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Fall Camp Notes
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August 25th
Schedule for today … Meetings (7:00 a.m.), Practice #26 (8:30-11:00 a.m.) – FIRST DAY OF CLASSES; GAME WEEK PREP BEGINS
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Students trying to bring C-Unit basketball success to Folsom
From the Daily Camera … It’s been nearly a decade since the Colorado football program produced a winning season. As a result, ticket sales have fallen throughout the stadium in recent years and student attendance has dropped dramatically, too.
The Buffs attracted an average of 38,296 fans last season, the first time since 1988 the program failed to average at least 45,000.
There are plenty of entertainment options in Boulder and the surrounding area for fans and students on fall Saturdays, especially when the snow begins to fly in the mountains and ski areas open. More and more CU students, just like other fans, have opted out of watching the Buffs lose in recent years in favor of those other activities.
CU routinely sold more than 10,000 student season tickets throughout most of the 1990s and 2000s and often sold out or came close to selling out the 12,500 allotment for students. But in three of the past four years, CU has failed to sell 10,000 student season tickets and last year it sold just 8,362 — the fewest in 27 years.
The Buffs have plenty of help from athletic director Rick George and his team who are trying to convince former season-ticket holders, new customers and current students to be a part of the turnaround.
“There is nothing out there that is the lightning idea that is going to bring the students in,” George said this summer. “We’ve just got to really engage the students more. We met with the tri execs over the summer to try to work with them on creative ways that we can get students into the game, on time and keep them here.
“That’s a challenge and it’s a challenge across the country, but it’s something we’ll continue to work on and continue to meet with different student groups to try to encourage our students because, let’s face it, our students create a great atmosphere in our gym and we need to create that same atmosphere at Folsom Field.”
They didn’t have to sell Jake Pauly, a CU sophomore from Highlands Ranch, who is working with the athletic department and student groups on campus to form an organized student section for football similar to the C-Unit in basketball. Pauly also has started the National Collegiate Student Section Association, which will have its first conference at the University of Nebraska in June.
“I’m a big believer in a lot of people at the games changes the total atmosphere of the games, especially basketball games when it’s that close environment,” Pauly said. “The more students there makes the players play better.”
Pauly sees a day coming in the near future when Folsom Field can be a similar attraction once again, but he believes fans and students must play a part in making it happen as opposed to waiting for it to happen.
“That’s the big thing, the team hasn’t been up to par,” Pauly said explaining recent student apathy. “I think one of the big things I’m struggling with, especially at CU, is getting fans to games on time. The stands would be empty in the first quarter and then midway through the second quarter it was packed cause people are still tailgating. So I feel like a big problem is people feel like there is no reason to be there at the beginning. They check to see how CU is doing and if they’re getting blown out, they will leave. That’s how the culture is right now.”
Pauly said he doesn’t yet know what the student section for football will be called. He is attempting to spread the word about the new student section through email and social media and help from the C-Unit.
He said he recently sent a mass email to students who have purchased tickets encouraging them to volunteer to serve on the student section’s executive board and work to grow its ranks. He said he wants his fellow students to vote on a name in the coming weeks.
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CU Football Video – Proving Grounds – Fall Camp – 2014
The Emmy-winning CU Football Video crew has posted its Fall Camp Video.
Perhaps the best twelve minutes you’ll spend today:
http://vimeo.com/104228612
August 24th
Schedule for today … Team day off.
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August 23rd
Schedule for today … Meetings, Practice #24 (9:30 – 11:40 a.m.), Walk-Through (4:00-5:00 p.m.)
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Even without starter Jered Bell, defensive backs look to improve on 2013 numbers
From cubuffs.com … Safeties coach Charles Clark says CU’s secondary continues to grow and improve. Depth is being developed at all spots – and it’s a good thing. The Buffs lost starting free safety Jered Bell for the season last week with an ACL injury, the second of his CU career.
Bell’s injury ramped up Clark’s camp project of having all the defensive backs learn all secondary positions. “We’re in the process of double-teaching everybody,” he said. “We’ve got corners playing nickel, nickels playing safety, safeties playing some corner . . . we’re just going to rotate (personnel) and get a good feel for it for the next week.
“But right now we’re just rolling guys at those positions – not only because Jered went down but we’ve been doing that anyway. Jered had been working at safety and corner. We hadn’t been necessarily planning for this, but planning if a guy does have to come out of the game we want the best guys in there.”
Once he undergoes surgery and returns to the sideline, Clark said Bell can regain his leadership role. However, sophomore Chidobe Awuzie contends that while Bell’s on-field presence will be missed, the Buffs will have expanded leadership across the board because of every DB learning every position.
“We all played together last year, but we’ve got two freshmen who are learning quick, too,” Awuzie said. “We really trust each other to keep each other at a high level. If someone messes up we pretty much all know what the person did wrong because we’re all trying to learn each position. We’re all becoming leaders in the secondary.”
Everyone knowing every position “is pretty much what you want in a true DB,” Awuzie added, noting that this season’s comprehensive learning approach wasn’t stressed as much last season. “It was a little bit but not really . . . we had a new coaching staff so everybody was learning. We’ve all got it down now so we’re able to play different positions. If someone’s tired we can sub for him and know what to do.”
Awuzie is among the candidates to replace Bell. Breaking in last season mainly as a nickel back, Awuzie’s role began expanding to safety even before Bell’s injury. “I know a lot of the defense; they can put me at any spot in the secondary and I know what to do,” he said. “They trust me back there and I trust myself. I’m going to do my job.”
Awuzie’s comfort level is obviously up from his freshman season. Last August’s uncertainty has disappeared. “Last year I was learning what I was doing, this year I knew it coming in,” he said. “Right now I’m trying to play fast, be quick and anticipate what the offense does – the tendencies and stuff. It’s just another level. I’m a sophomore now so I have to grow up.”
Before Bell went down, Clark potentially had three senior starters in the secondary – Bell, Henderson and strong safety Terrel Smith. Henderson, a four-year starter, is an all-star candidate who led the Buffs in interceptions (four) last season and is second among the returning tackle leaders (68, 46 solo).
Smith, maybe the most tenacious hitter among the DBs, sat out last season after opting to undergo shoulder surgery. Smith called his final preseason camp “a long time coming . . . I’ve been working hard and preparing myself this off season and getting my body right so I can go out and perform. I’m so excited to be out here. My shoulder feels good, nice and strong, not loose. I’m ready to hit and that’s all that matters.”
Henderson, who had TD returns last fall on an interception and a fumble recovery, said his personal improvement in his final season is focused on “making more plays on the ball and getting better in my press technique.” He also is shooting for a healthy rise in his aggression and strength at the line of scrimmage, enabling him to “beat (receivers) up at the line and not let them get a free release and get down the field. It’s my last go at it. I have to have the best season ever.”
Opposite Henderson at right corner likely will be junior Ken Crawley, who contributed two of CU’s 10 interceptions last season and, according to MacIntyre, has added strength that will enhance his playmaking ability.
The Buffs’ 10 pick total was up from three in 2012, and Clark believes the 10 thefts in 2013 can be improved on this season. CU claimed 30 turnovers last fall (20 recovered fumbles, 10 interceptions) and Clark wants to see that number at least duplicated this season.
“We want to see the turnovers jump,” he said. “We want to be over 30 and if we can get to the 40s we’re doing a really good job . . . we had a big jump in interception numbers last year from the year before, so I definitely think it’s realistic (to surpass 30 turnovers). We work on it, we drill on it, every day. We keep track of it, we chart it, and our kids are buying in. We also show them opportunities we could have had. I think that number is definitely attainable.”
Cutting back on TD passes allowed also should be a shared goal for the secondary. A year ago, the Buffs gave up 24 TD passes and finished ninth in the Pac-12 in pass defense. But that was a huge improvement compared to 2012, when 39 TD passes were thrown on (mostly over) the Buffs.
… More on the story can be found here at cubuffs.com …
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August 22nd
Schedule for today … Meetings, Practice #23 (9:30 – 11:40 a.m.), Walk-Through (4:00-5:00 p.m.)
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Buffs better conditioned; losing fewer players to injury
From cubuffs.com … In contrast to a number of high-profile programs around the country, Colorado is actually on pace to emerge from fall camp relatively unscathed as they head into the final week before next Friday’s season opener against in-state rival Colorado State.
Sans safety Jered Bell’s ACL tear last week, the Buffs have arisen through the bulk of camp, for the second consecutive year, without suffering any significant, long-term injuries under head Mike MacIntyre and his staff.
“Our health is good except for Jered,” MacIntyre said. “Everyone else is fine coming back. We’ve had a few bumps and bruises, but nothing too significant. That’s the only season-ending injury we’ve had.”
MacIntyre credits his team’s wellbeing to a fairly-unique training regimen led by strength and conditioning coach Dave Forman which has, for the most part, limited injury-related setbacks and increased vitality.
“Sometimes you can’t help situations but, I do feel like our strength coach and his staff have done a great job (with our players).”
“We do a tremendous amount of core work and we work on hitting the ground and knowing how to land and that type of stuff. We do a lot of different things. Our injuries went down when we were at San Jose State and our injuries are going down here because we’re in such good shape and we have a good core.”
This year’s (nearly) clean bill of health comes one year after the team’s only significant, long-term injury during MacIntyre’s first fall camp was the loss of second-string kicker Justin Castor.
The regimen itself was the brainchild of MacIntyre who developed the strategy after witnessing a rash of knee injuries to his daughter’s high school basketball team a few years ago. He then helped to teach the girls various safe landing techniques that did wonders in terms of limiting injuries. He and his staff have since expanded on those ideals and molded them to fit a roster that includes roughly 100 players with varying degrees of athleticism and flexibility.
“Besides learning how to land better on their legs and doing a lot of core work, the type of lifting we do is a big part of it,” MacIntyre said. “We don’t just do power lifts and squats anymore.”
“Also, our trainers work really well with our strength staff and with our coaches. So, there’s constant communication there. We’re going to have injuries, but I think we’re on the cutting edge of it all. I really do.”
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August 21st
Schedule for today … Meetings, Practice #22 (9:30 – 11:40 a.m.), Walk-Through (4:00-5:00 p.m.)
August 20th
Schedule for today … Meetings, Practice #21 (9:30 – 11:40 a.m.), Walk-Through (4:00-5:00 p.m.)
Phillip Lindsay anxious for his opportunity – first game since September, 2012
From the Daily Camera … With more than 100 young men, all wearing gold helmets and either black or white jerseys, running around the football field, it can be difficult to stand out.
Unless your name is Phillip Lindsay, that is.
A redshirt freshman running back and kick returner, Lindsay has routinely been one of the most dynamic players on the field since joining the Colorado football team in 2013.
Lindsay has yet to play an actual game in a CU uniform, but he’s already got his head coach, Mike MacIntyre, calling him the “Tasmanian Devil” and running backs coach Klayton Adams grinning at the thought of giving him the ball when it counts.
“He has that never-say-die attitude,” MacIntyre said. “He’ll do anything. (He has a) phenomenal attitude all the time. He gives unbelievable effort. He’s extremely tough. He has quickness. He has a contagious, bubbly attitude. He’s just one of those guys.
“If he carries the ball three times in a game or he carries the ball 20 times, he’ll make a difference.”
Oh, how Lindsay wants to make a difference at CU.
Born and raised in Denver, Lindsay was a star at Denver South High School and was thrilled when former CU coach Jon Embree offered him a scholarship.
After Lindsay tore his left ACL as a senior at South, CU remained committed to him. When CU fired Embree a couple of months later, Lindsay remained committed to the Buffs, despite the fact that they were coming off a 1-11 season.
“I love my state, I love (CU), I love Colorado football, and I want everybody to know that,” said Lindsay, who hasn’t played in a game since Sept. 14, 2012. “You’re coming from Colorado and everybody is talking down about (the football program) because you have off years. But it’s about pride.”
The remainder of the story can be read here …
August 19th
Schedule for today … Meetings, Practice #21 (8:50-11:30 a.m.), Walk-Through (4:45-5:45 p.m.)
Buffs participate in (closed) scrimmage
From cubuffs.com … With game week rapidly approaching, competition among the University of Colorado football team will not slow down.
Tuesday’s practice featured significant situational live scrimmaging as coaches evaluated different players at different positions. Being contested is who will start in the season opener against Colorado State on Friday, Aug. 29, at Sports Authority Field at Mile High (7 p.m., Fox Sports 1).
“You always want competition,” coach Mike MacIntyre told reporters after the morning scrum. “I do think we are getting that, which makes your team deeper.”
MacIntyre pointed to the recent injury of senior safety Jered Bell as an example of the importance of developing depth and making sure every player is getting sufficient practice time. Because of those extra reps backups have received in camp thus far he is confident they will be ready to play when called upon.
As the opener nears, the coaching staff will have to narrow in on its two-deep depth chart, but MacIntyre is more concerned with keeping the level of competition high than anything approaching permanency for his starting 22.
MacIntyre jested that every position is still up in the air in terms of naming starters, but said, “We have a pretty good handle on it,” referring to the depth chart. “We are still mixing and matching some guys.”
Notes … Redshirt freshman wide receiver Elijah Dunston has returned to practice in the last two days after having been temporarily sidelined due to a knee injury . . . . Walk on wide receiver Devyn Grimes completed his first day in full pads after serving his mandatory “acclimation period” per NCAA rules. Grimes was not originally part of the fall camp 105-man roster but had been watching practices from the sidelines. He received his chance to suit up after the roster was depleted by injury . . . . MacIntyre said Bell, who suffered a season-ending knee injury last week, is planning to appeal to the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility. Bell also sustained a torn ACL when he was a sophomore, sidelining him now for two complete seasons with the same injury but to different knees.
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August 18th
Schedule for today … Practice #19 (8:45 – 10:55 a.m.), Walk-through (5:10 – 6:00 p.m.)
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Offensive line hopefully has both quality and quantity
From cubuffs.com … Quality usually trumps quantity, but in the University of Colorado’s offensive line there’s something – actually a lot of things – to be said for beefed up numbers. More good news: There’s also quality liberally sprinkled among that higher quantity of larger Buffaloes.
In the very recent past, CU found itself desperate for big guys to work the trenches. Before new coach Mike MacIntyre’s first spring game in 2013, the Buffs struggled to find 10 offensive linemen to divide between the Black and Gold squads.
Times (and the O-line headcount) have changed. CU opened this August camp with 20 offensive linemen on its roster. “It’s pretty nice, but they still work us,” said promising sophomore left tackle Jeromy Irwin. “It definitely helps out the recovery process and guys getting more rest.”
More big, able bodies also deepens the talent pool from which O-line coach Gary Bernardi will identify his top 8, 9 or 10 players to open the 2014 season. “The whole bunch is stronger,” he said. “When you play more physical, you feel better about yourself . . . there are a lot of good things that come with that.”
Bernardi lost 2013 starters Jack Harris (left tackle) and Gus Handler (center), but both of those spots seem in the hands of capable replacements.
Recovered from a July 2013 foot injury that forced him to redshirt that season and another last March that sidelined him for most of spring drills, Irwin is competing with junior Marc Mustoe, among others, at left tackle. Sophomore Alex Kelley appears to have a firm hold on the center job, while experienced seniors Kaiwi Crabb and Daniel Munyer could be the starting guards. Imposing junior Stephane Nembot is the incumbent starter at right tackle but needs to continue his day-to-day progress, said Bernardi.
Versatility is a key word in Bernardi’s vocabulary and verification of that comes almost daily. In one recent practice, Bernardi had junior college transfer Sully Wiefels at center, redshirt freshman Jonathan Huckins at left guard, Crabb at left tackle and freshman John Lisella II at right tackle. Mustoe has also gotten scrutiny on the right side and redshirt freshman Gerrad Kough is receiving looks at guard. And after playing both guards during his first two years at CU, Kelley could fit there if needed.
The mixing and matching from tackle to tackle probably won’t stop with game week. During a typical practice, Bernardi makes so many personnel moves he probably needs to review video to remember them all.
“I’m trying to create versatility and depth in terms of guys who can do a lot of things,” he said. “I want to do that to have some flexibility. Right now I don’t have to do it out of necessity because we have some guys who can play.”
And then there’s touted Auburn transfer Shane Callahan. Since his appeal to play immediately was granted by the NCAA, Callahan has moved up the depth chart and has been operating at right guard with the No. 2 offense but also taking turns with first unit. Callahan’s continued upward mobility depends on how quickly he makes the transition from tackle to guard.
“He was always a tackle,” said Bernardi, “but I think he’s bright enough and football savvy enough to pick it up. But I can see little things each day (he’s good at) and little things each day of ‘uh-oh, he hadn’t done that before.’ That’s constant. But he’s a good football player.”
The options at center seem unlimited; along with Kelley, Bernardi can look to Crabb, Munyer, Huckins and Wiefels. Said Bernardi: “If I get in a pissy mood one day I could say, ‘Hey, you get in at center’ – and it could be any one of five guys. We have flexibility there.”
But unless he’s injured between now and the Aug. 29 opener against Colorado State, the center job appears to be Kelley’s to lose. A powerful 6-2, 305-pounder, Kelley was named by the coaches as the 2013 spring’s most improved offensive lineman. Recruited in 2011, he wound up enrolling the following January, “grayshirting” after breaking his ankle playing football on the beach near his home (Oceanside, Calif.).
He’s been a center for most of his football life, but not in the shotgun (or pistol) formation. After sending quarterbacks Sefo Liufau and Jordan Gehrke scrambling for snaps during early spring work, Kelley committed to “probably taking about 50 (shotgun) snaps a day just to get everything settled down. I played center in high school but we never were in shotgun. So going into (spring), it was kind of foreign to me. I really practiced it a lot and have settled down. They’re getting a lot better, but there’s always room for improvement.”
Kelley likes the responsibility of making the O-line’s blocking calls at the line of scrimmage because, “I like being in charge,” he said, adding that he has “the big picture stuff down (but) there are little things to get better at – my steps one way or another and you can always fire off the ball faster and lower.”
Bernardi, said Kelley, will have the O-line prepared for whatever stunts and twists are presented by CSU’s defensive front: “CSU will come out and throw everything they can at us . . . it’s not feeling comfortable picking up stuff, it’s feeling comfortable with knowing that they’re going to throw something at us that I’ve never seen.
“Coach Bernardi does such a good job with us, if they throw something at us that I’ve never seen and I do mess up, he’ll yell at me. But at the end of the day he’ll tell me what I did wrong and tell me what I have to do to fix it.”
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August 17th
Schedule for today … (team day off)
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August 16th
Schedule for today … Scrimmage in Folsom Field at 10 a.m. … (Also—a reminder that statistics for fall scrimmages are private and won’t be released.)
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(Here is a link to video highlights from the scrimmage)
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Running backs confident
From cubuffs.com … The Buffs will go into the 2014 season with what appears to be a promising stable of talented and diversified ball carriers. The foursome figuring to be used most often are Michael Adkins II, Christian Powell, Tony Jones and Phillip Lindsay.
“I love it,” offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren said. “They complement each other really well. Christian Powell had some strong runs, Phillip Lindsay had some good runs in the red zone. I think Phillip and Michael really bring that explosive element and can turn any play into a big play for us. Tony Jones has done a good job, too. Those four guys, I’m really excited about them.”
CU doesn’t release statistics from preseason scrimmages, but those who watched the approximately 90 minutes of work Saturday saw Lindsay, a redshirt freshman, continue to establish himself as a swift, make-you-miss back.
Of his work Saturday, Lindsay said, “It feels great. I’ve been basically out for two years with the knee injury and then redshirting . . . I’m glad to be out here and play football. I love what I do.”
The depth at the position, Lindsay added, “helps us all. We push each other. We’re all good players . . . it’s the best thing to be in competition, but you look up to each other.”
MacIntyre acknowledged that the styles of the foursome differs, with the 230-pound Powell cast as the bruiser, Adkins and Jones being similar and Lindsay offering a slashing style. “All four run hard . . . there’s not one you’re afraid to run inside,” MacIntyre said. “I think we’ve got four guys who can run the ball in the Pac-12.”
Then there’s the freshness factor . . . Offered MacIntyre: “If you can put another fresh running back in and he has really fresh legs, he’s going to make a linebacker who’s been out there on a seven- or eight-play drive look slow. That’s what I hope happens.”
Adkins said Lindsay “brings a fire. That fire he has excites us all, makes us all push to get better.” Some of that heat is inherent, but Lindsay admits his redshirt season in 2013 enabled his knee to mend completely and his confidence to peak.
And he doesn’t lack for confidence now.
“I’m going to be a game-changer,” he said. “I feel like they can put me in and people aren’t going to know what I have. I’m going to be able to work with it. Whatever they want me to play I’m going to play. Special teams – I’m going to be the best special teams person there is. I’m going to run down and get the first tackle. On kick return I’m going to try to break it. That’s how I feel about it.”
His position coach, Klayton Adams, said the 5-8, 175-pound Lindsay runs like a 230-pounder. That’s because, explained Lindsay, “I’m always looked down upon. I’m not the biggest running back, as you guys can see. But I have a big heart and I’m mean. I know when I’m out here on the field I’m not going to let nobody take me down. If you take me down you’re going to have consequences. I always run hard because you’re never promised tomorrow, you’re never promised another down.”
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Coach MacIntyre’s Saturday post-scrimmage comments
On how this scrimmage compared to the scrimmage last weekend … “They were a little more leg weary, as this was our ninth practice this week. We tried to play a lot of different people. There were positives and negatives on both sides of the ball, which, as a head coach, is what you really want to see. You don’t want to see one side dominate the other completely”.
On whether he likes his running back corps … “I do. I really do. I think we have four guys who can run the ball in the Pac-12 (Michael Adkins, Christian Powell, Phillip Lindsay and Tony Jones). It (having that many quality backs) also allows us to play a couple of them on special teams, because they are good football players, and that helps our overall football team” … On the differences … “Christian Powell is a little bit bigger guy. I think the other three are a little more similar, other than Christian. They all four run hard, so there is not one that you would be afraid to have run inside … If you can put a running back in there with fresh legs, and he’s going up against a linebacker who has been in for every play of a seven or eight play drive, he’s going to make that linebacker look slow”.
On whether the tempo of the offense is where he wants it to be … “It’s never where you want it to be as a head coach, but our tempo has improved. I think we understand our offense better. I think you saw that with Jordan (Gehrke) and Sefo (Liufau), they were going with the right plays, making the right checks. I don’t know if the word is ‘pleased’, but I do like the progress we have made in that area” … On whether the pace has picked up, for the number of plays he wants to run in a game … “I think that depends on the opponent, what we think is best to win the football game. There will be times when we definitely want to speed it up, and there will be other times – depending on how the defense is playing, or we’re tired on defense because they just finished with a long drive … But I am pleased that when we need to go fast, we can go fast”.
On the quarterback play midway through camp … “They have had good practices, done some good things … I’ve been pleased with their accuracy, I’ve been pleased with the way they take care of the ball. We gave (freshman) Cade (Apsay) a lot of reps today, because he needs a lot of reps. He was a little rusty, but, as you saw today, he can be extremely accurate”.
On how practices will change now that “camp” is over … “We won’t have any more two-a-days. We’ll start narrowing it down to who our traveling squad will be, and start repping them a lot. We’ll have more specific practice time on special teams. More guys get more reps – we’ll find out where there strengths are, and that’s where we’ll put them at”.
On the loss of safety Jered Bell … “Jered tore his ACL (Friday), non-contact, he was in a blue (non-contact) jersey because of his injured elbow, and he just ran and stopped and blew his knee out. It’s just sad. He lost his entire sophomore year due to a torn ACL, so when you lose an entire year due to a torn ACL, and you are a good student – he’s on track to graduate – I’m not the NCAA, but I’m almost positive he would get a sixth year if he wants to. I would love for him to come back, but I also understand if he doesn’t. It was a sad night last night for me”.
On the effect of the loss of Bell on the rest of the secondary … “It affects us, because Jered was not only our starting safety, he could play corner. So he gave us a utility guy in case something happened. This means that one of the other guys is going to have to be ready to step up and play … Leadership-wise, he’ll be able to be around, but as far as on the field, he’s going to be missed, because he played a lot”.
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August 15th
Schedule for today … Two-A-Days / Meetings, Practice #16 (8:30-10:45 a.m.), Practice #17 (7:30 p.m., Folsom Field – to simulate game conditions for the Rocky Mountain Showdown vs. CSU)
Note on practice schedules … A couple of reminders: Friday’s second practice was moved to tonight (7:30-9:30) … and the scrimmage tomorrow in Folsom Field is now scheduled for 10 a.m. (instead of 9:00); the actual scrum will start at about 10:15. (Also—a reminder that statistics for fall scrimmages are private and won’t be released.)
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Coach MacIntyre Friday post-practice comments
On Friday morning’s practice … “I thought we had a spirited practice. The weather was phenomenal. I thought they had a really spirited practice today. It’s probably the best two-a-day morning practice we’ve had. Sometimes, they think about the next practice, and they kind of got through that, which is good. That’s one of the things I wanted to see, especially being out last two-a-day practice of the week”.
On this week being “Identity Week”, and what he wants the team’s identity to be … “Whatever they want it to be. I’m not trying to be funny on that. We definitely want to be mentally tough and physically tough. At this time, with the grind, you develop that. You develop mental toughness and physical toughness, and I’m seeing that out of our team. We need to be more mentally tough in ball games. You build that all through the year, but this is kind of the defining moment, because after this, you start getting ready for games, and you’re going along, and you can’t do as much hitting, and then class starts. So this is the time we want to do that – mental toughness and physical toughness”.
On moving Travis Talianko (the new junior college transfer, who just became a Buff in July) from defensive back to linebacker … “That’s something we were thinking about doing anyway, when he was coming in. When I knew him (when he was recruiting Talianko out of high school) he was about 190, now he’s 208. Both (Kenneth) Olugbode and Ryan Severson were both tailbacks and receivers (in high school), and Travis was a receiver/safety in high school, and now he can play (at linebacker). I tell you, with the spread offenses, you have to play with six DB’s or seven DB’s on the field, or you can’t tackle those guys in space. That’s what we’re trying to get to, and that’s what we see happening”.
On sophomore De’Jon Wilson working at both defensive tackle and defensive end … “He’s working at both, yes. He needs to be able to do that. He has some flexibility because he is big enough. He’s about 260 … you’d like him a little bit bigger at tackle … and he’s good at the defensive end. He uses his hands really well, and has a good base, and not all defensive ends can do that well. We’re working guys at multiple places, so, during the course of the year when we have injuries, we have got to have guys who are ready to play. We’ve got to find a way to win, and that’s how we prepare for it”.
On the defensive backs as a unit … “They are improving. Our offense puts a lot of pressure on them, and they are doing some good things. I’m glad to see the improvement in the secondary – we just need to see it on game day. You’re truly on an island out there, and it’s a different world”.
On whether his second year is his “Identity Year” … “I don’t know about that. We’ve only had one true recruiting Class. My first Class was about half a Class. I didn’t get here until the first part was going, and we had to do the rest of the Class in three weeks. Now, we got some good guys, but this was our first real true year of recruiting. Identity, as far as how we play, and our effort, is coming, but we are still a sophomore-laden, freshman football team. So (as far as an Identity), I think we are still building. Does that mean we can’t win every game? Yes, we can win every game, but I still think we are so young in developing what we want. But I do think the culture has changed, I do think the mentality of lining up against anybody, thinking they can beat anybody”.
On whether the players are getting tired of playing each other … “Yes, but the competition has been good. I think the ‘Uncommon’ jerseys, they are proud to get those. They know we are watching every bit of film. The way we practice, everybody gets to practice, so everybody is seen on film, and everybody at the meeting sees themselves on film. So if you know you are going to be on film, it’s more motivational to you. And that’s helping our whole team get better. We have ‘compete’ periods, and when they lose, they have to run or they have to do ‘up-downs’, and they don’t like that. We’re keeping score … Even if you go in your backyard, and play one-on-one basketball with your brother, and you keep score, you are pretty competitive. And that’s another ‘Identity’ that I’ve seen change with us. We’re more competitive in those situations than we were in the past, even more than we were in the spring, which is good”.
On his plans for Saturday’s scrimmage … “Number One – getting out healthy … You do it kind of like a preseason game. You want to get some of the guys a few reps, you want to get some of the guys a lot of reps. We know the guys we want to get a lot of reps, and then when you see those guys in there, you want to see things run as smooth as they can. You want to see guys compete, and effort. And then you are looking at how you have done some things, scheme-wise, to help yourself out a little bit. We see how the offense and defense can handle some things they might not have seen. Sometimes, that (changes) the scrimmage a little bit. All of the sudden, you might see a guy wide open, well, that may be something to see if they understand what to do (in that situation). Or, we might bring a blitz against the offense that they might not have seen, and they have got to be ready for that in their protection. So we’re not always going to look like a crisp machine, and sometimes you want that – there are times you are evaluating schemes; there are times you are evaluating players”.
On whether preparation for CSU beings next week … “We’ll still keep the process going of preparing our team for the whole season. You’ve got to be prepared for spread offenses, two tight end offenses, one-back, zone-read teams. So we’ve got to keep preparing for that. But CSU is also in that mix, because CSU has something different than other people, so it’s still a combination”.
On the status of sophomore offensive lineman Jeromy Irwin, who did not participate in Friday morning’s practice … “He’s not banged up. His ankle was a little sore, and we wanted him to go tonight, because we are working on special teams, and the field goal unit. And we wanted him to be available for Saturday”.
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Coach MacIntyre and captains accept “Ice Bucket Challenge”
From cubuffs.com … University of Colorado football coach Mike MacIntyre, his six captains and CU’s 18-man 2014 senior class accepted the ALS “Ice Bucket Challenge” after practice on Friday morning. The team then went ahead and challenged President Barack Obama to do the same.
The challenge stems from social media and the pursuit to raise money and awareness regarding ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) research.
“Our guys know about it,” MacIntyre said. “It is a terrible, terrible disease and we need to try and find a cure for it.”
With MacIntyre leading the way, each individual took a 10-gallon bucket filled with cold water which they subsequently lifted above their heads and poured over their bodies. The head-to-toe dousing was followed by loud screams and players running in all directions.
The challenge has gone viral in all communities, and the football world is no exception. College and NFL teams across the nation are doing their parts to raise awareness about ALS. MacIntyre noted that it “really hits home” with his players due to the fact that there are multiple former NFL players suffering from the disease.
MacIntyre was originally challenged by Duke assistant director of athletics/external affairs Art Chase, and the team was also challenged by McGuckin Hardware. Once the challenge is completed it must be passed on to someone else. MacIntyre then allowed his team to decide who was next.
There was some deliberation between local celebrities such as John Elway, but with the conclusion that Elway had already completed the challenge, the team decided to target the biggest name they could imagine. Thus, President Obama is now on the clock.
If someone does not accept the challenge, they are then expected to donate toward ALS research. Currently, there has been over $4 million raised in support of the “Ice Bucket Challenge,” with the ultimate goal to find a cure for ALS.
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Practice Notes …. MacIntyre described Friday’s morning session as very spirited and even declared it the “best two-a-day morning practice we’ve had.” Some morning practices have players thinking about the next practice and therefore maybe trying to conserve energy. But MacIntyre saw no such thing with his players Friday . . . . With “Identity Week” coming to a close, MacIntyre said the team must determine its identity. One of the biggest things he is looking for is physical toughness. He called camp the “defining moment” when it comes to developing mental and physical toughness, because once the season and classes begin practices will drastically change in terms of physical exertion . . . . Travis Talianko has switched positions from defensive back to linebacker after gaining nearly 20 pounds since being recruited . . . . De’Jon Wilson has been practicing at both defensive tackle as well as defensive end. MacIntyre said that is part of a philosophy that interior players need to be well aware of each position in case injuries arise and one player is needed to fill another role.
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August 14th
Schedule for today … Meetings, Practice #15 (8:50-11:30 a.m.), Walk-Through (4:45-5:45 p.m.)
Bill McCartney addresses team … Neuheisel, Graham, and Hessler on hand for practice
From cubuffs.com … What began under an overcast August sky quickly blossomed into an extraordinarily luminous trip down memory lane on Thursday.
The Buffs’ latest fall camp foray may not have produced the spectacular on the field, instead it became remarkable for the brilliant lineage of esteemed personalities on the sideline, offering those in attendance a look back at CU’s glorious past.
Former head coaches Bill McCartney (1982-94) and Rick Neuheisel (1995-98), former athletic director Bill Marolt (1984-96), 2001 John Mackey Award winning tight end Daniel Graham and quarterback great John Hessler (1993-97) were all on hand as the current Buffs continued to battle their way through the dog days of August.
“It was great having all those guys out at practice,” said current head coach Mike MacIntyre. “Those guys were all a big part of a special era in Boulder and I just hope this year’s version and beyond can put together some more great memories for our fans.”
McCartney, who holds the school record for coaching victories, remains a revered figure throughout the Rocky Mountain region, a fact that is not lost on MacIntyre who invited the former headman back to speak to his team at the conclusion of practice.
What transpired was a clear demonstration that the 73-year old McCartney hasn’t lost any of the vigor and spirit that made him the one of the best college football coaches of his era.
“Coach McCartney did a good job with talking to the team,” MacIntyre said. “Anytime he comes around I want him to talk to the team. He’s phenomenal.”
Neuheisel, now a studio analyst for the Pac-12 Network, was in town as a part of the network’s annual training camp tour, which ventures to every school’s campus in August to preview the upcoming season.
“It was an honor to have those two great coaches at practice today,” MacIntyre said. “Their success really made this one of the great places in college football.”
McCartney and Neuheisel combined for 126 wins and .630 winning percentage, five top 10 finishes and three conference titles in their combined 17 years at the helm of Colorado football. Marolt was the school’s athletic director for 13 of those seasons and prior to that, the school’s ski coach where he oversaw the winning of seven consecutive national titles from 1972-78.
In addition to winning the Mackey Award, Graham was an All-American and significant contributor to a Buffs team that won the Big 12 Conference crown in 2001. During his time as signal caller for the Buffs, Hessler became known for his exceptional performance in relief of injured starter Koy Detmer in 1995. After the loss of Detmer, Hessler stepped in and led the team to back-to-back wins over top 10 teams and eventually, a win over Oregon in that year’s Cotton Bowl.
The fabled figures that populated the team’s sidelines on Thursday served as constant reminders that university is neither too far removed from the successes of yesteryear nor too far away from a potential return to dominance in the near future.
HENINGTON RETURNS Defensive lineman Tyler Henington returned to the practice field on Thursday after turning his ankle last week.
“I saw him around a little bit today,” MacIntyre said. “I’ll be able to tell on film how he really did but I’m glad to see him back.”
Henington was one of two notable defensive linemen who have been sidelined with injuries early in camp. Defensive end Markeis Reed is still out with a sports hernia injury that has hampered him since the spring. He had surgery to correct the injury on Tuesday and is hopeful to be back on the field sometime in September.
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August 13th
Schedule for today … Two-A-Days / Meetings, Practice #13 (8:45-10:45 a.m.), Practice #14 (4:00-6:15 p.m.)
Mike MacIntyre’s Wednesday post-practice comments
On Wednesday morning’s practice … “Went well. We bounced around good. Today was mainly a special teams morning – all the different phases, like “hands team” (for onside kicks)”.
On how the freshmen are doing overall (Coach MacIntyre won’t allow questions on specific freshmen until after the first game) … “They are picking up things well and working really hard. We’ll see how they do after grinding through this week (two-a-days on Monday, Wednesday and Friday). They need to keep pushing, coming out to play every day, and so far they are”.
On having such a young team … “You always be a junior/senior laden team, and refurbish every year. That’s what you want to get to. But right now, we’re the youngest team in the Pac-12, one of youngest teams in the country. I don’t take that as a negative, I take it as a positive. Sophomores, red-shirt freshmen, we have a lot of those guys playing a lot, so we’ll continue to get better. What you get concerned about is ‘can they take the grind of getting up every week’, finals, mid-term exams, all the papers due. There is a lot outside before we get to Saturday. It’s interesting, last year we did a blood test on our players. I thought the worst start of a game last year was Arizona State – that was mid-term exam week. They all had papers due. The blood work showed they dipped dramatically – that showed me a lot about that week. We have to really cut back, and understand that. The kids need to get their sleep. I always thought that that was just a mental thing, but it really does drain you. You all write a lot – if you have to write a lot, it drains you”.
On improvement from defensive end Tyler Henington … “He’s been able to practice every day (since returning from a turned ankle in week one), that’s the strides. Last year, his foot kept bothering him, but he’s been able to practice every day, so he’s making strides, yes”.
On wide receiver Bryce Bobo coming out of summer school okay (Bobo had tweeted early this summer that he needed two B’s this summer to stay eligible … “He’s doing good (on grades). And he’s having a good fall camp. He’s staying out here every day (doing extra work), so he’s having a good fall camp”.
On quarterback Jordan Gehrke … “Jordan is doing well, just as he did in the spring. He’s showing a good grasp of the offense, showing his athleticism, making plays. He’s a great leader and has a great attitude. I’m excited about what I am seeing out of Jordan”.
On getting away from a conservative punt return game … “We’d like to see more returns. But some of those games with the wind (at Folsom), and the Oregon State game (played in a mist/rain), it made it harder. Now, college football has changed. You’ve got teams doing the rugby punt, or punting it extremely high, or they pin you. It used to be in the old days that you would just try and punt it as far as you can – that doesn’t happen anymore. And then there are times when we’re trying to block it, so we end up with a fair catch because we were trying to block it. So I would like to see some more returns, but I’d also like to see some more blocked punts if I could”.
On the role of senior linebacker Woodson Greer … “Exactly like he did last year (34 tackles in eight games). He got hurt towards the end of the year, and that hurt us”.
On the status of right tackle Stephane Nembot … “His first game was last year at the CSU game, and I thought he did well. He kind of got outplayed in several games, but he understands how people are going to attack him. He understands the game better. He’s played better this year during camp. So I’m excited to see what he’ll do for us this year”.
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August 12th
Schedule for today … Meetings, Practice #12 (8:50-11:30 a.m.); Walk-Through (4:45-5:45 p.m.)
Mike MacIntyre’s Tuesday post-practice comments
On Tuesday’s practice (a single practice, after two-a-days on Monday) … “They were sluggish to start. The defense was sluggish to start, then they ran a few laps, which woke them up … maybe I should have run them earlier”.
On keeping in shape through all of the fall camp practices … “I think we’re doing a good job with that, our nutrition, the way we’re feeding them, and the Gatorade we give them at the meetings and at night, so we’re doing well with nutrition. They are in good shape. There is also a mental aspect to two-a-days. You have to be mentally tough and fight through it. That’s a big part of it also. We have to make sure we keep doing that also”.
On the defense responding to Juda Parker’s admonitions … “He’s a team captain. That’s one of the things that team captains have to do. There are different ways to motivate at different times, and they responded (to him), so it was good to see that”.
On how Sefo Liufau is doing this fall camp … “I have a lot of confidence in Sefo. He’s making a lot of good reads, throwing the ball better. He’s definitely ahead of where he was this time last year … They rally around him; he’s a tough guy. He’s not going to run everybody over, but he’s a tough guy. He takes hits, he sits in the pocket, they know he’s got their back. He’s always going to be ready for battle”.
On the goal to get to six wins … “We play 12 games. I’d like to win all 12. Period”.
On having multi-sport, multi-position players on the team … “At least three quarters of our linebackers were also running backs in high school. A lot of our corners were receivers/cornerbacks, so that’s where your athletes are in high school. There somewhere on offense, trying to score points – they might not play all the time, but they will spot play. So sometimes it takes a little getting used to, having the same abilities as the guy they’re trying to tackle”.
On the play of defensive back Yuri Wright (who red-shirted in 2013, after suffering difficulties as a true freshman in 2012) … “Yuri has improved, he really has. He has improved the last few days, starting to understand the coverages a little bit better, the feel of where he needs to be on the field”.
On watching the progress on the facilities’ construction … “It’s extremely exciting. I go out every morning on the balcony (of his office in the Dal Ward Center) and look at it. And our kids get excited about it too. They don’t even mind walking up and down the hill (for practice), because they know what’s coming”.
On his input on facilities … “I had a lot of input, especially on the facilities where football is located. I’ve met with the architects, I don’t know, at least seven or eight times already”.
When asked by an Oregon reporter about Oregon and quarterback Marcus Mariota … “I don’t want to talk about Oregon. I’ll talk about CSU and that’s it”.
On what he expects to see out of linebacker Addison Gillam in year two … “I expect to see the same, but more turnovers. More interceptions, more caused fumbles, more sacks. And I think he will do that, as now he anticipates better. He’ll be a little bit better in being in the right position – instead of just making the tackle, stripping the ball. Hopefully, I see three or four interceptions, three or four more sacks, three or four more caused fumbles. He did everything we asked of him last year, but that’s the next step you take. I think he has the ability that people say, ‘Wow, who’s 44?’. I think he’s that kind of guy”.
On the play of kicker Will Oliver … “He’s kicking it good. I see great confidence out of Will. That’s all I’m concerned about with Will, ever. He’s always had good confidence. I trust Will. Anytime we need a big kick, I know he’ll make it”.
On a Fall Camp depth chart … “We’ll do a depth chart on Sunday (after the scrimmage on Saturday). We have a depth chart, but it’s basically in pencil. We’re changing it every practice. We’re trying to see what kids can do certain things, who can handle adversity – all those different situations”.
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Fall Camp Scrimmage set for 10:00 a.m. Saturday
From cubuffs.com … Don’t miss the best opportunity to see the University of Colorado football team in action prior to the start of the season as coach Mike MacIntyre and the Buffs will host a free, open scrimmage at Folsom Field on Saturday, August 16 at 10 a.m.
The first scrimmage of fall camp, it also serves as the final opportunity to see the Buffs prior to the Rocky Mountain Showdown on August 29 against Colorado State at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, as it will be the final practice session of fall camp open to the public.
After the scrimmage, season ticket holders will be invited down to the field for a “Season Ticket Holder Selfie Session,” an opportunity to take photos with their favorite players and coaches. It will also be a great opportunity to see the construction progress being made at the stadium.
There will also be a select a seat event, if you see a seat tagged that you’d like to sit in for the 2014 season, you can purchase it during the scrimmage.
Parking will also be free in lot 436, located at the southeast corner of Colorado Avenue and Regent Drive. Concession stands will be open on the east side of the stadium underneath the club and suite levels. Gates will be open on the east side of the stadium by those concession areas with selected other gates open to access the north side of Balch Fieldhouse.
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August 11th
Schedule for today … Two-A-Days / Meetings, Practice #10 (8:30-10:45am), Practice #11 (4:00-6:00pm)
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Buffs enter “Identity Week” – “This is the week you kind of make yourself”
From cubuffs.com … Mike MacIntyre and his Colorado Buffaloes are out to establish an identity. A theme early in camp has been the plea to individual players to display to coaches the kind of player and teammate they each plan to exemplify throughout the season and for the remainder of their football careers.
In order to more thoroughly promote the idea, Monday marked the first day of what the team is calling ‘Identity Week’ as they continue to progress through the sweltering days of MacIntyre’s second fall camp on the Boulder campus.
“This is the week you kind of make yourself,” MacIntyre said. “We have nine practices in six days and a couple scrimmages. This is the week we’ll see who pushes through and who comes through at the other end of this. Hopefully, we can get all the right guys in the right places and stay healthy.”
One of the players whom MacIntyre feels is on his way to establishing such an identity is sophomore defensive tackle Clay Norgard, who is in the middle of making a difficult transition to defensive lineman from the linebacker position he manned a year ago.
“He looked like a fish out of water when I first got here and then we moved him to defensive tackle and he looks like a fish swimming,” MacIntyre said. ‘He’s really powerful and strong and I think he will really be able to help us in there pass rush wise this season.”
Gary Barnett Visits Practice Former Colorado head coach Gary Barnett (1999-2005) made an appearance at Monday morning’s practice and even addressed the team briefly in the middle of the session. MacIntyre and Barnett have built a close relationship over recent years with MacIntyre always welcoming Barnett to practice whenever possible and seeking advice from him regarding all his years of experience coaching at CU as both an assistant and head coach.
Grayshirts Paying Off With two players (OL Isaac Miller and ILB Grant Watanabe) from the 2014 recruiting class taking grayshirts and delaying enrollment at CU until January, MacIntyre was asked about how that process benefitted DL Derek McCartney who grayshirted in 2012. McCartney has added nearly 45 pounds to his frame since that time according to MacIntyre and is now in serious competition for a starting role along the defensive line in just his redshirt freshman season. MacIntyre also mentioned the significant impact grayshirting had on sophomore ILB Addison Gillam who led the Buffs in tackles as true freshman last season. MacIntyre joked that he would like to grayshirt “every freshman you sign” because having an extra year to grow and develop physically and emotionally can serve as such a great benefit.
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August 10th
Schedule for today … No practice (team day off)
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Meet Jaleel Awini – sophomore transfer quarterback
From cubuffs.com … He must sit out the year per NCAA rules after transferring from Air Force; he will have two years of eligibility remaining come the 2015 season. He joined the team in late July and thus in time to participate in August drills.
He played in four games (three starts) as a redshirt freshman in 2013, completing 21-of-42 passes for 275 yards, with an interception and no touchdowns; his passer rating was 100.24. He was a threat running the ball out of the backfield, with 45 attempts for 220 yards and four touchdowns (43 actual rushes for 232 yards, or 5.4 per, when allowing for two sacks); his long run was a 33-yard gallop for a touchdown to open the scoring against Wyoming. He was dismissed from the team for undisclosed reasons on September 25, and eventually from the Academy; though his coach, Troy Calhoun, spoke highly of him after he transferred to CU. He redshirted as a true freshman for the 2012 season; off the field, he completed the required survival training that all AFA cadets must accomplish before they take classes.
He was Gatorade’s Colorado Player of the Year as a senior to close out a stellar prep career at Rangeview high in Aurora, Colorado; he was a first-team All-Metro League performer as a junior and senior, earning his team Most Valuable Player honor both years. He was the conference’s MVP as a senior, when he earned first-team All-State (5A) and All-City accolades.
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Meet Shane Callahan – sophomore transfer offensive lineman
From cubuffs.com … He is eligible to compete this fall after transferring from Auburn in the offseason; the NCAA granted a waiver to the rule where a player must sit out a year (CU filed a waiver for him due to family reasons). He enrolled at CU in the summer, joining the team in late July and thus in time to participate in August drills.
He saw brief action against Western Carolina and Florida Atlantic for the Southeastern champion Tigers, and dressed for the national championship game against Florida State (a 34-31 loss). Auburn was 12-2 overall and defeated Missouri, 59-42, in the SEC Championship game. He redshirted as a true freshman for the 2012 season; he had enrolled at Auburn in January and participated in spring practices.
He was named to the prestigious 2011 Parade All-American team as a senior, his top honor among many in his prep career at Chaparral high in Parker, Colorado. SuperPrep also tabbed him as an All-American and ranked him as the 24th offensive lineman in the nation (and as a member of its All-Midlands team). Rivals.com ranked as the nation’s No. 22 offensive tackle and the 212th-ranked player nationally, while Scout.com pegged him the No. 33 tackle nationally and the No. 299 overall prospect in the country, with ESPN.com ranking him as the No. 28 OT nationally and 247Sports.com 35th at the offensive tackle position; all four had him as the fourth-rated player overall from the state of Colorado. He participated in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio after the season. He was an All-Colorado and All-State (5A) selection by the Denver Post as a senior, which ranked him as the state’s No. 5 overall prospect (the top offensive lineman) in its postseason Top 15.
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Meet Dylan Spradling – preferred walk-on wide receiver
From cubuffs.com … He is projected to play at wide receiver in his true freshman year in college. He joined the team as a recruited walk-on in late July and thus in time to participate in August drills.
He earned first-team All-Continental League honors as a junior and senior at Ponderosa high in Elizabeth, Colorado, when he also garnered honorable mention All-State (4A) accolades both years; he was a preseason All-Colorado team selection as a senior as well. As a senior, he caught 26 passes for 543 yards (20.9 per), six for touchdowns with a long of 80; he rushed 84 times for 556 yards (6.6) and eight scores. He also returned nine kickoffs for a 25.0 average and 17 punts for a 7.9 norm. He played occasionally on defense, recording three tackles, two pass deflections and a fumble recovery.
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August 9th
Schedule for today – Two-A-Days / Meetings, Practice #8 (8:30-10:45a*), Practice #9 (4:00-6:00p) FOOTBALL/OLYMPIC SPORTS MEDIA DAY – (Schedule: 10:30-11:00 Brunch; 11:00 Olympic Sports; 12:00 Players/Assistant Coaches; 12:45 MacIntyre)
Transcript of Media Day press conference by Mike MacIntyre:
From cubuffs.com …
Opening Statement “Thank you for being here. (It’s) another gorgeous day today. That was our eighth practice and we had a little bit of scrimmage with the referees here. So, I thought that went well. We have another practice this afternoon so it’s a busy day here. I think our practices have gone well and we’re competing hard and improving in a lot of areas. I do definitely feel like we’re stronger and in better shape as a football team at this time than we were last year.� So, that is very encouraging to me. I’m excited about the rest of camp and to keep improving as we go.”
On the Team’s Depth in the Middle of the Defensive Line “I feel good about it. We have three young guys that have played a ton of football. Then, we have a couple freshmen that are coming along. We also have some guys that we have moved in there that I think are doing really, really well. So, hopefully that will help us. Hopefully they will all stay healthy and it seems like they have. So, I feel good about where we are if we played today. So, hopefully we’ll stay healthy throughout the season. Last year, the guys that were playing there didn’t get hurt all year. Hopefully, it’ll be the same thing this year.”
On Whether His Perception Of The Program Has Changed At All From Year One to Year Two “I still have the same exact expectations we came here with. I want to build this program into a successful national power again. That’s what we want to do. I think we’re making the steps in the right direction. I wish I could wave a wand and I would happen tomorrow or yesterday but, I definitely think we’re doing that. Our perception coming in was that this was a great place. I see the reality of that. The reality is things have changed drastically in the last six months. You can just go outside and look. So, to me that shows that the future has an opportunity to be very, very bright.”
On the Uncommon Wristbands He And The Players Have Been Wearing In Camp “The Uncommon wristband came about when I was sitting around thinking after the season about different ways to help us keep growing as a program. Last year our slogan was CARE. Care about everything.� Care about each other. Care about yourself. Care about the program. It’s kind of coming from within to coming from without because there was so much negativity surrounding it outside. I wanted our young men to care about each other and to care about themselves and all the things that they could take care of. Uncommon is that we want them to be uncommon in really everything they do in life. How they treat people, how they do academically in school, the things that they’re doing with their teammates ….. (We want them to be) uncommon and do all of the little things right not only on the football field but mainly outside the football field. I think when you do that and they’re thinking about the 24-7, 365 days a year I think that they develop a mental attitude to realize that they can be uncommon people and be a difference maker not only now but in the future in society and with their families, their future wives and their kids. So, that’s what it’s all about ….. being an uncommon person. Don’t just be common. Anybody can be common. So, that’s the whole mantra behind it.”
On Whether He Feels His Team Is Narrowing The Gap Between Themselves and the Upper-Tier Teams in the Pac-12 “I’ll find out when we step out on the field but I definitely see a difference. The people that have been at practice every day I think will see a difference. I had a couple pro scouts come up to me that have been up here for a while and they said we look like a different team physically when we just walk on the field and I think we do. We’re not where we want to be yet exactly but, I do think we’ve made progress there. I think (sports performance director) Dave Forman has done a great job in their strength group. We kind of went to a new conditioning phase that Dave studied hard, that we’ve studied hard. I think that has really helped us especially with our linemen being in better shape and being able to practice longer and better and stay at a high tempo which I think will help with injuries and help us sustain better throughout the game.”
On Whether He Has Taken Part In The Team’s New Conditioning Program “I have done more conditioning but, mainly eating better. That’s a big part of it too. We’ve got a nutritionist that we’ve hired. We’re on the cutting edge of everything with what we do. We take blood from our kids, we take glycogen counts, and we put heart monitors on them. We’re doing all these types of things. We put them in certain zones that they run in and they get tested and they get blood drawn. It’s really interesting. So, we’ve kind of walked out on a limb and its definitely paying off. The kids are all saying it is. We say ‘Man, you’re looking better, you’re looking better in practice.’ And they say ‘Coach, it’s that zone two running. It’s that or this.’ It’s working and they’re recovering better and I feel good about that.”
On What Would Signify To Him That They Are Continuing To Make Progress This Season “It’s the process of what you see the young men doing every day. It’s the process that you see your staff doing. It’s what you see in the weight room. It’s what you see on the field. You see the way they practice. You see them in meetings. You see that they’re focused, in class, all those types of things. How they care about each other, how they help each other, how they have each other’s back. So, it’s kind of a percentage all across the way. And when you do all that, things start happening on the field and it produces more wins. We all know that we have to produce more wins and definitely that will come but, I believe that if you put the wins first and you put all that on them, That it’s just about wins, I really don’t think it will end up happening the way you want it to especially when you’re rebuilding a program. It starts from the ground roots up and I think that we’ve set a good foundation and we’re trying to build on that foundation. Where that takes us this year? I hope it takes us to a lot more wins.”
On The Maturation of Quarterback Sefo Liufau “Well, not really since attending the Manning camp. I know he enjoyed it. I was glad that Archie, Eli, and Peyton and Cooper wanted him down there. That was exciting for him. I think he enjoyed it. I think being around other college quarterbacks was really good for him. Competing against them and working with them and hanging out with them (helped too). I’ve just seen a difference in his work ethic and how he works. He’s got a lot more zip on the football consistently. He’s more accurate consistently. There are a lot of qualities in that. He’s worked hard at it. He’s stronger. He’s better in the core than he was. His accuracy has improved.� But he also understands the offense a little better and he’s getting rid of the ball a little better. He has a little bit more command of it. When he went in there as a freshman last year he was just making sure he got the snap count right. It was hard for him to see the whole picture. It’s kind of like you have a tight lens when you’re young and then it kind of opens and it opens and it opens. I see his lens opening which helps him be a better player.”
On Whether He Feels The Negativity Surrounding the Program When He First Arrived at CU Has Dissipated Some “I don’t know about all the outside forces. I just know that every program that I’ve gone into that was down, not only as a head coach but also as an assistant coach, when I went to Dallas, when I was at Ole Miss, when I was at Duke, UT-Martin, all those places were down and got better. So, when you do that there’s always negativity surrounding it. When young men, or older men in the Cowboys situation, go out in the public they hear negative things. So, there’s doubt that creeps into your mind as a player. So, I think that from within here there’s not as much doubt. There’s a lot more understanding of the work ethic — not just ‘Let’s hope we go do this.’ — they know the work ethic it takes to be; if you do this, this and this, eventually you’re going to be successful. They’re starting to understand that. So, I see that changing and I see a little bit more intensity on a daily basis which shows me that they’re more focused on it on a daily basis. That it’s not alright. We tell them that they’re going to make mistakes, but what you want to do is fix the mistake the next time. Just like me, if I make mistakes I have to fix my mistake the next time. It’s not alright for me to do it again. So, they’re starting to get that mantra and I hear them saying that to each other. ‘Hey, we have to fix that. We’ve got to fix that.’ And that’s just a work ethic, a process and an attitude.”
On Running Back Phillip Lindsay “He’s the Tasmanian Devil. You know the old cartoon? That’s what he is. He has that ‘never say die’ attitude. He’ll do anything. (He has a) phenomenal attitude all the time. He gives unbelievable effort. He’s extremely tough. He has quickness. He has contagious bubbly attitude. He just one of those guys. All the guys love him and all the guys understand him. If he carries the ball three times in a game or he carries the ball 20 times, he’ll make a difference. He’ll be the one on the sidelines. He’ll be ready to go, special teams plays, whatever we ask him to do, he does it with all he has. I think he’s going to be a very, very good player. Now, he’s just a freshman. He’s coming off a knee injury. But, I’m excited about Lindsay’s future. There’s no doubt about that. He brings that contagious fighter’s attitude every day.”
On the Depth in the Wide Receiver Corps “I think it enables us more opportunities to have more big plays for more people. You don’t have to always set it up for (Paul Richardson) to have the big play. Nelson Spruce last year I thought made a lot of plays also. But, we have ability to hopefully break a tackle and make something happen. We have that with our running backs also. We have some speed back there and some athleticism. So, we can play more guys which hopefully will keep them fresher and that way we can have plays pop. We can have a little quick out which makes a guy miss and we go for six, you throw a little screen, those types of things. We’ll still have the ability to go deep which I definitely think we will. So, overall we’re getting better there. Now, a lot of them are really young. Sometimes that’s frustrating but, they’ll get it done. I’m excited about the overall talent in that area and we just need to keep pushing them.”
On How They Might Distribute the Ball Amongst the Running Backs “Well, we’d like to be able to get the ball to the guys who get hot. The problem with the running back position, and it’s a stupid point, they get hit a lot. So, they get beat up a little bit. So, if you have two or three guys that kind do similar kinds of things and you don’t fall off then, you want to be able to do that. But, different running backs have different strengths. So, we’ll find their strengths. We kind of know what they are and we’ll be able to utilize that. You play certain defenses that allow different things to happen in different games. So, you just have to figure out how to attack different opponents in different games. So, that’s how we’ll use them. Then, unfortunately every once in a while there will be a guy who is beat up and can’t go that week so the next guy will step up. I feel like we have four guys that can definitely step up right now and be able to carry the load and make some plays.”
On Whether the Tight Ends Will Be Utilized More This Season “We would like to utilize our tight ends more. There’s no doubt what we’d like to do. So, we try to work on that and get with it. Our main weapons last year were outside. We’d also like to use D.D. (Goodson) more with run and catch types of things because he has the running back ability. So, hopefully we can utilize the tight ends more and get them involved in our passing game more. We definitely need to. If you can get them over the middle it opens up things a little bit more on the outside. There’s no doubt.”
On Which Players Have Stood Out So Far In Camp “Josh Tupou. Josh Tupou has definitely caught my eye. He’s definitely in a lot better shape. He is relentlessly playing hard. He is becoming a better pass rusher and I’ve been impressed with what he’s done there. I think that Greg Henderson has done a great job again this fall. I definitely think Ken Crawley has improved some more. He made a big step last year from spring to fall and I think he has now. He’s gotten a little bit bigger and stronger. Offensively, I’ve been pleased with Jeromy Irwin and with his foot. He’s been doing well there. Alex Kelley has done a good job at center. Sean Irwin, Jeromy’s brother, has really coming into his own so to speak at that position. He can block and catch and run so I feel like he’s a guy that can help us. I could go on down the line. There’s a lot of guys who have done well for us but those are some guys that probably just jump out. Kenneth Olugbode and Ryan Severson are starting to figure out the middle linebacker position and playing in space in our league.� Those are some of the guys there that I think just keep moving.”
On What the Next Step Might Be For Last Year’s Freshman Phenom, Addison Gillam “Addison Gillam had a great freshman year. I’d like him to have a better year than last year. If he repeats last year and is able to make a few more plays — he had a couple of interceptions and fumble recoveries at the end of last year — get a couple more turnovers along with the tackle marks he was making, which I think he’ll have a knack at because his lens is opened up now. He’ll be able to anticipate and he’ll be able to make a couple more (interceptions) and cause more fumbles. It’s really hard to improve on the tackles because he had (119) tackles last year. He could probably get to 135, 140 but with our league as much as they’re throwing it, it’s hard to make that many tackles at linebacker. But, I do think he will make a few more interceptions and a few more pass tips, and a few more caused fumbles. So, I’d like to see him get some more turnovers because he has that range and ability to do that.”
On How He Would Take With Him If He Had to Walk Down a Dark Alley in a Bad Part of Town “Well, it would probably be Josh Tupou because he’s big and mean. But, if I couldn’t take Josh, I would probably take the Tasmanian devil. I know one thing, he’d be going 100 miles per hour and I could run out of there.”
On His Impressions of the Pac-12 Conference After Year One “I think the Pac-12 Conference top to bottom is the best conference in the country. I really do. I think there is athleticism and speed. We’re the quarterback conference in the country. When you have really good quarterbacks, just like in the NFL, you usually consistently win. I think that our conference is athletically so fast and so athletic and so talented all over the place that it goes back to the quarterback a lot of times for teams to consistently win a lot of games. So, I would think top to bottom this league has the best quarterbacks too. I think the fortunate thing is most all of them are going to be gone after this next year and hopefully we’ll have one that’s up there that everybody is talking about after that happens. So, I think that’s what makes it so tough. You know that you’re going to get a really good offensive performance every week so you better come to play on defense and you better move the ball and score on offense. Usually, in this league it’s not 17-14. You hope it is but it’s usually not. So, I think that’s what makes it so, so tough each week right now.”
On Cornerback Akhello Witherspoon “Akhello is doing well this fall. You know, you’re going every day now in the fall. In the spring you had a day off in between. I thought that he had a good spring and came on at the end of spring. The last three or four practices he’s been getting better and better. He’s very talented. He’s kind of like a freshman out there in the fall right now. But, he’s doing really, really well and I expect Akhello to be a very good player for us. Then in the secondary, I think we have good depth back there. Every day we’ve been changing the starting lineup because we have depth and a good competition level. When you have a good competition level it increases you and you keep pushing and you keep going. So, I feel like if we have injuries or different situations, one of the things we’ve been wanting to do is that we want to try to play more guys on defense because with the fast-paced offenses we’re playing they have receivers running in and out and they’re running running backs in and out all the time to keep the speed of the game going. So, if you play the same secondary guys and the same linebackers, after a while they do miss a tackle in the open field. So, we need to be able to do that so we’re trying to produce guys who will all think of themselves as starters. I’m trying to rotate the lineup and let them understand that so it doesn’t mess with their psyche when it happens in the game. They’re doing it all the time in practice and they understand that they better be ready at any time and ready to go because receivers are running down the field and just running off. Then, another guy gets on and you’re running back. So, we’ve got to be able to combat that a little bit and the only way to do that is to play a few more guys back there. Usually in the secondary you get a little nervous about doing that but, I feel like we’re going to have to and I feel like we have guys that can do that some.”
On His Comfort Level With the Team’s Experience at Both Punter and Placekicker “It makes me really comfortable. I just hope that the kicker kicks a lot of extra points and I hope the punter doesn’t punt much. You have your experience there but you hope they don’t; I brought that up in front of the team the other day because I think Will Oliver is a phenomenal kicker. I saw Will back there and I said ‘Will, our goal is not to kick as many field goals as we did last year or as many long ones. Our goal is to kick a lot more extra points. You’re alright with that?’ ‘Uh, yeah I think so.’ They want to kick field goals of course and we will have to. Then our punter is an excellent weapon with what he does and how he does it. Darragh O’Neill is a really an excellent punter. He does a really good job at downing the ball inside the 10. That’s a great weapon for us and we need to hopefully be able to utilize that. Then, when we get it pinned down there we have to be able to hold them because, if you hold them inside the 10 and they punt it to you, that’s usually points. So, we need to take care of that but I’m excited about those guys.”
On Starting the Season Against a Quality Opponent “I think it heightens the awareness of our kids. I’ve always said it’s a 365-day a year game. You hear about it everywhere you go for 365 days, all year long. It’s an exciting game. We’re looking forward to playing Colorado State the opening game of the year in Denver. Its 20 days from right now. So, we think about it all the time. As far as your practice for camp goes: you have to get ready for the season. You can’t think about CSU right now. So, we’ll do our process with practice and start getting ready for them as camp winds down and get ready for the game. But, I agree it is a tough opener if you look at it from that point of view. But, if you look at it from our point of view, we’re excited about playing that game. It gets us ready to go. It gets them ready to go. I think it’s a lot of fun for the state of Colorado. I really do. I enjoyed going there and playing last year at (Sports Authority Field) and I know our kids are excited about doing it again. Jim (McElwain) and his team did a phenomenal job last year and they won a bowl game. They’re hot and they’re an excellent football team. They’re very, very good so it’s going to be a gigantic test for us.”
On the Development of the Receiving Corps Without Star Wide Receiver Paul Richardson “I feel good about the guys we have here on campus. We have some young guys that are trying to battle. We’ll see where they fit into this thing here in the next week or so. But, I’m excited about our receiving corps. I definitely still think that Nelson Spruce, to me, is one of the top receivers in the Pac-12. It is amazing all the things he is able to do. If you go back and watch what he does; I’m excited about what he’ll be able to do this year also.”
On Whether He Has Noticed a Change In The Perception of the Program While on the Recruiting Trail Over the Off-season “Yes, there has been a big change there. We’ve gone out hard into the state and into California, Texas, Arizona, Utah and Hawaii. Our coaches worked every single day in June. They didn’t have one day off. So, we were working and that was all to deal with camps and recruiting and everything that we do. So, I think there’s been a good reception. The new facility has helped change the undercurrent that was here when I first got here that said the University of Colorado was not committed to football. They cannot say that anymore, period. That undercurrent that says ‘Hey, they’re not really committed. You ought to go somewhere else that has built new stuff.’ We definitely are committed and it shows. You can just walk outside and you see it. That undercurrent I know is changing because I’ve heard that now. So, that really helps us on the recruiting trail there’s no doubt about it. The kids realize that this has always been a special place. It’s a beautiful town. It’s a great, great school but we were always getting hit about facilities and this and that. I must have heard it every day when I first came here from different people not just recruits. But now, that’s not the case. So, I’m excited about what our future holds with that also.”
On Whether Winning Six Games Would Be Satisfactory For Him and The Program This Season “No. I think we play 12 games. I want to win all 12. So, we’ve got to go out and take care of business each Saturday. We want to start out 1-0 and then we’ll go to the next week and go 1-0. Each week is a season in itself. I hear it from different points of view all the time. I’ll go somewhere and speak and I’m always hearing bowl game. Of course we want to get to a bowl game, I think that’s a given, but we look at each game we play as a season in itself. I want to win the first one and then we’ll get ready to win the second one. We don’t want to lose any of them.”
On Whether He Thinks They Have The Talent on Defense to Compete in the Pac-12 “Yes, I definitely think we can win every game that we play. That’s what we want to do. I feel like we’re maturing. I think we’re competing better. I feel like we’re starting to understand the intensity and focus it takes to be successful week in and week out. The old saying, ‘You have to bring you’re A-game’; you better bring all you got every game or you don’t have a chance. That goes for any team in our league. I think that that’s important and in our conference and with the teams we’re playing, anybody can beat anybody. So, we have to be ready anytime we play. I do think we have good athletes and I think we’re getting more mature. We are a sophomore-laden football team. We’re the youngest team in the Pac-12. We’re the 10th youngest team in the country. It might be even more than that if you really get into it. So, we’re still young but, that’s no excuse. We’re playing more and more plays and they’re excited so that means they’re legs are fresher. That’s the way I look at it.”
On Sefo Liufau and the Competition Among the Other Quarterbacks on the Roster “Sefo is our starter. You could ask any coach in America if they feel comfortable with their second-teamer if something happened to their starter. I definitely think we feel good about how far Jordan Gehrke has come. He’s athletic. He can throw the ball. He understands the offense. I feel really good about Jordan and what he’s doing. We actually alternate periods with each of them going first-team and second-team. There’s another reason behind that. We have different centers and when linemen come in and out of the game you don’t want them to be jumping off-sides because of the inflection of the voices. I know that sounds crazy but I happens. You want them throwing it to all of the different receivers. You want them to hand off to all the different running backs so you don’t fumble the ball. So, all of those processes we do and I think you need to make sure that your second-teamer understands everything and feels comfortable. He’s only one snap away from being out there. So, I really do feel good about how Jordan has come along. But, I’m very, very pleased with Sefo also and Sefo is our starter.”
On Offensive Lineman Shane Callahan “We’re very excited for Shane. I’m excited for his family and the situation he has here. They’ve made him eligible now which I think was a great move by the NCAA. So, we’re excited about Shane. We actually moved Shane to guard two days ago and we felt like at this point he was better suited to help us right now at guard. He can play both. We’ve played him at tackle and then we moved him to guard to see how he would do. We move guys around quite a bit in there. It also helps them learn the system and the schemes better when they know what the other guy beside them is doing. So, I think that is important. Shane is hopefully going to be a big help to us and we’ve got him playing on a couple of special teams also. So, I’m excited for Shane. He’s got to learn everything new. It’s going fast for him because it’s like being a freshman for him. He just got here August 1st.”
On the Emmy The Program’s Video Production Department Won Over The Off-Season “Jaime Guy and John Snelson; I had the honor and privilege of being able to go to the Emmy awards and I watched them get interviewed on the red carpet. It does a tremendous amount for our program. The funny thing is, two days later I was getting phone calls from coaches all over the country who wanted to take them away. We’re not letting them go anywhere. It helps us in every facet. Not only does it help us in motivating our players because we use (their videos) quite a bit. It also helps us in the recruiting front. And it helps us get out what we’re all about here at the University of Colorado football program. Jaime and John do a phenomenal job with a hard work ethic. They’re both very, very talented and very, very creative. They’re not just the guys who go out there and film practice and turn it in. I know we are the first Pac-12 school to ever win an Emmy and I think they might be the first BCS school to ever win an Emmy. That’s a great award and we’re very excited and we appreciate everything that they do.”
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From cubuffs.com … Coach MacIntyre on:
Ken Crawley
“Kenneth [Crawley] has been competing well. I think he has made a lot of good plays and I think he is having a lot better fall camp than he did last year at this time. I thought he improved last year from the spring to the fall, and I think he improved from the spring to the fall now, so I think he is doing well. He has gotten bigger and stronger too.”
Shane Callahan
“Once we knew [Shane Callahan] was eligible we’ve just tried to plug him in and see where he fits best. We’ve gotten him on some special teams and different things like that such as our punt shield and our field goal protection and all that. He’ll have a scrimmage Saturday to figure some stuff out and then we’ll have another scrimmage the next Saturday and then we’ll have a better feel for where he sits. But he’s picking it up well which is great.”
Devin Ross
“Devin [Ross] has had a good fall camp, we’ll just see in the scrimmages how he does. One of the things is he has the ability, but last year he just didn’t catch it all the time and so I think he is becoming more consistent in that area. He was a guy that played both ways in high school so being around catching all year, all summer he just has to be consistent with it and he’s done well.”
Punt Returners
“We’re working a little more on the punt and having guys run at them and working our gunners, making sure they’re breaking down and if a guy fair catches making sure they’re not too close and teaching all those rules. So we’re working on all that, and I think we have four or five guys that can catch the punts well.”
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Program note … Coach MacIntyre spent thirty minutes answering questions from the media at CU’s Football Media Day. Check back later for a transcript.
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August 8th
Schedule for today – Meetings, Practice #7 (7:40-10:30a*), ^Walk-through (7:15-8:05p) – Summer School Ends
Friday practice updates … Uncommon effort players recognized … Injury update
From cubuffs.com … The University of Colorado football team conducted its seventh practice of fall camp on Friday morning and continues to move at a good tempo, according to head coach Mike MacIntyre. The day also marked the conclusion of summer school as enrolled players were scheduled to take final exams following practice.
MacIntyre was pleasantly surprised by the energy and focus shown by the team despite the players having to carry the stress of school on their shoulders.
“They played through it today,” MacIntyre said. “Today was the day I thought would be the toughest, I thought we would have to pull teeth because they’re writing papers and doing exams today so they have the combination of camp and that. I thought they’ve been pushing through that pretty well.”
MacIntyre said the team has been much better conditioned in camp thanks to the new summer conditioning program that was implemented emphasizing more endurance and less sprint work. Players seem to be fresher and less “grumpy” on a regular basis, according to MacIntyre.
UNCOMMON EFFORT RECOGNIZED With players now practicing in full pads, MacIntyre has returned a tradition started in the spring to present “uncommon” jerseys to players cited by the coaches for making a play that is out of the ordinary or requiring extra effort.
Sully Wiefels, a junior college transfer from American River College in Eagle, Idaho, earned his “uncommon” jersey by blocking on a screen pass and then sprinting 60 yards downfield where he made another impactful block. Junior DB’s Marques Mosely and Kenneth Crawley were also awarded such jerseys.
MUSCLE BEACH MacIntyre created a vacation spot for injured players – well, not exactly. With the exception of a player suffering from a concussion, all players not participating in practice activities must dress in the appropriate practice attire and are sent to what MacIntyre has dubbed “Muscle Beach.” It’s located to the side of the practice fields where they work with strength coaches to stay in shape.
INJURY UPDATE Friday’s practice held a scary moment when redshirt freshman DL Timothy Coleman needed to be transported to the hospital via ambulance after experiencing some neck pain. But MacIntyre advised the team and media following practice that the procedure was precautionary and they expect everything to be “fine.” . . . . Redshirt freshman DL Markeis Reed has sustained a sports hernia and will have surgery on Tuesday. MacIntyre expects Reed to be out for about three to four weeks . . . . True freshman TE Dylan Keeney hurt his MCL earlier in camp, but it will not require surgery. Keeney is only expected to be out for “a couple of weeks,” according to MacIntyre.
TWO-A-DAYS BEGIN Saturday will mark the camp’s first session of two-a-days with a morning practice being held from 8:45-10:45 a.m. and then an evening practice from 4-6 p.m. with Fall Sports Media Day hosted in between. MacIntyre plans to start the morning session at the lower practice fields with hopes of getting up to Folsom Field to conduct brief scrimmage type situations.
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Fall Media Day available on Saturday will be available on line (Coach Mac at 12:45 p.m.)
From cubuffs.com … The University of Colorado will hold its annual Fall Sports Media Day on Saturday, Aug. 9, at the Dal Ward Athletic Center.
CUBuffs.com, and CU Athletics social media outlets, will have extensive coverage of the event throughout the day including a free live video stream of coach and player interviews from 11 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on Colorado’s Pac-12.com video player.
Colorado’s Olympic fall sports, all of which are coming off successful NCAA Tournament runs, will kick off the live streaming event at 11 a.m. Soccer head Danny Sanchez, with Brie Hooks and Darcy Jerman, will be live from 11-11:20 a.m. Volleyball coach Liz Kritza will be joined by Nicole Edelman and Taylor Simpson from 11:20-11:40 a.m. and Cross Country coach Mark Wetmore will address the media from 11:40-12 p.m.
From 12-12:45, the Voice of the Buffaloes, Newsradio 850 KOA’s Mark Johnson, will sit down for live one-on-one interviews with select Colorado football players. At 12:45 p.m., Coach Mike MacIntyre will address the media to round out the live portion of the day.
Can’t be online for the live portion? No problem. The live sessions will all be available, video on demand, later in the day on CUBuffs.com, in addition to a B.G. Brooks recap, notes, quotes and photos.
Be sure to follow Colorado’s social media accounts throughout the day for even more behind-the-scenes coverage.
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August 7th
Schedule for today – Meetings, Practice #6 (7:40-10:30a*), ^Walk-through (7:15-8:05p)
SB Nation interview with Coach Mac
Full interview with CU head coach Mike MacIntyre by Spencer Hall can be found here. Some excerpts:
SH: When you walk in the building, what’s literally the first thing you do?
MM: The first thing I do when I walked in the building was the first thing I did when I came to San Jose State. I wanted a picture of our players, our current players, on the walls. I want former players and alumni, sure, but our current players need action shots of them, especially our seniors. We want action shots of our seniors so that when they graduate they can take them with them, and then the next class comes in. We want shots of live action in our games. We put up a lot of the various slogans we go by, and want them to see it every day.
Those are the first things you do, because you don’t want to go in and say “Well, we’re tearing down this wall, and then tearing down this wall.” When we got here we redid the office area to make it more of a place you could meet with recruits and parents, so it has a bit more of a wow factor. Mainly it’s for our players to make them have a lot of pride in what they’re doing, and that it’s their time and their legacy and that they’re part of the great Buffalo tradition.
SH: You’ve done this a few times now. This is your second rebuild. If you go through your resume, you’ve had a long slog through a few places where people might not have a lot of hope of success: Temple, Duke, San Jose State. How do you help people — the boosters, the administration, the players and fans — how do you help them find that hope before there’s ever on-field success to point out? Especially when historically, that might not be the case?
MM: Fortunately at CU, there’s been some success, historically. This is the 23rd winningest college football program in history. The first place you start is with the individual athletes. They all have dreams and aspirations of being successful academically, athletically in the future, so that’s where I dive in. It’s all about relationships, and as you build that you try to help them understand that you have a plan, and ideas, and that it’s all gonna accumulate in a successful situation.
When you get out in recruiting and you meet coaches, you do everything you can to get the word out about what you’re about. Being truthful, being honest, and having a great hope and a great passion about what you do. Also, I truly believe things can be accomplished with people all moving the same direction. It’s exciting to be able to do stuff people say you can’t do.
SH: An example of that honesty when you’re pitching the program?
MM: I think that you don’t put on rose-colored glasses and hope that everything’s okay. But you’re not negative, either. You say we need to fix this, we need to find a way to fix it. I think that you’re a problem-solver, and you find the right ways to solve the problem. The solution is people, and people who are excited and passionate about what you’re doing. It’s a combination of all different situations, but also of realizing that you can always make excuses about why you’re not successful. You’ll always have regrets in life, but you make no excuses.
Whatever it is, you find a way, and at every school you go to it’s a little bit different. Every business is a little different, but most of the time when you start a new business or start from scratch you take it over because it hasn’t been successful. So you need to install your ideas, your culture, what you’re trying to accomplish and what you believe in. It’s the same with a football program.
At the same time you can’t come in and be a used car salesman, put a fresh coat of paint on, and say everything’s fine. We try to find the root of the problems and build a foundation. You do that and then build on it. It’s a process, and it happens daily. You have to be urgent about it, but at the same time you have to be patient.
SH: When you got to SJSU, for example, what were a few of those initial obstacles?
MM: Two things. First, when we got there, they were on APR probation. We had to fix our academic daily program, and we did that. The second was that the strength program was not really that good, and we had to improve that. Those are the two basic things we had to fix, and the things the students are around every day. And as they were doing better academically and getting stronger in the weight room they had a lot more pride and confidence. Combine the work ethic of both of things, and those kids rise.
Here at Colorado, it’s a bit different. Some of the kids were fine academically, but some weren’t, and we worked on that. In the weight room, we need to make a big jump in getting strong there. Those are the first two places you start.
SH: You won one game in your first year at San Jose State and had a brutal overtime loss to Idaho to end the season on the road. How do you keep everyone in the same direction when you’re in that phase?
MM: You have your plan, you stick to your plan. You truly show the kids you care about them. You don’t treat them like dirt because you lost, you don’t treat them better because you win. You treat them like people, like you want to be treated, and make them understand that you care more about them as a person than as a player. When you do that, you trust them, and they trust you, and that trust builds. That’s when you become successful on the field and off it, and they’re focused on the field and in the classroom and hold their head high.
One of the first things we did here was say that we needed a football facility in a way — a safe haven. When our kids go out of here, they’re hearing “Oh, you’re terrible, you can’t beat them.” They’re hearing it from friends, they’re hearing it from school classmates, they’re hearing it from parents. When they come here, they’ve got to hear, “You’re something, you’re worth it, you’re a good football player, if you do this, this, and this, we’ll get good results. And if you improve in those areas, this is a process, and we’re gonna have good results.” When they come here we want them to be excited, to put their work hat on, and realize this is where you get everything done. All the stuff you hear outside, all the stuff you read, all the things you see on ESPN mean nothing if you’re doing the work here. That will all change if you do the work here.
Our big thing is that they understand that. It’s a whole mindset.
SH: Does Boulder being…I want the right word here…disengaged? Laid-back? This is not Tuscaloosa, this is not Tallahassee. For instance, I feel pretty safe in saying that people here probably won’t poison trees over Colorado/Colorado State. Does that help or hinder what you’re trying to do here?
MM: With it not being a real populated state, and with us being so close to Denver, we’re relatively big in the media. There’s only so many papers, and only so many stations, and there’s basically the Broncos and us. We get maybe more coverage than other programs that have two or three other teams in state. I do think there’s a lot of scrutiny on our players and our program.
I think there’s a lot of other positive factors, too. We get a lot of press here and a lot of people watching. Boulder was voted the number one college town in America last year. So a lot of the city of Boulder revolves around Colorado. When our players go out to eat, a lot of people recognize them and know who they are. That’s awesome, and at the same time, if you’re not doing well it can be a negative.
The rest of the interview (which is worth your time) can be found here.
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August 6th
– Schedule for today … Meetings, Practice #5 (7:40-10:30a), ^Walk-through (7:15-8:05p)
Coach MacIntyre’s Wednesday post-practice comments
On getting more physical now that the team is in full pads … “We got more physical today – not the whole time, we just picked certain periods, to make sure we were more physical. I thought they did a good job. I thought the running backs made some nice cuts today, I really did. They had their weight behind their pads, a good body lean, good cutting. It was something I thought I would see, but I didn’t know if I would see it in the first day in full pads, so it was great to see that”.
On the competition level … “I thought the competition was good. I think they got tired, pads on. Anybody wrestle? It doesn’t look like they’re doing anything, but it wears you out. That’s what’s happening, they have to get used to that type of conditioning. So that’s why we do it in periods, kind of phase it in over time … but they kept competing. There’s no doubt they kept competing”.
On the schedule … “Shorts the first two days, then helmets and shoulder pads, then full pads on the fifth day (Wednesday)”.
Are the players excited to be in full pads … “Yeah. I think most of them are excited. I told the freshmen I would call all their moms to see if it was okay to do. The upperclassmen always tease them, ‘Hey, did you call your mom?’. So that’s always fun … Every phase is different. We’re going to start two-a-days on Saturday, so that’s a different phase. And then we’ll come out of that, and we’ll start on game preparation, and so that’s different, and then all of the sudden it’s game week. There’s all these different phases, building up excitement for them”.
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Fall scrimmage set for August 16th
From cubuffs.com … Don’t miss the best opportunity to see the University of Colorado football team in action prior to the start of the season as coach Mike MacIntyre and the Buffs will host a free, open scrimmage at Folsom Field on Saturday, Aug. 16 at 9 a.m.
The first scrimmage of fall camp, it also serves as the final opportunity to see the Buffs prior to the Rocky Mountain Showdown on August 29 against Colorado State at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, as it will be the final practice session of fall camp open to the public.
After the scrimmage, season ticket holders will be invited down to the field for a “Season Ticket Holder Selfie Session,” an opportunity to take photos with their favorite players and coaches. It will also be a great opportunity to see the construction progress being made at the stadium.
Parking will also be free in lot 436, located at the southeast corner of Colorado Avenue and Regent Drive. Concession stands will be open on the east side of the stadium underneath the club and suite levels. Gates will be open on the east side of the stadium by those concession areas with selected other gates open to access the north side of Balch Fieldhouse.
The Buffs return 50 lettermen to the 125th season of Colorado Football, including 15 starters from a year ago. The fall camp roster of 105 players includes 65 freshmen (true or redshirt) and sophomores. The scrimmage will be the 18th of 25 practices that will be held during fall camp.
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August 5th
– Schedule for today … Meetings, Practice #4 (7:40-10:30a), ^Walk-through (7:15-8:05p)
Mike MacIntyre Tuesday post-practice comments
On whether Shane Callahan will contribute right away … “I hope so. I hope Shane can, he’s going to have the chance to do it. Of course right now, he’s just learning everything. He’s been doing some good stuff. He will definitely be able to help us on special teams, for sure … but he positively adds great depth either way”.
Does the addition of Shane Callahan shift things along the offensive line … “No, it doesn’t shift anything right now, until we can figure it all out. I think he can play tackle, he can definitely play guard, so that gives us more flexibility. As we get scrimmaging, as we get playing, we’ll know more and more … I’m very excited for him, and I’m really excited for his family, with his dad’s (illness) situation. I know they were ecstatic yesterday (Monday) when they found out, and so was he. And I’m happy to have another young man from the state of Colorado playing on our football team. We’re getting more and more of those guys, and that’s exciting, because there are a lot of good football players in the state”.
On whether Callahan has some “rust” … “No, no. He played all last year. He went all the way to the BCS game, and practiced with them (Auburn) in spring practice, so there is no ‘rust’ on him, as far as that goes. Now, all the terminology is new, and he wasn’t able to be here all summer to learn it all, so he’s working on that, but he’s a smart kid”.
On safety Jered Bell being injured … “He was tackling a guy, and got hit right here (on his elbow), just slightly dislocated his arm. He’ll be out a couple more days, put a brace on it, and then, in about ten more days, he’ll have that off”.
On fullback George Frazier bouncing back from minor knee surgery … “He’s doing well. He hasn’t had any issues at all the first four days” … On Frazier being able to carry the ball, or just being a blocking back … “He can carry the ball. He played tailback in high school, he even played quarterback some, so he’ll be able to run the football. We’ll feature our tailbacks mainly, but he’ll be able to run with the ball”.
On whether the Buffs are scrimmaging more … “Once we put the shoulder pads on then yes, we went more against each other. The other days was more teaching. And tomorrow we’ll do a little bit more of what I call ‘compete’ periods, where it will be a little more physical, because they will be competing as part of the drill, so it will be more physical. I thought we were more physical today than yesterday, which was our first day in pads. We’re not supposed to tackle at all, but once in awhile someone will get knocked down, and today we were a lot better and staying up and still being physical, which is good”.
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Sophomore offensive lineman Shane Callahan
On how it felt to get the news … “My family was all excited, we’re just happy to be home, glad to be here”.
On his reason for returning home … “I just had some health issues with my immediate family, and I just decided to come home. It’s a perfect place to be, just thirty miles from my house”.
On being back … “I love it here. It’s my home. I’m proud to wear Colorado on my jersey”.
On how the team has received him … “Like I’ve been here for two years. We’re already joking around, having a good time”.
On learning the offense … “It’s actually very similar to what we ran last year (at Auburn), so I’m catching on pretty fast. There are still some bumps, some ups and downs, but it’s coming along good”.
On competing for a starting job right away … “Oh yeah. We’re all here to compete. That’s what it’s about, each one of us is here to compete – the best man will play”.
On whether he considered Colorado before committing to Auburn … “It was in my top three. It’s my hometown, and that’s why it was easy to come home … I’ve been watching CU my whole life, and I’ve always been a CU fan. I was born and raised here – been a Buff my whole life … I love the new coaching staff (different from the one who recruited him). They are turning things around. It’s a lot different that when I was being recruited (in the fall of 2011)”.
On the position he wants to play … “I want to contribute, wherever the team needs me. I’m here to play, that’s the bottom line”.
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Offensive line coach Gary Bernardi
On how Shane Callahan looked in Tuesday’s practice … “Well, there was about twenty guys out there. Shane did a good job, just kind of getting a feel for things, the lay of the land”.
On how hard it will be for Callahan to pick up the offense … “The terminology is obviously different. We do a different style of offense than what they did at Auburn. But I think when you sit in the room long enough, and you hear things, then there is carryover … and a lot of times the verbage is very similar. He’s a smart guy, and he’s played at this level, but there is a transition”.
On training Callahan for different positions … “Part of it would be how healthy we are; how fast he grasps what we’re doing … Today I had (red-shirt freshman) John Huckins at center, with the first group, and there are going to be times when I do different things like that. One of the younger guys (red-shirt freshman Connor) Darby, he played guard the last two days, so there is going to be some cross-training going on there, but I also want to see until we have the first part of all the installations done, so they kind of get their bearings of what’s in and what’s not in”.
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August 4th
– Schedule for today … Meetings, Practice #3 (7:40-10:30a), ^Walk-through (7:15-8:05p) – first practice in pads
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Shane Callahan declared eligible to play this fall!
From cubuffs.com … University of Colorado head coach Mike MacIntyre and offensive line coach Gary Bernardi received some good news this afternoon, as the NCAA declared sophomore transfer Shane Callahan immediately eligible to compete this fall for the Buffaloes.
Callahan transferred to CU from Auburn University, where he redshirted as a true freshman for the 2012 season and appeared in two games as a reserve last fall. He enrolled at CU in July and joined the team for preseason practices which began Saturday. CU submitted a waiver appeal to the NCAA for him to compete immediately based on family reasons, instead of having to sit out the mandatory year required in most transfer situations, and school compliance officials were informed of the ruling in his favor Monday afternoon.
“We’re happy for Shane and his family that the NCAA declared him eligible to play this year,” MacIntyre said. “It’s great to have another state of Colorado athlete on our football team.”
Callahan, a 6-foot-6, 300-pound offensive lineman, played as a prep at Chaparral High School in Parker. He immediately will add some depth to CU’s offensive line, as the Buffs return just six lettermen total across the five positions.
He was named to the prestigious 2011 Parade All-America Team as a senior, his top honor among many in his prep career; SuperPrep also tabbed him as an All-American and ranked him as the 24th offensive lineman in the nation (and as a member of its All-Midlands team). Rivals.com ranked as the nation’s No. 22 offensive tackle and the 212th-ranked player nationally, while Scout.com pegged him the No. 33 tackle nationally and the No. 299 overall prospect in the country, with ESPN.com ranking him as the No. 28 OT nationally and 247Sports.com 35th at the offensive tackle position; all four had him as the fourth-rated player overall from the state of Colorado. He participated in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio after the season.
Callahan was an All-Colorado and All-State (5A) selection by the Denver Post as a senior, which ranked him as the state’s No. 5 overall prospect (the top offensive lineman) in its postseason Top 15. He was an honorable mention All-State performer as a junior, and was a two-time All-Continental League performer. His senior year, he had 43 pancake blocks, did not allow a quarterback sack or pressure by the man he was guarding, and had numerous downfield and touchdown blocks. Under coach John Vogt, Chaparral was 7-4 his senior year, 9-3 his junior season, and 8-3 both his sophomore and freshman years. He also lettered once in basketball, playing center in a reserve role as a junior.
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Mac on Monday’s practice: “I thought they competed well and got after it”
From cubuffs.com … The University of Colorado began the third day of August camp an hour earlier (7:40 a.m.) than the first two sessions, with a more aggressive attitude featured on Monday as players donned shoulder pads for the first time.
Head coach Mike MacIntyre enjoyed the change of pace as well as the “muggy” summer weather that reminded him of his days coaching in the south. For the players it meant another opportunity to demonstrate their toughness and where they belong on the depth chart.
“I thought they competed well and got after it,” MacIntyre said. “We did a lot more aggressive team work, so it taxed them a little bit more. But I was pleased with the way they competed in the 2-minute period which I thought was good . . . we’re getting a lot of special teams individual work done, too, which helps us.
“I’m seeing a lot of aggressiveness on the field and a lot of competition,” added MacIntyre. “Of course when you get in and watch film you’ll see a lot more things, but I liked the competition and attitude.”
The secondary is one position group where MacIntyre has noticed extra competition. Without naming specific players, he said he has seen players “step it up another notch.”
Another group that excited MacIntyre was the offensive line and the “bounce in their step.” Seeing offensive linemen run down the field to celebrate a touchdown and having a high energy level indicated to MacIntyre that they are in shape and capable of finishing games off in the fourth quarter.
Being competitive and in position to win games in the fourth quarter is a team-wide message being preached by MacIntyre, with the grind of August camp intended to prepare players for exactly that. But, long days filled with practices, team meetings, and walk-throughs create a need for leadership among veteran players – and MacIntyre sees that occurring.
“I put a lot (of responsibility) on the seniors,” he said. “Making sure they’re doing the right things and helping a guy out if they see a kid down in the locker room or whatever they are working with them.”
NOTABLE: LB Addison Gillam left practice early after experiencing some sickness and was sent in to “get fluids,” according to MacIntyre . . . . LB Kenneth Olugbode was described as “naturally ripped” by MacIntyre, who said Olugbode will be playing at about 210 pounds this season. MacIntyre believes that weight will allow Olugbode to show off his athleticism . . . . MacIntyre said senior captain DB Terrel Smith has been “flying around good” after recovering from a shoulder injury that forced him to sit out the 2013 season . . . . Tuesday’s practice will again begin at 7:40 a.m. and concluded about 10:30 a.m. That schedule will continue through the week with Thursday being the first day for full pads.
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August 3rd
– Schedule for today … Meetings, Practice #2 (8:50-11:30a), ^Walk-through (4:45-5:45p)
Two defensive linemen suffer early injuries
The only injury report of note from day one was that junior defensive lineman Tyler Henington suffered. Henington “rolled an ankle” during practice, but the injury was not thought to be too serious. “Hopefully, it’s only a few days”, said head coach Mike MacIntyre when asked how long Henington would be out.
Worse news came on Sunday when it was announced that red-shirt freshman defensive lineman Markeis Reed suffered a possible hernia. Coach MacIntyre said Reed might need surgery if it is determined he has a sports hernia. MacIntyre said the worst case scenario on Reed would mean he misses a month.
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Coach MacIntyre Sunday post-practice quotes
On Day Two overall … “We had good energy yesterday, but I thought at the whole practice today, there was a lot more energy. They understood, going from a teaching period to more of a full speed team period. I was very inspired by the effort and energy today. It was one of the best second days I’ve been around in a long time. Usually, they are all pumped up about the first day, but the second day they drop off, but they had energy and excitement today. It shows me that they are excited about doing this, so I was pleased with that”.
On whether the freshmen are overwhelmed by what is being thrown at them … “We were helped by the summer. For the first time ever, we were able to meet with those guys, since June 23rd, two hours per week every week. So the ‘install’, the first three days, they have already been over a lot of that. It’s when we get to the fourth day, and all of it is installed, and the fifth day, when you start running the plays, that’s when it starts (to overwhelm them). But right now, they have been able to line up, and do things, and I think that’s helping them perform better, and making the practices go a bit smoother”.
On any noticeable changes from Year One at this time to Year Two … “I think we are in better condition, and I think that is why their energy level is staying up. They also understand how we practice. We changed a few of our training habits this summer, to help with a more basic conditioning. Not just sprint work, but more distance running, which helps build your endurance. I think that has really helped, that is something that we have gone to, studying others. (Strength and conditioning coach) Dave Forman has done a great job on that … I see a lot fresher guys. And nutritionally, we’re hiring a nutritionist, so we’re really involved in that. We’re feeding them a little different. We’re feeding them before meetings, and after meetings, and before they get out here, so they have got more in their tank. So I think all of those aspects are helping us”.
On the play of incoming freshman defensive lineman Timothy Coleman … “Tim’s doing well. He’s done his first two days here. I’m just glad he’s staying healthy. He’s looked good running around, he’s showed us his speed and quickness that we saw on his high school film. Hopefully, when we get out in pads, he’ll be able to keep doing it. I think he’ll be able to rush passer for us. I really do”.
On the status of his injured defensive linemen … “Tyler Henington hurt his ankle a little bit, and Markeis Reed has some sort of hernia situation. We don’t know how serious that is, we’ve got to figure that out. Hopefully, it is not real serious, but it could be. Tyler will be back out, it was a freak deal, and hopefully he’ll be back out the first of next week or the end of this week … As to Reed, if it’s a sports hernia that you have to operate on, then it’s three to four weeks”.
On what quarterback Sefo Liufau needs to work on this August … “I want to see – which I am seeing – more consistent accuracy, and then his ability to get us into the end zone. He needs to have a great understanding of our red zone concepts, and what we are trying to do there, and be more accurate. And really, that’s two throws a game, and all of the sudden, you go from 55% to 60%, two more first downs – it changes the game. So, it’s not much, but it’s a lot, and I’ve seen him doing that, and I’ve seen Jordan (Gehrke) doing that. I feel good about both of those guys … The fine line on (Liufau), and it’s the thing you can never teach a quarterback, is to be the guy who stays in there and doesn’t see the rush and who is tough. You can’t make a guy to that, you can’t. He can do that, which is the great thing about him. Now, it’s knowing right where he wants to throw the ball, the step he wants to go with and where he wants to go with the ball, like the guy (Peyton Manning) down in Denver, you see the difference, and I think he’s coming to that”.
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Sefo Liufau post-practice comments
On the first two days of practice … “Everything is going a lot faster now, in terms of reps and plays, compared to summer practice. I think everything is coming along really well, and all of the guys are picking it up really quickly, so, overall, I think we’re doing a really good job”.
On being able to meet with the coaches (for the first time during the summer, after a change in NCAA rules) … “I think it helped a lot, including the freshmen, they picked up a lot, compared to last year, where we came in not knowing a lot”.
On whether his preparations have changed, knowing now that he enters fall camp as the returning starter … “It really shouldn’t change all that much. You’ve got to give your all every practice, because you never know when you are going to go in. A lot of guys who didn’t expect to play last year played. There is no different mind-set, you have to keep working hard, getting your timing down with your receivers, taking command of the offense”.
On improvements amongst the receivers … “We have a lot more speed on the outside. We have some guys who are better route runners now. We’ve still got to get the timing down, but I think overall, across the board, we are doing a really good job.”
On whether Bryce Bobo’s spring game success gave him more confidence … “Yea, I think so. Compared to last year, he has a lot more confidence. He’s not afraid to go against the senior DB’s, go out there and make a play”.
On true freshman Shay Fields … “He’s doing good. He’s a little raw right now, as are all the freshmen, as they don’t know the playbook as well, but he’s got the athletic talent. You can’t teach that kind of stuff. I’m excited to see him, once he has learned the playbook and he won’t have to think, he be able to just reacts and plays. He’s got the speed, the route running, so we’ll just have to see what happens”.
On CU’s defensive backfield … “I think they have. It helps that we run the same plays with them all summer, because we are so basic, but I think the DB’s are doing well, getting out of their breaks really fast, coming up on the run, but we’re still beating them … in my opinion”.
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More notes and quotes from Saturday’s practice
From cubuffs.com … Day one of year two under coach Mike MacIntyre might not have been any easier for the University of Colorado football team, but there was more familiarity – and that helped ease CU’s returning players into August camp on Saturday morning.
MacIntyre said he noticed more first-day efficiency on both sides of the ball as well as a group of more fit, well-conditioned Buffaloes.
“I think we’re in better physical shape right now,” he said. “We’ll see when we get out there and put pads on (but) I think we’re deeper and in better shape.”
He added that Saturday morning’s nearly three-hour practice started well, slowed when the teaching accelerated, then picked back up. Nonetheless, “We’re way ahead of where we were last year at this time,” said MacIntyre, whose 2013 CU team finished 4-8 and second CU squad returns 15 starters and 50 lettermen.
“We’re able to get more into the offense, defense and special teams,” MacIntyre continued. “What helps you with that, it’s not necessarily that you put in a ton more offense or defense, it’s that you’ve put it in and now you can be fundamentally sound, which foot to step with, how to do it, where to read the linebacker, how to see different sets.
“They’re not just worried about lining up and the snap count. They’re farther down the road in the ability to functionally do it better and execute it better.”
Part of that is due to MacIntyre and his staff having been on the job through two springs and one full season, thus all of their concepts and introductions have been made. But also boosting the Buffs entering preseason camp were the player-position coach meetings allowed by the NCAA for the first time this summer.
Those, said MacIntyre, “really, really, really helped. We were able to meet with them and install stuff the first, second, third and fourth day a month ago. (Saturday) we kind of reviewed it. It’s a lot easier. You have more time to have them ask questions. So that helped.”
It also the incoming freshmen acclimate faster, “but they’re still maybe a little lost when they first get out here,” MacIntyre said. “But they were able to line up better, execute more stuff.”
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Addison Gillam … Sophomore linebacker Addison Gillam, sporting longer hair and a beard, said he experienced more of a comfort level both personally and on the defense overall.
“Oh, man, it was a huge difference,” said Gillam, whose 119 total tackles (78 unassisted) led the Buffs last season and set a school freshman record. “It was nice coming out knowing we don’t have to learn anything new really. Maybe just a couple of things here and there, but knowing we didn’t have learn a bunch of things and getting yelled at the whole time, that was the best part.”
Gillam, a freshman All-America selection last season and one of six CU captains for the coming season, said the Buffs defense “already is playing more sound as a team. Everybody is doing their job, not getting on each other. Everybody is kind of encouraging, nobody’s negative.”
Gillam said he embraces his captaincy: “I really like it; it’s good to know the team trusts me and looks up to me and can hold me responsible for what I need to do as a captain.”
He said his 2014 goals include increasing his overall knowledge of the defense: “Knowing every position . . . know where all help is (and) where I need to be. I knew my position pretty well (in 2013), but I still go back and watch games and I’m like, ‘What am I doing?’”
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Shane Callahan update … Auburn transfer Shane Callahan, a 6-6, 300-pound offensive lineman from Parker, Colo., practiced Saturday morning but is listed among six inactive roster players.
He is awaiting word on a petition for immediate eligibility made by CU to the NCAA. Transfers usually are required to sit out a season to regain their eligibility.
“We’re going to practice him, let him learn everything like he was getting ready to play,” MacIntyre said. “Right now he’s having to learn everything and is a little bit behind. Hopefully if they clear him he’ll be ready to play. We’ll go forward for the next two or three weeks until we find out.”
Regardless of whether Callahan can play this season, MacIntyre said the sophomore “is going to help a lot. Hopefully he can play this year . . . when we see him in pads we’ll know more, but he’s a good-looking young man and he moved around well.”
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Jeromy Irwin update … Also returning from a foot injury that kept him out of most of spring practice was Jeromy Irwin, who is expected to compete with Marc Mustoe for the starting left tackle position.
“He’s good, he’s healthy . . . we’ll be able to use him finally,” said Irwin’s brother Sean, a sophomore tight end. “He hasn’t played in a while; he’s about ready to hit somebody. It’s good.”
MacIntyre said the 6-5, 295-pound Jeromy Irwin “moved around well (Saturday) . . . he looked good to me when I watched him running and moving. I just kind of stood back a few times (and watched) in a drill when he was on his own, so to speak, in the team stuff. I didn’t notice any favor to (his foot) and I was glad.”
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Terrel Smith update … Terrel Smith was back on the field Saturday for the first time in almost a year. The senior defensive back from Paterson, N.J., elected to sit out the 2013 season and undergo corrective shoulder surgery.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Smith, who dropped to 180 pounds after his surgery but now is back to 195. “I’ve been working hard and preparing myself this off season and getting my body right so I can go out and perform.
“I’m so excited to be out here. My shoulder feels good, nice and strong, not loose. I’m ready to hit and that’s all that matters.”
Smith is playing safety and nickel back, the latter a position he last played when he was a sophomore. “It’s easy to me,” he said.
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August 2nd
– Schedule … Meetings, Practice #1 (8:50-11:30a), ^Walk-through (4:45-5:45p)
MacIntyre – “A good first day. Not a great one, but a good one”
Here is a link to a video of the first day of practice, with interviews with head coach Mike MacIntyre and defensive backs Jered Bell and Terrel Smith.
From the Daily Camera … “I thought practice started out well,” the second-year coach said. “As you start kind of teaching everything, it slowed down a little bit, and then it picked back up. I thought it was a good first day. Not a great one, but a good one.”
It was better than Day 1 a year ago, however, because the players are much more familiar with MacIntyre and his system.
“We are more efficient,” MacIntyre said. “We’re way ahead of where we were last year at this time and able to get into the offense, into the defense and special teams. It’s not necessarily you put in a ton more offense and defense. It’s that you’re able to be fundamentally sound.”
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August 1st
Schedule … Players Report (by 7:30 a.m.; compliance meeting, presentations/break for summer school/dinner, team meeting)
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Full contingent of 105 report to Fall Camp
From cubuffs.com … University of Colorado head coach Mike MacIntyre and his staff welcomed 105 players here Friday, signifying the start of the annual football practices ahead of the 2014 season, MacIntyre’s second at the reins of the program.
The full-time staff returns intact, just the third time at Colorado in the last 26 seasons, and there are 50 lettermen and 15 starters returning from MacIntyre’s first Buffalo team that went 4-8 in 2013. That was a three-win improvement over the previous year; the Buffs also improved in 29 major statistical categories and in most of those, quite significantly.
The 105 players, the maximum allowed in camp practices prior to the first day of school per NCAA rules, are largely comprised of underclassmen – 68 to be exact, a number that includes 41 freshmen. Among those are often the forgotten ones – the redshirt freshmen – and who often play a larger role than anyone thinks; 12 out of 21 true freshmen were redshirted in 2013, and 10 of those players were in the two-deep at the end of spring practice.
Three four-year college transfers reported with the group: quarterback Jaleel Awini and offensive lineman Shane Callahan have transferred in from Air Force and Auburn, respectively, and arrived on campus last week. Awini has to sit a year in residence per NCAA rules and is thus ineligible; he will have two years of eligibility remaining. Callahan is a sophomore and currently is ineligible, pending an appeal CU has filed with the NCAA for him to play immediately. Earlier this summer, defensive back Travis Talianko enrolled at CU after transferring from San Jose State via College of the Canyons. He had three years of eligibility remaining and can play this fall.
There are four recruited freshman walk-ons in, three of whom reported earlier this summer, linebacker Lance Cottrell (Plano, Texas), tailback Kyle Evans (San Jose, Calif.) and quarterback Ty Gangi (Glendale, Ariz.). The latest addition is receiver Dylan Spradling, who hails from Elizabeth, Colo., and played his high school ball at Ponderosa. A fifth recruited walk-on, quarterback Will Fischer-Colbrie (Los Altos, Calif.), will report on August 23, the first day of classes.
Three recruits did not report, two freshmen and a junior college transfer: offensive lineman Isaac Miller (Silver Creek High School, Longmont), linebacker Grant Watanabe (Brennan High, San Antonio) and defensive lineman Leo Jackson (Foothill College). Miller and Watanabe are injured and will “grayshirt,” while Jackson needs to complete one more class to become eligible. All will enroll at CU in January.
In addition, junior defensive end Samson Kafovalu will be taking the semester off for personal reasons, as he has returned home to Riverside, Calif. He will rejoin the team for the spring semester and still have two years of eligibility remaining.
CU’s first two weeks of practices are open to the public and will be held on the fields just north of Boulder Creek; parking, however, is extremely limited with the Folsom Field and Athletics Complex Expansion construction underway. All practices are in the morning, generally in the 8:30-11 a.m. window (afternoon walkthroughs are closed). The final open practice until after the first game will be on August 16; it will be a full scrimmage in Folsom.
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Depth Chart issues
While CU has issued the post-spring/pre-fall depth chart, there is certain to be much shuffling over the next four weeks as the Buffs count down to the season opener against Colorado State on August 29th.
Some issues which must be addressed over the allotted fall practice schedule …
Quarterbacks
For the first time in recent memory, there is little debate over who is CU’s starting quarterback heading into the season … but there are still questions:
– Sefo Liufau got a pass last fall, thrown into the fray as a true freshman at mid-season. Now, after a full off-season in the Mike MacIntyre/Brian Lindgren system, can Liufau show significant improvement, such that he can hold his own when compared to the multitude of elite quarterbacks of the Pac-12?
– Who will be the primary backup? Jordan Gehrke has been lauded by head coach Mike MacIntyre, but he remains an unknown quantity to the Buff Nation. True freshman Cade Apsay makes his black-and-gold debut this August. He is not expected to play this fall, but, then again, that’s what we thought about Sefo Liufau last August …
Running backs
Colorado was 108th in the nation in rushing last season.
This just in … that number has to improve if Colorado hopes to go bowling this December.
– Will Christian Powell or Michael Adkins emerge as the No. 1 running back for the Buffs? Or can a two-back attack be successful in Boulder?
– Will the remaining running backs – Tony Jones, Phillip Lindsay, Malcolm Creer, Terrance Crowder – find a niche for themselves, perhaps as third down receiving backs or blocking backs?
– Is there enough room in the backfield for true freshman Donovan Lee to have an impact?
Wide receivers
The over/under on the number of “CU misses Paul Richardson” references in the season opener – seven.
Paul Richardson is gone, but the games must still be played.
– Is this Nelson Spruce’s season to shine? Will the junior captain, who played in Richardson’s shadow last season, but still posted 650 yards receiving, become a legitimate threat to opposing defenses?
– Bryce Bobo had an impressive spring. Can the red-shirt freshman translate spring success into fall touchdowns?
– Will other returning receivers, like Tyler McCulloch, D.D. Goodson, and Devin Ross, have an impact?
– And what of incoming freshman Shay Fields? Is he the next Paul Richardson? Can he become an elite Pac-12 wide receiver … sooner rather than later?
– How will the head coach’s son, Jay MacIntyre, fare in his first opportunity to see playing time?
Tight ends
Look up “echo chamber” in the dictionary, and you’ll find: “See: CU tight end depth chart”.
CU has one senior tight end, Kyle Slavin, and one sophomore, Sean Irwin … and then you are down to freshmen.
– Can Slavin and/or Irwin contribute to the offense, after posting a combined ten catches in 2013?
– Will red-shirt freshman Connor Center contribute?
– Can the Buffs avoid tearing off the red-shirts of true freshmen Dylan Keeney and Hayden Jones?
Offensive Line
The “skill position” units for Colorado are adequate. Not great, perhaps not even up to being competitive compared to other Pac-12 schools, but adequate.
Their success, though, hinges upon the Colorado offensive line coming through and holding its own … and that is far from a certainty.
– Will Stephane Nembot be able to turn potential into productivity on the field?
– Will Jeromy Irwin be able to return from his foot injury, and be immediately productive?
– Will Auburn transfer Shane Callahan be granted a hardship waiver by the NCAA, and be allowed to play this season?
– Can the Buffs find a productive combination of starters amongst Daniel Munyer, Kaiwi Crabb, Alex Kelley and Marc Mustoe?
– What are the odds that Colorado will be able to again go the entire season with the same starting lineup in each game (two chances: fat and slim)?
Defensive Line
It is a football axiom that games are won and lost in the trenches … and the Buffs have been poor in the trenches in recent years.
Playing in a conference which values star quarterbacks over power rushing attacks, Colorado still finished 108th in rushing defense last season.
– Colorado returns a number of players with starting experience – senior Juda Parker; juniors Josh Tupou, Justin Solis, and Tyler Henington. Will there be increased production from this group, enough to give Colorado a fighting chance in conference play?
– Will Samson Kafovalu, who sat out the spring to work on academics, be eligible (don’t bet on it)?
– Can Jimmie Gilbert progress from a impressive debut as a freshman to a consistent starter as a sophomore?
– Will CU need to rely on the contributions of sophomores Clay Norgard and De’Jon Wilson or red-shirt freshmen Derek McCartney and Markeis Reed?
Linebackers
Former San Jose State recruit turned Buff Addison Gillam helped Buff fans believe that Mike MacIntyre and Co. can do more with less.
Gillam came from out of nowhere to lead Colorado in tackles as a true freshman … a school first. Now CU is working with a mix of seniors and sophomores, hoping to find a productive combination.
– It’s the final chance for seniors Woodson Greer, Brady Daigh, and K.T. Tu’umalo to get to a bowl game. Will the three seniors come through?
– Will Gillam continue his meteoric rise in the CU record books, or will opposing offenses find a way to neutralize the Buff sophomore star?
– Can the other sophomores who played as true freshmen – Kenneth Olugbode and Ryan Severson – give Buff fans reason to look forward to the next three seasons of CU linebacker play?
– What will happen with Pitt transfer Deaysean Rippy? Will this former four-star recruit prove the recruiting services correct?
Defensive backs
Well, look who’s all grown up.
After going four straight seasons with storylines of “(fill in the blank) is now in the top ten on the list of number of plays by a true freshman”, Colorado finally has considerable depth and experience in the secondary.
– Will Terrel Smith return from shoulder surgery to take over for Parker Orms at strong safety, or will Tedric Thompson take over that role?
– Can Greg Henderson and Kenneth Crawley turn into the “shut down” corners CU needs in order to free up bodies to help out in other aspects of the defense?
– Was the Ahkello Witherspoon display during spring practices a portend of things to come, or will Witherspoon be just another “Mr. March” who fails to live up to expectations come fall?
– Which amongst the nickel backs – Chidobe Awuzie, Marques Mosley, and John Walker – prove to be a pleasant surprise in the Buff defensive scheme this fall?
Special Teams
Colorado fans have not been exposed to much drama when it comes to starters in the kicking game of late. Both kicker Will Oliver and punter Darragh O’Neill are four-year starters. They have been good, but not great … and CU needs special teams play to be great.
– What will become of Diego Gonzalez? The transfer from Mexico (a CU first) was supposed to take over as the Buff kicker, or at least become a kickoff specialist. So far, he has yet to unseat Oliver from either position.
– Will we get to know the name Wyatt Tucker Smith? (Hopefully not, as he takes over for long-time starter at long-snapper, Ryan Iverson. It would be just as well if Smith toiled in anonymity, as long-snappers are usually only mentioned when there is a mistake).
– Is this the year … after almost a decade of waiting … in which Colorado develops a real threat in the return game? Or will it be another season of Nelson Spruce fair catches being the best the Buffs can hope for?
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Many questions, but few known answers. Colorado hopes to end a school record streak of losing seasons this fall.
The quest begins in earnest today …
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July 27th
Fall Camp Calendar
Well, it’s official. We can now say that Fall Camp opens “later this week“! The players will report this Friday, August 1st, and have their first practice of the fall this Saturday, August 2nd. Notes on Fall Camp will be posted under this heading daily through to the weekend before the CSU game, with each opponent having it’s own “Colorado Daily” during the season.
For those interested in attending and watching practices – or who just have an interest in how the August practices will be run, below is the Fall Camp calendar. Please note that practices after August 16th will not be open to the public.
AUGUST 1— Players Report (by 7:30 a.m.; compliance meeting, presentations/break for summer school/dinner, team meeting)
AUGUST 2— Meetings, Practice #1 (8:50-11:30a), ^Walk-through (4:45-5:45p) DEFENSE/S.T.
AUGUST 3— Meetings, Practice #2 (8:50-11:30a), ^Walk-through (4:45-5:45p) OFFENSE
AUGUST 4— Meetings, Practice #3 (7:40-10:30a), ^Walk-through (7:15-8:05p) DEFENSE/S.T.
AUGUST 5— Meetings, Practice #4 (7:40-10:30a), ^Walk-through (7:15-8:05p) OFFENSE
AUGUST 6— Meetings, Practice #5 (7:40-10:30a), ^Walk-through (7:15-8:05p) DEFENSE/S.T.
AUGUST 7— Meetings, Practice #6 (7:40-10:30a*), ^Walk-through (7:15-8:05p) OFFENSE First Day in Full Pads
AUGUST 8— Meetings, Practice #7 (7:40-10:30a*), ^Walk-through (7:15-8:05p) ALL (Brief window) Summer School Ends
AUGUST 9— Two-A-Days / Meetings, Practice #8 (8:30-10:45a*), Practice #9 (4:00-6:00p) FOOTBALL/OLYMPIC SPORTS MEDIA DAY
(Schedule: 10:30-11:00 Brunch; 11:00 Olympic Sports; 12:00 Players/Assistant Coaches; 12:45 MacIntyre)
AUGUST 10— No practice (team day off) …………
AUGUST 11— Two-A-Days / Meetings, Practice #10 (8:30-10:45a*), Practice #11 (4:00-6:00p) ALL
AUGUST 12— Meetings, Practice #12 (8:50-11:30a*); ^Walk-Through (4:45-5:45p) DEFENSE/S.T.
AUGUST 13— Two-A-Days / Meetings, Practice #13 (8:45-10:45a*), Practice #14 (4:00-6:15p) ALL
AUGUST 14— Meetings, Practice #15 (8:50-11:30a), ^Walk-Through (4:45-5:45p) OFFENSE
AUGUST 15— Two-A-Days / Meetings, Practice #16 (8:30-10:45a*), Practice #17 (4:00-6:00p) ALL
AUGUST 16— Meetings, Practice #18 (9:00-11:30a*), ^Walk-Through (4:45-5:45p) ALL Public Scrimmage (Folsom Field)
AUGUST 17— No practice (team day off) …………
AUGUST 18— Two-A-Days / Meetings, Practice #19 (8:30-10:45a*), Practice #20 (4:00-6:00p) ALL Practice Now Closed Through 1st game
AUGUST 19— Meetings, Practice #21 (8:50-11:30a*), ^Walk-Through (4:45-5:45p) DEFENSE/S.T. Tentative Scrimmage (Closed)
AUGUST 20— Meetings, Practice #22 (8:50-11:30a*), ^Walk-Through (4:45-5:45p) OFFENSE
AUGUST 21— Meetings, Practice #23 (8:50-11:30a*), ^Walk-Through (4:45-5:45p) DEFENSE/S.T.
AUGUST 22— Meetings, Practice #24 (8:50-11:30a*), ^Walk-Through (4:45-5:45p) OFFENSE GLOBAL JAM / CU CAMPUS (12-2 p.m.)
AUGUST 23— Meetings, Practice #25 (8:50-11:30a*), ^Walk-Through (4:45-5:45p) ALL (Brief window)
AUGUST 24— No practice (team day off) ………… AD WELCOME BACK PICNIC (no interviews)
AUGUST 25— Meetings (7:00a), Practice #26 (8:30-11:00a*) ALL FIRST DAY OF CLASSES; GAME WEEK PREP BEGINS
AUGUST 26— Meetings (7:00a), Practice #27 (8:30-11:00a*) ALL
AUGUST 27— Meetings (7:00a), Practice #28 (8:30-TBA) ALL BCC KICKOFF LUNCHEON (11:30, Balch Fieldhouse)
MacINTYRE KOA RADIO SHOW (Fate Brewery, Boulder; 7-8 p.m.)
AUGUST 28— Meetings, Walk-Through #29 (TBA) No interviews from Wednesday until postgame
AUGUST 29— FIRST GAME: CU vs. Colorado State in Denver (Sports Authority Field; Fox Sports 1, 7:00 p.m.)
First PEARL STREET STAMPEDE is Thursday, August 28 (7:00 p.m.).
*—practices scheduled in pads; ^—walkthroughs (no gear or balls permitted) do not count against practice maximum 29 allowed in camp.
PRACTICE ACCESS (MEDIA & PUBLIC): Camp practices through August 16 are open to the media and public; remaining ones are closed.
INTERVIEWS (Camp): Following full team practices, a 15-20 minute window exists post-practice for those scheduled to end at 11:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.; for the five Two-A-Day sessions, interviews roughly will take place at 10:45 a.m. and 6 p.m. (there are no interviews after walkthroughs as the players have immediate meetings). In-season, refer to CU’s annual credential/interview policies. If you are posting a video interview on the Internet, please inform subject of that intent so they have the option to change clothes, clean-up, etc.
PHOTOGRAPHY ACCESS: Credentialed photographers will be allowed access for the first 20 minutes of practices (not walkthroughs); however, things can change daily so it is best to check-in with sports information office in advance. CU’s standard photography guidelines must utilized (no wide shots to show formations, no sound picking up cadence by the quarterbacks, etc.).
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24 Replies to “Fall Camp Notes”
This may sound like sour grapes but I wouldn’t invite Neuheisel back to scrub the toilets at Folsom.
Having got that off my chest it is good to see the others supporting the Buffs.
GO BUFFS!!!!
Im not going to waste my time going to the scrimmage. If CU is going to punish fans for not buyibg season tickets then good luck selling tickets. My 5 year old little boy was crushed when I told him that he wont be able to go on the field this Saturday. Whats really pathetic about it is that we have not missed a home game in 4 years. Way to go Buffs, your supposed to be a decent team before you isolate your fans!
Not trying to pick a fight, but if you haven’t missed a game in 4 years, why not become a season ticket holder?
I can understand your frustration Rob, but I think I can see why they are doing that. If they opened that for all of us, they would be inundated by a thousand fans for selfies. Think of the time that would take. Just a thought.
Hey Rob, fans can go down on the field after games. Perfect time for selfies.
I’m sure they are trying to stimulate season ticket sales also. I wouldn’t mind getting a selfie, but I would rather do that after a game.
Interesting comment from Mac2 on Juda Parker getting after his teammates. Any information regarding what happened other than the statement Mac2 made? Glad to hear the captains are stepping forward and holding their fellow teammates accountable. That tends to be harder for a player to ignore rather than coaches getting after them.
ANYONE. Do you know what a sports hernia is? I know most hernias are designated by the location on the body, ie. Inguinal. Abdominal, etc. But I have not heard of a hernia that is associated with a particular activity as in Sports.
I’m getting a brain hernia thinking about this. Yeah, a “Thinking Hernia.”
Just hope Markeis heals fast, we need him.
GO RALPHIE GO.
Here’s what I found: “Know that if your doctor diagnosed you with a sports hernia, you aren’t looking at a typical “hernia” at all. In fact, a better term would be ‘core muscle injury,’ says William Meyers, M.D., a surgeon who has been treating athletes with groin and abdominal injuries for 25 years. The core includes not only your six-pack abs, but also the other muscles that stabilize the pelvis to give you the strength and athleticism that you need on the field—even the larger muscles along the side and the back play an important role”.
As to Reed, the Daily Camera reported … He said he’s been receiving platelet-rich plasma injections hoping to avoid surgery since first injuring himself in the spring, but he felt a pop coming off the line of scrimmage in the first practice of fall camp and now isn’t expected to be able to play until the second or third game of the season.
“I’m trying to come back as fast as possible,” Reed said after watching another practice from the sidelines Monday. “I’m going to do my rehab to the best of my ability and be ready to come back hopefully by the Massachusetts game and the home opener here at Folsom against ASU.”
Sports Hernia doesn’t even appear in Steadman’s Medical Dictionary(1995) which describes a hernia as “The protrusion of an organ or other bodily structure through the wall that normally contains it.”
It is also not mentioned in Gray’s Anatomy of the Human Body, twentieth edition.
Gray’s Anatomy is considered the “Bible” of human anatomy, containing over 1,000 illustrations with descriptions, including illustrations of some common pathologies. (Must be where they got the title for the T.V. show with Gray’s spelled ‘Grey’s.’
So, way to go Stuart. Your boundaries of curiosity and knowledge are limitless. Thanks.
Stuart – First Off, Great Job on the coverage of Training Camp and Thank You for providing such an awesome resource for Buff Fans. On the Three transfers – I don’t see mention of their High Schools – only their HS Accolades. I know Callahan is from Chaparral HS, but the other two?
Awini went to Rangeview in Aurora, while Spradling went to Ponderosa in Elizabeth. All three have had their Colorado high schools added to their bios – good catch!
So, Stuart, what is a “Sports Hernia ?” I’m not so dumb to think it’s from lifting too many beers at he Sink, but there are inguinal hernias and abdominal hernias and prolapses. Hope you have a connect with the therapy/medical staff.
Yo Stuart,
Having Callahan eligible this year will be huge for the Buffs Offensive line, which has been so thin for so long. I daresay this news may very well make the difference for the Buffs going bowling this year.
I might even go so far as to say that this is the opportunity that Mac and staff need to move Nembot back to the defensive side of the ball, where we are very thin and small at defensive tackle.
I think that the Buffs will actually keep Nembot on the offensive line, and that he will be much better than the last couple of years (especially since they can now legally FEED him enough to keep his strength and speed up). However, if he starts the season and continues to be smoked on the pass rush, they need to get him out of there and protect Sefo.
I hope you are planning to put a transcript of your time on the radio last night, since some of us were not able to tune in.
Great job as always.
Mark
Boulderdevil
I thought Spruce was a junior this year. He’s listed as such on the cubuffs.com website at least.
Good catch … got it corrected.
oh and by the way, christian powell needs to get bigger than he already is… cuz he’s a powerback… problem is, the offensive line are soo small… 300lbs not gonna get it done.. these guys are smaller than our ol from 20 years ago… and that’s sad, they should be bigger, 320+ in this day and age.
Zin,
Offenses are much more fast paced than 20 years ago. Those guys up front need agility and stamina at a greater level than ever before. At 320, they would be huffing and puffing by the 2nd quarter and getting toasted in the 2nd half. Trust in Mac. There’s a reason he had those guys lose weight.
Mark
Boulderdevil
witherspoon is gonna be a stud… this guy is gonna be a first round draft pick in a couple years… i said this right when i saw his film on recruit day and posted my remarks earlier… this will be my second time…. this guy’s gonna be pretty good. There’s 2-3 other guys i think will turn this program around as well, but, i’ll share my views next time.
Just curious Stuart on the 2-back comment. Seeing how successful Stanford has operated, does the 2-back set offer an opportunity for CU to present lineup challenges for PAC12 defenses? With a true fullback in the offensive scheme, the defense must (or should) respect the inside running game which allows for more freedom for the players on the periphery. Seems like it could be given a try. We still suffer from overall team speed deficit, so any little bit helps.
I like the idea. On the CU depth chart, Christian Powell is listed as the No. 1 running back, but with an “also FB” next to Powell’s name. The idea of Powell and Adkins being CU’s “Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside” is appealing, but the Buffs would need a dominant line to make that happen. Stanford had four NFL draftees along their O-Line, but CU’s line is still a patchwork (and there is not much help, or depth, at tight end).
We’ll see. I don’t see this CU team becoming a two-back running offense, but I wouldn’t mind moving in that direction …
Has anyone heard anything on Deaysean Rippy? I see he is listed second at LB on the depth chart. He seems to be the type of strong physical LB that would be a great compliment to Gillam if he can play up to his potential. The toughness needs to come back. Less than a month to gameday!! Go Buffs!!
A couple things:
1.Already tired of hearing about the Rams, how they are going to take over Colorado football. Still Lost, still are not getting the in state guys. Still won most their games against the worst MWC schools. Their so called stars didn’t do anything against the Buffs last year.
2. I’ll take the over, every time the Buffs throw complete or incomplete will be a reason to talk about Paul Richardson.
Way to go Stuart….. a complete list for reference. Should have been able to get that at the DC.
Football is here!!! Time to kick some Ram behind. Go Buffs!!!