Post Spring Speculation

The Buffs finished their allotment of 15 spring practices, answering some questions, but still leaving many unanswered. Mike MacIntyre cited eight players that caught his eye during the spring session, most were names (italicized and bolded) we saw over and over again in practice notes and heard about in coaches’ interviews, and best of all, six are redshirt freshmen or sophomores (Addison Gillam should probably be on here as well, but it has just become common knowledge and taken for granted that he is a total stud that continually impresses).  While the team appears generally improved across the board, arguably the two groups that can best propel or impede this team’s success-the lines-are the ones most in limbo after spring work.

Stuart at CUattheGame.com posted some nice analyses of each unit:

Defense: http://www.cuatthegame.com/2014/spring-grades-defense-5/

Offense: http://www.cuatthegame.com/2014/spring-grades-offense-5/

Here are my dos pesos on each position grouping with projected starters, depth and impact, if any, of incoming recruits (the guys that I especially like are italicized).

Special Teams:  We know the kicker (Will Oliver), we know the punter (Darragh O’Neill), we hope the Mexicano (Diego Gonzalez) wins the kickoff job but he hadn’t surpassed Oliver yet, and we know next to nothing about the returners, except that Nelson Spruce is likely the sure-handed guy on punts and will keep the job if no one else grabs it in August.  Numerous incoming freshmen will be given the opportunity to win the return jobs.  They didn’t really practice live kickoffs and returns at all, and punt returns were minimal as well.

Cornerbacks:  What has been a nightmare position for many years, is finally starting to look respectable, on paper and even on the field.  The team has stockpiled some decent talent and there is some serious competition going on. Greg Henderson is already a senior and will be counted on to lock down one side.  So. Chidobe Awuzie will be a big-time contributor again this season, likely manning the (basically starting) nickel slot again as he did as a true freshman.  The main competition is at the second CB spot between incumbent Kenneth Crawley and transfer Ahkello Witherspoon, who was the star of the spring game and is much more aggressive to the ball. That is four pretty solid corners and they still have some potential talent in Yuri Wright, John Walker and others. Freshman Jaisen Sanchez should be able to redshirt.

Safeties: While maybe not yet considered a position of strength, this group is also pretty deep with five players who could garner some field time.  They are led by a solid senior, Jered Bell, who will not sprint by anyone, but brings a lot of experience.  The biggest question is who will flank him?  Will Marques Mosley ever live up to the expectations set by playing as a freshman or has he been permanently surpassed by So. Tedric Thompson? Sr. Terrell Smith has always been undersized and counted out, but has always found a way to get on the field could line up in dime packages.  The last wild card is R-Fr.Ryan Moeller, who is a walk-on but continues to spin heads with his play (a BoulderDevil favorite) and is not content to jut play special teams.  Evan White has a lot of potential and may play as a true frosh, but it will be mostly for special teams, as it will be hard (I can’t believe I am writing this) to crack the defensive lineup at this point.

Linebackers: This is yet another grouping that is building some depth and starting to look like a Pac12 worthy unit.  Addison Gillam is a sophomore captain, the unquestioned leader of this defense in every way, and will rarely leave the field.  Who plays alongside him, will depend on the opponent and situation.  It looks like the frontrunner to start most days is the “really freaking good” So. Kenneth Olugbode.  The battle for any other playing time is between transfer Deaysean Rippy, who was very quiet during the spring, and two former starters, last year’s third LB Jr. Woodson Greer, and Sr. Brady Daigh, who has lost some weight (which he had been forced to put on by Embree’s staff), but will still be counted on as an early down run-stopper against some teams. This group is receiving an influx of freshman talent, all of whom will be able to redshirt, unless they are called upon for special teams duty like Ryan Severson last year.

Defensive Line The fairy tale ends at this group, at least for now, as there are still way too many questions here between academics, injuries and general shuffling, we really don’t know what we are getting here yet.  They definitely have some numbers, it is just not clear yet how many and where everyone will settle.  Jr. Josh Tupou will start at one of the tackles, but two candidates for the other spot spent the spring in the library and not the practice fields, leaving the job to Sr. captain Juda Parker, who moved from end.  If both Kafovalu and Solis return in good academic and physical shape, they are deep and ready; if both can’t handle it and are gone, this group is worrisome and thin, with only really the undersized Clay Norgard and walkons as backups.  The defensive ends are in little better shape with R-Fr. Derek McCartney living up to the family name and Tyler Henington making some strides after switching spots with Parker. Jimmie Gilbert will add depth when healthy in August, along with Markeis Reed, who had a quiet spring, and possibly Tim Coleman, who is still not recovered from his Achilles injury.  One of the two incoming frosh, Eddy Lopez or Jase Franke, will likely end up getting immediate playing time, possibly even both.

Offensive Line:  Another work in progress, much like their counterparts on the other side of the line, there is definitely some potential here, but the line is far from settled. and the situation remains basically the same as it was at the start of spring ball: we know four of the probable starters-RT Stephane Nembot (beast in run game but a little scary at times in pass protection), Kaiwi Crabb is number one LT for now but could also play anywhere inside, Sr. Daniel Munyer will play one of the guards, and So. Alex Kelley has probably played himself into the center, or maybe a guard spot, depending on the last few factors.  Coaches, media and fans alike are expecting Jeromy Irwin to finish recovering from his off-the-field foot injury (going on almost a year now) and take the LT slot, allowing Crabb to move inside.  The other wild card is transfer Sully Wiefels, who will compete at both tackle spots.  With Marc Mustoe, Jonathon Huckins, Sam Kronshrage, Gerald Kough and others adding depth to the top seven guys, any incoming freshmen will be able to redshirt.

Tight Ends:  This group is probably still a year or two away from significantly contributing to offensive production, but it appears So. Sean Irwin has emerged as the starter, with disappointing Sr. Kyle Slavin and a slew of walkons as backups.  Both Dylan Keeney and Hayden Jones (could also line up on d-line) will both get an opportunity to play, if they are big and strong enough and can figure out the playbook.

Wide Receivers:  This is most people’s pick for surprise grouping, mostly because there is so much depth and potential, that losing P-Rich may not be as big as many would expect.  Sefo has shown the ability to spread the ball around and has a lot of weapons to utilize in a variety of formations.  The most talked about player this spring was probably R-Fr. Bryce Bobo, the offensive star of the Spring game who was mentioned after almost every practice and appears to have locked down the starting job opposite Nelson Spruce.  DD Goodson has a nice spring in the slot and could be a versatile weapon. So. Devin Ross and R-Fr. Elijah Dunston both struggled with injuries this spring but provide excellent depth, along with seniors Keenan Canty (this kid would have been a superstar at the right smaller school but has never broken through at this level) and Tyler McCulloch (former starter who may not even play).  This is a position group that has also lost two very fast and talented Thomases and others over the last few years, but remains a deep group that still has one more potential star in four-star recruit Shay Fields who will report in August.

Running backs: This group has also built some depth, but there are many questions as to what the pecking order will be this year. Last year’s three leading performers are all back and will play some role.  Christian Powell will line up as fullback and provide a one-two punch in two-back sets with the other guys.  Although Michael Adkins was listed fifth on the depth chart before the spring game (mostly due to having missed practice for injury) is still expected to be the starter, but Sr. Tony Jones made sure nobody will forget about him with a strong Spring game, and R-Fr Phillip Lindsay might be the most talked about offensive player this spring besides Sefo and Bobo.  Sr. Malcolm Creer looked good when he touched the ball in scrimmages.  Terrence Crowder and Donta Abron will have to wait.  With seven horses in the stable, and only two seniors who might not even play much, the team did not feel pressed to sign a lesser back after a big recruit flipped to Washington late in the cycle.

Quarterback: Sefo is the starter and looked more and more in command of the offense, improving in all aspects of his game: footwork and mechanics, general accuracy and arm strength on both short and deep balls, and team leadership (voted sophomore captain). Jordan Gehrke is the backup coaches say they feel comfortable with after having seen him in the spring, but I would prefer that we only see him in mop up time.  I do think he can hold off Cade Apsay for the number two job, hopefully allowing the frosh to redshirt and put two years between he and Sefo.

“Programming Note”  I will still continue to update any offseason or recruiting notes as the come along, but will be focusing more attention to another blog chronicling our trip this summer to the World Cup in Brasil.  If you have any interest in that other futbol, check out http://copabound.blogspot.com/.

Spring Game and More

The team released its “pencil depth chart” before the spring game as well as announcing that they will announce information about the groundbreaking groundbreaking of the new stadium renovations scheduled for May 1.   I attended Friday’s practice and Saturday’s game.  Here are some of my observations and thoughts as well as any other info I could dig up.

Friday practice:  I can’t really say that I got a ton of insight and new information from attending practice, but it was a gorgeous day and I still enjoyed a little football.  As others have reported, the practices are pretty fast-paced and crisp; the team moves from drill to drill quickly and guys are chastised for not going full speed during or between drills, which is to be expected.  They did a lot of work on keeping low with nets and giant “hurdles” used in many drills.  Also, coaches are indeed more vocal than last spring for sure.  Defensive line coach Jim Jeffcoat’s booming voice can be heard across the fields.  New grad assistant JB Hall was all over the field, working with many different groups and even throwing for a lot of drills.  MacIntyre spent a lot of his time with the corners he is in charge of, but still had an eye on other groups and gave input where needed from afar.  He also took the time to work the ropes a little talking to families (like Sefo’s) and fans (like me).

Two guys that the coaches were getting on a lot were transfers LB Deaysean Rippy and CB Akehllo Witherspoon, at least until the latter tweaked his back (needless to say, neither have a gold jersey).   Sefo does look stronger and sharper and from my layman’s eye, Gehrke is not really going to challenge for the starting job, but if does have to play, the team will run a lot more.  They played a little 11-on-11, I think in Saturday’s black-gold teams, but no plays of note.  One player that stuck out a little was DT Clay Norgard who got the best of Munyer and others repeatedly in a couple of drills, which is good since this position is a little thin.  I had hoped to see Diego Gonzalez boom some balls, but I only saw Oliver, O’Neill and Graham kick or punt.

Depth Chart: There was only one real huge surprise on this depth chart: http://www.cubuffs.com/pdf9/2679034.pdf  in that Michael Adkins (who has been injured some) is listed FIFTH behind Powell (also FB), with Philip Lindsay AND Tony Jones #2, and Terrence Crowder (who I thought was short for the team but must have his shit together) before we get to last year’s leading rusher.  Obviously, Sefo is #1 QB, and the rest of the starters are: WR Bryce Bobo opposite Nelson Spruce, with DD Goodson in the slot and Sean Irwin the TE; the o-line is Mustoe-Crabb-Kelley-Munyer-Nembot, but behind them, everyone is very green with only one upperclassman-Jr. Brad Cotner, who is #2 RG, not even center, the position he was recruited for-and the rest of the depth chart are freshmen or sophomores.  JC transfer Sully Wiefels will add a little experience when he joins the group in August.  Injured So. Jeromy Irwin is still expected to compete with Mustoe for that LT spot. 

On Defense, the starting line is slated as Henington-Tupou-Parker-McCartney, LBs Gillam-Olugbode-Greer/Rippy (that they are listed a c0-starters is somewhat surprising), safeties Bell and Thompson, CBs Henderson, Crawley and Chido at nickel. 

In general, outside of that o-line and the defensive tackles, there are some decent numbers and experience at every position. One interesting note, “injured” players are listed at the bottom of the depth chart (Jimmie Gilbert, Jeromy Irwin, Terrel Smith, Yuri Wright), but players out due to academics (Kafovalu and Solis) are listed as backups.  We’ll see if there is any movement after the Spring game, as well as any attrition.

Spring Game: DT Josh Tupou, who hates any kind of attention, was the number one pick of the seniors who drafted teams, followed by WR Nelson Spruce, CB Chidobe Awuzie and QB Sefo Liufau.  The day turned out beautiful and Ralphie had a nice run (that I missed due to the parking cluster…).  There was a solid turnout of over 6,000 and even eight members of the CUnit were standing in the front row.  Spencer Dinwiddie was the game announcer.  There was no tackling of QBs so sacks are inflated a little. The Jordan Gehrke-led Black team ended up coming back and holding on to a 21-17 win over the Gold team, who were served hot dogs while watching their victors eat steaks.

There were some great plays both ways by numerous players, but when someone does well in a game like this, you have to look at who got beat, and it was more often than not walk-ons being picked upon.  Spruce had eight receptions (110 yards), most from when he and Sefo were targeting CB Brandon Brisco.  R-Fr. WR Bryce Bobo had a huge day with 5 receptions for 132 yards and a TD.  When he caught his second long pass late, it was against Gavin Andrews-I didn’t even know the name before I looked at the roster; Bobo’s other long one though was against Greg Henderson (who would have at least made the tackle had he not been plowed by teammate Richard Yates). 

The gold/white offense and Sefo also went after newcomer Akhello Witherspoon a decent amount and it did not always turn out well.  After a tough practice Friday (got chewed out a bunch, tweaked his back), the big corner showed why a lot of people are excited and why Kenneth Crawley (who played well but maybe not well enough as he did follow up one pass defense by getting beat deep-although he was saved by a drop) is quite worried; Witherspoon will certainly see the field a lot this fall, maybe as a starter, making his case with some big hits (including a borderline late one on Nelson Spruce), an INT and some pass defenses.  In the last drive Witherspoon blanketed Wes Christensen, causing three incompletions in the last four plays, including the game clinching breakup.  Chidobe Awuzie had a strong day as well with a pass breakup and a couple of nice tackles.

The biggest disappointment of the day was probably Sefo, when he made an awful decision to throw a ball that got picked off.  Although he looked good throwing the ball at times, he also gave up another big sack and missed a couple of reads.  Jordan Gehrke also threw well at times, and he is definitely more mobile, but does not just up and run, always looking down field.  At the end of the game, Sefo moved the ball down the field, but could not get in the endzone. Most of the time Sefo looked in control, and after the game, MacIntyre announced that indeed when they finally take the field at Sports Authority Field, his sophomore will again be behind center (although we are not sure who that will be), but that they feel good about Gehrke as the backup (read: hopefully Cade Apsay-who was in attendance-can redshirt).

Tony Jones had the best game of the RBs (13-88), as everyone got a chance to play a little, but the senior also dropped an easy swing pass.  Fellow senior Malcolm Creer, who might finally be recovered from a devastating knee injury as a frosh, also had a nice game, running six times for 39 yards and the winning TD.  Michael Adkins ran well with his carries (8-37) and had a couple of catches; now that he is healthy, I would expect him to climb back up the depth chart and we might have some ANDs on it with this deep group.  Christian Powell (who definitely line up at fullback some this year for a potent backfield with any of the other guys), nor Philip Lindsay did a whole lot, but neither looked bad the few times they did touch the ball.  There was one fumble (recovered by walkon DL Garret Gregory) but I could not see who coughed it up or if it was stripped by someone.

WRs DD Goodson and true frosh WR Lee Walker each had 3 catches and 18-yard TDs.  Sean Irwin had a catch and was wide open another time when Sefo didn’t see him.  Wes Christensen could not beat Witherspoon on the last drive getting targeted three times with no catches.

K Diego Gonzalez kicked the first PAT, but missed a 47-yard FG badly right, while Chris Graham hit his FG and PAT.  There were no kickoffs, and punt returners only fair caught the ball.

D-line coach Jim Jeffcoat thought his group did well and are much improved, as did Daniel Munyer, who plays across from them.  DEs Derek McCartney and Tyler Henington both got some pressure.  Juda Parker and Josh Tupou are solid at the tackles with Clay Norgard as a backup, but they will need Gilbert, Kafovalu and Solis back to provide more overall depth.

The offensive line is a little hard to judge, being all mixed up, but Stephane Nembot got beat badly at least once. 

Among those the dozen or so that were injured and did not play but were on the sidelines without pads were S Terrel Smith, WRs Elijah Dunston and Devin Ross, OL Jeromy Irwin.

Spring Award Winners: Numerous players were recognized for outstanding work or performance: Daniel Munyer (leadership), Nelson Spruce (work ethic), Josh Tupou (toughness), Will Oliver (academics), Wesley Christensen (most uncommon player), and the most improved at their position groups: Phillip Lindsay (off. Back), Stephane Nembot (o-line), Chidobe Awuzie (DB), Kenneth Olugbode (LB), Derek McCartney (d-line), Sean Irwin (“big skill” player), Bryce Bobo (special teams).

Captains: At the end of the game head coach Mike MacIntyre announced that the team had voted and once again would be led next year by six captains: Srs. OG Daniel Munyer. DT Juda Parker, and S Terrell Smith,  Jr. WR Nelson Spruce, and sophomores (first time ever two soph captains) QB Sefo Liufau and LD Addison Gillam.

Facilities Upgrades: Although there have been no actual updated numbers reported, Rick George and the Athletic Dept. have enough money (though obviously not the full $50M they originally projected) to start moving on a gigantic project that is supposed to be completed by the 2015 football season.  Official groundbreaking is slated for a month from now May 12.  There was little presentation at half time that the crowd barely listened to at halftime, but the video was cool. 2015 Recruiting: Later on in the afternoon, the Buffs picked up their second overall verbal and first in-state commit of the new recruiting cycle when Pomona’s Dillon Middlemiss, an offensive tackle who was one of many prospects in attendance at the Spring game.  He joins Sacramento’s LB NJ Falo in the class of 2015.

One last practice: The team will have one last practice on Monday, with the players running most of it in preparation for summer “voluntary” workouts.  Then, it is onto the countdown until August 29^th!

Go Buffs!

Pre-Spring-Game Notes

The Black and Gold Spring game will kickoff at 12:07 this Saturday, April 12, covered by AM 760 and the Pac12 Networks, and will end before 2:00 when TV coverage needs to go to another spring game.  They will play four 12-minute quarters, using a running clock, except for the last two minutes of each half, where they will presumably get some two-minute work in.  Seniors and coaches will meet today to draft teams, trying to make them fairly even and balanced.  The annual Healthy Kids Day will follow, beginning about 1:30 PM. The team will then have one last practice session on Monday, April 14.  Here are the topics that are intriguing me before I head up to watch practice Friday and the scrimmage Saturday. 

Roster and practice notes: The Rivals Buff Stampede guys (Adam M, Ryan K and fan correspondent Tyler Ziskin) do a CU Buffs podcast most Mondays and this week’s had a lot of insight into the team, players and practices.  The general consensus is that the team is much farther along now than at this time last year and there is more direct coaching happening with coaches a little louder and harsher than previously. The team still is on the small side for the conference but is definitely improving team speed.  The practices have been animated and at times chippy, but players are enjoying football.

Sefo has gotten a lot of praise for his improved footwork and zip on the ball and generally seems more confident with all aspects of the offense.  I especially want to see him throw some long balls.  He has also been praised for his leadership on and off the field, taking the reins of the offense as an extension of the coaching staff in the huddle.  I specifically want to see him hook up with Bryce Bobo, who everyone has been raving about.  Now, the coaches are saying that Gehrke is really pushing Sefo every day, but I am hard pressed to believe it.  Will he really be the backup this fall, or will Cade Aspay come in and grab the backup job like Sefo did last year?  Obviously, it is preferable if he can redshirt and put two years between him and Sefo, but that is probably up to Gehrke as much as Aspay.  I will have to watch a lot of passing drills to see how these QBs do with a sneaky deep core of receivers.

Klayton Adams has to be pretty pleased with the bodies he has to work with as the running backs may be the deepest position group on the team (Sr. Tony Jones may be relegated to 4^th team and special teams) and TE, which could be such a huge position in this offense and against many of the Pac12 defenses, is also starting to shape up.  Sean Irwin, who only had one catch for 7 yards last year while seeing action in all 12 games is poised to expand his game, is catching more balls in practice, and is getting a lot of attention.  So far, he just might be the biggest (pleasant) surprise of spring practices so far (outside of Bobo anyway), and I think he will end up the starter in most packages.  I finally saw the first mention of SR. Kyle Slavin (looks the part but never shows on game day) when Coach Adams said he played his best football in last week’s scrimmage.  Connor Center’s raw 6’8” frame might provide a nice redzone target in a jumbo package.

The offensive line is also a huge concern but it a little harder for me to evaluate because of the nature of the position, but mostly because one very important cog is missing, causing a lot of shifting, which is really good for depth.  Jeromy Irwin is being counted on to be the starting left tackle even though he has only seven plays of experience and has sat out of practices basically for a year and a half now.  If he comes back in August and slides right into the LT then the line is set with Kawai Crabb moving back inside to guard with Daniel Munyer flanking Alex Kelley at center and Stephane Nembot at RT.  If Irwin does not recover fully or just isn’t as good as expected, then the shuffle could start again; if Marc Mustoe could step up it would allow Crabb to stay inside but if not, the dominoes start with Crabb moving outside, and they’ll need another guard from one of the younger players.

Probably the most disappointing surprise has been LB transfer Deaysean Rippy, who is just not making any kind of an impact, is not moving up the depth chart and is not really getting many reps in practice.  The team only really uses two LBs most of the time and Addison Gillam, Kenneth Olugbode, Woodson Greer, even Brady Daigh are well ahead of the newcomer.  Gillam has become the unquestioned leader of the defense and Olugbode may have passed up Greer for the second starting spot.

I am really curious as to how the defensive line is going to shake out, given all the movement, two guys with academic problems, a new late signee.  Besides Jim Jeffcoat and graduate assistant JB Hall, Andy LaRussa has moved over from CBs and is now helping coach the defensive end, while Coach MacIntyre himself is spending a lot of time with the DBs.  I don’t know if that has had any effect on DE Derek McCartney, but after having put on some weight in his red and greyshirt years, is one of the nicest surprises on the roster.  I plan to spend some time watching this group on Friday and at the Spring Game.  The players are settling after some switches, but they will need the fall, and hopefully Kafovalu and Solis, to really move forward as a unit. 

The defensive secondary is as deep as it has been in years, especially at cornerback where 

Greg Henderson is poised for all conference, Chidobe Awuzie is entrenched as basically a starting nickel back and newcomer Akhello Witherspoon adds some size to the group, is much more aggressive toward the ball than Kenneth Crawley, who just might become a great dime back.  Plus, they still have Yuri Wright among others.  I want to take a good look at him and the rest of this group. Even the safeties appear to be much improved and go beyond two-deep at both positions.  Versatile walk-on Ryan Moeller seems to be settling at safety where they now have five guys scrapping for playing time (sure-fire starter Bell, plus Thompson, Mosley and Terrell Smith). Only negative is Josh Moten going down a third Achilles heel tear in less than a year, but his loss is hardly felt with this depth. This is a group I really want to focus on next week. 

The highlight of the week might have been WR coach and former Biletnikoff winner Troy Walters suiting up in full pads for some hands on teaching and modeling while a few receivers were banged up. Walters held his own making one nice grab while tightly covered by Henderson.

Uncommon” Gold practice jerseys have been awarded after most practices since the second week of spring ball.  After each practice assistant coaches nominate players for their hustle and MacIntyre picks best offensive, defensive and special teams player who then wear the jerseys next practice; if they get it two times they keep it.  So far it has been on Chidobe Awuzie (two times so permanent), Sefo, Addison Gillam, Daniel Munyer, Woodson Greer, Josh Tupou, Tedric Thompson, Nelson Spruce, Kenneth Olugbode, Brady Daigh, Marc Mustoe, Marques Mosley  and walk-on CB Richard Yates.

Other Buff notes: Josh Ford’s appeal for another year of eligibility was denied, officially ending his football career.  This is not a big loss as he was never really able to get on the field and RB is one of the team’s deepest positions right now.

A lot of local prospects and some incoming frosh (including QB Cade Apsay) have been stopping by practice to check out the team.

FYI-Connor Wood got a nice non-football related job back in Texas.

Go Buffs!

Spring scrimmage notes

The team scrimmaged Friday, April 4 inside the bubble, running 110 plays with the offense producing nine touchdowns, going 6-8 in the red zone, although only 6-18 on third downs (0-2 on 4^th).  The defense did make a few plays though while the offense did run much more than a game’s worth of plays (even with the up tempo styles the Buffs will often face).  The only bad news of the day was the CB Josh Moten, who was looking yet again at some serious playing time, tore his Achilles heel again, actually the third time he has done so, ending his spring and season, and maybe career.  If he chooses to apply for a 6^th year of eligibility, it should be a no-brainer.

Scrimmage notes: Both quarterbacks played well, with Sefo again putting up slightly better stats.  They did not even bother playing Trent Sessions.

The WR battle has been talked about a lot and is bringing a little hope to Buff fans, and is probably making Sefo feel comfortable and confident.  Nelson Spruce (2 catches, 51 yards) has been described as “Mr. Dependable” and catches everything thrown his way, R-Fr. Bryce Bobo has impressed anyone who has attended a practice, and now Lee Walker, more a less a greyshirt via Arizona (when he didn’t quite qualify), is starting to grasp the offense and make an impression with three catches, including a short TD.  Last year, we had a kid come in at LB after taking a year off (greyshirting at SJSU) and Addison Gillam did alright there.  Coach Troy Walters has as much depth to work with as any WR coach has since the glory days of Michael Westbrook and Charles Johnson.  Walters even raves about his walk-ons but I have trouble seeing any of them playing in meaningful snaps.

Sean Irwin continued to impress at TE and caught and 8-yard TD from Sefo.  It appears as if he might have the starting slot locked down, while Kyle Slavin continues to block well and look pretty, but not much else (I cannot remember any mentions of him this spring).

The team spread the ball around to all the running backs, no one getting more than seven carries or 42 yards, but totaled 48 rushes for 234 yards (4.9 average) and four touchdowns. The highlight was R-Fr. Philip Lindsay’s 23-yard TD.

All of this offensive success hopefully signifies that the offensive line is doing well, however, it also begs the question of WTF is going on with the defense then?!  That’s the biggest dilemma when watching or reading about intrasquad scrimmages, when one group does well it makes the other look worse than they really are, or one screws up, it can make the other look overly impressive.  What’s the case here?  Hard to tell but in general, after the last three seasons, call me worried.  The group did have a few sacks and a couple of fourth down stops, but was awful in the red zone and gave up a lot of points, though spread over a considerable number of plays, and I didn’t read of any turnovers.  In fact, the defense has yet to get an interception off of either Sefo or Gehrke, only Sessions in previous sessions.

Of course, Addison Gillam had a great day with eight tackles, as did local motor walk-on DB Ryan Moeller.  The defensive line shuffle dust is starting to settle, with Tyler Henington and Derek McCartney (how cool will it be if he becomes a star here?!) both continuing to look good as each had a sack at the defensive end positions.  DT Clay Norgard also had a sack.

My favorite player, Chidobe Awuzie was awarded his second gold “uncommon” jersey, which has also been seen on at least Sefo, Addison Gillam (no surprise), Daniel Munyer, Woodson Greer and Nelson Spruce.

Wil Oliver and Chris Graham hit all their extra points and FGs

2015 Recruiting: The Buffs do already have one commit (LB NJ Falo, San Jose) for the next recruiting cycle,

Other Buff notes: The Black and Gold Spring game will be at noon on Saturday, April 12, covered by AM 760 and the Pac12 Networks.  They will play four 12-minute quarters, using a running clock, except for the last two minutes of each half, where they will presumably get some two-minute work in.  The annual Healthy Kids Day will follow, beginning about 1:30 PM. The team will then have one last practice session on Monday, April 14.

There will not be any groundbreaking or ceremony for the facilities upgrade as Rick George finally admitted they are nowhere close, although they are still saying it could happen later in April or in May.

The season opening game against csu has been moved back one day to Friday, August 29 at 7:00 PM so that this huge rivalry game will televised nationally on one of the ESPN or Fox Networks (TBA); it will also give the team an extra day before taking their longest road trip of the season to Massachusetts and Foxborough.

Last post I asked if MacIntyre and staff  might going down the ugly road of cutting older players’ scholarships to offer and bring in younger players, and it looks like little brother is trying to catch up to the big boys by doing just that; coach little mac is a former SEC guys so I guess it’s no surprise.  They have

Go Buffs!

Lots of spring notes

The Colorado Buffalo football team resumed practices on Monday, March 31, after taking a week off for Spring Break.  Sessions are again running Mon-Wed-Fri 8:30 AM through next week, with today, Friday, April 4 scheduled to be a scrimmage.  The Black and Gold Spring game will be at noon on Saturday, April 12, covered by AM 760 and the Pac12 Networks.  They will play four 12-minute quarters, using a running clock, except for the last two minutes of each half, where they will presumably get some two-minute work in.  The annual Healthy Kids Day will follow, beginning about 1:30 PM. The team will then have one last practice session on Monday, April 14.

Roster and practice notes:  Three key players, plus another with lots of game experience returned to practice after the break, after having sat out due to injury:  Jr. RB Christian Powell missed the first half of spring after undergoing minor knee surgery but is expected to be a “full go” in the second half.  So. CB  Kenneth Crawley suffered a hand injury early on in spring drills, but is expected to participate (albeit with a hand cast) in the remainder of spring practices. Sr. S Terrell Smith underwent surgery last September for a chronic shoulder injury and was listed as “probable” for the start of spring practices before being sidelined with an ankle injury. He is expected to participate more in the second half of the spring and snagged a nice interception in the first practice. Lastly, Sr. WR Tyler McCulloch probably hurt his chances the most by missing all of the first half of spring practices with an injury, but may be available for practices in the second half, but I don’t think it matters at this point as the talent around has done well and I just don’t see many plays and catches in front of him.

Addison Gillam, Daniel Munyer, Woodson Greer and Nelson Spruce have been spotted sporting the Gold “Uncommon” practice jerseys for their efforts in practice. Sefo, I believe, has earned himself a permanent one.

No player however, not even Sefo, is getting the amount of press and praise as R-Fr. WR Bryce Bobo.  Every website and newspaper has done a piece on him, and coaches and media members can’t stop mentioning him when they ask who sticks out at practice.  It sounds like he might have the line on the spot opposite “Mr. Dependable” Nelson Spruce, with DD Goodson and Devin Ross in the slot, leaving the rest of the bunch-Srs. Tyler McCulloch and Keenan Canty, R-Fr. Elijah Dunston, newcomer Lee Walker- to fight for the back-up spots out wide with incoming freshman Shay Fields.  The seniors could be left out of the party completely when it is all said and done.

Sefo is getting some nice reviews around the web.  He has put on ten pounds, appears to have more zip in his throws, has improved accuracy especially on longer throws and seems to be in charge of the offense.  He is developing great relationships with his receivers and appears on all accounts to be ready to take the next step.  A fairly easy opening schedule should help boost his confidence early.  There is no reason to think that Gehrke is challenging for the starting position, even if coaches are saying that he is.  At the same time, MacIntyre has also said that Sefo has done nothing to lose the job, which to me really means Gehrke hasn’t done anything to seize the opportunity.

The RB group is sneaky deep now (even after having had three guys leave in the last year or so) and competition for carries will be fierce.  MacIntyre said that Christian Powell will definitely line up some at fullback this season and the two-back set could be a very interesting formation in this offense.  Michael Adkins is “stronger, more flexible” and Philip Lindsay also continues to progress and has earned himself some carries this fall. I have a very hard time seeing Donta Abron or Malcolm Creer, and maybe even senior Tony Jones earning much PT in this crowded , talented backfield.

At tight end, MacIntyre cited the play of Sean Irwin, who has learned the pass routes and is developing into a receiver, not just a good blocker.  He also said that senior Kyle Slavin is doing “good” but it did not sound like a ringing endorsement.  One of the true frsoh will certainly still get some playing time this year.

K Diego Gonzalez did not take the “normal” route to playing Division I football having grown up in Mexico.  But he certainly has the leg to be a big-time American football kicker and after sitting out a redshirt year due to bizarre transfer rules, he is ready to compete, not just content to learn and wait his turn.  Anyone who has seen him kick or heard tale of his booming leg, has expected him to handle kickoffs this year as he can clear the end zone quite easily I guess, and especially since Wil Oliver struggled with that aspect, which also likely hurt his regular place-kicking duties as well.  For now, the main placekicking duties are still Oliver’s to lose, but Gonzalez is not conceding anything (I guess neither is Jordan Gehrke at QB) and wants to challenge for both parts.  At Monterrey Tech he was also the punter and is even working out there now also.  The most likely scenario is that he handles kickoffs and long field goals, while backing up both Oliver and Darragh O’Neill; however, I could see him handling all of kicking and punting duties the following two years.

WR Lee Walker has been mentioned as a possible kick returner, as well as RB Philip Lindsay.

I am really curious as to how the defensive line is going to shake out, given all the movement, two guys with academic problems, a new late signee.  Jim Jeffcoat and graduate assistant JB Hall have their hands full with a group that is pivotal to the team’s defensive and overall success.  I will definitely spend some time watching this group when I head up to practice next Friday and at the Spring Game.

The defensive secondary has gotten some good reviews as well as they return a lot of experience for the first time in years, newcomer Akhello Witherspoon adds some size to the group and a few younger players may be ready to step up.  Only negative is Josh Moten going down with another (as of yet undisclosed) injury. This is a group I really want to focus on next week.

With the latest announcement that the Buffs have once again signed a late recruit to their class in the form of DL Leo Jackson (whose commitment to SMU somehow fell through), the Buffs (according to a few reports-I haven’t done the math myself) will be four bodies over the scholarship limit come August as the roster currently stands with the expected incoming freshmen.  It is widely expected that CB Jeff Hall will be one to lose his spot, freeing up one scholarship.  It was also recently announced that DL Kirk Poston, who wasn’t really expected to garner much playing time, is going to graduate in May and will not play his last season of eligibility.  But what about two more still?  Will one or both of Samson Kafovalu (who also has other incidents on his record) or Justin Solis, both of whom could be counted on to start on the d-line, not be back due to their academic troubles?  I haven’t heard of any other recent problems, so is there someone else or even two more guys who could lose their scholarship? 

2015 Recruiting: The Buffs do already have one commit (LB NJ Falo, San Jose) for the next recruiting cycle, but this is the year for MacIntyre and his staff to make an impact and it starts with in-state prospects.  ESPN had this little ditty: http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/ncfrecruiting/on-the-trail/post?id=53335&ex_cid=espnapi_public

Other Buff notes: The season opening game against csu has been moved back one day to Friday so that this huge rivalry game will be played on national TV (either an ESPN or Fox channel).  There will only be three other games that night, and none are any national interest-BYU at Connecticut, Bowling Green at Western Kentucky and UNLV at Arizona.  It will also give the team an extra day before their longest road trip of the year, to Massachusetts the following week.  I wonder if I can already call in a sub?

The Folsom renovation plans are slowly moving forward, helped in part by an “internal” $10 million donation from the CU Foundation in January.  That supposedly got them over the halfway point toward the goal or raising the first $50 million privately for the project.  The Foundation says it used money from interest on long-term investments to make the donation.  It is a nice gesture but was kinda covered up, seeing as it was not reported for two months and Rick George was vague in talking about how much had been raised so far recently and for some, this kinda falls in the gray area for private funding.  It is still a long way to go and I am not sure they will be able to do any kind of groundbreaking in conjunction with the Spring Game.

One last, cynical question:  Are MacIntyre and his coaches embarking down the road of not honoring a scholarship to an upperclassman in order to open up a slot for a younger, more talented player, as is commonplace in the SEC?  Is Poston one of those instances?  It certainly feels a little like a few years ago when Embree flat out announced that a few would-be-fifth-year-seniors would not be coming back.  At least CU is letting guys graduate.

Go Buffs!

FYI- I have a new blog up on our preparation for and travel to the World Cup of the other football in Brasil this summer (link below).