Colorado Daily – Fall Camp

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Fall Camp - 2020 Season

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Colorado Daily – Fall Camp

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October 30th

… CU in a few minutes …

Noyer the starter, but Tyler Lytle will play: “I want Tyler to get some time in the games. He’s deserving”

… Related … National story: “Sam Noyer named starting quarterback by CU football coach Karl Dorrell” … From ESPN

From the Daily Camera … Head coach Karl Dorrell, quarterbacks coach Danny Langsdorf and offensive coordinator Darrin Chiaverini chose Noyer over fourth-year junior Tyler Lytle.

“Very, very, very close competition, as you guys can imagine,” Dorrell said after Friday’s practice. “Sam got the nod, but we’re really, really impressed with what Tyler has done this camp and we’re going to continue to bring Tyler along. He’s going to get a chance to play some.”

When Noyer hits the field against UCLA, it will be his first start at quarterback since his senior year at Beaverton (Ore.) High School in 2015. He hasn’t thrown a pass in a game since the 2018 finale against Utah.

“Obviously I’m excited,” said Noyer, who is 21-for-41 for 179 yards and two interceptions in his career at CU. “My mindset kind of shifts towards UCLA now. We’ve been going in camp mode, going against our (starters) and now we’re getting into scouts. My mind is shifting toward UCLA. Definitely high emotions. When I found out, I celebrated for a couple hours and then back to work.”

Although the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Noyer has won the job for now, the competition appears to be going into the season. With no spring football and only three weeks of camp, coaches haven’t had much time to evaluable the veteran quarterbacks and both are likely to see the field.

“That was the challenge was we had three weeks to make a decision without any spring practice … but the season’s upon us,” Dorrell said. “We play in about a week’s time and Sam, we felt that he just operationally is just a little bit better at this point in time, but just barely – just barely – better than what Tyler is.

“We want to get Tyler some time. We haven’t determined how much that is yet. If the competition’s that close then, yes, we will want to continue those guys developing and getting some game experience. I want Tyler to get some time in the games. He’s deserving.”

… Continue reading story here …

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October 29th

… CU in a few minutes …

Boulder County approves CU’s Game Day plans; “crowd” of 920 possible for opener

From CUBuffs.com … The University of Colorado athletic department on Thursday afternoon received approval from Boulder County Health for its football game day protocols related to COVID-19 mitigation, including a limited number of family members from both teams who will be allowed to attend CU’s season opener next week.

The Buffaloes kickoff their revised 2020 schedule on Saturday, Nov. 7, against the UCLA Bruins, the game time set for 5:00 p.m. MST for a nationally televised game on ESPN2. The protocols include a mandatory face covering requirement, physical spacing, no tailgating and the ability at Folsom Field to host up to 920 family members of CU’s and UCLA’s players and football staff.

In line with Pac-12 Conference guidelines, there will be no general public fan attendance. Earlier this month, conference leaders approved the provision for guests of football players and staff provided each individual university could gain approvals from their local public health officials. Players suiting up for both teams will each receive four complimentary tickets in line with NCAA guidelines. The Pac-12 has mandated that 400 of the 920 seats are to be allotted to the visiting team.

The ability to host football player and staff family members for CU’s remaining two home games (Nov. 21 versus Arizona State and Dec. 11 against Utah, with a possibility of a fourth on Dec. 19) will remain dependent on evolving public health conditions throughout the season, and CU will remain in close contact with local public health officials during the season.

“We are appreciative of county and state health officials for their diligence in protecting Colorado communities and for the thorough and thoughtful review of our game day plans,” CU Athletic Director Rick George said. “The health and safety of our players, coaches, staff and game attendees is our top priority, and we will take a number of precautions in our stadium to help ensure a safe game day experience.”

Those allowed to attend this fall will be divided into pods of 175 or fewer once they enter the stadium. Each pod will share designated restrooms and concessions facilities. Face coverings will be required for all attendees at all times while in the stadium. Tailgating either pre- or postgame will not be allowed, and game attendees will not be allowed to congregate in groups on campus before or after the game.

All game day staff will go through a health screening process prior to entering the stadium, including temperature checks and completion of a health questionnaire.

In addition, there are also several physical distancing requirements for media, both in the press box and on the sidelines, reducing the number of media who will be permitted to cover the game in-person. All postgame press conferences will be conducted virtually for both CU and the visiting team.

With the vast majority of fans not being able to attend the games in person, they are encouraged to watch the games at home, as all will be televised either by the ESPN or FOX family of sports networks. It is still advised to avoid gathering in groups and abide by all public health guidelines, including state of Colorado and Boulder County requirements related to size and household limits for gatherings.

Game day protocols for the men’s and women’s basketball seasons, which begin in late November, are still being established.

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October 28th

… CU in a few minutes …

Darian Hagan on running backs: “This group has the potential to be the best that I’ve ever coached”

From the Daily Camera … Darian Hagan isn’t ready to label Colorado’s running backs group as the best he’s coached – but they could get there.

“I would say a year from now, this group has the potential to be the best that I’ve ever coached,” Hagan said Wednesday after the Buffaloes completed their 17th practice of the preseason. “I think that every last one of them have an opportunity to do some really, really good things.”

Hagan is starting his fifth season in his second stint coaching the Buffs’ running backs. In all, this is 10th season in that role (also 2006-10).

Hagan has coached Phillip Lindsay (second on CU’s all-time rushing list, with 3,707 yards), Rodney “Speedy” Stewart (third, 3,598) and Hugh Charles (eighth, 2,659). He also helped Travon McMillian eclipse the 1,000-yard mark in his only season at CU, in 2018.

It’s been a while, however, since CU had this much overall talent at tailback.

Junior Alex Fontenot is the only upperclassman in the room. In his first season as a starter in 2019, he ran for 874 yards and five touchdowns. Oregon’s CJ Verdell is the only returning player in the Pac-12 who averaged more yards per game than Fontenot’s 79.5.

“Last year, it was his first year being a full-time starter and the game was a little fast to him early in the season,” Hagan said. “As we got later in the season, the game started slowing down for him. Now he’s picked up his game. He’s a wily veteran. He knows exactly what to do in every situation. He’s a special talent and I’m glad he’s on our side of the team, on offense.”

… Continue reading story here ..

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Buffs begin preparations for UCLA game

From the Daily Camera … CU continues to work on polishing its offensive and defensive schemes, while some position battles continue, but Dorrell said the Buffs are also in the beginning stages of game planning for the Bruins.

“By no means are we out of training camp,” Dorrell said. “But we’re within two weeks now; we’re 10 days away (from the opener) and so we wanted to get a chance to start breaking the seal on that preparation for our first opponent.”

Dorrell still hasn’t named a starting quarterback and there’s plenty of work to be done for the Buffs to be ready to play a game, but Dorrell said he continues to be pleased with how the players are preparing.

“We’re heading in the right direction to get ourselves ready to go on November 7 at 5 o’clock,” Dorrell said.

… Continue reading story here …

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October 27th

… CU in a few minutes …

Buffs in the NFL: Tony Brown makes his NFL debut

From CUBuffs.com … Tony Brown debuts on 53-man roster and Tedric Thompson returns to Colorado to highlight Week 7 of #NFLBuffs.

Brown Elevated From Practice Squad, Gets First NFL Action
Brown (Washington) made his NFL debut on Sunday when he saw the field on four offensive plays in a 25-3 win over Dallas.

Brown has already had a busy NFL journey in his rookie season. After not hearing his name called in the 2020 NFL Draft, Brown was signed by Cleveland for training camp. After being released by the Browns he was signed and waived again by the New York Giants. On August 1st, Brown was picked up by Washington and later signed to their practice squad where he had spent the first six weeks of the season. On Saturday, Brown was signed to the 53-man roster before debuting on Sunday.

Thompson’s Snowy Return To Colorado
Thompson (Kansas City) returned to the state he attended college for the second time in his professional career. In a 43-16 snowy win over Denver, Thompson tied his season high of 26 snaps, with 17 coming on defense and 9 on special teams. He recorded one tackle on defense, his 10th solo tackle of the season.

As a member of Seattle in 2018, Thompson lost at Denver 27-24. He recorded four tackles in the loss.

Buffs in Action
Brown (Washington) was elevated from the practice squad in a 25-3 win against Dallas. The rookie receiver saw four plays on offense in his NFL debut.

Mason Crosby (Green Bay) was a perfect 5-of-5 on extra points on Sunday in a 35-20 victory over Houston. The Packers improved to 5-1 with the win.

Phillip Lindsay (Denver) was on his way to back-to-back 100-yard games before exiting the game late in the first half with a concussion. The Broncos went on to lose to Kansas City 43-16. Lindsay had 9 rushes for 79 yards, averaging 8.8 yards a touch, before having to leave the game. CU’s third all-time leading rusher will not enter the league’s concussion protocol and will return to practice once cleared.

… Continue reading story here …

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Brady Russell: “We believe we can go 7-0”

From the Daily Camera … The Colorado football team is just seven days away from being in the midst of game week for the first time in nearly a year and junior tight end Brady Russell is feeling good about the Buffaloes’ preparation.

“The difference in this team, from day one to now is pretty crazy,” Russell said Monday after the Buffs’ 15th practice of preseason. “The focus and the attention to detail I think is one thing that we’ve harped on a lot, especially as leaders and some of the guys like me and Nate (Landman), Mustafa (Johnson) and KD (Nixon). We’ve harped on the details and making sure that people understand how much those little things matter.

“All of us juniors and seniors, we’ve been through a few 5-7 teams now and we know that it’s just little details that could be the difference between a really good season and a 5-7 season like we’ve had.”

With only seven games scheduled this season, the Buffs know they won’t finish 5-7 for a fourth consecutive season. Most outside projections have the Buffs struggling to win more than a game or two, but Russell believes the Buffs are putting themselves in position to succeed.

“We think we’re going to go 7-0 and we believe we can go 7-0,” Russell said. “Us older guys know we have the talent and skill and everything to go 7-0. We know it comes down to mentally. It’s not a physical thing because we have everything; we have all the pieces we need. It’s just making sure we have the right mindset going into all of our games. We definitely think we can do some damage this year.”

… Continue reading story here …

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October 26th

… CU in a few minutes …

Pac-12 sets its slate of kickoffs for Week One of the 2020 season

From CU Buffs.com … The UCLA at Colorado football game on Saturday, November 7, will kickoff at 5:00 p.m. MST and will be televised nationally by ESPN2

… Current weather forecast for Boulder for November 7th … Partly cloudy; High of 53; Low of 36; 10% chance of rain …

Other Pac-12 kickoff times (all times MT) … The #Pac12AfterDark returns with two late night games (at least no team has to endure being banished to the Pac-12 Networks). The two “featured” Pac-12 teams will be nationally covered by Fox and ABC telecasts …

Arizona State at No. 21 USC – 10:00 a.m., MT, Fox
Arizona at Utah – 2:00 p.m., MT, ESPNU
Stanford at No. 14 Oregon – 5:30 p.m., MT, ABC
Washington at Cal – 8:30 p.m., MT, ESPN
Washington State at Oregon State – 8:30 p.m., MT, FS1

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October 25th

… CU in a few minutes …

Deep receiving corps aiding development of young defensive backs

From the Daily Camera … Despite losing Laviska Shenault and Tony Brown to the NFL, the Buffs return two starters – senior KD Nixon and sophomore Dimitri Stanley – as well as potential breakout star Daniel Arias, other veterans who have waited their turn and four talented true freshmen.

“We’re so deep at that spot,” CU head coach Karl Dorrell said. “There’s a number of guys that can be helping us this year. We got to narrow that down at some point. But it’s a good problem to have. It’s a great problem to have. We’re very fortunate at that position.”

They are fortunate in a number of ways, actually.

While they will narrow down which receivers become the primary targets on game day, the entire group is making an impact in other areas.

Every day at practice, CU’s young players in the secondary are benefiting from going against that receiver talent and the Buffs’ inexperienced quarterbacks are enjoying the luxury of throwing to them. On special teams, there are a number of receivers who could fill roles as returners.

The Buffs have 13 defensive backs on scholarship, but six have never played a snap at CU and five others have less than 400 career snaps (roughly half a season) under their belt, so facing the talent at receiver every day has helped.

“When you’ve got to run down the field with Daniel Arias, there’s not a lot of people that’s running like him,” said safety Derrion Rakestraw, the lone senior in the secondary. “So, this is definitely helping us, having to cover those quick guys in the slot and then having to go out there and cover the long guys on the outside. It’s helping us a lot.”

… Continue reading story here …

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October 24th

… CU in a few minutes …

Antonio Alfano medical issue clarified: He’s battling epilepsy

From the Daily Camera … A battle with epilepsy has kept highly touted defensive end Antonio Alfano from being cleared to practice with the Colorado football team.

Earlier this week, CU head coach Karl Dorrell told media, “We don’t quite have a handle on his medical situation well enough to be released to practice and to compete right now.”

HIPAA laws have prevented CU from giving information on Alfano’s health, but Alfano reached out to BuffZone to provide clarity to his situation.

“My seizures are not under control right now, so I’m working with multiple doctors to figure out what is causing them,” he said in a message to BuffZone. “I cannot practice or compete until I’m seizure free.”

Rated the No. 1 recruit in the country for the 2019 class by 247Sports.com, Alfano, from Rahway, N.J., signed with Alabama and enrolled there in January of 2019.

After going through the 2019 spring semester and fall camp with the Crimson Tide, he left the team and entered the NCAA transfer portal about a year ago. Former CU head coach Mel Tucker then recruited Alfano, who announced his decision last November to come to CU.

Last winter, Alfano, a redshirt freshman, told BuffZone that while he was at Alabama, his grandmother, Victoria Richardson, had a stroke and went into a coma. Alfano was very close with his grandmother and it became difficult to focus on football because of her health. Richardson died Nov. 29 and Alfano came to CU looking to play in her honor.

… Continue reading story here …

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October 23rd

… CU in a few minutes …

RB Jaren Mangham: “I know I can perform”

From the Daily Camera … As a true freshman last year, Colorado’s Jaren Mangham learned that the easiest part of playing running back in college was running with the ball.

When he got the ball last year, he did quite well, finishing second on the team with 441 yards and three touchdowns. In the nearly 11 months since that season came to a close, Mangham has focused on every other aspect of the position.

“I’ve just studied more, (worked on) pass blocking – just kind of like learning the game a lot more, going more in depth,” he said, “focusing on the mental aspect and not as much as the physical aspect, because I know I can perform from the physical standpoint.”

Head coach Karl Dorrell goes into his first season with the Buffaloes knowing he’s got plenty of weapons to use in the backfield, including Mangham and last year’s leading rusher, Alex Fontenot.

“It’s definitely a great luxury to have the depth that we have right now,” Dorrell said.

… Continue reading story here …

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October 22nd

… CU in a few minutes …

CU announces the “ONE Campaign”

From CUBuffs.com … University of Colorado athletic director Rick George has announced the department’s latest fundraising campaign, this one being unique in its history as “The ONE” has been created to help offset the shortfall of funds due to the COVID-19 pandemic that hit the nation last winter.

“In these unprecedented times, financial support of CU Athletics and in particular, our student-athletes is needed now, more than ever,” George said. “Our commitment to our student-athletes and our mission to compete for and win championships will never change, but the pandemic brings certain realities that could affect us for years to come. Our budget shortfall is significant and we need the support of our Buffs community. Thus, the reason why we have started The ONE Campaign.”

Tagged “The ONE,” it is built around the theme that now is the time for Buffalo fans and supporters to come together as ONE community, with ONE common purpose, and ONE goal—to support each and every ONE of CU’s 17 intercollegiate varsity sports programs and student-athletes. When donating to the ONE Campaign, it is an investment in the future of CU’s 350-plus student-athletes, and will directly fund the programs and services that are key to the foundational success of CU Athletics, including academic support, nutrition, sports medicine, mental health and wellness and facility maintenance, especially important during the pandemic.

Anyone can participate, whether a long-time donor and season ticket holder, or a someone who would like to become a first-time contributor to the program. Those interested in donating to CU’s Student-Athlete Excellence Fund for “The ONE” campaign can do so at this link:

… Donation page can be found here …

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October 21st

… CU in a few minutes …

OLB Carson Wells: Staying “country strong” during layoff is paying dividends now

From the Daily Camera … Staying in shape throughout the coronavirus pandemic has been tough on a lot of college athletes.

Carson Wells, however, had a solid workout routine, led by his father at the family farm in Bushnell, Fla.

“I was able to go home and worked with my dad on the farm a lot and got country strong,” said Wells, a junior outside linebacker for the Colorado football team. “The main one was putting in fence posts. I had to dig up the old fence posts, dig the hole and put in a new fence post. Then we’d be cutting down trees and have to move tree limbs and then pushing cows and flipping cows. All sorts of stuff. Just moving big things.”

That work is paying off as Wells is off to a good start through the first 11 practices of the preseason.

“We’re really fortunate to have a guy like Carson Wells,” CU head coach Karl Dorrell said. “He’s kind of a leader of that group. He has the most experience and starts. We’re really excited about where he’s at. He’s a veteran player, but has improved his skill set. He’s a little bigger, he’s stronger, he runs a little bit better, all those things. We’re real excited about him.”

… Continue reading story here …

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October 20th

… CU in a few minutes …

CU/Utah game on December 11th will be televised nationally

Press Release From CUBuffs.com … The Pac-12 Conference and its television partners on Tuesday morning released game times for all eight regular season games scheduled for Fridays, one of which involves the University of Colorado.

The Buffaloes will host long-time rival, the University of Utah, on Friday night, Dec. 11, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. for a national broadcast on Fox Sports 1 (FS-1). Previously announced as the latest home game in Folsom Field history, it will also be the latest one played at night in the stadium’s 97-year history. Only nine home games have been played in the evening in November at Folsom, the previous latest date coming on Nov. 26, 2016, when CU defeated Utah, 27-22, to win the Pac-12 South Division title.

The full Friday lineup of games in the Pac-12 in the shortened 2020 season:

Date	Game	Time	TV
Friday, Nov. 13	Utah at UCLA	8:30 pm MST	FS1
Friday, Nov. 20	UCLA at Oregon	8:30 pm MST	ESPN
Friday, Nov. 27	Stanford at California	2:00 pm MST	FOX
	Oregon at Oregon State	1:30, 5:00 or 8:30 pm MST	ABC/ESPN
	Washington at Washington State	1:30, 5:00 or 8:30 pm MST	ABC/ESPN
Friday, Dec. 4	Washington State at USC	7:30 or 8:30 pm MST	FS1
Friday, Dec. 11	Arizona State at Arizona	5:30 pm MST	ESPN
Friday, Dec. 11 Friday, Dec. 18	Utah at Colorado Pac-12 Championship Game	7:30 pm MST TBA	FS1 FOX

Game times and television arrangements for CU’s remaining five regular season games and the division crossover contest on Dec. 19 (unless the Buffs are in the championship game), will be made 12 or six days in advance. Every football game through the first six weeks of the season will be televised nationally by a combination of ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, FOX and FS1.

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NFL Buffs: Broncos 6-0 when Phillip Lindsay rushes for over 100 yards

From CUBuffs.com … Phillip Lindsay‘s huge return from injury and Davion Taylor‘s first career snaps on defense highlight a busy Week 6 of #NFLBuffs.

Phil’s Gonna Phil
Playing in his first game since an injury suffered in Week 1, Lindsay was the featured back for the Denver Broncos with Melvin Gordon III sidelined. In a 18-12 win against New England, Lindsay carried the ball 23 times, totalling 101 yards. It was Lindsay’s sixth career 100-yard rushing game and the Broncos improved to a perfect 6-0 in those games. His energy was a welcomed return to a Broncos team that had not played a game since Oct. 1. “Rock-em, Sock-em, Bop-em Phil, with the hair rolling today”, said QB Drew Lock on Lindsay’s return. “He was excited. It was good to finally have him back on the field. He brings an energy that’s infectious.”

With his sixth 100-yard game, Lindsay matches the late Rashaan Salaam’s career 100-yard games for the Chicago Bears, and he pulls to within one game of Chris Brown’s seven career 100-yard games. In all, eight Buffs have a combined 32 100-yard rushing games, and Lindsay is the fourth CU player to have a 100-yard game in three different seasons, joined by Brown (2004, ’05, ’07), Tony Reed (1977, ’78, ’79) and Cullen Bryant (1978, ’79, ’80).

Taylor Thrown Into The Fire Against Reigning MVP
Taylor appeared on defense for the first time in his rookie season for the Philadelphia Eagles as they fell to Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens, 30-28. The 2020 third-round pick played 11 snaps on defense where he made two tackles, including one in the open-field on the elusive Jackson. Taylor also played an astounding 29 snaps on special teams where he was credited with an assisted tackle.

Nine Buffs Take The Field In Week 6

… Continue reading story here …

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October 19th

… CU in a few minutes …

Tyson Summers: “I think we’ve got an opportunity to have a good defense this year”

From the Daily Camera … Despite a lot of youth sprinkled throughout the depth chart and challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic, Colorado defensive coordinator Tyson Summers is pleased with how his crew is playing in the early stages of preseason practices.

On Monday, CU held its ninth practice and Summers said the Buffs’ defense is showing the potential to be improved from last season.

“I think we’ve got an opportunity to have a good defense this year,” said Summers, entering his second season with the Buffs. “A lot of that has to do with a lot of returning guys. We’re still really young, particularly in secondary … but we do have a lot more experience, we have a lot more confidence.”

Much of that confidence comes from the amount of experience coming back, but also in how the Buffs handled the offseason.

“We’re really trying hard to just focus on the details,” Summers said. “We’ve tried to be able to cut back the playbook a tremendous amount. I think we took great advantage of our offseason and obviously some of the challenges that COVID created. We were able to maximize that. We spent a tremendous amount of time as a staff, being able to work together and be able to have meetings with the players. (Head coach Karl) Dorrell had a fantastic schedule for us.”

A year ago, Summers worked for a defensive-minded head coach in Mel Tucker. Now that the offensive-minded Dorrell is leading the program, it’s possible there’s more of a Summers stamp on the defense, but he said it’s really a collective effort by the staff.

“We’re really excited about the defense we have in place,” he said. “The opportunity to be able to be here with coach Dorrell and the defensive scheme that we got up, it’s not Tyson Summers by any stretch. It’s really all of us. We’ve got a fantastic defensive staff.”

… Continue reading story here …

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Will the Pac-12’s “very aggressive” testing plan allow the conference teams to play all seven games?

From the San Jose Mercury News … Through these frenetic months, the Pac-12 has been a frequent visitor to the edge of major college athletics.

It was the only major conference to postpone the basketball season until January (and then reverse course).

It was the only major conference to deal with the double-whammy of wildfires and state restrictions.

It will be the last major conference to return to the field — two weeks later than the Big Ten.

And now, as Week One approaches, the Pac-12 is again an outlier — only this time, it seems, in a good way.

The conference’s COVID-19 testing program is extreme.

“It’s very aggressive,’’ commissioner Larry Scott said. “But it gives us the best chance possible to get through the season with a minimum number of lost games.”

Those lost games are piling up in other conferences as another coronavirus wave rises nationally.

There were six postponements last week alone, including LSU-Florida and Oklahoma State-Baylor.

This weekend, the Big Ten returns to play with a nine-game schedule that has no bye weeks for makeup games.

On Nov. 7, the Pac-12 will commence its quest to play seven games in seven weeks.

What are the chances it avoids disruption? Pretty good, actually.

The Pac-12’s testing program is unlike any in college football, a mix of PCR and antigen tests designed to snuff out spread, reduce the need for contact tracing, keep quarantine levels low and allow the season to unfold successfully.

Each day the players take the field for practice or games, they will be tested, either via the traditional PCR tests or the rapid-response antigen tests supplied by Quidel Corp.

It’s not perfect, but scientific data and computer modeling suggest it’s closer to perfection than any testing program currently deployed.

“It’s a great plan,’’ said George Rutherford, a UCSF professor of epidemiology and biostatistics. “It’s more than adequate. But the question of testing is one thing. The other part is, you have to not get infected.

“Testing will cut down on disease transmission, but it’s also about staying safe and (players) not putting themselves in situations where there is transmission.”

… Continue reading story here …

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Last season’s DL coach Jimmy Brumbaugh out after four games at Tennessee

From 247 Sports … Tennessee is making a change to its coaching staff just four games into the 2020 season. Jimmy Brumbaugh, who was hired in February, is out as the Vols’ defensive line coach, sources told GoVols247 on Sunday night. The former assistant coach at Colorado, Maryland, Kentucky and Syracuse replaced Tracy Rocker, whose contract was not renewed after it expired and is now at South Carolina following two seasons at Tennessee, and also held a co-defensive coordinator for the Vols.

The Vols have lost their past two games to Georgia and Kentucky after starting the season with wins against South Carolina and Missouri.

… The 43-year-old Brumbaugh spent the 2019 season at Colorado before joining Tennessee’s staff after National Signing Day in February. His stint with the Buffaloes came after two seasons at Maryland, and he worked previously in the SEC at Kentucky for Mark Stoops for four seasons. Brumbaugh spent a season as the defensive line coach at East Mississippi Community College in 2013 after two seasons apiece at Syracuse and Louisiana Tech.

… Read full story here …

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October 18th

… CU in a few minutes …

Backup running back Jarek Broussard making an impression: “His confidence is going to be huge”

From the Daily Camera … Alex Fontenot and Jaren Mangham are both back after combining for more than 1,300 yards a year ago.

Then, there’s Ashaad Clayton, a four-star recruit who will look to steal playing time in the backfield.

During the first scrimmage of the preseason, however, the Colorado running back that stole the spotlight was Jarek Broussard.

CU’s scrimmage at Folsom Field on Saturday was closed to media and fans, but head coach Karl Dorrell said Broussard, a redshirt sophomore who spent the 2019 season rehabilitating a knee injury, was impressive and got into the end zone a couple of times.

“I felt he ran and stuck his feet in the ground, making cuts that you wouldn’t do if you are questioning whether you’re back healthy or not,” Dorrell said. “I felt Jarek did a nice job today. He made a couple of really nice runs. It was good to see that. His confidence is going to be huge from what he did today.”

… Continue reading story here …

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October 17th

… CU in a few minutes …

OL Coach Mitch Rodrigue: “I want to get better at the run game”

From the Daily Camera … When the Colorado football team finally put the pads on for full-contact work on Tuesday, there may not have been anyone more excited than Mitch Rodrigue.

The Buffaloes’ new offensive line coach had done all he could to teach his group through Zoom and walkthroughs since he was hired in March, but getting in pads was critical.

“I think we’ve made some progress,” Rodrigue said. “I think we’ve gotten a little more physical than when we started camp, but we’ve got a ways to go to be ready to play a football game. I’m happy with the progress, but I’m certainly not satisfied. We’ve got to clean up some missed assignments, and I think we’ll be fine.”

At this point, Rodrigue said the Buffs are better at pass protection than run blocking – and that’s not a compliment.

“In my mind it’s a bad thing,” he said. “I want to be more physical. I want to come off the football and create a new line of scrimmage. Any big old fat guy can pass protect, as long as he can stay in front of somebody. That’s easy, getting your IDs, things like that. But I want to get better at the run game.”

Senior Kary Kutsch (left guard) and junior William Sherman (left tackle) were both full-time starters last year, although Sherman is moving from right tackle. Pursell started five games at right guard, but is back at center, where he started the entire 2018 season.

… Continue reading story here …

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October 16th

… CU in a few minutes …

Plati-Tudes: Awards Show edition

From CUBuffs.com … I thought for the fifth and for now, final edition of P-‘Tudes “Story Time,” I’d reflect upon some of the behind-the-scenes experiences of taking some of our players to award shows.

I hadn’t been to any award ceremonies in my first six seasons as S.I.D, as they were really starting to become more of an event starting in the early 1990s. The Heisman weekend in December and the Walter Camp All-America weekend stood by themselves for a long time, eventually joined by a handful of other events. As awards multiplied in number, other trips popped up including the College Football Awards Show on ESPN, which recently absorbed many of those into one huge event at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

(One of the biggest events now is the three-day NFL Draft; Dave Logan once told me how he found out that he was selected in the 1976 NFL Draft – one of the coaches told him after finding him in class.)

Before we left for the 1989 Heisman weekend, Bill McCartney pulled me aside and told me one thing. It wasn’t about if Darian won to help him with his speech, or be sure he doesn’t gain any weight over the three days. It was simply, “Do not let my undefeated sophomore quarterback out of your sight all weekend!” Now being from right outside New York City, plenty of high school friends still in the area, I was tempted, but stayed true to my challenge (a couple did come and visit me at the Downtown Athletic Club). On Friday night, ’72 Heisman winner Johnny Rodgers had a limo and took most of the players out on the town, and I chaperoned Darian. We thought that he was a representative of the Heisman committee, but he wasn’t; he wanted to get into the agent business and was wooing the seniors there, particularly Andre Ware’s mother (Ware had a game at Rice that Saturday; there were no conference championship games in 1989, and the Heisman was traditionally awarded on the first Saturday of December at the time). Rodgers somehow got access to the Heisman’s team store, and told the players to help themselves, and of course they went crazy. Something just seemed fishy to me; the next morning, I asked the award officials about it, and that’s when I found out Rodgers was not in any official capacity with them. I told them about the raid on the novelties the night before, and was worried that Darian could be declared ineligible. The Heisman folks decided to allowed all the players to keep two items; Darian had taken around 10 and returned all but a couple; no other player returned what they had taken. Ware went on to win that year’s award, while Hagan finished a respectable fifth, fairly high for a sophomore at the time.

… Continue reading story here …

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Could this be the year for CU’s tight ends?

From CUBuffs.com … It won’t be a surprise to see Colorado’s tight ends play a significant role in the Buffaloes’ offense this year.

After all, CU assistant coach Taylor Embree has nine players in his room — meaning the Buffs have more tight ends than running backs (seven) on the roster.

But it’s more than just strictly numbers. Embree has brought with him a belief that his players must be among the most versatile on the team, and the numbers in his room give him the opportunity to find players who can perform all the duties required.

“If you’ve got a good tight end, you see how impactful that is in the offense,” Embree said after Thursday’s practice. “Part of that is we’re the jack of all trades — we have to pass protect, we have to block in the run game and we have to win on routes and catch the ball in the pass game … One thing I brought when I came here is my tight ends are going to be able to do it all. I think that’s where the game’s headed.”

Embree has no shortage of candidates for such a position, beginning with returning starter Brady Russell. The 6-foot-3, 255-pound Buffs junior caught 23 passes last year — the most by a tight end since Nick Kasa caught 25 in 2012 — and also played a big role in the run game and pass protection.

It is a role that could expand this year as the Buffs tweak their offense under new head coach Karl Dorrell, offensive coordinator Darrin Chiaverini and passing game coordinator Danny Langsdorf.

“Compared to last year I’d say we’re being utilized in more unique ways,” Russell said Thursday. “We were used a lot last year but it was repeating things a lot of the time. We have a lot of unique things we get to do now in terms of pulling, blocking on the edge, whatever it might be. We get to do a lot of different things.”

Russell has the physical tools and mental makeup to perform all those duties. A former walk-on, he has blossomed into a standout at his position.

“He’s what you want,” Embree said. “He shows up to work every day. He can play anything he wants. He’s good at the fullback-type stuff, he’s good at route running, he’s good at blocking on and off the line of scrimmage. He’s exactly what you want in your room.”

… Continue reading story here …

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October 15th

… CU in a few minutes …

Dorrell: “I am really excited about our corners … They’re being very active”

From the Daily Camera … During the first seven months he was on the job as Colorado’s head football coach, Karl Dorrell had plenty of time to watch games from the 2019 season.

As he watched the Buffaloes’ cornerbacks, he noticed they weren’t as aggressive as he’d like them to be. This offseason, and through the first week of preseason practices, that has been a point of emphasis.

On Thursday, following the Buffs’ sixth practice of the fall, Dorrell said he’s pleased with the progress.

“I am really excited about our corners,” he said. “They have accepted the challenge of what things were last year versus what things will be this year. They’re being very active. They’re doing a great job of doing their roles, particularly in the run game. They understand how to fit with the tackling system in terms of pursuit and things like that.

“I think the nature of what they’re doing, from a defensive standpoint, it’s a much more collective positive look at the whole defense in pursuing, taking right angles to the ball carriers, but yes they’re all doing great.”

CU has a young group of cornerbacks that is mostly inexperienced, but junior Mekhi Blackmon and true sophomores Tarik Luckett and KJ Trujillo all played last year.

… Continue reading story here …

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CU listed as a six-point underdog for opener v. UCLA

From Betonline.ag

Opening-Week Pac-12 Football Betting Lines

Arizona at Utah (-14)
Stanford at Oregon (-11½)
Washington State (-3) at Oregon State
Washington (-6) at Cal
ASU at USC (-11)
UCLA (-6) at Colorado

… I’m not a betting person, but, if I were to bet on the first week, I would take favored Utah and Oregon, and then go with the underdogs – Oregon State to stay within three (or beat) Washington State, Cal to stay within six (or beat) Washington, Arizona State to stay within 11 of USC, and CU to stay within six (or beat) UCLA …

… Only three weeks to return of my “T.I.P.S.” …

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An optimist’s view: CU goes 4-2 in Pac-12 play

From Jason Marks at SportsPac12.com … It’s been a long, tumultuous wait, but we have our holy grail: A Pac-12 football schedule that actually looks like it is going to happen.

That means it’s time to break down Colorado’s seven-game schedule and to predict, as realistically as we can, the Buffs’ win-loss record for the year. So without further ado, let’s dive in.

Colorado opens up their 2020 campaign with a home game against the UCLA Bruins. Last year, Colorado dropped a very frustrating and winnable game to the Bruins at the Rose Bowl, but lightning does not strike again for the team from Westwood. Colorado holds serve, winning a low-scoring affair and holding Dorian Thompson-Robinson at bay. Colorado starts 1-0, beating UCLA 21-14.

Following a week one win, the Buffs head out to Palo Alto to take on Stanford. In what seems like a transition period for them, Stanford has not looked like the powerhouse they once did. Colorado, seeing the opportunity, gets a crucial road victory in the same low scoring fashion they did last year. The CU defense looks surprisingly strong while the offense seems lost and still needs an identity. Nevertheless, Colorado improves to a shocking 2-0 on the season and has the Pac-12 haters getting uncomfortable, winning 10-7.

… Continue reading story here …

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October 14th

… CU in a few minutes …

NFL Buffs: Laviska Shenault and Steven Montez make the news

From CUBuffs.com … NFL rookies Laviska Shenault Jr. and Steven Montez both made news last week, highlighting the Buffs in the NFL for Week 5 of the season.

FEED VISKA
Shenault Jr. is turning heads in the NFL in his rookie season. He joined Brandin Cooks as the only NFL receiver over the past 25 seasons to have 200 receiving yards and 50 rushing yards through his first five career games. On the season he has 23 receptions for 270 yards and a touchdown, leading all rookies in the AFC. Over the past two weeks, he has 12 receptions for 165 yards. PFF has ranked him the No. 2 rookie receiver in social media posts for the last two weeks.

MONTEZ PUT IN NEWS CYCLE
Not many rookie, practice squad QB’s make the news, but Montez was put into the news cycle last week when incumbent Washington starter Dwayne Haskins was benched in favor of Kyle Allen on Wednesday last week. It was widely reported that Haskins wasn’t taking any snaps in practice and Allen, Alex Smith, and Montez were all taking snaps ahead of him. Allen started the game but was injured and Smith came in to close out the game.

MORE COVID-19 ISSUES
COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on the NFL in Week 5 with the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans. Early in the week, the Denver at New England game was moved to Monday night and on Sunday, the NFL moved the game to Week 6. Phillip Lindsay is expected to play and will now have another week to get fully healthy. Tennessee’s game with Buffalo was also moved to Tuesday night at 7 p.m.

SEVEN BUFFS SEE ACTION

In all, seven Buffs saw action in games in Week 5.

… Continue reading story here …

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Karl Dorrell: “When you’re in pads for the first time, it tells you a lot about the temperament of your team”

From the Daily Camera … Colorado head football coach Karl Dorrell knows there could be some hiccups along the way, as the Buffaloes attempt to navigate a truncated football season during the coronavirus pandemic.

The past few days have given the Buffs’ first-year coach a sense of normalcy, though, and that was heightened a bit on Tuesday when team got into full pads for the first time.

“That’s how I felt when I was walking off the field today is that I have a positive impression that football, this is how it’s supposed to look; this is what it’s supposed to feel like,” Dorrell said after Tuesday’s practice, the Buffs’ fifth of the preseason. “That first day of pads was a very productive day and a lot of stuff we did.”

With the season opener just a few weeks away, on Nov. 7 against UCLA at Folsom Field, the Buffs are taking steps each day to get ready. Tuesday was a big one.

“When you’re in pads for the first time, it tells you a lot about the temperament of your team,” Dorrell said. “Who’s going to strike somebody, who’s not; things like that. But for the most part today, I think all of our kids have been very competitive.”

… Continue reading story here …

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October 13th

… CU in a few minutes …

CU senior linebackers have good synergy: “The bond we have is great”

From the Daily Camera … After two full seasons as a starter at inside linebacker, Colorado’s Nate Landman is comfortable and confident in his game when he takes the field.

Entering his senior year, he’s also got confidence in the man next to him.

Fellow senior Akil Jones took over the starting job at the other inside linebacker spot midway through last season and enters this season atop the depth chart.

“Akil’s my guy; I love Akil,” said Landman, who recorded 137 tackles a year ago. “Ever since the beginning, Akil and I have been close. We study the playbook together, we watch film. He calls me if he needs questions answered and I call him. I love playing next to Akil, I feel completely comfortable and I trust everything he’s able to do.

“There’s often times where I’ll miss a call and he’ll be able to correct me or he’ll miss call and I can correct him so I think we play pretty well next to each other.”

… Continue reading story here …

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Dante Sparaco leaves the program (again)

From the Daily Camera … Walk-on quarterback Matthew Ryan, a junior from Glendale, Ariz., left the team over the weekend for an internship opportunity. … Another notable walk-on, defensive lineman Dante Sparaco, also recently left the team. A member of CU’s 2017 recruiting class, he transferred to Montana State in 2018, but returned last year as a walk-on

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October 12th

… CU in a few minutes …

CBS Sports: CU v. UCLA game will have a bowl bid riding on it

Jerry Palm did not specifically state in his Pac-12 bowl projections that the CU/UCLA game was for a bowl bid … but hear me out … Palm has four teams from the Pac-12 South earning bowl bids (USC, Arizona State, Utah and UCLA). UCLA’s cross-over game is against Oregon, which would have to be a loss for the Bruins if Oregon is to make the playoffs (as projected). This would mean UCLA would have to win its other cross-over game (game No. 7), and go 3-2 against South division opponents. For that to happen, UCLA would not only have to beat Colorado and Arizona, but also beat one of the other South division schools in an upset … just to get the last bid.

Long story short, if UCLA can’t beat CU on November 7th, they aren’t going bowling. Conversely, if the Buffs beat the Bruins, then CU projects out as a better choice for the Pac-12’s LA Bowl …

Here are the CBS Pac-12 bowl projections …

Sugar—Oregon vs Clemson (Playoff)
Fiesta—USC vs Boise St
Alamo—ASU vs Iowa St
Sun—Stanford vs Boston Col
Holiday—Washington vs VA Tech
Independence—OSU vs Army
Las Vegas—Utah vs Tennessee
LA—UCLA vs San Diego St

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October 11th

… CU in a few minutes …

Rooney: “This team has a better chance at finishing 0-7 than 4-3”

From Pat Rooney at the Daily Camera … To his credit, Dorrell says his personal expectations of his first CU team remains unchanged despite the complete lack of spring practices as well as the Pac-12 Conference’s delayed start this fall. In the end, however, the measuring stick for just how well Dorrell fares in the first season of his second chance at being a Pac-12 head coach should not necessarily be gauged in wins and losses.

“The expectation every year is going to be there to put our hat in the ring to win a conference championship,” Dorrell said. “Our hat’s in the ring, just like everybody else is in our conference. I want to put our team under pressure. I want our team to understand the expectations that we have set before us. That’s our goal. That’s our ambition. That’s what’s driving us as we work.

“We’re going to try to maximize every rep that we get from this point forward until November 7th. And hopefully it’s good enough for us to be successful. It’s hard to forecast what that’s going to look like right now on practice number one. But I know we’re going to get better and better and execute at a higher level as we go.”

Reasonable Buffs fans might have to grapple with the realization this team has a better chance at finishing 0-7 than 4-3. Yet either of those results, or anything in between, might not be the point of Dorrell’s very strange first year in charge.

With a new quarterback, whoever it is that wins the preseason competition, and another season of tenuous depth, the Buffs probably wouldn’t be rated high on anyone’s Pac-12 radar even in an alternate 2020 where spring practice unfolded seamlessly and Dorrell had all the time in the world to dissect his quarterback battle. How Dorrell molds his squad into a functioning unit between now and mid-December, regardless of the win total, might be the biggest comment on how his tenure in Boulder ultimately pans out.

… Continue reading story here …

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October 10th

… CU in a few minutes …

Buffs need to “Learn how to Win” – How is that done?

From The Athletic … If you have listened to college football coaches through time, you understand the potential magnitude of the moment. They have used that exact phrase — or its almost identical sibling “learning how to win” — endless times to describe that bridge that takes a team from the lonely streets of Loserville to the adulation-filled avenues of Winnington.

What the coaches have never done in all that time is explain what the hell it actually means.

Is there a book to be discovered and read? An ancient tome that requires a good dusting would work, but something on Amazon would be easier, honestly, if it’s available.

Is there a tiny, wrinkly old oracle who could teach us to see what others cannot, how to harness a power heretofore unimagined? Lou Holtz, maybe.

Maybe there is a trial to endure to prove worthiness, but it would seem that fans in places such as Columbia, S.C., or Nashville, Tenn., or Lubbock, Texas, or Tucson, Ariz., or Champaign, Ill., have endured enough. If paying some sort of advance penance is the requirement, then there are plenty of people who have put in that painful work already.

Sadly, we don’t have any of those things. What we have is Zoom and a telephone. So we went on a modern-day quest — think Indiana Jones if he strictly adhered to all state and local social distancing guidelines and washed his hands a ton — to determine if “learning how to win” is really a thing and, if so, how the heck do you do it?

David Shaw seems the best place to start. Stanford’s head coach was a social psychology major at Stanford and part of the Jim Harbaugh staff that took the Cardinal from 1-11 in 2006, the year before Harbaugh arrived, to 12-1 in 2010. Shaw has been the Cardinal’s head coach for the last nine years and won at least eight games in eight of those years.

Shaw: I believe in it 100 percent. There is a psychology of winning. There are individuals that we all say refuse to lose, but that mentality really builds into how they train. The more of those human beings you have on your team and on your staff, the more they understand, it’s not just showing up on game day and winning. It’s preparing to win and believing you’re going to win, and when it’s time to make those critical decisions that win and lose football games, you make the right decisions, you do the right actions and you have the right mind frame in those times. Growing up, my favorite basketball player was Magic Johnson, and many people have said it, but he was the first one I heard say it, which was, “The great ones know when it’s winning time.” It’s a mentality. It’s a practice. It’s personnel. It’s how you put people together and what you get them to believe.

Mike Leach just left Washington State and coached Mississippi State to win over defending national champion LSU in his first game with the Bulldogs.

Leach: It’s kind of a broad statement, but I think teams learn how to work.

Chip Kelly is our first dissenter, although it’s not a strong dissent. Kelly built a national power at Oregon before being hired by the Philadelphia Eagles. He’s entering his fourth year at UCLA, a program that has had only two double-digit win seasons since 2005.

Kelly: I don’t know exactly what learning how to win is. It’s more to me that we’re always learning and trying to gain knowledge on a daily basis to ultimately be successful, but that’s an ongoing battle. I’ve heard people say it. That’s not what we talk about. We talk about daily improvement, being obsessed with improvement. If something isn’t working the way we want it to work, then how do we improve it? It’s about the process itself. It’s not about the W’s because there are days where conceivably somebody could win by one score but you didn’t improve. When you’re constantly improving, the results take care of themselves.

… Read full story here (subscription required) …

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Fall Camp routine includes daily testing

From the Daily Camera … The process of administering COVID-19 antigen tests to well over 100 football players and staff members isn’t quick, but the Colorado Buffaloes are making it as smooth as possible.

On Friday, the CU football team conducted its first preseason practice of the year and, as they’ll do another 25 times between now and the Nov. 7 opening game, they started the day with a round of testing.

“I think it was maybe two hours, 15 minutes to get everybody through,” said Miguel Rueda, CU’s director of health and performance.

Rueda and the CU staff got the equipment from Quidel about 10 days ago and he said the staff has done “extensive” training on how to use the equipment. That training included Quidel reps coming to CU to teach the staff, along with online education. Rueda also said his peers in the conference are in constant communication as they get up to speed.

“We’re still learning a lot – a lot about the disease, a lot about the testing, a lot about different types of testing,” Rueda said. “(The staff has) become pretty fluent with it, thank God. We have some people that are researchers that have been doing testing across campus and they’re joining our staff in the mornings to do some testing with our athletes, so we’re getting them up and running.”

Meetings start around 8 or 8:30, followed by practice, so the process of testing begins early. Players are put into groups of 10 and start arriving to the facility at 6 a.m., with staggered arrival times.

… Continue reading story here …

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October 9th

… CU in a few minutes …

Veteran leadership will be a key for Buffs

From Neill Woelk at CUBuffs.com … Veteran leadership will be critical. These 2020 Buffaloes find themselves in a position few college football players have faced — their third head coach in three years (never mind the fact that some players are adjusting to their third — or even fourth — position coach).

But Dorrell has done an excellent job in earning his players’ trust thus far. He has stood behind them in social justice matters; kept them informed every step of the way through the pandemic ups and downs; and has made it clear everyone will be held accountable.

Now, his veteran leadership has to step up. Elder statesmen such as William Sherman, Colby Pursell, Nate Landman, K.D. Nixon, Mustafa Johnson, Carson Wells and Derrion Rakestraw will be responsible for pulling the team through tough times in training camp.

Remember, this will be a training camp like none ever before. The Buffs will be practicing five to six days a week — and be attending class at the same time. Every minute of every practice will be critical, and a sense of urgency will be a requirement.

That’s where the vets will have to step in. If they can keep everyone focused, keep everyone engaged and make sure everyone is working for the greater good of team success — these Buffs will have a chance to surprise some folks when the 2020 season finally kicks off.

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October 8th

… CU in a few minutes …

**CU cleared to start practices on Friday**

From Brian Howell from the Daily Camera … The Colorado football team can start practice on Friday.

On Thursday, Boulder County Public Health spokesperson Chana Goussetis told BuffZone that the plan submitted by CU athletics has been approved, clearing the Buffaloes to begin practice.

“From our perspective, our medical director and (BCPH executive director Jeff Zayach) are happy with the plan and have approved it,” Goussetis said in an email.

BCPH issued an order on Sept. 24 halting gatherings of 18-to-22-year-olds in Boulder to try to control the spread of the coronavirus. That order expired Thursday at noon, but two other orders were put in place, including limiting the size of gatherings for those in the 18-to-22 range.

CU athletics, however, was given an opportunity to submit a plan to BCPH that would allow them to be except from the guidelines.

On Wednesday, Zayach said he had received the plan and on Thursday it was approved.

Last month, the Pac-12 Conference secured a deal with Quidel Corporation that will provide daily, rapid-results COVID-19 testing. With those tests, CU can quickly quarantine anyone who tests positive and reduce the amount of required contact tracing. That will help to prevent a large spread.

Patrick O’Rourke, CU’s interim executive vice chancellor and chief operating officer, said Wednesday that CU athletics has used the Pac-12’s COVID-19 guidelines as a “baseline.”

“CU athletics has actually put in a very stringent series of test requirements for student-athletes as a condition to be able to return to competition,” O’Rourke said. “We are working with the county and have submitted those protocols to the county so that they can review them. We’ve been engaging in regular testing and other requirements for the student-athletes. We’re seeing a really low positivity rate for them and are prepared to work with the county and have them make sure that from an epidemiological standpoint that they would be comfortable as we return to competition and practice.”

… Continue reading story here …

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CU shifting back to in-person/hybrid instruction

From colorado.edu … Dear students, faculty and staff,

I am writing today with some encouraging news.

As you know, CU Boulder shifted to temporary remote course instruction, effective Wednesday, Sept. 23. The following day, Boulder County Public Health issued a public health order to prohibit gatherings for individuals aged 18 to 22 years old in Boulder, and placed the residents of specific off-campus properties under a mandatory stay-at-home order for 14 days.

During this time, our students have done an amazing job. We have seen a significant decrease in our number of positive cases through our on-campus diagnostic and monitoring tests, and a significant decrease in positive cases in Boulder County. Violations in the residence halls are down, and we are not aware of any summons from this past weekend for students hosting large gatherings on University Hill. I encourage our students—and everyone in our community—to keep up the good work and to keep these trends moving in the right direction.

With sincere gratitude for the outstanding work of our student body, we will transition from our temporary remote teaching mode and resume in-person/hybrid teaching on Wednesday, Oct. 14. We expect most classes to fully return to their original fall 2020 instructional modes by this date, with exceptions based on specific public health requirements and individual faculty requests, subject to department chair and dean approvals.

Students can begin checking with their instructors this week for specific guidance on when and how to transition back to in-person learning experiences (for courses that originally were in person, or included in-person components). Faculty and students should communicate with each other about expectations and preparations for returning to in-person learning. Faculty should consult with their department chairs and/or deans to resolve logistical challenges associated with the transition back to on-campus teaching activities.

Additionally, thanks to your actions, Boulder County Public Health has announced a new public health order today that initiates a “step-down” approach for gatherings of 18- to 22-year-olds in Boulder. There will be four status levels, depending on county COVID-19 metrics, ranging from no gatherings at all to gatherings of six individuals. Students aged 18 to 22 years old should continue to abide by all current COVID-19 orders limiting gatherings to no more than two people through at least Tuesday, Oct. 13. At that point, Boulder County Public Health will make a determination on adjusting those restrictions, and if the CU community continues to keep the numbers of COVID-19 cases down, students will begin to see greater opportunities for in-person social interactions. We know this has been a difficult period, but we’re making progress and need our students to continue engaging in the right behaviors to keep infections down.

Our students’ ability to have in-person social interactions also depends upon their continued participation in COVID-19 testing and contact tracing. All students who temporarily returned home during the past two weeks are strongly encouraged to get tested prior to returning or complete a monitoring test when they return. On-campus students will continue weekly COVID-19 monitoring testing under the protocols that have existed through the course of the semester.

We also need to demonstrate to Boulder County Public Health that we are providing testing for our off-campus students. We have expanded testing to accommodate 3,000 off-campus students, faculty and staff for testing each week. Up to 450 people can be tested each day at the University Memorial Center and 150 people can be tested each day at the Sustainability, Energy & Environment Community building on campus. I encourage our off-campus students, faculty and staff to get tested and help us detect COVID-19 cases early.

We also need students to participate in contact tracing. Not only is this required by the public health order, it is one of the best methods we have of protecting the campus and the community. Students will not be penalized in any way for engaging in contact tracing.

As for the 38 residential properties affected by the county’s stay-at-home order, they can emerge from previous health restrictions by instituting certain measures. More information is available here.

The decision to move back to our hybrid instructional model was made together with Boulder County Public Health based on a variety of factors, including our expanded testing and our progress in bending the curve. I am grateful for the actions you are taking to keep your neighbors healthy and for your resilience and support for each other. You have done a great job in containing the outbreak. If you keep following the guidelines, we can build on this momentum heading into the second half of the semester and beyond.

Please continue to take care of yourselves, and thank you for everything you are doing for the health and safety of our community. For questions and the latest guidance, you can visit our COVID-19 website.

With gratitude,
Phil

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Karl Dorrell: “There is plenty of time for us to get this team ready to go”

From BuffStampede.com … After discussing a variety of topics with the Pac-12 Network on Tuesday, first-year Colorado head coach Karl Dorrell fielded more questions from the media during a webinar on Wednesday. Here is everything Dorrell had to say:

“We’re excited that we get a chance to have a good fall season here. I know that all of us in the Pac-12 have dealt with many issues during this pandemic, going from March to this point. We’re really excited that our conference and the members of our executive teams got together and decided to give us an opportunity to play this fall. I think all of us coaches and players are excited about getting a chance to compete. I think it was right on time given how the last few weeks we’ve been playing college football in other conferences. As you can imagine, the adrenaline is starting to flow when you are seeing other people play. I am just excited our conference did re-consider and give us the opportunity to play this fall.

“As for us here at CU, our players are really excited to go. It is not a perfect scenario in terms of getting the preparation done, but it is an opportunity to play. We have an opportunity in front of us to get 25 practices in, with our first game on Nov. 7. That is plenty of time for us to get this team ready to go. Will we be perfect? No. But I think we’ll build and get better each week.

“Our team is excited about putting their hat in for a chance to go for the championship. That is what we’re shooting for. I know the expectations are probably not there outside this building but we feel we can put together something with a good staff and good players and good attention to detail. We will get ourselves ready this next month. We feel we can be a pretty good program that will surprise some people. We’re going to ride that momentum.

“Our team has been resilient throughout the whole process with not having spring practices. We did (get) some work in the summer, not much. That stopped when (the Pac-12) decided not to play. It reconvened later. It seems like the programs and the schedules changed week-to-week, day-to-day, hour-by-hour. But for the most part I am very excited about this team. They have kept a positive attitude. They just wanted to have a shot to play. And we have that shot to play, so we’re excited about what is front of us.”

“In the games played on the professional level and the guys playing in college, you can tell there is a level of appreciation that probably went by the wayside in normal circumstances. That is the one thing that tells us about this great game that we have, that is part of the fabric of our society. We can’t take this game for granted. It is a blessing to play. I think this year with how trying it has been for all walks of life, that there is a level of appreciation that is probably higher than it has ever been before. That is definitely how we feel. It was almost a fall of not coaching the game of football for the first time in the last 33 years. It was a missing element of my life.”

“We’re hopeful that is going to work out. We operated the last (two weeks) under the new ordinance that was made from our county, dealing with campus, dealing with everyone that is around Boulder, particularly 18-22 year old young people. We’ve been doing individual workouts for the last week-and-a-half. That is what was allowed. This last Monday, we still had to partner up the workouts with just two guys. We could go in pockets of 10 in a group, but there were only two that were training in a socially distanced manner from each other that were partners.

“We have been operating under the guidelines of what Boulder County has specified for us to do. We want to do what is right for our community, our University, obviously for the health and safety and welfare of our student-athletes. We have been progressing the last few days and we’re hopeful that we’ll get the clearance to practice on Friday. But we don’t know for sure yet.”

“We have had some discussions about that, but we haven’t done anything concrete about that. What we’re really trying to do in a nutshell is operate completely under the ordinance of what the Boulder County health people want us to do. That is what we’ve been doing, and showing our support for that and acting in good faith with that… and then gradually, hopefully getting to the next level. But other than discussions, we haven’t planned really to (leave) and do any of those things.

“We have been working each and every day with Boulder County, giving them all the reports. They have been very pleased with us being stewards of working under their guidelines. We’re going to continue to do that because we want to do what is right. We feel if we continue to do it along the fashion we are this week, we’re hoping for a good report. I am saying hopeful still, because yeah, we haven’t been told officially. We’re hopeful it is going to give us a chance to go ahead and practice on Friday.”

… Continue reading story here …

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October 7th

… CU in a few minutes …

CU inching closer to gaining permission to open Fall Camp on Friday

From the Daily Camera … The decision on whether to allow the Buffaloes to practice will go down to the wire.

On Wednesday, BCPH announced that an order, issued Sept. 24, to halt all gatherings of 18-to-22-year-olds in Boulder in an effort to control the spread of the coronavirus, will expire at noon Thursday. The board of health did approve two new orders, however, which scale back the restrictions.

The new orders, which go into effect Thursday at noon, would still prevent CU from conducting a normal football practice, but CU’s athletics department submitted a plan to BCPH that could allow them to be exempt from the guidelines.

“They have submitted plans and that’s what they’re required to do in terms of how they’re going to assure control of the spread and what would happen when there is spread that’s occurring,” said Jeff Zayach, the executive director of BCPH. “We have received those plans and we anticipate being able to respond to those plans within the next 24 hours.”

… Continue reading story here …

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**Karl Dorrell Pac-12 media day video conference**

All the coaches can be found here from today’s media sessions:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12lMp_nP-mBxjDx6t-uRGUhlVPbWDm1–?usp=sharing

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Karl Dorrell on CU’s starting quarterback: “That’s the $100,000 question”

From CUSportsNation.com … Dorrell on the quarterback position battle that soon will formally begin:

“That’s kind of the $100,000 question for this program: who will our starter be? We were able to talk a gentleman into coming back who’s already graduated in Sam Noyer, who ‘s part of the equation there. Tyler Lytle is the next guy … Tyler’s had some experience, not a lot of experience — this last season I think he threw three passes, so he hasn’t had a lot of playing time but those two guys are the primary guys to see how things turn out with reps and competition that we’ll go through camp.

The third, who’s the dark horse, but really not really, is the freshman, the kid who who came in midyear in Brendon Lewis — he’s got a little bit further to go just because it’s so new to him compared to the other two that have been in the program, but all three are talented players. They lack some experience, obviously, but we think that between the three, we’re going to be able to find a solid player that can manage the offense and hopefully grow and get better week after week.”

Dorrell on Lewis’ weight room prowess, which has been well-documented since the latter’s arrival in Boulder as a January enrollee:

“That’s kind of funny, because he has most of the records for strength gains that are on quarterback record boards — that tells you a little bit about his athleticism. He’s a very competitive, athletic, player. We think he’s going to have a very bright future — he’s just a very young player. But he’s very strong, he’s athletic and maybe we’ll create some things for him as we go about the season.”

Dorrell on the strength of his WRs corps:

“It is a young but talented group led by K.D. Nixon who’s our senior coming back. We’re hoping that he does a great job in leading the charge for that group. Dimitri Stanley had some good positive moments last year, Maurice Bell did as well — Jaylon Jackson — all these guys had some time and experience last year who played. The only thing that’s kind of (lacking) is that we don’t have that returner who’s coming back that had 60 receptions.”

“We’ve had a bunch of guys that have had five or seven here, 12 there, 22 there — not quite a returning starter that’s had a great productive year. We haven’t had that kind of (player) that’s coming back for our program. But we feel K.D. is a leader in that and we’re hoping he has a great year for us down the stretch.”

… Continue reading story here …

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October 6th

… CU in a few minutes …

Delrick Abrams makes NFL debut; Laviska Shenault ties NFL record

From CUBuffs.com … Delrick Abrams Jr., Ken Crawley all made news while David Bakhtiari, Mason Crosby and the Green Bay Packers continue to roll, highlighting Week 4 of #NFLBuffs.

CRAWLEY’S WHIRLWIND WEEK
Crawley was signed by his old team the New Orleans Saints on Monday, Sept. 28, elevated to the active roster on Saturday, Oct. 3., and made his season debut on Sunday. Monday he was returned to the practice squad.

ABRAMS MAKES DEBUT
Crawley wasn’t the only Buff to make his season debut in week 4, but for Abrams, it was his NFL debut. He was elevated to the active roster of the Atlanta Falcons earlier Monday ahead of the Falcons’ Monday Night Matchup against Green Bay. He played on special teams making a memorial NFL debut on Monday Night Football.

WINFREE MAKES 21 AND 4
Juwann Winfree was added to the Green Bay practice squad, giving the Buffs 21 players in the league this season, and four on the Packers. The Packers’ closed down Week 4 of the NFL with another impressive performance anchored by David Bakhtiari and aided by Mason Crosby. Green Bay’s opponent on Monday was Atlanta, for whom Abrams was elevated from the practice squad to the active roster, making his NFL debut Monday Night Football seeing action for 12 plays on special teams.

Winfree’s addition to the Packers marks the 43rd time that the Buffs have had four players on an NFL roster in a season, and first in over a decade since the 2009 Denver Broncos had Daniel Graham, Tyler Plumbus, Mitch Berger and Matt McChesney. It’s the second time Green Bay has had four Buffs, joining the 1980 version with Brian Cabral, Mike Koncar, Mike McCoy and Ruben Vaughan. Only nine NFL teams have had more than four Buffs on a roster, with Pittsburgh’s 1995 roster featuring six Buffs (Chad Brown, Deon Figures, Charles Johnson, Ariel Solomon, Joel Steed and Kordell Stewart). The ‘1977, ’78 and ’80 L.A. Rams, the 1980 Denver Broncos, the 1999 and ’02 New England Patriots and 1994 and ’96 Steelers all featured five Buffs.

SHENAULT MAKES HISTORY
Shenault continues to impress early in his career and had five receptions for 86 yards and one rush for five yards for the Jags. He became just the second rookie WR to have 100 receiving and 50 rushing yards by his fourth NFL game, joining none other than Michael Westbrook, who did that for Washington in 1995.

… Continue reading story here …

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Details of CU/PointsBet contract revealed – $1.625 million guaranteed

From Sports Illustrated … Sports gambling company PointsBet is betting big on the Buffaloes.

The University of Colorado will get at least $1.625 million as part of a five-year advertising agreement with the gambling company, as well as receiving a $30 referral fee for each new gambling customer it sends to PointsBet. That’s according to a copy of the contract between PointsBet and Buffalo Sports Properties LLC, CU’s private fundraising wing, which is listed as the primary provider in the deal. Sports Illustrated obtained a copy of the contract through a public records request.

PointsBet will make quarterly payments to Colorado through June 2026, when the deal expires. The payments, made on the first day of July, October, January and April, escalate each year, starting $76,250 in Year 1 and increasing to $86,250 in Year 5. Annual totals are $305,000 (2021), $315,000 (2022), $325,000 (2023), $335,000 (2024) and $345,000 (2025).

The contract between Colorado and PointsBet is believed to be the first high-profile sports gambling deal in major college athletics. Financial details of the deal were not revealed last month when the school announced the agreement.

In the contract between the school and gambling outlet, PointsBet cannot use a Colorado athlete’s name or likeness without approval from the university, and the school is not liable if an athlete files a “claim of any kind” against PointsBet related to using their NIL, the contract reads.

There is no prohibition on universities entering gambling agreements, though Colorado officials did consult with the NCAA and Pac-12 about the deal with PointsBet, a company founded in Australia that describes its operation as “America’s fastest growing online bookmaker … where the more your bet wins by, the more you win.”

Colorado wins either way, with its $1.625 million in guarantees. However, the school can generate even more revenue. As part of the deal, the more customers the school refers to the gambling site, the more cash it gets. New customers enter a CU promotional code, which triggers $30 each into the school’s pockets, according to the contract.

… Continue reading story here …

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October 5th

… CU in a few minutes …

Daily Camera: SportsBetting.ag puts CU over/under for wins at 1.5

From the Daily Camera … Not surprisingly, outsiders don’t expect much from the Buffs in those seven games. On Monday, SportsBetting.ag released its over/under win totals for Pac-12 teams and has CU at 1.5 wins.

CU is just 7-20 in Pac-12 games the past three years and 20-62 since joining the conference in 2011. With only Pac-12 opponents on the schedule this year, the low expectations aren’t a surprise – especially with a first-year head coach (Karl Dorrell) and a hole to fill at quarterback after the graduation of three-year starter Steven Montez.

Dorrell and the Buffs are optimistic, however.

“We’re just excited that now that there’s something in place and we know that there’s something to shoot for, we’re ready to roll,” Dorrell said when the Pac-12 announced its return on Sept. 24.

Here’s a glance at the schedule the Buffs will tackle this season:

Week 1 – Nov. 7 vs. UCLA, at Folsom Field: Dorrell faces his alma mater and former team (his previous head coaching experience came at UCLA, from 2003-07) in the opener. The Bruins enter year No. 3 with coach Chip Kelly and he hasn’t been the savior many hoped he would be. So far, he is 7-17, including a 38-16 loss in Boulder in 2018. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson was barely out of high school then, but he’s now a third-year starter. Experience at QB and other talent around him could help the Bruins take a step forward this year, but this is a pivotal season for Kelly.

Week 2 – Nov. 14 vs. Stanford, at Stanford Stadium: It seems like long ago that Andrew Luck and Christian McCaffrey were starring for the Cardinal and making them a national power. Last year, this team went 4-8, including a 16-13 loss to the Buffs in Boulder. That was Stanford’s first losing season since 2008 and only the second time in nine years that coach David Shaw didn’t win at least nine games. Although junior Davis Mills takes over as full-time starter at QB, the Cardinal were hit hard this offseason by graduation and transfers, as well as players opting out.

… Continue reading story here …

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October 4th

… CU in a few minutes …

Rick George on being a member of CFP Selection committee: “I have been watching a lot of film”

From The Oregonian … The Pac-12 must believe that kind of 7-0 resume would be strong enough to get into the discussion. Or maybe it believes that USC beating ASU (home), Utah (away) and possibly validating itself against Oregon in the title-game weekend would keep it alive for CFP discussion.

Let me stop there.

I don’t blame anyone who is skeptical the conference is even in the discussion. But I’m telling you, that’s exactly what happened here. The Pac-12 lined this thing up so that it might have an undefeated team to show for its football season. It didn’t necessarily get itself into the playoff, but I think what the Pac-12 really aimed to do with the schedule is keep itself in the discussion.

The conference ADs got a look at the schedule late in the week. Not all of them were pleased. Some wanted more time and input. More than one AD told me that the process felt rushed. But that’s 2020 and as my Italian grandmother used to say as she threw her hands up, “Whaddyagonnado?”

I’ll watch. That’s what I’ll do. You will, too.

Colorado athletic director Rick George is a member of the College Football Playoff selection committee. It’s his first year being charged with helping pick the four national semifinalists. So he’ll watch, too.

“I just know that I’m going to be watching a lot of film. I have been watching a lot of film,” George told me this week. “I’ll play the role on the committee that I’m asked to do — and that is pick the four best teams.”

Does the Pac-12 really have one of them?

Between us: Likely not.

… Continue reading story here …

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October 3rd

… CU in a few minutes …

Signs “encouraging” for CU’s return to practice, but no decision until Thursday

From the Daily Camera … If all goes well, the Colorado football team can begin training camp next week.

For now, the signs are encouraging and the Buffaloes are doing their best to stay ready for the start of camp and the regular season.

Boulder County Public Health’s order to halt all gatherings of Boulder residents between the ages of 18 to 22 for two weeks to slow the spread of the coronavirus on campus, issued on Sept. 24, is set to expire on Thursday at noon.

BCPH spokesperson Chana Goussetis told BuffZone on Friday: “We are pleased to see the continued decline of new cases in Boulder over the past week; the number of new cases dropped from roughly 100 per day to about 40 per day. This is great news for our community.

“While we can’t know for sure, this decline in cases is likely an indication that the mitigation actions we’ve taken in partnership with CU Boulder and the City of Boulder are helping, including the two-week quarantine for students, increased access to testing, and the limitation on gathering size.”

Goussetis added that a decision about whether to lift or extend the order will be announced by Thursday morning.

… Continue reading story here …

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October 2nd

… CU in a few minutes …

Buff fans asked to purchase “Virtual Homecoming” tickets

From CUBuffs.com … We are excited to announce the Folsom Field Virtual Homecoming campaign, presented by Safeway. This effort allows fans the opportunity to purchase a virtual seat while providing exclusive commemorative items. The goal of the initiative is to sell out Folsom Field!

All revenue will go to supporting our student athletes during this time and will help the athletic department bridge the financial gap created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Please note: The purchase of virtual tickets do not count as donations to the Buff Club.

Virtual tickets range from $15 to $38 with packages including a commemorative ticket and an “I stayed home for Homecoming” T-shirt.

… Purchase Virtual tickets here …

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Former Buff WR Juwann Winfree signed by the Green Bay Packers

From the Green Bay Packers … The Green Bay Packers signed WR Juwann Winfree to the practice squad. The transaction was announced Thursday by General Manager Brian Gutekunst.

Winfree (6-1, 210) is a second-year player out of the University of Colorado that was originally drafted by the Denver Broncos in the sixth round (No. 187) of the 2019 NFL Draft. He appeared in three games for the Broncos as a rookie before being placed on injured reserve on Dec. 14, 2019. In college, Winfree played 38 games (seven starts) at Colorado (2016-18), Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College (2015) and the University of Maryland (2014). He totaled 115 receptions for 1,643 yards (14.3 avg.) and 13 touchdowns. Winfree will wear No. 88 for the Packers.

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Rick George: CU looking at $10-$18 million deficit from lost ticket sales

From BuffStampede.com … The abbreviated fall football season will bring in some much needed revenue, but during an interview on John Canzano’s The Bald Faced Truth podcast, Colorado athletic director Rick George said he believes every athletic department in the Pac-12 will need to take out a loan. Jon Wilner of The San Jose Mercury News previously reported the Pac-12 has planned for a major loan program that would provide relief to a thletic departments.

“Our ticket sales number was $20 million last year, and that was with Nebraska, so that might have been higher than normal,” George said on the podcast. “So, you are looking at somewhere between $10-18 million in deficit. So yeah, that’s challenging. Because we’re playing seven games we will not be able to generate enough revenue to offset some of the other losses of the ticket revenue.

“And that doesn’t include basketball, which we are not sure it will include fans in the January portion of the basketball season. That is another driver for us. And we host concerts here, we host some events, that we haven’t been able to do. So the combination of all those things, that is why we have had layoffs and furloughs and cuts. You have to look at everything when trying to make the ends meet. So, we are certainly looking at a deficit.”

You can listen to George’s interview on Canzano’s podcast by clicking here.

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October 1st

… CU in a few minutes …

Rick George: “We were ready for Oct. 31st start”

Tweets from John Canzano at The Oregonian, who had CU Athletic Director Rick George on as a guest on his radio program …

Rick George — Colorado AD — on whether his football program wants to play a 9 a.m. or 10 a.m. kickoff this season. “My hand is up. How about that?”

Colorado AD Rick George tells me that his football coach was not pushing for a delayed start. Says they were ready for Oct. 31 if it came to that. “That wasn’t a conversation. He was ready to go whenever.”

Vote so far regarding 9 a.m. or 10 a.m. kickoffs: Oregon: Hand down. Oregon State: Hand down. Utah: Hand raised. Colorado: Hand raised.

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CU tight end Matt Lynch named semi-finalist for William V. Campbell Trophy

From the Daily Camera … Colorado tight end Matt Lynch received a prestigious honor on Thursday, as he was named as one of 199 semifinalists across the nation for the William V. Campbell Trophy as presented by the National Football Foundation.

For the past 30 years, the Campbell Award has recognized “an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership,” according to a release from the NFF.

Twelve to 14 finalists will be named in November, each of whom will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship. The winner will be announced late in the year and will have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.

Each of the semifinalists was nominated by their school. All candidates must be in their final year of eligibility own a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale while demonstrating “strong leadership and citizenship.”

Lynch, a Broomfield native who starred as a quarterback at Legacy High School, spent four seasons at UCLA (including a redshirt year) before joining the Buffs as a graduate transfer. Lynch moved to tight end in 2019 for the Bruins, and he was named to the UCLA athletic director’s honor roll for six semesters during his time at UCLA.

Former Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert won the Campbell Trophy last year, and former Buffs player Jim Hansen received the honor in 1992. Past winners also include Payton Manning, Tim Tebow, Danny Wuerffel, and Chad Pennington.

… Continue reading story here …

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The Athletic takes a look back at the 30th anniversary of the “Fifth Down Game”

… Note … The game was played on October 6, 1990, so I will wait to post my stories on the game until next Tuesday, when it will be posted as part of my season-long “CU Game(s) of the Day” series. If you can’t wait, you can also go to the CU at the Game Archives, where you will find my recap of the game here … (video of CU’s final drive is posted below) …

From The Athletic … J.C. Louderback mostly uses his garage to string tennis rackets for the local school district, and his wife, Denise, comes in to do laundry. The space needs cleaning, but somewhere tucked away rest a pair of over-the-shoulder bags filled to the brim with decades-old letters — relics of the biggest officiating blunder in college football history.

Louderback, now 86, was in no hurry to read the letters at the time of their arrival. But one day, around 10 years ago, he stumbled upon the gray and purple bags while cleaning the garage. He sat down and, two decades after the infamous Fifth Down Game, began to read.

About half offered support, telling him he was a good ref, even if he’d made a big mistake. The others ripped him and his crew. How could they allow five downs in a Division I college football game? One jokingly offered him membership to the University of Colorado booster club.

He accepted the blame.

“That’s where it’s at now and will be forever, I guess,” he said in a phone interview from his Arkansas City, Kan., home.

Louderback isn’t bitter as the Oct. 6, 1990, game between Missouri and Colorado nears its 30th anniversary. And though he moved on with his life — he continued to coach tennis, teach calculus and referee — he still wonders what would have happened had the then-No. 12 Buffaloes not gotten an extra down, allowing them to score the winning touchdown as time expired.

“I hated that it happened,” he said.

The Fifth Down’s legacy goes beyond the eventual national champion Buffaloes and Mizzou, the team left feeling cheated. The game represents rage, regret and the consequence of human error: a study of small mistakes changing lives and altering history.

Imagine if Jon Boman hadn’t slipped. The Colorado tight end could have walked into the end zone had he just kept his balance. His winning touchdown would have become a footnote in the story of Colorado’s national title season, and the Fifth Down Game never would have existed.

But Boman did slip. His left foot gave from under him as he crossed the first-down marker, and he fell forward on the slick Missouri turf. Backup quarterback Charles Johnson lined his team up and spiked the ball, stopping the clock at 28 seconds. The Buffaloes still trailed 31-27 against a pesky Missouri team that entered the Big Eight matchup as heavy underdogs.

“That field was awful,” then-Missouri linebacker Mike Ringgenberg said recently. “I don’t care if you played on that field day in and day out, practiced on it, played on it. Your footing didn’t get any better. You just learned to slip and get back up.”

In 1985, Missouri installed Omniturf, which used a base layer of sand, at Faurot Field. In warm weather, the sand rose to the top, making the ground hard and slippery. Johnson compared it to a gravel-top surface, and it became unpopular with both Tigers and visiting players before its removal in 1995.

Gary Barnett, Colorado’s quarterbacks coach in 1990, remembers watching his players slip during pregame warmups. He looked to the Missouri sideline, where he said he noticed the Tigers wearing long cleats that were better equipped for the surface. His team returned to the locker room in a near panic. The Buffaloes ran an option-based system; they needed good footing to make the quick cuts on which their offense thrived.

“I was thinking, ‘The condition of the field is going to be an impediment for me to have a great game,’” said Johnson, who was playing in place of Darian Hagan, the injured starter. “As a backup quarterback, the last thing you want to do is mess it up.”

… Continue reading story here (subscription required) …

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This post, about the Fall Camp game, from the 2020 Season, is filed under Article.
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“Fall Camp” – October, 2020

44 Replies to “Colorado Daily – Fall Camp”

MarcusJBuff says:
October 31, 2020 at 11:05 am
Ok, Noyer is the starter, I wonder if his year at safety helped him with his reading of the defense?
The new QB coach has done well making good passers great, KD is offensive minded too, so we’ll see.
Reply
RobO says:
October 30, 2020 at 10:46 pm
So in a hopeful mood, I have been watching the b-roll of practices whenever I can and it looks like we are going to run the read option a lot as I almost never saw a straight drop back in the film. So I am no expert in the read option but perhaps this simplified the offense for Noyer. He reads one thing, and either hands it off, runs it himself or passes it to one receiver. He is not required to go through a whole progression, much of the decision making can be made pre snap, with one read post snap. Ball comes out quicker and when it breaks down you have an athletic qb who can run the ball……
Reply
1. Eric says:
  October 31, 2020 at 8:58 am
  Seems like a reasonable thought to me. And if the pics of Lytle we have seen are this year, he still looks like a string bean. Not the frame you want running read option that much.
  Go Buffs
  Reply
Eric says:
October 30, 2020 at 7:19 pm
Wow. I am a little surprised that Sam won. But, Tyler looks like a 6’2 175 guy, so maybe that played a role? Guess we will see soon enough. I think Karl has seen and coached more qb’s than I have, so trust they made the right call.
Go Buffs
Reply
1. ep says:
  October 31, 2020 at 8:38 am
  We will see soon enough.
  There are some things even a coach wont know until they happen. Will a player’s relative success in practice transfer into the real world game scenario? It appears Noyer’s limited “success” in his limited real world game action hasnt bothered KD a whole lot.
  Or maybe it does.
  KD has been pretty insistent that Tyler will play. Dont go anywhere, Tyler.
  Reply
  1. Eric says:
    October 31, 2020 at 9:01 am
    Especially with three weeks of actual practice. And how many in pads?
    Here’s hoping noyer’s Time at safety translates into good and fast decision making. I think he has the athletic ability.
    Go Buffs
    Reply
BostonBuff says:
October 30, 2020 at 6:29 am
Seems with strength and experience among WR’s and RB’s the coach and Chiv would think of making our inexperienced QB a facilitator of the O in the early stages of the season – ie quick passes, screens, slants, TE’s, etc etc and let the QB grow into the position gaining confidence by moving the ball.
I just don’t want to see 3 and out and interceptions by putting too much pressure on a new QB trying to read progressions and coming under pressure, keep it simple and let the skill guys get the ball in their hands
Reply
Bufftrax says:
October 26, 2020 at 1:24 pm
LOVE the fact we have a cadre of receivers. Alternate them FREQUENTLY, pick on each DB, and have a receiver target on him and run their asses off.
By the 3rd quarter, completing passes and should be as easy as ” _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ” (Your choice…. My admiration and devotion as a prize). Can anyone come with something better than EP or VK ?
GO BUFFS
Reply
1. ep says:
  October 27, 2020 at 8:04 pm
  not sure if that was a slam or a compliment but here goes. How about ….”as easy as being a sports writer”?
  Going full circle I would like to mention we have 3 receivers in the NFL from the last year. Ento, Brown and Viska. Reminds me of smugman Wilner who was expecting “modest results from that receiving core. Jaaahn basically dissed them again this year. Cant wait to throw it back in his face again.
  Get the ball to them Lytle.
  Reply
  1. Bufftrax says:
    October 27, 2020 at 11:35 pm
    “Get the ball to them Lytle.” Is that a forecast ep (?) In the know, are ya?
    All this back and forth just gets my juices flowin’.
    Stuart, have you heard if the (new) little Ralphie is fully trained and ready to drag the handlers around Folsom (?) Or….. will Covid prevent her from making an initial appearance ?
    GO BUFFS
    Reply
    1. Stuart says:
      October 28, 2020 at 7:33 am
      It’s my understanding that there will be no Ralphie running this fall.
      Saving her for the 2021 opener … against Northern Colorado!
      Reply
      1. Bufftrax says:
        October 29, 2020 at 12:03 pm
        WOW ! NORTHERN COLORADO.
        I don’t know what to say. Are we trying to pad the “WIN” column ?
        I HEAR NORTH JUNIOR HIGH HAS AN OPENING NEXT FALL ALSO !
        I shouldn’t mention that. It could be embarrassing if we lost.
        Gheeeeez ! GO BUFFS
  2. Bufftrax says:
    October 27, 2020 at 11:42 pm
    How about ….”as easy as being a sports writer”? Is a winner of a mug of beer at the Sink….. if we ever get there at the same time. You coming from FL ? Long trip for some suds.
    Reply
    1. ep says:
      October 29, 2020 at 12:21 pm
      I’m about 6 hours of mountain driving to Golden and then another aggravating 45minutes to Boulder…so make it 2 mugs
      Reply
      1. Bufftrax says:
        October 30, 2020 at 1:42 pm
        Okay, ep, Next Spring Game… that’s about as soon as I think the gov’ is going to let us regular folk into Folsom….. then, there’s Boulder county to deal with. Geeeez.
        Okay…… 2 mugs it is.
        GO SAM GO, BEAT THOSE BRUINS….RUN ‘EM CRAZY
VKBerlin says:
October 26, 2020 at 6:02 am
Yo Ho
I forgot my other note
Note 3: GO BIG MEL YU LOSER
Reply
VKBerlin says:
October 26, 2020 at 5:59 am
So this is fall camp or preseason camp or whatever it is called. Couple of more weeks.
Looking at the stuff on this site and then following the links……………………………
The copy and paste jobs from year to year are amazing…………
Only the subjects names have been changed to protect the innocent.
The writers names have not been changed to protect the guilty.
Go Buffs.
Note: And regardless of what is said above, I like reading all the stuff.
Note 2: Even though the Mighty Buffs didn’t play this week……………………I won cause
the Kornkobs of Kornhole Kommunity Kollege got whipped. Yehaaaaaaaaaaaaa
“As you Were”
Reply
Adam Kenny says:
October 24, 2020 at 5:26 pm
As someone who battled epilepsy as a child, I’m keeping a good thought for the young man.
Reply
RobO says:
October 24, 2020 at 4:03 pm
Best of luck to Antonio Alfano. Working through something like that can be extremely scary. CU is a great place with one of the best hospitals around.
Reply
ep says:
October 19, 2020 at 10:55 am
Dont feel sad for Jimmy Brumbaugh. He wont be out of a job for long…and to quote BuffaloUp….”the beat goes on”
Speaking of past coaches, I watched the UCF/Memphis game yesterday. Memphis won by one point but only because UCF’s field goal kicker may not have a job for much longer. What was telling was that UCF piled on 49 points against Mickey Mac’s D. True to form a lot of it was from repetitive big plays.
Can’t wait for MSU to begin their season so I can root against dinner bell Mel.
And how about that Auburn team? Wonder who ael has moved on to so I can root against them too.
Root root….snort snort. Each loss turns up another truffle.
A little weird you might say?
Hey….with the corn not playing and its no fun to root against texas when they are playing like the corn a guy has to go somewhere for his football jollies
Reply
1. RobO says:
  October 19, 2020 at 12:08 pm
  So did we upgrade on the d-line from a coaching perspective? I think so but I was wondering what other folks thought.
  Reply
  1. Stuart says:
    October 19, 2020 at 12:47 pm
    From a coaching perspective, it is certainly TBD if Chris Wilson will be an upgrade over Jimmy Brumbaugh.
    Brumbaugh as a recruiter brought us Jordan Berry (who never enrolled at CU – the only member of the Class of 2020 who didn’t make it), LB Guy Thomas, DL Lloyd Murray, DL Justin Jackson, DT Jayden Simon, DT Jeremiah Doss and DT Janaz Jordan.
    So, at least in terms of recruiting, Chris Wilson has some pretty big shoes to fill …
    Reply
  2. ep says:
    October 19, 2020 at 3:48 pm
    Wilson has higher credentials than Brumbaugh and Howell said today the players speak highly of them with what appears to be sincere enthusiasm and not just CYA player speak.
    Reply
2. Bufftrax says:
  October 26, 2020 at 1:17 pm
  EP…. yur best post ever. One of the best EVER.
  The best coin until I hear one better: “Dinner Bell Mel.”
  OK….. ANOTHER GEM: “Root root….snort snort. Each loss turns up another truffle.”
  DAMN. You’re good.
  GO BUFFS.
  Reply
cricky says:
October 15, 2020 at 9:51 am
So does “Montez in the news” and “taking snaps” mean that he has been activated an could play?
Reply
1. Stuart says:
  October 15, 2020 at 10:02 am
  Not likely, but possible.
  He’s off the practice squad, so he is at least in the mix (as much as a third-string quarterback can be).
  Reply
ep says:
October 15, 2020 at 8:54 am
Sounds like the guy from Sports PAC12.com is a CU alumnus. And unlike the average west coast sports gum beater it also sounds like he has actually looked somewhat in depth at the Buff personnel. His bright eyed 4-2 prediction speaks of a strong defense and a questionable offense as he has the Buffs averaging only 16.6 points per game.
I would love to see 4-2 but 16.6 points a game maybe giving the D too much credit. Will they be left out on the field too long?
By now y’all should be able to see where I’m going with this…..cranking on the QB decision again. Coaches are “hoping for a quick separation” at the position. Good luck with that when its only tweedle dee and tweedle dum being allowed to apply for the position. If the coaches are scared to give Lewis a chance to prove himself I am scared they are going to have the same conservative vanilla offense….you know the coach speak…..adapt the game plan to fit the player’s skills.
Could Lewis bring us a Baltimore Raven/Lamar Jackson offense? We aint gonna find out this year.
Be strong Buff D.
Reply
1. cricky says:
  October 15, 2020 at 11:59 am
  I think one issue maybe that because they didn’t have spring ball and were shutdown for the summer, they just don’t feel like they have enough time to get a true frosh QB ready to go. So they are not going to mess around with Lewis in the short time before the first game. But depending on the situation, I would not be surprised to see him later this season.
  Reply
2. 83Buff says:
  October 15, 2020 at 2:19 pm
  The author writes for the CU Independent. Whatever that is
  Reply
Earl T says:
October 13, 2020 at 10:16 am
Rooney has consistently been the proverbial “Turd in The Punch Bowl” for the Buffs! Why change now?
Reply
1. ep says:
  October 13, 2020 at 2:56 pm
  LOL has he made you forget Kyle Ringo? (I think his name was Kyle)
  Reply
buffnaustin says:
October 8, 2020 at 10:42 am
Dare I say “Fire up the grill. Mow the Grass and put on your CU gear.” We are hours away from getting our team on the field. Fingers crossed and expel the bad demons. GO BUFFS.
Reply
MarcusJBuff says:
October 7, 2020 at 9:29 am
“he’s very strong, he’s athletic and maybe we’ll create some things for him as we go about the season.” So, maybe some plays designed around Lewis’ athleticism (think Laviska) with one of the others as the primary QB, could be the best of both worlds with a more mature (age & time in college) player at QB with Lewis as the “wildcat” but w/ a QB; if that makes sense.
With the short season and all, this could be a “development camp” kind of year for the new head coach & staff. Remember that while Lewis is a dual threat QB, it is reported that he throws first, so a team would then have to prepare for 2 QBs that can throw & not key only on the run when Lewis goes in, which would open his running lane & the RB’s lane too.
That would be bad ass & possibly win a few unexpected games.
Reply
Luckyprof says:
October 3, 2020 at 9:36 am
For all of the bad news up to this point, the posted schedule is very favorable. Here’s hoping there will be positive results. The players, coaches, and fans deserve some good news!!
Reply
RobO says:
September 30, 2020 at 6:15 pm
So what do you take away from Dorrel’s interview? Normal coach speak? Super optimistic? I will say I don’t remember any of the recent coaches being as optimistic without seeing the players actually play? Not sure what to make of it? I like the positivity. But this was a team that went 5-7 last year and lost 3 really good players. Maybe the workouts they have been having are really good? Heck no one got hurt in spring practice….. thoughts?
Reply
1. Stuart says:
  September 30, 2020 at 6:41 pm
  I think everyone will have to take it all with a grain of salt at this point. No problem with Coach Dorrell being optimistic, and talking up his team.
  But, as Mike Tyson famously said, “Everyone has a plan until they get hit in the mouth”.
  Navy, an 11-2 team last year, thought they were ready for a 7-6 BYU team in the opener … and lost 55-3 …
  Reply
Adam Kenny says:
September 29, 2020 at 6:32 am
Regardless of where you stood back in late February when Coach Dorrell was hired (pro/con/neutral), you cannot look at what has transpired since and feel anything but empathy for him, his coaches, and his kids. Life for the Buffs has morphed into a real-life version of an old, great “The Far Side” cartoon in which Satan, while standing behind the front desk in Hell, asks new arrivals, “Inferno or no inferno?” before zinging them, “Just kidding! They’re all inferno!”
On an unrelated note, congratulations to former Fusker HC Bo Pellini for landing in the SEC record books in the very first game of his second go-round as LSU’s defensive coordinator. Kudos to Mike Leach, who sure had his kids ready to play. Loved his post-game interview, when asked by CBS’s reporter if it had been a great day, he responded, “It’s better than average, that’s for sure.”
Reply
1. BostonBuff says:
  October 2, 2020 at 5:02 am
  Nice post, love the Far Side reference.
  I was fortunate to catch that game and Leach post -game.
  How can people not be excited for having football to watch this fall amid this crazy world ? That was an exciting game !
  Go Buffs, regardless of how season goes, it is important for them as a team to take the field.
  Reply
Bufftrax says:
September 28, 2020 at 2:28 pm
The athletic department has enough health protocols in place to keep the athletes and anyone associated with athletics to be extremely safe. The county doesn’t have enough common sense to figure that one out.
Move practices out of the county for Christ’s sake. Screw Boulder County…. they don’t have enough sense to: “_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.” You finish the sentence….. I’m too pissed to think straight…..a prize for the winner.
Practicing at an adjacent county high school in the a.m. wouldn’t interfere with the high school practices. Bus the athletic team(s). The high school(s) would love it.
Reply
1. 83Buff says:
  September 29, 2020 at 1:12 pm
  “To find their ass with both hands”. Is that a winner?
  Reply
  1. Bufftrax says:
    October 1, 2020 at 3:36 pm
    83……….. you WON !!!! (Just don’t know what). How about my admiration for being the only one who may have read this post ? I know….. that sucks.
    Reply
Golden Buffs says:
September 27, 2020 at 11:26 am
Yo Stuart,
Some of the favorites for being in the playoff have already lost. Both Oklahoma and LSU lost to unranked teams yesterday. And a lot of the ranked teams have looked pretty unimpressive. This virus may turn out to be a great equalizer, especially since you never know when a dominant type player will have to be out due to Covid.
And former Pac-12 coach Mike Leach did the conference proud by taking down the defending champ LSU at his new gig at Mississippi State.
But back to CU… I still think the dipstick running the Boulder County Health department has no jurisdiction over campus. You know it’s politics when he is insisting that players who are tested EVERY DAY are putting the “greater community” at risk. Elsewhere around the Pac-12, the daily testing was deemed an acceptable exception to the standard health guidelines.
I also have my doubts that the county realizes that issuing an order based solely on age (18-22) is even remotely constitutional. It’s plain and simple age discrimination, and I am surprised that someone hasn’t filed a suit seeking a stay of the order. The county absolutely has the right to issue stay at home orders for particular addresses like they did for the frats and sororities, because they have data that ties the outbreak to those particular locations.
But now, every young person freshly graduated from high school here in Boulder is “breaking the law” when they hold hands with their significant other. Every person 18-22 year who rides in a vehicle with another person is “breaking the law” according the clown at BC health.
CU’s athletic director should be leading the charge fighting this in both public opinion and the courts. I work with these young adults five days a week on campus. The athletes are the ones I feel safest around when it comes to the virus.
Sadly, and this has been true for a LONG time, there is very active minority in the Boulder area who HATE college football. Some of them have even been elected at CU regents. Nothing would make them happier than if CU never played college football again. The University has to stand up to this political hatchet job.
Numerous coaches were complaining that six weeks was not long enough to have their players physically ready to play division one football. Now Boulder wants to risk to have players risk severe injuries for a political stunt. If any of these athletes gets injured due to a lack of proper training, I hope the city, the county, and the health department clown are named in the lawsuits.
Mark / Boulderdevil
Reply
1. 83Buff says:
  September 29, 2020 at 1:15 pm
  I agree with every word of your comment.
  Reply
2. AsterixBUFF says:
  October 3, 2020 at 1:04 am
  What have these world class athletes been doing since spring ball that it takes 4 weeks to get ready for a 7 game schedule?
  Reply

Colorado Daily – Fall Camp

Fall Camp - 2020 Season

Colorado Daily – Fall Camp

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