concerning some of the fights between the players, and whether that was okay with him: “Yeah, I expect it. When I was a player here, we fought each other. That’s part of the deal.” Embree then went on to explain that going against the same players every play, with them trying to prevent you from doing what you were trying to do, it would get to him as a player, and he expects it to get to his players now. This is a deviation from the policy about fights under Dan Hawkins, when the entire team had to run “gassers” if a fight broke out. “When you are on the football field, emotions are running high so that is bound to happen,” said sophomore offensive tackle David Bakhtiari. “I got in a tussle with Josh Hartigan today, and, shortly after, I went up to him and said, ‘Good (****)’. We are good friends, it is nothing personal.”

“Intensity” the word of choice by players after practice

“For the record, it’s intense,” said senior wide receiver Toney Clemons of the Buffs’ practice regime. “But it’s what we need. It feels good to have everything crisp, everything real militant and everything real professional. They’re teaching us how to become young men and young football players, and we’re getting a feel for what the game is like on the next level. You want that high level coaching, and we’ve got it here.”

Red-shirt freshman quarterback Nick Hirschman agreed. “I thought the level of intensity was so much higher,” said Hirschman. “It was a lot more enthusiastic, and that makes it a lot more fun for the players and the coaches.”

For senior linebacker Jon Major, the first practice was just a continuation of what the players have seen since winter conditioning began. “It’s really attention to details, maximum effort, and if you don’t do it right, then you’re going to do it again or you’re going to get punished,” said Major. “That’s definitely going to carry over I think in the fall.”

Former safety – now cornerback – Deji Olatoye concurred. “It was a rough program for everyone (this winter),” said Olatoye, who had an interception in the first practice. (New strength and conditioning) Coach (Malcolm) Blacken did a good job of getting us prepared for this. It was a lot of running, it definitely opened up our eyes, and I feel like I am a part of a college football team now.”

Sophomore wide receiver Paul Richardson, who joined the team just a few days before the start of fall practice last summer, is going through his first spring practices as a Buff, and, at least for now, he is enjoying the ride. “The coaches wanted us to get used to facing adversity,” said Richardson of the winter conditioning program. As for his goals this spring, Richardson said that “getting in and out of my breaks better, and having the role of a leader. “I like the weight the coaches have put on my shoulders,” said Richardson, “and the level of responsibility that I have”. Richardson also indicated that he had decided to return to Colorado even before Jon Embree was hired, and that he made it through his first Colorado winter without any difficulties.

New names

There are some new names on the Colorado roster. These are names not likely to make the starting roster, but you never know …

Linebacker Alec Parker, defensive end Andre Nichols, and kicker Jacob Frost, all walk-ons, appeared on the rosters handed out to the media at the first practice. 

There is also a potential transfer, Hunter Harrison, a defensive back from Fountain, Colorado. Harrison comes from Fort Lewis, and the walk-on would have four years to play three after sitting out the 2011 season.

March 11th

Colorado opens Jon Embree era with afternoon practice

“I am going to have to get some throat lozenges,” Jon Embree joked after his first practice as the 24th-head coach in Colorado football history.

“I have to be me”, said Embree of his raising his voice on a number of occasions during the shorts-and-helmets opening practice. “I am very demanding. I am going to be on them. There is a standard, and either you do or you don’t. And we can’t bend or compromise it.”

Embree’s no-nonsense approach hasn’t been lost on the players, with one player describing it as “a lot more professional.”

It is the intent of the coaches to install the basics of a West Coast offense this spring, but not cloud the players’ minds with too much information. Rather, the coaches want to see which players have the physical skill to run the playbook, and the heart to help bring back a winning tradition to the program. “It’s going to be tough. It’s going to be intense,” said senior quarterback Tyler Hansen. “It’s going to be hard work, a lot different than it was.”

Hansen, for one, likes the look of the new offense. “I like it a lot,” said Hansen. “I don’t have to run the ball as much, take as many hits, and we’re getting the ball off on time. Stuff like that. It’s good stuff.”

On defense, many eyes will be trained upon the secondary, where the Buffs have lost two cornerbacks, Jimmy Smith and Jalil Brown, to the NFL. “The big issue is we’re going to have to replace two proven playmakers in Jimmy Smith and Jalil Brown,” said defensive coordinator and secondary coach Greg Brown. “Behind that, there weren’t a lot of guys who stepped in at that corner spot for the last two or three years because of the play of those two guys. So corner is a large unknown right now, and it probably will still be an unknown going all the way into the fall.”

The defensive playbook will also be vanilla this spring, as the coaches evaluate talent. “We’re evolving right now,” said Brown. “There is no way of knowing where the thing is going to end up. Our focus right now is on spring ball and just trying to line up and play it straight and see if we can win some one-on-one battles.”

Player Notes

- There were four players who were already known to be “OUT” for spring practice due to off-season surgery: Tight end Matt Bahr; offensive lineman Blake Behrens; center Mike Iltis; and offensive lineman Max Tuioti-Mariner. Joining that list now are four players who were previously listed as “TBD” … Out for the spring are: defensive back Anthony Perkins; defensive back Parker Orms; offensive lineman Shawn Daniels; and defensive end Chidera Uzo-Diribe. The only name which was not on the “TBD” list earlier was Uzo-Diribe, who had surgery on a broken toe in late February. While listed as out for the spring, Uzo-Diribe believes he could be available for the second half of spring practices.

- With center Mike Iltis out, three players will see time at that position this spring … sophomore Gus Handler; red-shirt freshman Daniel Munyer; and red-shirt freshman Kaiwi Crabb.

- Senior guard Ryan Miller, rumored to be moving to left tackle to replace the departed Nate Solder, isn’t going anywhere. Miller will remain at guard.

- As it turns out, there will be more competition at quarterback. With a lack of depth in the secondary, it was thought that red-shirt freshman Josh Moten would be asked to concentrate on learning the defense. Moten will, however, be given a tryout at quarterback, as will red-shirt freshman tight end Harold Mobley. Both Moten and Mobley played quarterback in high school, and Moten believed that he was to be given a chance at quarterback by Dan Hawkins, but that did not work out.

- Perhaps in return for Moten, the quarterbacks are sending Justin Gorman, a walk-on red-shirt freshman, over to the secondary (interestingly enough, in his post-practice comments, Jon Embree was surprised to learn that Gorman was listed as a quarterback on the depth chart. Embree had been under the impression that Gorman had always been a defensive back).

- Junior Eric Richter, listed on the depth chart as an offensive lineman, will be moving to the defensive line.

- Red-shirt freshman Deji Olatoye, who practiced at safety last fall, will be tried out as a cornerback this spring.

- The Buffs have a new walk-on kicker. His name is Jacob Frost (no further information currently available).

Jon Embree Quotes – Friday

Overall view of first practice: “I think the guys are starting to understand a little bit about what’s expected … They had a pretty good grasp of what we’re asking them to do. They know what to do. They weren’t great in the details.”

On coaching college players instead of NFL players, and not being too hard on the team: “Skill has nothing to do with effort”.

On bringing a fullback into the offense: “The fullback is very important … We want to run the football. Having a fullback will allow you to mess with the defensive spacing.” (Embree also mentioned that Tyler Ahles and Evan Harrington, both former linebackers, volunteered to make the move to fullback).

Special Teams

Roster: Toney Clemons (Sr.); Arthur Jaffee (Sr.); Brian Lockridge (Sr.); Will Jefferson (Jr.); Justin Castor (So.); Zach Grossnickle (So.); Ryan Iverson (So.); Justin Gorman (R-Fr.)

Players Lost: Aric Goodman; Joe Silipo; Scotty McKnight; Cody Hawkins; Travon Patterson

“Numbers Don’t Lie“

Yuck.

There was very little which was special about the special teams play by the University of Colorado in 2010.

Colorado was ranked 88th in net punting last year, with Zach Grossnickle struggling to a 35.7 yards net average (Colorado’s opponents’ net average was 40.2). Senior kicker Aric Goodman connected on two-thirds of his attempts (10-for-15), but was only accurate half the time from beyond 30 yards (5-for-10).

In the return game, Colorado was adequate at best. There were several long kickoff returns, with a long of 89 yards by Arthur Jaffee against Iowa State, but the Buffs were unable to come up with a kick returner which they felt comfortable with, as four players posted between eight and 14 kickoff returns during the season. All four – Arthur Jaffee (14); Toney Clemons (10); Brian Lockridge (10); and Will Jefferson (8) – return in 2011, but there are no guarantees that any from that group will be on the field returning kicks this fall. The same problem exists in the area of punt returns, where departed Travon Patterson returned 15 of the 18 punts returned by Buffs in 2010.

While there may be open auditions for kick returners this spring, there is limited competition for the kicking positions …

… which may prove to be unfortunate.

Sophomore Zach Grossnickle handled the punting chores last year, to mixed reviews. Meanwhile sophomore Justin Castor inherits the placekicking job. Castor had his red-shirt burned in the fifth game of the season when his only attempt of the year, a 40-yarder against Missouri, was blocked. Castor did have the opportunity at some kickoffs later in the year, but was not allowed another kicking attempt.

Help may be on the way this fall, in the name of freshman recruit Will Oliver, but for this spring, the kicking jobs are Grossnickle’s and Castor’s to lose. (There are reports that there is walk-on competition on campus this spring. On name cited is that of Jacob Frost, a 2010 graduate of Liberty High School in Bakersfield, California. Another name is that of Darragh O’Neil from Fairview High in Boulder. Neither name, though, was on the roster when spring practice opened on March 11th).

The positions of long-snapper and short-snapper were manned this past season by Joe Silipo and Ryan Iverson, with Iverson, a sophomore, returning this spring.

The all-important job of holder, meanwhile, will need to be filled. Scotty McKnight and Cody Hawkins filled that role for the past several seasons. Justin Gorman, a red-shirt freshman walk-on quarterback (who has been moved to the defensive secondary for spring practice) is one player who may inherit the job. Walk-on senior wide receiver Kyle Cefalo is also taking turns at holder.

With unproven talent at both punter and kicker, and with no clear-cut favorites for kick and punt returners, special teams coach J.D. Brookhart has his work cut out for him. That being said, there is plenty of young talent (and speed) in the Colorado receiving corps and secondary, so there is no reason that a pair of excellent kick returners cannot be produced by this team. As for the kickers, both Grossnickle and Castor were highly ranked kickers coming out of high school. Perhaps with the departure of Aric Goodman (and his patron, Dan Hawkins), these kickers can develop into something special over the next three seasons.

The numbers won’t lie …

Jon Embree outlines his goals for Spring Practice

The Colorado Buffaloes in 2011 will not resemble the Colorado Buffaloes of 2010.

Not if new head coach Jon Embree has anything to say about it.

“I told the guys in the first team meeting that there were things we needed to do,” said Embree. “We had to create an identity of what this program needs to be, and the first thing was mental toughness, and that was going to be how we train, that was going to come from the weight room.

“The next thing was our physical toughness and that comes from how we practice, so we are starting that phase right now, and as we go into spring ball there is going to be a certain way that we are going to learn how to practice. To help them with that I have some clips from when I was at Washington of some of the different drills and different team periods of how you practice, how it should look.”

In order to focus on doing things the right way, Embree indicated that the plan this spring was to K.I.S.S. – “I want to see who can play,” said Embree. “If you throw a lot at guys, and it takes them awhile to pick it up, then you may not get your best players. I want to see who can play, and then we can go back and teach them and get it going … It’s not what I know or Eric knows or Greg Brown knows. It is what they know, and what they can execute. So we are not going to throw a lot at them.”

That is not to say, though, that this spring will be a breaking in period. Embree said he will hold his players accountable for their actions, and is already doing so through winter conditioning. “We have been doing that from day one, not just starting with spring ball,” said Embree. “Competing is an all the time thing. So when they mess up, and they don’t do something, either they are punished, their unit is punished, or that side of the ball is punished to try to create an environment of positive peer pressure.”

What type of punishment is being dispensed? “Well, you bear crawl 100-yards, then you logroll 100-yards, then you summersault 100-yards, and then you jog,” said Embree. “If you can get six of those, or 30 minutes, whatever happens first. One thing they have learned is that if they are going to get punished, don’t eat lunch. They learned that one quick.”

And what mistakes merit such punishment? “Being late to class, just something like that,” said Embree. “It’s a little thing to them, but when you are late off the count or you jump off-sides and you lose the game, then it is not so little. Just again, getting them to understand it all counts, everything we do counts. It can’t just be a sometimes thing.”

It’s also safe to say that Embree was not impressed with the 2010 Buffs. “What shows up to me on tape was we didn’t play hard,” said Embree. “That’s what really showed up on tape. We let the scoreboard affect how we played way too much … You can’t look at the scoreboard. Your job is to beat the guy across from you that play, no matter what happened good or bad before it.”

Secondary

Roster: Jonathan Hawkins (Sr.); Travis Sandersfeld (Sr.); Makiri Pugh (Jr.); Ray Polk (Jr.); Paul Vigo (So.); Jered Bell (So.); Terrel Smith (So.); Deji Olatoye (So.); Josh Moten (R-Fr.); Arthur Jaffee (Sr./walk-on); Jordan Marquez (R-Fr./walk-on); Eric Ghent (R-Fr./walk-on)

Injured, may not practice this spring: Anthony Perkins (Sr.) (knee); Vince Ewing (Jr.) (knee); Parker Orms (So.) (knee)

Players Lost: Jimmy Smith; Jalil Brown; Matt Meyer; Cameron Ham

“No preconceived notions”

A defensive coordinator’s dream: two shut-down cornerbacks.

The Colorado defense in 2010 boasted not one, but two, future NFL draft picks at cornerback. Both were seniors; both seasoned veterans of the Big 12 passing wars.

Jimmy Smith and Jalil Brown afforded the Colorado coaching staff the luxury of focusing on stopping other elements of the opposition’s offensive arsenal, content to leave Brown and Smith out on an island.

The net result? Colorado was 110th in pass defense; 112th in pass efficiency defense; and 91st in scoring defense.

What happened? And, more to the point this spring – how can the Buffs manage to keep matters from getting even worse, now that Jimmy Smith and Jalil Brown are gone?

Greg Brown returns to Colorado as the Buffs’ new defensive coordinator and secondary coach. In his two previous stints, Brown coached CU Thorpe Award winners Deon Figures and Chris Hudson. In between, Brown coached four six NFL teams, and was the co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach for an Arizona Wildcat team which ranked 44th in pass defense and 33rd in scoring defense – much better numbers than those produced in Boulder.

What does Brown have to work with this spring?

Three potential starters are injured, with their status for this spring listed as “TBD”: senior safety Anthony Perkins; junior safety Vince Ewing; and sophomore safety Parker Orms. All three are nursing knee injuries suffered last fall, and will be limited as to the drills and practices in which they will participate.

Perkins was the starter at strong safety before being injured in the Missouri game. Jered Bell, a true freshman last fall, started the next game against Baylor, with fellow true freshman Terrel Smith earning the starting role for the remainder of the season. Smith recorded 60 tackles in only six games, finishing fourth on the team in tackles (all three players who finished above Smith in tackles played in all 12 games).

So, assuming senior Anthony Perkins is a “Full Go” for the fall, the Buffs seem to be ably manned at strong safety.

What about free safety?

At the free safety position, the Buffs have a 23-game veteran, a player who has made 15 starts, including all 12 games last season.

But he might not be there this fall …

Ray Polk moved from running back to safety after his freshman year, and started all 12 games last fall. Polk was second on the team in tackles, with 72. He was on the field for more snaps – 787 – than any other defensive player other than Jalil Brown.

The problem with Polk, however, is that he has also struggled at the position. True, he was second on the team in tackles, but he was not a play-maker. Polk had no sacks, no tackles for loss, only four third-down stops, and only one pass broken up to his credit. For the Buffs to be successful on defense, the free safety position needs to be more productive.

Will Polk even return at the position? There are rumors that Polk may return to the running back corps. The new coaching staff is looking to institute more of a power rushing attack, and while Rodney Stewart and Brian Lockridge have had their share of success, they are not of the physical makeup (6’1, 210-pounds) of Ray Polk.

Still, the rumor may turn out to be just that, a rumor. “Between Ray Polk and Anthony Perkins, they have a compilation of a proven number of starts,” said Greg Brown. “So at safety, we feel we have some experience and guys are going to be able to get lined up and do the right thing.” … Sounds as if Brown is expecting Polk to remain on the defensive side of the ball.

At cornerback, Brown will have a large number of players from which to choose his starters, but all are lacking in game experience.

Senior Jonathan Hawkins has the most experience of any player in the group, playing in nine games last fall. He and walk-on senior Arthur Jaffee, who led the team in special team points last fall, also have the benefit of having already spent time with Greg Brown as a coach (before Brown left for Arizona after the 2009 season).

Two interesting storylines of the spring could involve red-shirt freshman Josh Moten and junior transfer Makiri Pugh. Moten was a quarterback recruit who practiced half the season at cornerback (to rave reviews) before an off-field incident (since resolved) kept him from practicing. With the change in coaching staffs, Moten may also be given a look at quarterback this spring, so we’ll have to track Moten’s progress.

Pugh is a transfer from Georgia who sat out the 2010 season under NCAA transfer rules. Largely forgotten since being interviewed the week of the Georgia game last fall, Pugh may make his presence known on the depth chart before the end of spring drills. Out of high school, Pugh was considered to be the 31st-best cornerback prospect in the nation (Rivals), and had offers from a number of SEC and ACC schools. In 2009, as a red-shirt freshman, Pugh saw action in nine games for Georgia.  

The rosters is filled with potential cornerbacks and nickelbacks, though no one may want to take the field wearing the label of the latter position.

Colorado went through nickelbacks like candy in early 2010. Parker Orms was given the job as a red-shirt freshman last fall, but in his first start, he didn’t make it out of the first quarter, injuring his knee on punt coverage during the Colorado State game, and did not return all season (Orms will be entitled to a medical red-shirt season as a result). Orms was replaced by Travis Sandersfeld, who was injured during  following game against Cal. Sandersfeld’s replacement, Paul Vigo, was subsquently injured during the game against Hawai’i. Against Georgia, the Buffs started linebacker Patrick Mahnke at nickelback, with Jonathan Hawkins and linebacker Liloa Nobriga also receiving starts at the position in 2010.

By the end of the season, some sense of normalcy had been returned to the nickelback position. After starting six different players at the position in the first eight games of year, Sandersfeld started the last four games. Heading into spring drills, the job may be Sandersfeld’s to lose. “Travis Sandersfeld has done nothing but come on and be a steady guy from years past and worked his way up,” said Greg Brown, who also recruited Sandersfeld.

So, who will be in the starting lineup come September?

If the depth chart from last season is a guide, you would look to Anthony Perkins at strong safety, Ray Polk at free safety, Travis Sandersfeld at nickelback, and perhaps Jonathan Hawkins at one cornerback position. The other cornerback? Will it be senior Arthur Jaffee? Junior transfer Makiri Pugh? Sophomore Jered Bell? “Right now, there are no preconceived notions about what is going to happen,” said Brown.

Colorado secondary coach Greg Brown does have two things going for him: 1) depth – Colorado has a good number of quality backs returning; and 2) versatility – almost every back mentioned above can play any of the positions in the secondary. With Colorado looking at a 3-4 defense – or even a 3-3-5, versatility will be at a premium this fall.

This spring will be crucial … the opener is against Hawai’i, which just happened to lead the NCAA in passing offense in 2010, at 394 yards per game. Quarterback Bryant Moniz, who led the nation in total offense last year, and who had 330 yards passing against the Buffs in Boulder last fall, returns for his senior campaign.

No time like the present to being shoring up those defensive statistics …

Linebackers

Roster: Patrick Mahnke (Sr.); Jon Major (Jr.); Doug Rippy (Jr.); Derrick Webb (So.); Liloa Nobriga (So.); Lowell Williams (R-Fr.); David Goldberg (Sr./walk-on); Gage Greer (R-Fr./walk-on); David Blaha (R-Fr./walk-on) .. This Fall … Brady Daigh (Fr.); Woodson Greer (Fr.); K.T. Tuumalo (Fr.)

Players Lost: B.J. Beatty; Michael Sipili; Evan Harrington (moved to fullback); Tyler Ahles (moved to fullback)

“Where’s the Depth?”

There is a real buzz in the Buff Nation about Colorado’s new attacking defense. Getting away from the 4-3, the Buffs will be playing more 3-4 or even 3-3-5, with new defensive line /linebackers coach Kanavis McGhee unleashing his charges upon unsuspecting quarterbacks in the Pac-12.

Problem is … There isn’t a great deal of depth for the coaches to work with – yet.

Colorado loses two senior starters from its linebacker corps. Michael Sipili led the team in tackles last fall with 94, while fellow senior B.J. Beatty made the most of his 36 tackles (Beatty had five sacks and four other tackles for loss in 2010). Only junior Jon Major, who was injured during the Texas Tech game and did not return for the remainder of the season (though he is a “Full Go” for practice this spring), and Major’s replacement, sophomore Liloa Nobriga, have any starting experience from those remaining on the roster.

Still, depth was apparently not seen as a issue amongst the Colorado coaching staff, as two linebackers in line for significant playing time this fall, seniors Tyler Ahles and Evan Harrington, will be learning the fullback position this spring.

So, other than Major and Nobriga, who does linebacker coach Brian Cabral have to work with this spring?

Senior Patrick Mahnke has 35 games to his credit, including six starts. Last season, Mahnke played in all 12 games, starting three as the Buffs’ nickel back. Junior Doug Rippy has not lived up to expectations, and was in on 27 plays over six games in 2010. Sophomore Derrick Webb earned his first start of his career against Oklahoma last fall, seeing action in seven games overall.

With Colorado moving to more of an attacking style, players who are “hybrids” – too small to be a linebacker; too big for safety – will see a great deal of attention. Patrick Mahnke (6’1, 205-pounds) fits into this mold, as do recruits K.T. Tu’umalo (6’2″, 200-pounds) and Will Harlos (6’4″, 200-pounds).

Another player who could help out in this blending of the linebackers and defensive backs is junior Ray Polk. A former running back recruit, Polk (6’1, 210-pounds) was second on the team last season with 72 tackles. Polk started every game last fall at safety and … is rumored to be back on his way to the offensive backfield.

Two seniors lost to graduation; two other seniors converting to fullback; and a starting junior perhaps moving back to running back.

Apparently, depth at linebacker is not a concern for the CU coaching staff.

We’ll see how the dust settles this spring …

Offensive line

Roster: Ryan Miller (Sr.); Ethan Adkins (Sr.); Shawn Daniels (Sr.); Sione Tau (Sr.); Bryce Givens (Jr.); Ryan Dannewitz (Jr.); Eric Richter (Jr.); David Bakhtiari (So.);  Jack Harris (So.); Gus Handler (So.); Kaiwi Crabb (R-Fr.); Daniel Munyer (R-Fr.); Alex Lewis (Fr.); David Clark (Sr./walk-on) … This Fall: Marc Mustoe (Fr.); Alex Kelley (Fr.); Paulay Asiata (Fr.).

Injured: Mike Iltis (Sr.) (knee surgery- out for spring practice); Blake Behrens (Sr.) (shoulder surgery – out for spring); Max Tuioti-Mariner (So.) (knee injury – out for spring practice)

Players Lost: Nate Solder; Keenas Stevens

“Job Opening: Left Tackle”

In one sense, the Colorado offensive line is fairly set, as four of five starters from last season return. Senior Ethan Adkins started 11 games at left guard last season, and has 20 career starts on his resume. Senior Mike Iltis also had 11 starts last fall, with ten of those at the center position (Note: Iltis suffered a torn ACL against Nebraska, and will not be available for spring practice). Senior Ryan Miller is the most recognizable name amongst the returning lineman. Miller has already played in 38 games in his Colorado career, and has earned 35 starts (including starting all 12 games in 2010 at right guard). Sophomore David Bakhtiari is the baby of the group. Still, as a red-shirt freshman last fall, Bakhtiari played in all 12 games, and had 11 starts at right tackle.

Overall, the foursome has played in 95 games, and has earned 83 starts. Behind them, Rodney Stewart rushed for 1,318 yards, the fifth-highest total in school history.

So, what’s not to love?

Well, for starters, there is the loss of that fifth starter, one Nate Solder. A consensus All-American, Solder is believed to be a shoe-in for the first round of the NFL draft, with some draft boards placing Solder in the top 10-15 picks overall. Solder had 40 career starts, and left the team after starting the last 36 games of his career. Solder was the only Colorado lineman in 2010 to grade out at over 90% (at 94.3%), with 142 finishes/knockdown blocks (Miller was second on the team, with 83), had ten touchdown blocks (Miller; second with six); and graded out with a 99% in the 44-36 win over Kansas State.

Very large shoes to fill.

Colorado’s new offensive line coach, Steve Marshall, will have a number of candidates from which to choose, and how Marshall tinkers with the starting lineup will be one of the most interesting stories to follow this spring. Junior Ryan Dannewitz was listed behind Solder on the depth chart at left tackle last fall. Dannewitz has played in 20 games in his career, but did ot play in 2010, and has never started a game for Colorado. Junior Bryce Givens will be another candidate to replace Solder. Givens has played in fewer games than Dannewitz (11), but does have eight starts to his credit. Last fall, Givens played in three games – against Colorado State; Cal; and Texas Tech – but only in spot duty. The only other returning player listed as a tackle on the 2010 depth chart is senior Sione Tau, who has yet to see action as a Buff.

While it may appear that Steve Marshall only has one position to fill, there may be significant adjustments made to the line this spring. Colorado is shifting to more of a power offense, with fewer spread formations and more two-tight end alignments. The emphasis this spring will be on creating a strong rushing attack, and Marshall may not like what he sees on the film from last season. Yes, Rodney Stewart did have a great year, but overall, the Colorado offense struggled. The Buffs were 85th in the nation in rushing and 79th in total offense. Even with All-American Nate Solder protecting the quarterbacks’ backs, Colorado was 51st in the nation in sacks allowed.

Then there is the question of how well the Buffs adjust to their third offensive line coach in four seasons. Solder is seen as a great talent by NFL scouts, but not necessarily as one which was home grown. In a Sporting News article, “drafnik” Dennis Dillon was asked who were his risky picks. Dillon included Solder, stating, “(Solder) reminds me of that great athlete who’s so raw and technically terrible that he gets beaten,” Ouch. Translation: Solder is high on the draft charts in spite of his coaching at Colorado, not because of it (thank you, Denver Johnson).

Jon Embree has stated at every opportunity that every job is open, and that every player must compete for their job. This will be no different along the offensive line.

On paper, Colorado has a strong nucleus of returning talent, including four of five starters, with three of the four being seniors. There are many teams which would like to have that much experience returning.

Whether those four starters are starters against Hawai’i, however, remains to be seen.

Defensive Line

Roster - Defensive Tackle: Curtis Cunningham (Sr.); Conrad Obi (Sr.); Will Pericak (Jr.); Nate Bonsu (So.); Kirk Poston (R-Fr.)

Roster – Defensive End: Josh Hartigan (Sr.); Nick Kasa (Jr.); Forrest West (Jr.); Chidera Uzo-Diribe (So.); Tony Poremba (Sr./walk-on) … This Fall: Stephan Nembot (Fr.); Juda Parker (Fr.)

Player Lost: Marquez Herrod

“In the trenches”

The intrigue this spring for the Colorado defensive line will be as much about style as substance. What form of defense will Colorado play? How will they be coached?

A look at the Colorado coaching staff shows that Brian Cabral, in addition to being the linebackers coach, is also the “Defensive Run Game Coordinator”. Meanwhile, Mike Tuiasosopo is listed as the “Defensive Line” coach and Kanavis McGhee is listed as the “Defensive Line/Assistant Special Teams” coach.

Three coaches working with the defensive line. In a 3-4 defense, that is a lot of attention for each member of the defensive line unit.

Which may not be a bad idea.

Last fall, the Colorado defense had its moments. The Buffs were decent against the run (48th in the nation), but were 71st in tackles for loss and 91st overall in the only statistic that really matters – scoring defense.

The Colorado coaching staff under Jon Embree has only one word for the 2011 Buff defense: Attack.

Along the defensive line, there is plenty of starting experience, but very little depth. Junior nose tackle Will Pericak led the defensive line in 2010 with 45 tackles and two sacks. Joining Pericak as a mainstay along the defensive line is senior defensive tackle Curtis Cunningham, who had 31 tackles and five tackles for loss last year. Both Pericak and Cunningham have been in the starting lineup for every game the past two seasons. The third member of the band, senior defensive end Josh Hartigan, might have joined his linemates in starting every game if not for a mid-season injury. In Hartigan’s absence, three other lineman received their first career starts in consecutive games, with junior Nick Kasa earning his first start against Texas Tech, then junior Forrest West against Oklahoma, and sophomore Chidera Uzo-Diribe against Kansas. Hartigan then returned to the starting lineup against Iowa State, finishing the last three games as the starter. Rounding out the players returning with experience is sophomore Nate Bonsu, who played in all 12 games as a true freshman in 2009 before sitting out the 2010 season after suffering a knee injury during winter conditioning.

Is the defensive line, as a result, set for 2011?

Hardly.

As noted, the philosophy of the defense is being altered, and, with it, the role of the defensive line. This will make for some intrigue during spring practice …

Will the three starters solidify their roles? Will Nick Kasa live up to the hype surrounding his signing three years ago, when the hometown star de-committed from Florida to stay in Colorado? Will Forrest West, who came on strong at the end of the season (five tackles in the first half of 2010; 15 tackles, including 4 1/2 sacks in the second half), continue to earn more playing time? Will Conrad Obi, in his senior seasons, finally force his way into the starting lineup (28; 0 starts)?

(Note: It is being posted on the internet that sophomore Chidera Uzo-Diribe – according to his Twitter account – underwent some form of surgery on March 22nd. The nature of the surgery, if any, and whether the surgery will have any impact on Uzo-Diribe’s ability to compete this spring, has yet to be announced).

Mike Tuiasosopo and Kanavis McGhee were touted as great recruiters when they were brought in from Arizona and Houston, respectively. Their ability to mold a dominating defensive line, though, remains to be demonstrated.

Class begins March 11th.

Wide Receivers

Roster: Toney Clemons (Sr.); Jason Espinoza (Sr.); Will Jefferson (Jr.); Paul Richardson (So.); Jarrod Darden (So.); Keenan Canty (R-Fr.); Kyle Cefalo (Sr./walk-on); Dustin Ebner (Jr./walk-on); Alex Turbow (R-Fr./walk-on); Parker Robbins (R-Fr./walk-on) … This Fall: Nelson Spruce (Fr.); Tyler McCulloch (Fr.).

Players Lost: Scotty McKnight; Kendrick Celestine; Andre Simmons Travon Patterson

“In search of the next Scotty“

Scotty McKnight finished his career with more receptions, yards, and touchdown catches than any other receiver in Colorado history.

While McKnight is off to prove to NFL scouts that he can translate his prowess in Boulder into similar success in the big leagues, he leaves behind some significant shoes to fill.

Two players with significant playing time will help to fill the void, as senior Toney Clemons and sophomore Paul Richardson return. Clemons has eight starts to his credit, and was second on the team in catches in 2010, with 43 for 482 yards and three touchdowns. Despite the high number of catches (just seven behind McKnight), and a team-best 73-yard touchdown reception (against Hawai’i), however, Clemons failed to capture the attention of the Buff Nation.

Instead, the excitement about the future of the receiving corps rests with Paul Richardson. Signed by the Buffs just two days before the start of fall camp, the true freshman had a late on-the-field start to his 2010 season as well. In the first half of the campaign, Richardson had seven catches for 64 yards and no touchdowns. In the second half of 2010, though, Richardson posted 27 catches for 450 yards and six scores. With the graduation of Scotty McKnight, Buff fans will be looking even more to Richardson to lead the receivers.

After Clemons and Richardson, where will the Buff coaches turn to for help?

Two potential senior wide receivers, Andre Simmons and Kendrick Celestine, did not have their scholarships renewed. The only remaining scholarship upper-classmen who remain on the roster are senior Jason Espinoza and junior Will Jefferson. Espinoza has played in 25 games in his Colorado career, and has earned five starts. However, Espinoza sees most of his playing time on special teams, and had only one catch (for 13 yards) in 2010. Meanwhile, Buff fans have been waiting for Will Jefferson to have a breakout game/season, but such a breakout has yet to happen. Last fall Jefferson, who has ten starts to his credit, had 14 catches for 177 yards and one touchdown.

The only other scholarship receivers on the roster this spring are sophomore Jarrod Darden and red-shirt freshman Keenan Canty. This spring will be an audition for both of these players. It is time for them to either distinguish themselves, or make plans to be buried on the depth chart as the Buff coaching staff makes a concerted effort to bring in new and fresh talent to the position.

Colorado will be implementing a west coast offense this spring. “It’s going to be the quarterback making the decision based upon what the defense does to distribute the ball correctly,” said passing coordinator J.D. Brookhart. “It’s a very quarterback-driven offense. So what you see on Sundays is what you’re going to see on Saturdays here.”

With more emphasis on a strong running game and better use of the tight ends (see below), the wide receivers do not have to be great for the Buffs to be successful.

The receivers do, however, have to be very good. And right now, other than Paul Richardson, there is not much in the lineup to put fear into the hearts of Pac-12 defensive backs.

Perhaps this spring a receiver or two will prove me wrong.

Tight Ends

Roster: Ryan Deehan (Sr.); Matthew Bahr (Sr.) (injured/out for spring practice); DaVaughn Thorton (So.); Kyle Slavin (R-Fr.); Harold Mobley (R-Fr.); Henley Griffon (R-Fr.); Alex Wood (So./walk-on); Matt Allen (So./walk-on).

Player Lost: Luke Walters

“We’ve got to be smart how we use them”

The University of Colorado football team in 2011 will be more physical on offense.

Okay, so that’s not really a secret. But the emphasis on the strong running game will also mean more two-tight end sets, which translates into more opportunities for the tight ends on the roster to make a contribution and see playing time. “I think that as grow through spring, we’ll probably have a little better idea of how they fit our system, because the system is flexible,” said tight ends coach J.D. Brookhart. “You don’t have to line up in two tight ends and run downhill all the time. You can do some different things.”

The best blockers will likely get the first opportunity to see the playing field, and senior Ryan Deehan is the best of the bunch. Deehan already has 36 games under his belt, and 18 starts. Last year, Deehan had 25 catches for 249 yards and a touchdown. “Deehan is an interesting kid because he was all over the field,” said tight ends coach J.D. Brookhart. “He’s a smart kid. Those guys will allow you to be more flexible with things, when you can put them in multiple positions.”

After Deehan though, there is little experience. Converted offensive lineman Matt Bahr will be working with the tight ends, while third-year sophomore DaVaughn Thornton and red-shirt freshmen Henley Griffon and Kyle Slavin will be trying to make an impression this spring.

“I think if you look at the tight ends specifically, you have some different body types,” said Brookhart. “Some are more adept to the run game, some more to the pass game who were kind of more recruited to the spread offense.

“I think we’ve got to be smart how we use them. I think they’ve made a good commitment to the 6 a.m. (off-season workouts), and things we’ve seen from them. They want to be good, and that’s half the battle.”

The second half of the battle – adjusting to the new offense, and showing that they are entitled to be on the field this fall, begins March 11th.

Quarterbacks

Roster: Tyler Hansen (Sr.); Brent Burnette (Jr./Transfer); Nick Hirschman (R-Fr.); Justin Gorman (R-Fr./walk-on) … This Fall: Stevie Joe Dorman (Fr.)

Player Lost: Cody Hawkins

“Iron sharpens iron“

Colorado has a returning senior at quarterback, a senior who has had starts in each of his first three seasons. None of his competition for the starting job has so much as a snap behind center at the Division 1-A level.

So, a no-brainer that Tyler Hansen will be the starter against Hawai’i?

Nope.

“It’s nothing new,” said Hansen, who has had to contend with Cody Hawkins for starting time the past three seasons. While Hansen has posted 2,822 career passing yards, he only has 15 career touchdowns to offset 17 career interceptions. Hansen was the starter for all of the 2010 season until he suffered a ruptured spleen against Texas Tech, missing the remainder of the campaign. While Hansen is a “full go” for practice this spring, how well he adapts to another quarterbacks coach and another offensive scheme will be one of the most talked about issues of the 2011 spring practices.

“I like it, actually,” said Hansen of having his third quarterbacks coach (Rip Scherer) in his four years in Boulder. “Different opinions will make you better. The more opinions the better. I think the different techniques to coaching help. Coach (Mark) Helfrich was a hands-on guy, and coach (Eric) Kiesau was a lot different than that. I’m looking forward to coach Scherer and seeing what his techniques are to coaching.”

Will having a new offense level the playing field between Hansen and his competition? “I’m not really worried about that,” Hansen said. “I think whatever they ask me to do, I can do it … I’ve got to be a leader even more than I already have. I’ve got to invest myself in the offense and really learn the offense pretty good, because the old offense we had last year, I knew it inside and out.”

New head coach Jon Embree appreciates the fact that Tyler Hansen is not coming into spring ball assuming he has the job. “Tyler’s not walking around like, ‘I have this job’,” Embree said.

So, who is the competition?

This spring, the main contenders are red-shirt freshman Nick Hirschman and junior college transfer Brent Burnette. Hirschman has the advantage of having been in Boulder last season; Burnette has the advantage of having been on the playing field, albeit at Middle Tennessee in 2009 and at Western Arizona Junior College last season. Still, those advantages are tempered – Hirschman, along with Hansen, has to learn a new system; while Burnette was not exactly spectacular when he was on the playing field, earning only one start, with 1,219 yards, 11 touchdowns and six interceptions in seven games last season.

Still, the starting job is open. “Nick is not walking around like, ‘Oh, I’m just the backup’, and neither is Brent,” said Embree. “I think it’s great because like I’ve talked about, they’ve got to learn to compete. Iron sharpens iron. The better your backup is, the better your starter is. If you beat him out, you beat him out.”

While spring practice does not begin until March 11th, the competition has already begun. “They have all been very competitive,” said Embree. “They all show their face around here a lot, asking questions and wanting to learn the new offense that we’re still in the process of putting together.”

Any other players in the mix?

Walk-on red-shirt freshman Justin Gorman is on the roster, but it would be a surprise if he rose dramatically up the depth chart. There has also been speculation that former high school quarterbacks Josh Moten (now a red-shirt freshman cornerback) and/or Harold Mobley (now a red-shirt freshman tight end) might also be given a look at quarterback this spring, but, with all the work that the coaching staff has to do to orient the likely quarterback candidates to the new offense, Moten and Mobley may be given only a courtesy look, if they are given one at all.

The other potential candidate to start on September 3rd against Hawai’i will not be participating in spring ball. Incoming true freshman Stevie Dorman will be given a chance this fall. “Stevie’s advantage is that the guys who are here only have 15 days,” said Embree. “It’s not one of those things in a normal situation where Tyler had been in this offense for four years, or Hirschman is going into his third year in the offense and knowing all of the nuances.

“So, depending on how fast they learn, and depending what he’s capable of learning, because that window is so short, he has a chance. If he can learn quicker than them to show his skills, he’ll put himself in position to play.” It also won’t hurt Dorman’s chances that the offense the Buffs are installing is similar to the offense which he played in high school at Somerset, Texas.

Still, you would have to assume, at least for now, that the job is Tyler Hansen’s to lose. “I’ve got to be (a leader) the same way with this offense,” said Hansen. “If I do that, I think I can have a pretty good shot at being a leader and a playmaker on this team.”

All eyes will be on the quarterbacks … starting March 11th.

Running backs

Roster:  Running backs – Rodney Stewart (Sr.); Brian Lockridge (Sr.); Quentin Hildreth (So./Walk-on); Tony Jones (R-Fr.); Trea Jones (R-Fr.); Cordary Allen (R-Fr.); Josh Ford (R-Fr./Walk-on) … This Fall: Rashad Hall (Fr.); Malcolm Creer (Fr.).

Roster: Fullbacks – Tyler Ahles (Sr.); Evan Harrington (Sr.); Scott Fernandez (So./Walk-on).

Player Lost: Corey Nabors

“Aces and spaces“

In bridge, the term refers to a player who has been dealt several aces, but does not have any supporting face cards, or much depth in those suits.

At the University of Colorado, the term refers to the depth chart at running back.

Colorado does have two quality returning seniors. In 2010, Rodney Stewart posted 1,318 rushing yards, the fifth-highest total in CU history. ”Speedy” was able to get the tough yards despite his diminutive size (5’6″, 175-pounds), and was able to stay healthy for the entire season for the first time in his career. Stewart’s potential running mate, Brian Lockridge, suffered an ankle sprain against Georgia in early October, ending his season with only 146 yards on 35 carries. In his stead, wide receiver Will Jefferson picked up some carries later in the season, but it appears that the junior wideout will be returning his attentions this fall to being a full-time wide receiver.

After seniors Stewart and Lockridge, both of whom are a “full go” for practice this spring, there is no depth. No juniors, no scholarship sophomores. Just “spaces”.

It wasn’t meant to be this way. In 2007, Colorado received letters-of-intent from junior college running back P.T. Gates and incoming freshman Devan Johnson, but neither player saw action at running back at Colorado. The big haul came in 2008, when Colorado signed (along with throw-in Rodney Stewart) two of the top ten running back recruits in the nation – Darrell Scott (now with South Florida) and Ray Polk (now a junior safety for the Buffs). In 2009, Colorado failed to sign any running backs.

Which leads us to the Class of 2010. Colorado signed three running backs last February, and all three red-shirted last fall. Looking to make an impact this spring will be Tony Jones, a Rodney Stewart clone at 5’7″, 180-pounds, and two bigger backs, Cordary Allen (6’1, 230-pounds) and Trea’ Jones (5’10″, 190-pounds). Also in the mix is a sophomore walk-on, Quentin Hildreth.

Joining this trio in the backfield this spring are two other “newcomers”, though not to the team. Former linebackers Tyler Ahles and Evan Harrington, both seniors, are being asked to give it a go at fullback this season. Ahles and Harrington join walk-on sophomore Scott Fernandez, who saw action at fullback last season in goal line situations.

As Colorado is clearly attempting to bulk up its running game, the early name to watch amongst the newcomers is probably Cordary Allen, the largest of the red-shirt freshmen. Allen may be the coaches’ first choice to provide the larger back in a two-back offense, serving as as additional blocker for Stewart and Lockridge, while also serving as a short-yardage back.

That being said, Buff fans will be keeping an eye on all three of the red-shirt freshmen. Other than Stewart and Lockridge (and other than Jefferson and Justin Torres, who had 14 carries as a freshman last fall, but has since left the team), there isn’t a single collegiate carry amongst the backs on the Colorado roster. If nothing else, the Buff coaching staff must begin to look towards 2012. While it would be great to see Rodney Stewart go over a 1,000 yards again in 2011, and while it would make an interesting story to watch Stewart chase the record of his position coach (Stewart has 2,744 career rushing yards, needing 1,197 yards to surpass Eric Bieniemy for the all-time Colorado rushing lead), the much better story for Colorado as a team would be to see one of more of the red-shirt freshmen emerge as the next star at running back for Colorado.

The testing begins this spring. If the firm of Jones, Allen and Jones can’t get the job done in March and April, Buff coaches may turn to true freshmen this fall, with Rashad Hall and Malcolm Creer joining the roster this summer.

Pick your favorite baby Buff back this spring, and see how well they fare.

Due to Colorado’s “Aces and spaces”, you may be looking at the feature back for the Buffs in 2012.

By the Numbers

What does a 24-0 shutout do for a team which was ranked no higher than 100th in the nation in six statisitical categories?

Great things, apparently.

Now, after three weeks of play, the Buffs are only ranked in the bottom twenty in the nation in three statistical categories … yea! Granted, Colorado is still in the 100′s in rushing offense (106th – ouch!), rushing defense (104th – not completely unexpected) and pass efficiency defense (100th – yuck), but the Buffs have made progress in the areas of total defense (99th, up from 111th), scoring defense (78th, well up from the ranking of 107th a week ago), and sacks allowed (93rd, up from 104th). The Buffs also moved up in net punting (42nd, up significantly from 75th), pass defense (75th, up from 98th), and sacks (38th, up from 67th).

If it’s any consolation, there are only three categories in which a Big 12 North team leads the conference – pass efficiency defense (Kansas State), pass efficiency (Missouri), and sacks allowed (Iowa State).

Dare to dream – Colorado is just another shutout or two away from really making a statisical splash!

Roster updates

As the Buffs’ bye week continues, the roster continues to improve in terms of healthy bodies. As noted last night, offensive lineman Bryce Givens in back on the practice field, after being out last week for personal reasons. When asked if Givens would be coming back to play, Dan Hawkins said, “He’ll go”.

Also back practicing with the offensive linemen is Maxwell Tuioti-Mariner. MTM, out since early August with an MCL injury, was first destined to be gone for two years on a Mormon mission, but decided to stay and play with his teammates. While back practicing, it remains uncertain as to whether the freshman guard (MTM received a medical redshirt for 2008, and thus remains a freshman) will be able to play in 2009. “We’ll see how I progress as I get out there,” said Tuioti-Mariner. “I definitely don’t want to rush things. But it feels good.”

Hoping for an earlier return is defensive lineman Nick Kasa. Out since August 17th, the true freshman may still play this season. Kasa’s knee did not require surgery, and the rehabilitation has gone well enough to allow Kasa to resume practice. “It felt good to get out there,” said Kasa. “We’ll see how it progresses and what the best course of action will be as I get back into it a little bit more.”

Noting that the Buffs’ rushing offense and rushing defense are both still in the 100′s nationally, the return of any or all of the above three players will be considered a bonus by Buff fans. Of the three, the least likely to play any time soon is MTM, with Givens hopefully back in the mix for West Virginia.

Also back at practice was running back Darrell Scott. The sophomore running back did not play against West Virginia, a late scratch due to a lingering knee injury. As for the West Virginia game, Scott was optimistic. “I’m good,” said Scott. “(the knee) felt good today (Tuesday)”. Scott also indicated that he was willing to resume kickoff return duties. “Oh yeah,” said Scott, who averaged 26.3 yards in 13 kickoff returns in the first two games. “I love it”.

September 22nd

First peek under the hood – West Virginia’s offense

Okay, so the game is not until next Thursday, and there is still plenty of time to bask in the glow of the first Buffs’ victory in ten months, but here are just a few tidbits about the West Virginia offense which I hope the Colorado coaches are posting on the CU bullentin board (the complete “T.I.P.S.” for the West Virginia game will be posted on Sunday):

- Running back Noel Devine had a 71-yard scoring run early in the first quarter against Auburn. For the Buffs, such a run would have been the longest run from scrimmage in the Dan Hawkins’ era. For the Mountaineer junior, it was only the fourth longest of his career. (For those counting, the last time a Buff ran for that many yards in one play – Hugh Charles had a 74-yard touchdown run against Oklahoma State in 2005).

- The 41-30 loss to Auburn marked only the second time since 2000 that the Mountaineers have scored 30 or more points in a game – and lost. West Virginia is 60-2 when scoring 30 or more in that span – and the Mountaineers have scored 30 or more in each game this season.

- Wide receiver Jock Sanders (more on him, and his rap sheet, on Sunday) tied a school record with 12 receptions against Auburn.

- West Virginia has had five scoring drives consuming less than 2:05 in game clock this season; three have taken under a minute.

It’s time to dig out the tape from last year’s game, and figure out how the Buffs held this team to 14 points last season!

UPDATE – It is being reported that red-shirt freshman offensive lineman Bryce Givens, out last week for “personal reasons”, is back practicing with the team. Also back is freshman quarterback Jerry Slota, who was previously had been suspended for violation of team rules.

September 21st

Walking wounded

The Buffs have this Saturday off, with ten days to prepare for their road trip to Morgantown to face West Virginia. The extra days will give some of the Colorado players some extra time to heal. An update as to some of the Buffs’ walking wounded …

Darrell Scott was a surprise scratch Saturday morning, out with a bruised knee. According to offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau, Scott will be at full speed for the West Virginia game (there is some internet chatter about Scott’s work ethic, but, at least for now, I am going to resist jumping on the “Marcus Houston II” bandwagon. I remain very hopeful that Scott will prove to be a star running back at Colorado) …

Scott’s absence opened the door for Rodney Stewart to carry the ball 32 times against Wyoming. Believe it or not, Stewart was also on the injured list prior to the Wyoming game (hamstring). Stewart’s 127 yards and two touchdowns later … uh, Stewart’s a 100% go for West Virginia.

Two players out for most of the fall are getting closer to being on the field … Defensive end Nick Kasa suffered a torn MCL in his left knee on August 17th, but will return to practice Tuesday. “I don’t think I’m red-shirting right now, but I have to see how I’m practicing”, said Kasa. “If I can play really good, then, yeah, I want to come back. But if I’m not ready to go, then a red-shirt might be the best thing for me.” … Not quite as far along is offensive guard Maxwell Tuioti-Mariner. MTM, who has undergone ACL surgeries on both knees in the past year, is reportedly two to three weeks away from full-speed workouts.

One player who remains out is offensive lineman Bryce Givens. Givens, who was allowed to leave the team for “personal reasons” last week, remains out.

Other notes on the injury front … Linebacker Shaun Mohler, who was out for the Toledo game with a concussion, had three tackles against Wyoming and is a full go for West Virginia … Wide receiver Markques Simas, back from suspension, received his first start against Wyoming, but did not play much of the game and did not record a catch. Simas continues to suffer from a sprained knee, and Simas played sparingly. “I didn’t get as many reps as I wanted,” said Simas. “My knee was kind of bothering me, but I’m happy with the win”, adding,”I’ll be all right after this bye week.”

September 20th

Buffs pick up two more (soft) commitments!

Both Rivals and Scout are reporting that Corona, California, defensive end Chidera Uzo-Diribe has given his commitment to play for Colorado. Uzo-Diribe is 6’4″, 227 pounds, and reportedly runs a 4.7 40.  The California defensive end is rated as a three-star prospect, the 107th best defensive end in the country.

This should still be considered as a “soft” commitment, however, as Uzo-Diribe is still planning on making official visits to other schools this fall. Uzo-Diribe will be making his official visit to Colorado the weekend of  October 30th (the Missouri game), with other visits planned for Arizona (November 7th) and UCLA (November 20th).

Uzo-Diribe is the sixth known commitment of the 2010 recruiting class. The Buffs presently have four offensive commitments (quarterback, running back, tight end, and guard) and two on the defensive side of the ball (defensive end and middle linebacker).

The seventh commitment of this year’s class is only presently being reported by Rivals. Linebacker Lowell Williams, from Missouri City, Texas, made his verbal commitment after making his official visit this past weekend. Williams is 6′ 1″, 210 pounds, and is considered a three star prospect. Williams is being recruited by Big 12 rivals Texas A&M, Baylor, Kansas, and Oklahoma State, but has not yet scheduled any other official visits.

September 19th

Scott out for Wyoming game

Not that the Buffs needed any more bad news, but it is being widely reported that Darrell Scott will not play today against Wyoming. Scott has a knee issue (no more information disclosed) which hampers his ability to cut. 

Rodney Stewart also has been limited in practice (sprained MCL), but is expected to play …

September 18th

Amidst Chaos – a commitment

Despite all of the negative press the Buffs have been receiving of late, there was a bit of good news late this week.

Offensive guard prospect Daniel Munyer has become the latest commitment for the Colorado recuiting class of 2010. It is being reported that Munyer, a 6’3″, 265 pound guard from Sherman Oaks, California, has committed to be a Buff. Munyer is ranked as the 83rd best guard in the nation, and chose Colorado over a number of other schools (though none from BCS conferences), including Colorado State, Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State, and UNLV. Munyer may play either guard or center at Colorado. “I sat down with my parents and I went over all my options,” Munyer told Scout.com, “and I felt that I could succeed with all my goals academically and with football at Colorado, so I felt that was the right decision for me to make.”

Welcome to the Buff Nation, Daniel!

Wide Receivers ready to show their stuff?

After two games, the only statistic in which the Buffs are within shouting range of decent, is … drum roll … passing offense. Okay, so it makes sense that Colorado is ranked 18th nationally in passing, especially when you take into account the fact that the Buffs have trailed by double digits for much of their first two games.

Still, there is something to build on here, and Markques Simas is anxious to be a participant. After waiting two years and two games to put on a game jersey, Simas is ready to play. In an interview with BuffStampede.com, Simas has “no excuses” for not being ready. “I have been keeping my nose in it, making sure that I am where I am supposed to be,” said Simas, who will play for the first time this Saturday. “I have been paying close attention in meetings, getting my film work in, so I’ll be good.”

Simas also feels that one of the other purported saviors of the wide receiver corps, transfer Andre Simmons, is ready to break out. “This offense is not an easy one to learn,” said Simas. “It takes a lot of time, it takes a lot of repetition, and then (Simmons) coming out here and not being able to practice as soon as he got out here hurt him, too,” adding that Simmons “should be getting a lot better as the season progresses.”

September 17th

Lies, Damed Lies, and Statistics

You just gotta love Dave Plati.

Even in the depths of one of the worst weeks in recent Colorado history, the CU Assistant AD/Media Relations came up with a positive spin on the Buffs’ atrocious defense. True, the Buffs have given up 1,000 yards in two games, Dave acknowledges. Yes, the Colorado defense has given up 16 plays of over 20 yards, with eight of those going for over 40. The 16 plays have accounted for 676 yards (the total goes up to 788 yards if you count an additional eight plays of over ten yards.

What does it all mean? Glad you asked. Dave points out that all of those “explosion” plays account for 79 percent of the yards, with the remaining plays netting only 212 yards, or 2.3 yards per play. How about that! Almost 80% of the time, the Colorado defense holds the opposition to just over two yards per play!! “So if and when the coaches solve the big play issues,” Dave writes, “the appearance is that this could wind up being a pretty good defense.”

Talk about trying to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear! All we have to do is get rid of those pesky “explosion” plays, and the Buffs will have a great defense!

I can’t wait …

Real Numbers

With the two losses to end the 2008 season, Colorado is presently on a four game losing streak. That number ties the Buffs for the seventh worst current streak in college football. Of the teams that are worse, only one, Virginia, with a six game losing streak, plays in a BCS conference.

One team of note … Miami (Ohio) is third on the list, currently suffering through a seven game losing streak. Did you notice that the RedHawks, the team that Colorado was supposed to play last weekend, is 0-2 on the season, having been out-scored by the count of 90-0 (42-0 loss to Kentucky; 48-0 loss to Boise State)?

If only … okay, sour grapes.

Injury Update

Other than Nick Kasa and MTM, who will each be out at least another few weeks, all of the players listed on the Colorado injury list are considered “probable”, with the exception of senior linebacker Shaun Mohler, who is listed as “day-to-day”. Notables on the “probable” list include quarterback Cody Hawkins (concussion), Darrell Scott (bruised knee), Rodney Stewart (hamstring), and Markques Simas (sprained knee).

Not on the list is guard Bryce Givens, who remains gone from the team. Offensive line coach said Givens was “dealing with personal issues”, but did not elaborate. There have been a number of rumors and posts on the internet about Givens’ status with the team, but since nothing has been confirmed, I’ll leave it with the attributed quote. As soon as there is more substantiated information, I’ll let you know.

 September 16th

Depth Chart Issues

Buffstampede.com is reporting that starting right tackle Bryce Givens is not currently with the team, as he deals with what are described as “personal issues”. Ryan Miller, the former tackle moved to guard, has moved back to tackle (which presumably will move Miller’s backup, Blake Behrens, back to starting at guard. Behrens became a starter last year after Miller and MTM were injured).

Other items of note from the Wyoming game depth chart: Markques Simas is finally listed on the roster (story below).  Suspended for the first two games for violation of “team rules”, Simas is in the wide receiver grouping for the first time this season. The sophomore is listed as “injured”, but Simas, who has what is described as a “slightly strained MCL” has no qualifications about his being on the field against Wyoming. “I’m going to play; I’m playing regardless”, said Simas.

Those hoping for a switch at quarterback can get back into their seats. Tyler Hansen is now listed below true freshman Seth Lobato on the depth chart. Hansen, along with Clark Evans, is now listed amongst those slated as “plans to redshirt, but could play if injuries dictate otherwise”.

Also worthy of note. Two injured players are back listed as starters: Center Mike Iltis  and safety Patrick Mahnke. Linebacker Shaun Mohler, who sat home last weekend with a concussion, has also been cleared to play against Wyoming.  

Throwbacks

Have you seen the throwback uniforms the Buffs are going to be wearing this Saturday? http://www.cubuffs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=600&ATCLID=204794844

Gold uniforms; silver pants – the uniforms from 1937, the year Byron “Whizzer” White became the Buffs’ first All-American. Also planned: field lettering will be from 50 years ago; the Boulder sesquicentennial (that’s 150 years, folks) will be acknowledged, as will be Jenny Barringer, who, if you have been staying up on cubuffs.com posts, is simply amazing (Barringer will be presented with her award as being the Honda Track and Field Athlete of the Year).

 While the throwback uniforms are a good idea, and may draw in a few more fans, the game is not going to be televised, so most of us will not get to see what the uniforms look like other than through a few still pictures.

Oh well. While the uniforms are ugly, you have to give props to the athletic department for trying to attract more attention to a game which did not look to be a sell out – even before the disasterous open to the season …

Simas offensive savior – or latest disappointment?

Markques Simas, the scout team wonder who has yet to play a down for the Buffs, will make his debut on Saturday. A academic, then a “team rules” casualty, Simas has been waiting to make his contribution to the wide receiver corps which is in desperate need of a spark. “I don’t want to keep hearing, ‘he could have been this, he could have been that’,” said Simas. “I want to be that guy. I want to be one of the best receivers at Colorado.”

While Simas’ attitude and confidence are refreshing, and while his introduction to 1-A football this weekend gives Buff fans looking for anything to be optimistic about something to talk about, it’s hard not to be skeptical. Remember how excited we were when the Buffs signed three new receivers last spring? Remember the internet frenzy over Andre Simmons’ qualifying? Remember how Will Jefferson took fall practice by storm? Yeah, me too. Here’s hoping that Markques Simas is worth all the print he has generated over the past two plus seasons …

September 14th

Gruesome Numbers

The Colorado defense has given up an even 1,000 yards in the first two games. That’s 500/game, more than double what the top teams in the nation gave up last season. Overall, the Buffs rank 111th out of 120 teams in total defense (98th in pass defense; 107th in scoring defense; and 112th in rush defense). To be honest, I am surprised that the there are  nine teams ranked lower than the Buffs in total defense (of course, none are in BCS conferences).

If the Buffs continue down this road, they will set any number of negative records. The worst Colorado defense in school history was not that long ago, and that 5-7 team gave up 5,185 yards in 2003. The 2009 version is on a pace to give up a cool 6,000. The worst season in terms of average was the infamous 1980 squad, which gave up an average of 464.4 yards/game on its way to a 1-10 record.

Yuck. You get the idea …

“We’ve got to get back to the basics and emphasize techniques and coverages that we know, and get better,” said defensive coordinator Ron Collins. “We had too many people trying to run in and out of the field; that was an issue.”

A few more record notes from the Toledo Massacre …

The 38 points was the second most points scored by the Buffs when losing a game. The most? The 42 points in the 82-42 record-smasher against Oklahoma in 1980.

The eight kickoff returns by Darrell Scott tied a school record, first set by Walter Stanley against Nebraska in 1981. The score of that game? Um … 59-0.

Not exactly records you want to be setting …

Where is Darrell?

Those clamouring for more from Darrell Scott will be surprised to learn that Scott had the fourth most total yards in a game Saturday. Scott had 290 all-purpose yards (the record was set by Rashaan Salaam, who had 362 against Texas – 317 rushing, 45 yards receiving). The sad part is that 204 yards were in kick returns, with one yard receiving and 85 yards rushing – all in the first half.

Collateral Damage

One clear cause-and-effect that comes with a stretch of losing games (and seasons) is the negative impact the losses have on recruiting. The Buffs’ 2010 class, already sparse in comparison to their Big 12 bretheren, lost a commitment this past weekend. Zack Craig, a cornerback commitment from Texas, switched his commitment from Colorado to Oklahoma State.

While it is true that Craig did have ties to Oklahoma State, there is more bad news. Mister Jones, a June running back commitment from Denver (Littleton), has become a “soft verbal”. While not de-commiting, Jones is now planning on taking official visits to other schools. Jones’ quotes tell you all you need to know about the state of the 2010 recruiting class. “I mean, it’s obvious,” said Jones. “They lost to like Toledo and Colorado State the last couple of weeks. The CU program isn’t doing too good right now.”

Hard to argue with the young man …

 Colorado State quarterback Grant Stucker passed for 208 yards, while running back John Mosure had two scores in leading the Rams to a 23-17 victory over Colorado in Boulder. The win was the first in Folsom Field for Colorado State since 1986, sending most of the near-sellout crowd of 53,168 home in dismay.

 The Colorado Buffaloes’ 2009 season started about as badly as a season can.

 The Rams took the opening kickoff smartly down the field, taking only six plays to cover 80 yards, with Mosure scoring from a yard out to give Colorado State a 7-0 lead just 3:13 into the game. The Buffs’ response? Three-and-out, gaining six yards.

 Two series later, the score was up to 14-0, as the Rams took advantage of an interception and a personal foul penalty to start their drive at mid-field. The drive took ten plays, but the result was the same – touchdown, Colorado State, with Stucker and Mosure connecting from 14 yards out.

 While the Colorado State offense was moving smoothly, the Colorado offense was anemic. The Buffs generated all of five first downs in the first half, gaining less than 100 total yards. The Buffs did manage a field goal in the second quarter, but it was off-set by two field goals by Colorado State. The Buffs’ score came on a 54-yard field goal by Aric Goodman, but even that came as a surprise, as Goodman had not connected on anything longer than 37 yards before as a Buff.

 The halftime score: Colorado State 20, Colorado 3.

 The second half started as well for the Buffs as the first half had gone poorly. Taking the opening kickoff, it took only four plays for Colorado to post its first touchdown of the season. A Cody Hawkins to Andre Simmons pass went for 44 yards, with Brian Lockridge scoring on a nine-yard run on the next play to cut the lead to 20-10.

 The Colorado defense responded as well, holding the Rams to a three-and-out on their first possession of the second half. The Buff offense, with the crowd engaged for the first time all night, took only three plays to get to the CSU 36-yard line.

Then, the play of the game.

Cody Hawkins hit Scotty McKnight on an 18-yard crossing pattern to the CSU 18. The frenzy of the crowd, though, was tempered, as McKnight did not immediately get up from the hit. A few moments later, McKnight was up, but the cheers were nonetheless gone. The play was reviewed, with the replay official giving McKnight a reception, but also a fumble.

Rams’ ball. Momentum shifted.

The Buffs would not see the Colorado State redzone until it was too late.

The Colorado defense played better in the second half, holding the Colorado State offense to one field goal, but the Colorado offense was not able to muster a challenge until the game was out of hand. A two-yard touchdown pass from Cody Hawkins to Scotty McKnight brought the Buffs back to within one score, at 23-17, with 1:57 to play, but the Rams easily recovered the ensuing on-sides kick, and Colorado State had its upset.

“It was the tale of two halves,” said Dan Hawkins, who fell to 2-2 against the Rams. “I thought we played much better in the second half and made some good adjustments. They just hit us on some plays in the first half.”

The numbers, especially on offense, were not for young eyes. Colorado generated only 251 yards of total offense – 29 on the ground. The Colorado State defense, which had all of ten sacks in all of 2008, sacked Colorado quarterback Cody Hawkins four times. The Buffs actually had more first downs by penalty (two), than by rushing the football (one).

Still, there is no time to dwell on the loss. Toledo, which lost to Purdue, 52-31 in the season opener, is on Friday night. “We have to forget about this,” said Cody Hawkins. “Go back out tomorrow and correct the things we did wrong and the things we did badly. We have to get that gag reflex out and prepare for Toledo.”

“Gag reflex”? So that is what the Buff faithful were feeling as the CSU students stormed the field.

 Game Notes –

 CSU went three-of-four on third down conversions in building a 14-0 lead, but went 0-for-ten on third downs the remainder of the game.

 Eight Colorado players made their first career starts. On defense: linebacker B.J. Beatty; defensive tackles Curtis Cunningham and Will Pericak, as well as safety Ray Polk. On offense: offensive guard Ethan Adkins, offensive tackle Bryce Givens, center Mike Iltis, and wide receiver Jason Espinoza.

 Will Pericak became the first freshman (true or red-shirt) to start in a season opener at defensive tackle.

 The victory was the first for the Rams in Boulder since 1986 (a game also played on September 6^th). The Buffs went on to open the 1986 campaign 0-4, before rebounding to go 6-1 in Big Eight play and earn a bowl invitation.

 Aric Goodman’s 54-yard field goal in the second quarter was a career-best. His best last year as a Buff was from 37 yards (Goodman did connect on a 52-yarder for Wyoming against San Diego State in 2006).

 Cody Hawkins, with 222 yards passing, moved up to fourth on the all-time CU passing charts. Hawkins now has 4,807 passing yards, moving past John Hessler (4,788) and Mike Moschetti (4,797) on the charts. Up next: Koy Detmer (5,390 yards).