SB Nation - Tyler Sale

Wednesday Buff Bites - Just Can't Seem to Catch A Break

irish1611 — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:05:42 -0000

In arguably the two biggest weak spots on the entire football team, the Buffs have potentially lost four newcomers that were being counted on to elevate their respective positions. Most recently, blue chip commit DE Nick Kasa partially tore his MCL after being rolled up on during practice on Monday. Instead of deciding whether to use the swim or the rip move to get around the Colorado State offensive tackle, Kasa is now weighing the options of playing a shortened freshman season or redshirting. The 6'7" defensive end was the potential rush end that would not only play a role in getting to the quarterback but be a consistent mainstay of the Buffs defense.

Staying on the defensive side of the ball, the Buffs also lost another blue chip recruit in DT Edward Nuckols, who failed to academically qualify out of high school. He is expected to grey shirt but once you start down that "difficulty in qualifying" path, who knows if we will ever see him in black and gold. Nuckols says he will be back in Boulder which is good news for 2010.

Now instead of four defensive linemen in the 2009 recruiting class, the Buffs might only have two to try and sure up one of the most important tasks in all of football; getting to the quarterback.

The equivalent weakness on the offensive side as it wide receiver. Last month, good news about junior college transfer Andre Simmons qualifying was being filtered throughout the media. Well, the Buffs are two weeks into camp and still no 6'3" 210 pound sub 4.5 running receiver on the field. And the situation doesn't look like their is a happy ending. Instead of Coach Hawkins relaying the "everything is fine, we are just dealing with paperwork" scenario for Simmons, the news wire has gone silent. Who knew it would be this hard to get an answer from the different "ruling bodies" in charge? I feel for Andre Simmons who has been on one large roller coast ride in trying to jump through hoops to academically appease both the NCAA Clearinghouse and the University of Colorado Admissions office.

But, at least we have Markques Simas, right? He and Scotty McKnight teamed to together will be an upgrade over the past three years at wideout, right? Nope, Markques Simas is suspended for the first two games for violating team rules or something like that "a long time ago." Around the same time as Simas' suspension, West Virginia went the opposite route in dealing with their receiver who had an incident "a long time ago;" suspend early reinstate before impacting games. West Virginia has reinstated leading receiver Jock Sanders six months after a drunken-driving arrest in Morgantown.

As any coach would now say, he needs the players who are "able" to play at defensive line and wide receiver to step up and claim the starting spots. And as fans, that is all we can hope for. Good news out of camp is that late 2009 signee Will Jefferson has looked good at reciever and is ahead of Jarrod Darden and Terdema Ussery, two other freshman recievers. But expecting big production out of freshmen doesn't always lead to a happy ending either. As for defensive line, until they actually lineup against a different colored jersey, who knows? But now, more than ever, the Buffs will be counting on Conrad Obi, Lagrone Shields, Will Perciak, Curtis Cunningham, Tyler Sale and Marquez Herrod to he the anchors of the defense.

One thing is for sure, a lot of eyes will be on these two positions come September 6th.

Links after the jump...

The Wiz of Odds: Let the Voting Begin for Poster Primary No. 4
Vote for the great Colorado Buffaloes schedule poster and look at how horrible to Colorado State poster is. Talk about portraying the wrong message!

Brooks: Q&A With Cody H. - CUBuffs.com
Junior quarterback Cody Hawkins talks about camp, the season, the change in offensive coordinators and more.

The Longmont Times-Call -Article on Buffs' Linebacker B.J. Beatty

Bob Foster, CU’s outside linebackers coach for 2009, said it remains to be seen how good Beatty can be. "I think he has great quick feet," Foster said. "I think against certain tackles and guards, he’ll be really good. He’s still learning. "The only thing he lacks is a little bit of size when it comes to some of those big-old tackles with those long arms out there. He has great movement, great quick feet. ... He has to learn to use the tools he has — his arms and his hands and his hips, how he can move his hips to put a move on these big slow tackles. He’s not going to do a lot of power rushing."

Young Texan stands tall on D-line - The Denver Post
With Edward Nuckols out for 2009 and Nick Kasa looking to be out for a better part of season, DT Nate Bonsu might be the one from the 2009 recruiting class to solidify the Buffs defensive line:

On either side of the ball, most freshman linemen could use a year in the weight room. Bonsu, however, arrived ready to go.

"He's really strong," junior defensive end Marquez Herrod said. "He squats almost what I do (600- to 700-pound range), and I've been here three years."

The Longmont Times-Call - Tempering Wide Receiver Expecations

So the chances that Jefferson, Terdema Ussery and Jarrod Darden — a talented core of true freshmen — will somehow work themselves onto the field this season is pretty likely, although Eric Kiesau won’t admit it just yet. "We’re expecting so much out of these guys, but we’ve got to keep pinching ourselves and saying, ‘These guys were in high school four months ago, and now we’re expecting them to go out and play against some senior cornerbacks that have been in the Big 12 for a long time,’" the Buffs’ offensive coordinator said. "That’s why we have to have a ground check. These kids are still learning, and they’re still young. But they continue to get better as camp goes through." Kiesau did say Jefferson, a late arrival to Boulder after the Buffs offered him a scholarship just before camp began, is probably "a little further along" than the other two, but they’re all in the mix.

Buffs' starter not only QB in question - Colorado Daily
Third string is also a batte in fall camp. As they always say, you are just two plays away from being the starting quarterback.

Lobato finds right fit at CU — Loveland, Colo., Reporter-Herald
Walk on freshman quarterback Seth Lobato has opened eyes at Buffs camp, even garnering more attention than Clark Evans at times.

Brooks: Goodman Finds Perspective - CUBuffs.com
Placement specialist Aric Goodman believes he's put a sub-par 2008 season behind him and is on track to rebound in 2009.

The Longmont Times-Call - Ray Polk Showing Well at Safety
Healed and ready to hit Buffs’ Polk rebounds from surgeries to make mark as defensive back

Chat: Chat with Tim Griffin - SportsNation - ESPN
Tim Griffin thinks a bowl trip for the Buffs is in the cards in 2009:

Travis (Omaha, Nebraska) Colorado is getting very little talk, but I believe they are a legitimate contender for the Big 12 North. What are your thoughts on the Buffs?

Tim Griffin (2:23 PM) Travis:You are right. The Buffaloes are getting little mention behind either Kansas, Nebraska and even Missouri in the North. The quarterback situation troubles me. Don't know if Cody Hawkins has the arm to really exploit Big 12 teams. Also the loss of Josh Smith to UCLA and Markques Simas for two games will hurt. But I do like their cornerbacks, who are among the best in the conference and a real weapon in this conference. I think the Buffaloes will run the ball with a collection of running backs. And another to keep your eye out for is the fact that all of their major games against major North Division foes -- Missouri, Nebraska and Kansas -- will be at home. Add it together and I think they might surprise some people. I definitely think a bowl trip is in the offing this season.

Buffs Will Play Thursday's Scrimmage at Regis High School
The Buffs will travel Thursday afternoon to Regis High School for work that is closed to the public and media. Reason for the road trip: To get the team used to travelling and playing in an unfamiliar venue, Hawkins said

CU's Kasa mulling redshirt : Boulder Daily Camera

Colorado freshman defensive end Nick Kasa might have to undergo surgery after a magnetic resonance imaging test revealed he suffered a partially torn medial collateral ligament on Monday during two-on-two pass-rushing drills. Kasa said CU doctors and athletic trainers have told him to expect a 6-8 week recovery time, which could allow him to return prior to the beginning of conference play in early October. "Right now, they don’t really know," Kasa said. "It could heal itself or maybe not. We’re just going see what happens. Surgery could be an option or it could not be."

CSU's QB picture is getting clearer | coloradoan.com
The Colorado St. Rams QB race might be down to two participants due to injuries to the other two quarterbacks.

Grant Stucker and Jon Eastman not only are the top contenders to become CSU's starting quarterback this fall, they might be the only candidates.

Current Colorado Buffaloes' Defensive and Special Teams Roster

irish1611 — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:38:30 -0000

Following our offensive roster chart, below is the 2009 Colorado Buffaloes' defensive and special team players. Compared to the offensive piece, this chart has a little more distribution between years of each position as well as depth oming down the 2010 pipeline unlike tight end and fullback on the offensive side of the ball.

Position		SENIORS	JUNIORS	SOPHOMORES	FRESHMEN	INCOMING Fr
DT		Taj Kaynor	Eric Lawson	C Cunningham	Will Pericak	Nate Bonsu
DT		Tyler Sale*	Eric Lawson	Eugene Goree	Will Pericak	Edward Nuckols
Sch	7	1	1	2	1	2
NSch	1	1
DE			M Herrod	Kevin Cooney*	Nick O'Neill*	Nick Kasa
			Joe Silipo*	David Goldberg*		J. Forrest West
				Conrad Obi		Sc Fernandez*
				Tony Poremba*
				Lagrone Shields
Sch	5		1	2		2
NSch	6		1	3	1	1
LB		Marcus Burton	Michael Sipili	Tyler Ahles	Jon Major	Liloa Nobriga
		Shaun Mohler	B.J. Beatty	*Brandon Gouin	Doug Rippy	Derrick Webb
		Jeff Smart		*Zackary Farley	*Guy Sergent	Geoff Sissom*
		*Bryan Stengel		Josh Hartigan
Sch	11	3	2	2	2	2
NSch	5	1		2	1	1
CB		Cha Brown	Jalil Brown	Jon Hawkins	Stephen Hicks	Deji Olatoye
		Ben Burney	Jimmy Smith	*Arthur Jaffee	Paul Vigo	Cody McAninch*
				Anthony Wright
Sch	9	2	2	2	2	1
NSch	2			1		1
S			*Bret Smith	Patrick Mahnke	Vince Ewing	Parker Orms
				*Erik Manarino	Ray Polk
				*Matt Meyer
				Anthony Perkins
				*T Sandersfeld
Sch	5			2	2	1
NSch	4		1	3		0
K			Aric Goodman	Jameson Davis		Z Grossnickle
P		Matt DiLallo
SN		J Drescher	Austin Bisnow
Sch	5	2	1	1		1
NSch	1	0	1
DEFENSIVE AND SPECIAL TEAMS TOTAL
Sch	42	8	7	11	7	9
NSch	19	2	3	9	2	3
Total	61	10	10	20	9	12
TEAM TOTAL
Sch	78	12	14	24	10	18
NSch	37	5	5	13	5	9
Total	115	17	19	37	15	27
*italics - transfer / - non-scholarship player**

The linebacking and cornerback spots are the class of the defense. The Buffs will have solid depth for many years at linebacker, assuming Jon Major recovers from his ACL injury and Doug Rippy continues to develop. I would expect the Buffs to take a couple more 'backers in the 2010 class to keep the continuity going. The linebacking depth is exactly what you want as a coach when you look at your group of players; a great mix of experience as well as young talent who are pushing the veterans. As for cornerback, the next two years look very solid as long as Jimmy Smith doesn't jump for the NFL early. I think he is still in need of all four years of college but if he has the year that I expect him to have, he may be tempted by the NFL scouts who would be drooling over a sub 4.5, 6'3" physical cornerback. After the next two years, the Buffs will need to get help at corner as you will be looking at all new starters after 2010 with not much known about the players behind the juniors and seniors.

The rest of the defensive positions, youth prevails. There are only three scholarship upperclassmen at defensive line and safety. The Buffs are young at safety with potential starters Patrick Mahnke and Anthony Perkins both sophomores but they gained valuable experience as freshmen. Defensive line continues to be the main question mark on the defense mostly because we don't know what we are going to get from the underclassmen, who will be forced to play this year. Guys like Eugene Goree, Conrad Obi, Lagrone Shields, Curtis Cunningham, Nick Kasa, Edward Nuckols, Nate Bonsu, Will Pericak, Lagrone Sheilds, etc. haven't showed us a lot because they are all first or second year players. They might be great but the doubt surrouding them is one reasons many Buff fans wonder if the team will turn the corner and get to that 8+ win mark.

On special teams, the Buffs had to take a kicker in the 2009 class in Zach Grossnickle after the dismal performance last year. Grossnickle (both a placekicker and punter) may technically be the only punter on the team after this season with starter Matt DiLallo graduating. Special teams is another part of the equation that most Buff fans forget about but shouldn't in evaluating the possible success next year. You name it, it went wrong in 2008 so improved play is a must.

2009 - 2010 Buff Defense Class Breakdown

irish1611 — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 15:37:15 -0000

Here is the defensive class breakdown for the 2009 season as we stand today. Here is the offensive breakdown I posted last week. See analysis of the defensive squads after the jump...

2009 - 2010 Buff Defense Class Breakdown
2009 - 2010 Buff Defense Class Breakdown
Pos.	Senior	Junior	Sophomore	Freshman	Incoming
DT	Taj Kaynor	Eric Lawson	C Cunningham	Will Pericak	Nate Bonsu
DT	Tyler Sale*		Eugene Goree
DE		M Herrod	Lagrone Shields		Nosa Eguae
			Conrad Obi
			Tony Poremba*
			Kevin Cooney*
LB	Marcus Burton	BJ Beatty	Tyler Ahles	Lynn Katoa	None
	Shaun Mohler	Micheal Sipili	Josh Hartigen	Jon Major
	Jeff Smart	D Goldberg*	Brandon Gouin*	Doug Rippy
	Bryan Stengel*			G Sergent*
CB	C Brown	Jimmy Smith	Anthony Wright		Deji Olatoye
	Ben Burney	Jalil Brown	J Hawkins
			Lamont Smith
S		Bret Smith*	Patrick Mahnke	S Hicks	Parker Orms
			A Perkins	Vince Ewing
			T Sandersfield*	Paul Vigo***
			Matt Meyer*
P	Matt DiLallo
K		Aric Goodman	Jameson Davis
SP	J Drescher	A Bisnow*
* walk on / potential medical redshirt / * grey shirt 2008 class
Total	10	10	17	8	5
%	20.0%	20.0%	34.0%	16.0%	10.0%
Scholarship	8	7	12	7	5
Walk On	2	3	5	1	0

As you can see again, the sophomore class is, once again, extremely large compared to the other classes. Combining the offensive chart's 18 sophomore players, 35 of the total 100 players are in year number 2. If you add in incoming freshman, 63 of the total players are underclassmen. No excuses, right?

Just don't look at the defensive line spots. The Buffs seem to be in a good position on the offensive line, especially with the two new additions in the 2009 class. If they could add one more offensive lineman for depth, I feel good about that unit for the next 2 - 3 years. It is just the opposite for the defensive line. They all might be players but the fact that we haven't seen any substantial results from these guys scares me to death. Their are clearly depth issues as well. The fact that the front four were dead tired in the Nebraska game and the coaching staff refused to substitute any of these guys for a substantial period would conclude that this year could be a struggle upfront. Right now, the Buffs don't seem to be in on a ton of DL and DE which is extremely troubling. If the Buffs could get 2 - 3 JUCO players to fill this void, it would go a long way to solidifying the defense.

For as much as the defensive front might be a worry, the linebacker and corner positions must make all CU fans smile. LB coach Brian Cabral has a ton of talent to work with at the linebacker spot. The X factor of this whole unit will be Katoa and Major. If Katoa can right the ship and Major can fully recover from the ACL injury, this unit could be the best in the Big 12. If the defensive line situation does not improve, look for guys like B.J. Beatty, Marcus Burton and Michael Sipili to be a pseudo-defensive end/rush end all year. In the defensive backfield, the Buffs are young at safety but Anthony Perkins and Patrick Mahnke showed that they have some talent and stepped in pretty well as freshman last year. The Buffs will also get 2008 grey shirt S Paul Vigo in this year as well as S Steven Hicks and S Vince Ewing to add depth. You might also seem some slotted at corner back make the move back to safety (Jalil Brown would be a likey candidate to get more playmakers on the field). CU is also in on a few other safeties in the 2009 recruiting class that would provide much needed depth on both defense and special teams.

Now to the corners. This could rival the linebacker spot for the best unit on the team. Cha'pelle Brown and Ben Burney (2007 starter who was injured last year) return as well as juniors Jalil Brown and Jimmy Smith. Smith really stepped up last year and played a ton down the stretch. He looks to be piecing together the consistency that goes with playing corner as he has all of the physical attributes that you crave in a corner. The Buffs will play some good receivers next year and I expect Smith to be on all of them. If we could only generate a pass rush!

I am not going to talk about punters and kickers because we all know we need new one(s).

In summation, we can see the depth starting the build in certain spots but their are still some major concerns at a few positions: defensive line, wide receiver (could be fixed if Josh Smith progresses, Andre Simmons qualifies and Diante Jackson becomes a Buff) and can the Buffs win with their current situation at quarterback?

SB Nation - Tyler Sale

Wednesday Buff Bites - Just Can't Seem to Catch A Break

Current Colorado Buffaloes' Defensive and Special Teams Roster

2009 - 2010 Buff Defense Class Breakdown

2009 - 2010 Buff Defense Class Breakdown

DT

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LB

CB

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