SB Nation - Kevin Moyd

Monday Buff Bites - Counting Down the Days Until Fall Ball

irish1611 — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:25:35 -0000

We are getting closer...really close to the start of it all. In one of the more important seasons in recent memory for the future of Buff football, there is a heightened sense of anticipation. Like Kyle Ringo said in his blog posting this week, no one is quite sure on the Buffs (except for Dan Hawkins) which can be a scary proposition but also an exciting one if the team can break through and surprise on a national level. Those are the types of thoughts you can have in August, everyone is 0 - 0 and everyone can dream.

Cabral expects LBs to be strength on Buffs' defense - Boulder Daily Camera
Brian Cabral, linebacker coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, has a good feeling about this year's linebacker corp. Cabral was not afraid to put some pressure on his group saying that they must compensate for the youth on defensive line while still being productive. I can't wait to watch the defensive fronts this year. All we have heard about was how the defense is going to be creative, establish mismatches and be multiple. I think if the Buffs can find someone to patrol the middle on the defensive line, the 3 - 4 can be very successful with B.J. Beatty and others using their great rush end ability:

"We should be one of the strengths in our defense," Cabral said. "We have to understand the problem. We have to understand the issues and we have to understand our responsibility to make that better. "So my theme going in with my linebackers is, 'Make them right' regardless of what they do. We're going to play off of them and we're going to make the defense right. The onus is on us to adjust, and, at times, cover up the mistakes of a young defensive line."

Scout.com: 2009 Preseason Rankings - No. 31 to 40
Scout.com ranked the Colorado Buffaloes #39 in their most recent countdown. The Nebraska Cornhuskers, that team that is supposed to runaway with the Big 12 North championship, ranked 38th in CFN's countdown.

39. Colorado - Preview | Offense | Defense | Depth Chart Relative Strengths: Running Back, Secondary Relative Weaknesses: Receiver, Defensive Line What to watch for on offense: Darrell Scott. Yeah, this is what recruitniks have been waiting for. Scott was the crown jewel of the 2008 recruiting class as the Buffs were able to steal him away from Texas. Minor injuries, lack of conditioning, and the emergence of other backs led to a disappointing first year, but that has all changed going into this season. He's 202 pounds, has 4% body fat, and he has looked like the NFL-bound total package who can carry the offense through the rough patches. What to watch for on defense: Part 3-4, part 4-3. The Buffs will try to get more out of a front four that has decent size on the outside, but might be better if the ends were used in a three-man front. The strength of the team, other than running back, is at linebacker where Jeff Smart, Marcus Burton, Shaun Mohler, Michael Sipili, and B.J. Beatty are all good enough to start. The coaching staff will try to get as many linebackers on the field as possible to combat spread offenses, and as the season goes on the defense, which wasn't bad last year, should have some big moments and some great games thanks to the back eight.

Hawkins expecting success despite early Colorado struggles - Big 12 - ESPN
Tim Griffin is giving the Buffs some good love recently, claiming the Buffs are his darkhorse team to win the North:

The Buffaloes are my dark-horse team in the North Division. Hardly anybody is talking about this with most of the early interest centered on Kansas and Nebraska. But Colorado's schedule and underrated talent might keep them in the North Division title chase longer than most might think.

Scout.com: 2009 CFN All-Redshirt Freshman Team - Defense
Buffs LB Doug Rippy was dubbed by College Football News as a preseason All-Redshirt Freshman Candidate:

LB Douglas Rippy, Colorado – The Buffaloes traveled all the way to Ohio to ink Rippy, and they’re thrilled they did. After playing well on the scout team and improving his strength, he emerged this spring as a starter at one of the outside spots. At 6-1 and 230 pounds, he plays with good pad level and has already displayed the instincts and sure-tackling of a more seasoned player. He should get plenty of chances to make plays and begin building a resume this fall.

A lot more links after the jump...

Scout.com: 2009 CFN All-Redshirt Freshman Team
Buffs OL Bryce Givens was also named to College Football News' All Redshirt Offensive Team:

OT Bryce Givens, Colorado – It hasn’t taken Givens very long to show why he was one of the most coveted tackles of 2008. At 6-6 and 275 pounds, he may not be at his ideal fighting weight quite yet, but he’s headed in the right direction and has the reach and footwork to excel in his debut as the starting right tackle. Already a knee-bender, he’s been well-coached up to this point and has the proper fundamentals to eventually become a dominant pass blocker.

The Longmont Times-Call - 10 CU Players To Watch This Year

The Score with Armstrong and Shapiro " Cody Hawkins Interview 7-30-09
Colorado Buffaloes starting QB Cody Hawkins joins The Score with Armstrong and Shapiro to talk about the upcoming football season. Also Cody talks about what happened to his dad, head coach Dan Hawkins and the recent surgery that he had to remove a . . . well click to find out!

Hawk's Radio Show Moving To Boulder Draft House - CUBuffs.com—Official Athletics Web site of the University of Colorado

University of Colorado football coach Dan Hawkins’ radio show has moved to a new location for the 2009 season – the Boulder Draft House. Buff fans can catch up with Coach Hawk alongside 850 KOA’s Mark Johnson and Larry Zimmer for the Dan Hawkins Show live every Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the new Boulder Draft House, located at 2027 13th Street, less than a block off of Boulder’s world famous Pearl Street Mall. The first show is scheduled for Wednesday, September 2, the Wednesday prior to the Colorado-Colorado State game.

JUCOs to Watch in 2009 - AthlonSports.com
Athlon Sports states that WR Andre Simmons is a JUCO transfer to watch in '09:

Andre Simmons, Colorado - With Josh Smith transferring, the Buffaloes are desperately seeking help in the receiving corps. At 6-foot-3, Simmons should be in contention for a starting spot and could be the big weapon for Cody Hawkins or Tyler Hansen, as they desperately need to get the passing game going.

A look ahead: Colorado football - The Denver Post

Three things to watch 1. Quarterback controversy? As a true freshman, Tyler Hansen stole the starting job from Cody Hawkins last season. But following spring drills, coaches said that Hawkins had a slight edge. Can Hansen, a better athlete who sometimes lacks consistency and poise, show enough in August camp to make it a bona fide battle? 2. Calling on defensive linemen. Three of last year's starters, George Hypolite, Brandon Nicolas and Maurice Lucas, are gone, leaving end Marquez Herrod to look for help. Sophomore Curtis Cunningham is the leader for one tackle slot. But defensive line coach Romeo Bandison will have to sift through a half-dozen other candidates. 3. Which new wideouts will emerge? In addition to junior-college transfer Andre Simmons and incoming freshmen Jarrod Darden and Terdema Ussery, others new to the fray include sophomore Markques Simas and senior Kevin Moyd, a running back expected to get an audition at receiver. With Josh Smith leaving for UCLA, there's not much experience behind junior Scotty McKnight.

Welcome to My World: Colorado's Riar Geer | NewsOK.com
Colorado tight end Riar Geer has been a starter for the Buffaloes since his redshirt freshman season. The 6-4, 250-pound senior spoke with The Oklahoman's Brandon Chatmon about playing at Nebraska, playing for Dan Hawkins and the fact "It's Division I football, it ain't intramurals!":

Buffs' Solder: 6-feet-9, 305 . . . and counting - The Denver Post
The Denver Post has a good article on the enormous but athletically gifted Nate Solder.

Polling the Big 12: Who has the best and worst mascots? | NewsOK.com

The Oklahoman's Jake Trotter polled 29 of the 38 players at Big 12 Media Days, including at least one from each school. These are their answers. Who has the best mascot? Ralphie (Colorado), 25% Bevo (Texas), 20% Joy and Lady (Baylor), 15% Pistol Pete (Oklahoma State), 10% Herbie Husker and Lil' Red (Nebraska), 10% Other receiving votes: Cy (Iowa State), Big Jay and Baby Jay (Kansas), Truman the Tiger (Missouri), Masked Rider (Texas Tech) Quotable: "It's definitely Ralphie. No one else I know has a buffalo." — a Big 12 North defensive player Quotable II: "They actually have a live bear sitting in the end zone," — a Big 12 North offensive player

The Quad Countdown: No. 32 Kansas - The Quad Blog - NYTimes.com
The Quad, the NY Times blog, thinks Kansas will finish outside of the top 25.

"Kansas will be very good, but until the team starts beating the best the Big 12 has to offer, it will remain out of title contention."

Buffs taking studies seriously - Boulder Daily Camera
"The Colorado football program struggled on the field last fall to a 5-7 record, but it improved in the classroom, finishing the semester with a 2.545 GPA, the best since the department began tracking team GPA in 1996."

Big 12 logjam: A team-by-team breakdown as season closes in - USATODAY.com

Colorado: The Buffaloes enter year three of the Dan Hawkins era with a sense of urgency. The Buffs seemed to have turned a corner last season by starting off the season 3-0, but went 2-7 the rest of the way floundering to a 5-7 finish. Junior Cody Hawkins returns for his third season under center, feeling pressure to improve an offense that ranked last in the Big 12 in points a game last season at just over 20. The Buffaloes win the prize for scheduling. The Buffaloes play their annual rivalry game against Colorado State and travel east to play West Virginia. Key game — Nov. 27, Nebraska: The Buffaloes went into last year's game against the Huskers with a chance to be bowl eligible and lost. They might be in the same predicament this season.

Colorado: Beyond the Box Score Preseason Offensive Preview

Bill C. — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:00:13 -0000

Confused? Catch up with the BTBS Primer.

It's Colorado Week! Time to check in on a team with more "ifs" on offense than anybody else on the league, but key recruiting success (a.k.a. Darrell Scott and a couple of linemen) and a decent enough back seven on defense that people can't help but pick them as a sleeper for the fourth straight year.

I'm not going to lie. There are two teams in the Big 12 whose continuously-predicted success has baffled me enough over the years that I can't help but be more of a naysayer than I like to be: Nebraska and Colorado. The insecure Mizzou fan in me says that if Mizzou had either Colorado's or Nebraska's roster, they'd be ranked fourth or fifth in the North, but since it's Nebraska and Colorado, they're given the benefit of the doubt. How true is this? Am I being overly unfair? Am I being extremely fair?

So I can get myself off the hook and leave my own biases at the door, let's take a look at what the BTBS numbers have to say about CU in 2009 to see if I'm right on, or if I'm being unfair and insecure. Or both.

2008

Record: 5-7 (2-6)
S&P+: 192.0 (82nd in the country, 10th in the Big 12)
Scoring Margin: 242-351 (-109)
Conference Scoring Margin: 135-257 (-122)
Wins (S&P+ Ranking in parentheses): #70 Colorado State, #75 West Virginia, #79 Kansas State, #104 Iowa State, 1-AA Eastern Washington
Losses: #5 Texas, #10 Missouri, #14 Oklahoma State, #20 Kansas, #21 Nebraska, #37 Florida State, #98 Texas A&M

It was an injury-prone, youth-to-the-extreme season for Colorado in 2008, particularly on offense. A 3-0 start was highlighted by a nice win over West Virginia, but the Buffs finished the season losing seven of nine games, scoring over 20 points just twice in Big 12 play and over 35 just once all season. A decent defense was overshadowed by a putrid offense, the worst in the Big 12 by far.

In the end, CU was 0-6 versus teams ranked above 70th in the S&P+ rankings (though West Virginia was by far the biggest outlier in the rankings--they weren't great, but 75th is shockingly low...the S&P+ rankings really didn't like their defense) and 4-1 versus those ranked below.

In 2007, a shocking win over Oklahoma overshadowed an average season that saw them finish with a #78 ranking and 6-7 record. So while they didn't regress much overall in 2008, they certainly didn't improve. And here's the scary part: Colorado went 4-1 in games decided by a touchdown or less last year. In other words, they were very lucky to finish 5-7. A closer-to-.500 record in those games would have led to a 3-9 or 4-8 record overall. As Phil Steele would mention, a +3 net win total in close games is usually a sign that a fall is coming the next year (and yet he picked Colorado above KU and MU anyway...strange).

But even with a little too much success in close games, Colorado was still unlucky when it came to injuries, and they still were playing a ton of young players. So surely they will improve in 2009, right? Right? And if so, how much?

Should this man be smiling?

Coaching

Head Coach: ~~Nick Nolte~~ Dan Hawkins
Record at Colorado: 13-24 (conference: 8-16)
Pythagorean Record: 14.47 wins (-0.5/year)

Who knew that when Dan Hawkins was racking up a 53-11 record in five seasons at Boise State, he was actually holding Boise back (BSU's improved to 35-4 in the last three seasons)? Kidding. Hawkins brought to Boulder an outstanding track record, and while things haven't worked out for him so far--three straight losing seasons for CU for the first time since 1982-84--with the amount of youth on this team, he's still got quite a few people in his corner. And he's insisting on accountability and taking responsibility for CU's struggles, which is refreshing.

It really has been pretty bad in Boulder, though. Not only has CU gone only 13-24 in The Hawk's time in Boulder (11-14 if you're giving him a free pass on his 2006 debut), but they've actually underachieved a bit in terms of Pythagorean projections. And that's not even half the story. As we've learned by now, blowouts skew the projections, and, well, Mizzou has outscored the Buffs by a cool 141-23 in the last three years. So you would think that the Missouri results alone would give them a low Pythagorean projection, causing them to overachieve in overall wins, right? Wrong--despite the Mizzou skew, Colorado has still managed to underachieve.

I can't tell you what kind of hot seat awaits Hawkins if he doesn't at least get back to a bowl this year--I think the 2007 win over OU bought him some extra goodwill that he hasn't quite used up yet--but I can tell you that I have been completely unimpressed. We're not talking about a "The Beef / Ron Prince" level of unimpressed, but CU has not shown any modicum of improvement in three years, and while I'm willing to give him this fourth season to see if Year #3 really was shot down by injuries, I just don't have a lot of confidence in the CU program while Hawkins is at the helm. If I'm being unfair, CU will probably show it this year.

Alright...to the rankings!

Offense

Overall Stats

S&P+: 82.0 (#114)
Success Rate+: 85.0 (#115)
PPP+: 78.9 (#112)

Standard Downs S&P+: 84.0 (#110)
Passing Downs S&P+: 79.9 (#114)

Red Zone S&P+: 97.9 (#71)

Q1 S&P+: 85.0 (#98)
Q2 S&P+: 75.2 (#118)
Q3 S&P+: 77.0 (#117)
Q4 S&P+: 92.9 (#89)

1st Down S&P+: 81.1 (#113)
2nd Down S&P+: 80.5 (#116)
3rd Down S&P+: 76.3 (#116)

Rushing Stats

Rushing S&P+: 85.9 (#102)
Rushing SR+: 91.7 (#97)
Rushing PPP+: 78.9 (#105)

Standard Downs: 84.2 (#108)
Passing Downs: 94.0 (#83)

Red Zone: 99.7 (#74)

Line Yards+: 91.4 (#97)

Passing Stats

Passing S&P+: 78.9 (#111)
Passing SR+: 78.8 (#117)
Passing PPP+: 79.6 (#106)

Standard Downs: 84.3 (#104)
Passing Downs: 76.8 (#112)

Red Zone: 102.6 (#59)

Adj. Sack Rate: 6.8% (#82)

Here's the question that lingers over all of these numbers: how much can a team improve in one offseason? Because while the odds are decent that CU's offense will indeed improve this year, to say they have a long way to go is an insult to long distances. They were sooooo bad last year. My god. Terrible rushing, terrible passing. Terrible on Standard Downs, terrible on Passing Downs. Terrible in Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4. Terrible on 1st downs, 2nd downs, and 3rd downs. The bright side: they were only below-average in the red zone! Seriously, when your best ranking in the above table is 59th (Red Zone Passing), you know things didn't go how you hoped.

With more experience at RB and OL, hopefully better QB play, and fewer overall injuries, Colorado should improve in 2009. How much?

Two ways to look at that: first, if they were to improve back to 2007 levels, that would only get them to 73rd in S&P+. But what if they improve a lot?

Here are the top five most improved offenses from 2007 to 2008 and how much they improved their Close-Game S&P+:

Iowa (+34.0%)
Notre Dame (+30.7%)
Rice (+29.8%)
UAB (+26.8%)
Pittsburgh (+26.6%)

If Colorado were to improve by 34% in 2009, that would give them an S&P+ of 109.9, which would have garnered a ranking of 40th in 2008 and 38th in 2007. So if they improve as much as any offense in the country--really, the best-case scenario--that might be enough to get them into the Top 40 offensively. It's within the realm of possibility, but one does not find a lot of success in life betting on the best-case scenario. Trust me, I've tried.

Quarterback

Ahh, Cody Hawkins. Not sure there has been a more maligned multi-year starter in the country since Reggie Ball was taking snaps for Georgia Tech.

2008 Unit Ranking: #113 in the nation (#12 in the Big 12)

Projected Depth Chart
Cody ~~Nolte~~ Hawkins (5'11, 190, Jr.)
~~Taylor~~ Tyler Hansen (6'1, 200, So.)
Clark Evans? (6'5, 230, Fr.)

Here's your chicken v. egg debate. Colorado's QBs were just about the worst among all BCS conference teams (Washington State's QB unit was 118th)--was that because they really were bad, or because everybody around them was either a) injured, b) a freshman, and/or c) not very good? If the cast of characters surrounding Cody Hawkins and Tyler Hansen improves considerably, can one or both of them turn into a competent guide for the offense? Cody Hawkins earned a lot of goodwill during his redshirt freshman season in 2007, primarily because of the win over OU. Beyond that game, he didn't show a whole lot, but he was a freshman. Unfortunately, he regressed considerably in 2008, just like everybody else on the Colorado offense. Hansen was able to very briefly breathe new life into the CU offense just by offering a different style of threat--he was able to generate some offense with his legs, something Hawkins is not capable of doing.

In the end, they were both not very good, but they are still young. For better or worse, CU still has two more years of Hawkins and three of Hansen. It really wouldn't surprise me if Clark Evans were given a look if Hawkins/Hansen prove early on that they still can't get the job done, or if one or the other gets injured.

Running Backs

Time to prove why you were a five-star recruit, Darrell.

2008 Unit Ranking: #107 in the nation (#11 in the Big 12)

Projected TB Depth Chart
Darrell Scott (6'1, 200, So.)
Rodney Stewart (5'7, 170, So.)
Brian Lockridge (5'7, 175, So.)
Demetrius Sumler (5'10, 215, Jr.)

Projected FB Depth Chart
Jake Behrens (6'0, 240, Sr.)
Trace Adams (6'0, 210, Sr.)

Both at RMN and Football Outsiders, I've introduced a new measure for evaluating running backs: POE (Points Over Expected). It is exactly what it suggests--a look at a running back's output compared to what would be expected versus the defenses he faced. A positive POE means he produced more than the average running back would have produced. Negative = less than average.

Here are the POE ratings for the three CU running backs who got more than 50 carries in 2008:

Demetrius Sumler (-0.5 POE, 97.8 PPP+, #138 of 269 eligible RBs)
Darrell Scott (-8.1 POE, 73.3 PPP+, #221)
Rodney Stewart (-13.6 POE, 68.1 PPP+, #256)

Ouch.

We all know about Darrell Scott's recruiting profile--he was Rivals.com's #1 running back recruit in the country in 2008--but after Scott's first year in Boulder, we have absolutely no idea what he's capable of. During an injury-prone freshman season, he showed none of the explosiveness or elusiveness that we would expect out of a national Top 10 recruit, but clearly it's not too late. As a whole, you'd like your running back built more like Derrick Washington than Jeremy Maclin, but if Scott can stay healthy, he may (may) be able to live up to the hype. He had 154 yards on 34 carries (4.5 per carry) in spring scrimmages, which is far from amazing, but he's clearly still young.

Beyond Scott are two guys built on misconceptions. It seems like Rodney Stewart was pretty good in 2008. Wrong. Yardage-wise, he turned out to be CU's most successful freshman last year, posting 632 yards in 132 carries before getting injured himself. Problem was, as shown by POE, most of his yards came against iffy defenses. He did well against an okay Florida State run defense (21 carries, 107 yards), but otherwise most of his yards came against West Virginia (28-for-166) and Kansas State (29-for-141), two rather awful run defenses. Against Missouri and Texas, the two best run defenses on the schedule, Stewart managed just 36 yards on 18 carries.

Meanwhile, since Demetrius Sumler is behind both Scott and Stewart on the depth chart, it appears that he's less productive than both. Wrong. Sumler was deceptively successful in 2008 (well, more successful than Scott/Stewart--overall he was extremely average). He looked very good in the spring, but he appears to be buried on the depth chart behind three sophomores (Scott, Stewart, Brian Lockridge).

Wide Receivers / Tight Ends

Simas is expected to produce immediately. If he doesn't, who will?

2008 Unit Ranking: #110 in the nation (#12 in the Big 12)

Projected WR Depth Chart
Markques Simas (6'2, 200, So.)
Scotty McKnight (5'11, 185, Jr.)
Dustin Ebner (6'1, 175, RSFr.)
Jason Espinoza (5'8, 175, So.)
Andre Simmons (6'3, 210, Jr.)
Cameron Ham (6'1, 200, Jr.)
Ryan Maxwell (5'9, 180, So.)
Kevin Moyd (5'7, 200, Sr.)
Kyle Cefalo (5'10, 165, So.)

Projected TE Depth Chart
Riar Geer (6'4, 250, Sr.)
Ryan Deehan (6'5, 240, So.)
Patrick Devenny (6'3, 240, Sr.)

So Colorado had the 11th worst receiving corps in the nation in 2009, 3rd worst among BCS conference teams (Michigan was 112th, Washington State 118th). Then, after spring ball, they unexpectedly lost their only proven explosive threat*, Josh Smith, to transfer. Well, they might have lost him to transfer--they're allowing him to only accept a scholarship to USC or UCLA, which is just petty, but if neither of those schools offer him a scholarship (sounds like UCLA is looking like a pretty viable option), then I don't know what happens. Does he stay? If he stays, does he play?

* He was far from amazing, but he was Colorado's Jeremy Maclin.

Regardless, a bad receiving corps probably got worse in terms of proven talent, but CU fans are putting a lot of hope in Markques Simas, a big-time recruit from Hawkins' first full-year recruiting class who sat out last due to (I believe) academics. With Smith, Simas could have had a nice role as the explosive #2 guy while Scotty McKnight continued to fill the "possession receiver" role, but without Smith the pressure will be on Simas to make plays from the very beginning.

Beyond Simas and McKnight (46 catches, 519 yards, 5 TDs)...oy. The seven other names I listed on the projected WR depth chart combined for...wait for it...one catch in 2008. And that one catch (from RB-turned-WR Kevin Moyd) garnered a loss of a yard. You never know when somebody will emerge out of the blue and thrive, but you certainly don't want to have to rely on that. With the level of inexperience here, the WR corps is ripe for an infusion of energy from a true freshman or two--don't be surprised if either/both Jarrod Darden (6'5, 210) and/or Terdema Ussery (6'4, 205) see the field early.

On the bright side, Colorado does have some decent experience at tight end. Riar Geer (61 career catches, 7 TDs), Patrick Devenny (15 career catches, 3 TDs), and Ryan Deehan (5 catches, 1 TD) have proven to be decent red zone receivers, but none are dangerous enough to garner special attention from a defense. Leave them open, and they'll catch some passes, but they're not going to kill you. Still, though, it's nice having experience at tight end, if for no other reason than you have some help on third downs and in the red zone.

And somehow Kyle Cefalo is of no relation to Jimmy Cefalo. What a disappointment that is.

Offensive Line

2008 Unit Ranking: #102 in the nation (#11 in the Big 12)

Projected Depth Chart
G Ryan Miller (6'8, 310, So.)
G Blake Behrens (6'3, 290, So.)
T Nate Solder (6'9, 300, Jr.)
T Bryce Givens (6'6, 275, RSFr.)
C Mike Iltis (6'3, 275, So.)
T Matthew Bahr (6'4, 285, So.)
G Devin Head (6'4, 290, Sr.)
C Keenan Stevens (6'2, 285, Jr.)
T Ryan Dannewitz (6'6, 290, RSFr.)
G Shawn Daniels (6'3, 280, So.)

If there truly is hope for the Colorado offense in 2009, it probably comes from the potential of the offensive line. Ryan Miller was another big-time recruit who got thrown into the deep end last year and actually acquitted himself pretty well. Blake Behrens got a lot of early experience as well. These two, combined with incoming redshirts Bryce Givens and Ryan Dannewitz, not to mention a host of sophomores (sans guard Max Tuioti-Mariner, who has suffered approximately 26 knee injuries in his brief CU career and is out at least for 2009, if not forever), should bring very solid line play to Colorado in the future.

I can't say for sure that this will happen in 2009, mind you--the line may not congeal until 2010--but there is hope here. Injuries and extreme youth decimated the line last year, so it's impossible to say exactly how much potential is here just yet (sounds like the running back corps, no?), but again, we're just talking about hope. This will still be one of the conference's younger lines in 2009, but if things click soon, the entire offense starts to look a lot better.

Summary

A five-star starter at RB, a four-star starter at WR, and a five-star (with at least one four-star) on the offensive line. From a recruiting perspective, there's some top-end talent here. But almost none of the top-end players have proven themselves yet, and until they do, we don't know that they will, right? My best guess for the Colorado offense in 2009 is that it will rebound to around the rankings it found in 2007...sort of. In 2007, they were 95th rushing and 43rd passing--I can see the opposite happening this year, where Colorado does begin to establish a relatively solid running game, but the passing game still holds them back considerably. Seriously, beyond McKnight, the entire WR unit has one career catch. It's hard to ignore that and just assume that things will click there, even with a decent running game.

Whatever Colorado manages to do in 2009, it will likely be because of their linebackers and secondary, and maybe their running game. There are still far too many question marks on the offense to expect much, but if they can stay healthy and rack up the experience, then they might be in pretty decent shape for 2010.

Thursday Buff Bites - Coach Jeff Bzdelik Interviews With the Minnesota Timberwolves

Jon Woods — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 22:52:05 -0000

View full size photo »

Rocky Mountain Independent " CU coach Bzdelik interviews for T-wolves job
This just in, CU basketball coach Jeff Bzdelik has confirmed that he interviewed with the Minnesota Timberwolves about their open Head Coaching position. I wouldn't be too worried about him going anywhere just yet but it is a little unsettling.

Woelk: CU no stranger to cost-cutting measures : Boulder Daily Camera
The University of Colorado certainly isn't immune to our current economic climate. A look at some of the cost saving measures being taken:

Reduced media guide costs by the sports information department.

Eliminated some unneeded telephone land lines, and instituted cell phone efficiency guidelines.

Reduced marketing costs by bartering for some advertising and other marketing items.

Reduced size of travel parties.

Capped hotel costs, lowered per diems for meals and lowered rental car allowances.

Made sure that virtually every room on road trips will be double occupancy.

Taken advantage of lower costs for off-peak air travel times.

Undertaken review of existing staff levels, with the possibility of reduction.

Go Mountain West, young Buffs
Read the whole article BEFORE you freak out like I did. But if (and only if) the Mountain West became a BCS conference would the Buffs be better suited there? I don't think so but it's an interesting thought to ponder.

Buff Moyd impresses in switch from RB to WR : Boulder Daily Camera
Hearing about Wide Receiver success is some of the best possible news I could get right now. Let' s hope that we here more and more once fall practice begins.

"Kevin Moyd has been doing real good since he switched to receiver from running back," Hansen said. "He's made a lot of progress. He's been making catches, running good routes. He looks like he's been doing it for a couple years now." Moyd moved to wide receiver during spring practices after spending his first four years in the program as a running back. The team needed help at wide receiver where only three scholarship players were available during the spring, so Moyd and fellow running back Corey Nabors began practicing there.

Some other great Big 12 moments that almost made my list - Big 12 - ESPN
Tim Griffin has listed (in no apparent order) his Big 12 moments that didn't make the cut. Here are the ones that involve the Buffs:

7. Colorado fans littering the field with debris in 2005 as the Buffaloes were blown out at home by Nebraska, 30-3.

8. Mason Crosby's four field goals, including a school-record 60-yarder and another from 54 yards that provided the margin in a 19-14 victory over Iowa State in 2004.

16. The "Saturday Night Massacre" after Frank Solich is fired in 2003 after the Cornhuskers' 31-22 victory over Colorado the previous day. 21. Colorado's late comeback to beat Wyoming 20-19 in 1998, featuring a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Ben Kelly late in the fourth quarter and Jeremy Aldrich's game-winning field goal with 3 seconds left.

B.G. Brooks Joining CUBuffs.com - CUBuffs.com
Former Rocky Mountain News writer B.G. Brooks is going to work for CUBuffs.com.

Brooks, 62, had covered the CU athletics scene since 1987, most notably football and men’s and women’s basketball. He wrote thousands of stories until the paper went out of business this past April, leaving over 200 employees scrambling for new employment. He has now found a home with the school he reported on for over two decades.

Q&A with Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Todd Reesing - ESPN
Bruce Feldman has a quick interview with Kansas Quarterback Todd Reesing. Not gonna lie, I really like Reesing.

Buffs Release Top Strength and Conditioning Stats

irish1611 — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:43:45 -0000

Colorado Buffaloes offensive lineman, Nate Solder. Photo: Marty Caivano

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The football program has released their strength and conditioning "award" winners for the winter and spring session. It's always fun to see the linemen bench stats and runningback forty times. Here are a few things that stood out to me:

OL Nate Solder - workout freak. He was the top performer in five out of the seven categories for the offensive line with an impressive 407 pound power clean and a 4.86 forty. All of this from a guy that was a converted tight end who is now 6'9" 300 pounds. Solder led the entire team, regardless of position, in total power clean weight and hang clean as well. I am little surprised that Ryan Miller only made one appearance on the list, coming in 3rd in the bench press for offensive linemen.

C Mike Iltis - a guy who shouldn't considered completely healed from last year's knee injury also has impressive numbers considering that injury. He ranked in the top three in five of the seven events for linemen. Iltis certainly won't be mistaken for Solder but he was definitely had the second best offensive lineman performance.

DE Marquez Herrod - he showed very well among the defensive linemen, specifically in the strength categories where he was the leader in power clean (370), hang clean (426), squat (677) and bench (405). Herrod also had the second best forty time among the line at 5.00 seconds. Hopefully that leads to increased quarterback pressures in 2009 . A year ago, Herrod played in 11 games but only for 187 total plays and still was tied for second on the team in sacks (4). I am sure the coaches want to see more consistency in his play this season, hopefully his workout performance transitions to the field.

No one on the defensive line outperformed another team unit in any single workout (i.e. an offensive lineman was the overall best in bench, a cornerback was the best in forty times, etc.)

LB Marcus Burton - just remember this guy is 6'0" 260 pounds. Low center of gravity, not too tall so he should be expected to do do well in some of the strength exercises but the guy pretty much blew it out of the water everywhere. The senior just keeps surprising this year. After being an afterthought a year ago, Burton quickly inserted himself as a starter this spring.

At first glance, he seemed like a strong candidate for a move to the defensive line. I mean he is 260 pounds. Forget that thought. Burton is not only the biggest linebacker on the team but also the fastest, running a 4.78 forty. He led the linebackers in power clean (381), hang clean (445 pounds which tied him with Nate Solder as the strongest on the team), squat (666 good for second on the team), bench and forty time. He finished second in vertical jump and third in pro agility. Right along with Solder, Burton had the strongest performance on the team.

No where on the linebacker list was Shaun Mohler and Jeff Smart made only a couple of apperances in the rankings.

Running backs - Demetrius Sumler and Kevin Moyd led the group in the strength categories while Brian Lockridge, Rodney Stewart and Darrell Scott showed well in the vertical, forty and pro agility. Brian Lockridge ran a 4.45 forty followed by Darrell Scott at 4.49 and Rodney Stewart at 4.54. Brian Lockridge had the best vertical on the team at 36.5 inches. Scott, Lockridge and Stewart's strength will catch up with experience. All three are considered coming off of injury.

Wide Receivers - Markques Simas or Scotty McKnight did not finish first in any one wide receiver workout with the best forty time coming in at 4.65 by walk-on Dustin Ebner. Markques Simas ran a 4.75. Jason Espinoza performed well among the receivers, leading in four of the seven workouts. These results confirm the importance of Andre Simmons, Terdema Ussery and Jarrod Darden coming in and excelling.

CB Jimmy Smith - he was in the top 3 of all seven workouts for cornerbacks, finishing first in three: hang clean, bench and forty time. His 4.44 forty was the best of any player on the team, edging out Brian Lockridge. Ben Burney had the best pro agility on the team at 4.0 seconds.

Quarterbacks - once again, the quarterbacks are extremely even across the board, surprisingly in the forty time as well. Both Cody Hawkins and Tyler Hansen ran a 4.88 forty.

For fun, I put some of the team leaders for the Buffs against last year's 40 yard dash NFL combine results to see how the Buffs stack up in speed. The rank column assumes if the player(s) would have ran in the combine for their position in last year's event, where would they have been slotted:

Forty Time (seconds)
Position	Buffs Leader	Potential Rank	Top Combine Result
Offensive Line	OT Nate Solder - 4.86	1st	OL Lydon Murtha - 4.89
Defensive Line	DL Nick O'Neill - 4.84	t-7th	DL L. Sidbury - 4.64
Linebackers	LB Marcus Burton - 4.78	11th	LB Aaron Curry - 4.56
Tight Ends	TE Pat DeVenny - 4.79	t-11th	TE Jared Cook - 4.50
Runningbacks	RB Brian Lockridge - 4.45	t-1st	RB Cedric Peerman - 4.45
Defensive Backs	CB Jimmy Smith - 4.44	1st	CB Darius Butler - 4.46
Wide Receivers	WR Dustin Ebner - 4.65	30th+	WR D. Heyward-Bey - 4.30
Quarterbacks	QB Hawkins/Hansen - 4.88	t-8th	QB Pat White - 4.55

Spring Ball Position Preview: Running Backs

irish1611 — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:01:15 -0000

If you live in the greater Denver area, you are amongst a world of utter turmoil. Everywhere you look, Jay Cutler this, Bus Cook that, Josh McDaniels said, he said, she said.

Because of that, I assume we all could use a little brightness in our day unless you have already cracked that fifth Guiness and found your own solution to finding happiness.

Brightness and football haven't gone together for a while in these parts, so this post is intended to bring the combination back together and show that there is light at the end of the tunnel. That light when looking at CU football is with the running back position where it is safe to assume that we should all expect to see something special occur. Of course, the passing game needs to get better and the offensive line needs to stay healthy but the Buffs have four running backs right now that all bring something to the table and if a few things click around them, they may be on the leading edge of bringing CU back to some level of national prominence. Below is a first look at the guys who will be in black and gold next year at running back/fullback:

Roster:

Vitals					Rushing			Receiving
No.	Name	Pos.	Wt.	Yr.	Yards	Avg	TD	Yards	Avg	TD
43	Stewart, Rodney	TB/KR	170	So.	669	4.71	2	43	6.2	0
2	Scott, Darrell	TB	200	So.	343	3.94	1	105	11.7	0
8	Sumler, Demetrius	TB	225	Jr.	251	3.98	4	167	9.3	0
20	Lockridge, Brian	TB	175	So.	Redshirt			Redshirt

41	Behrens, Jake	FB	230	Sr.	0	0	0	75	6.3	2

22	Jaffee, Arthur	TB	195	So.	0	0	0	0	0	0
25	Moyd, Kevin	TB	185	Sr.	30	2.5	0	-1	-1	0
36	Nabors, Corey	TB	190	Jr.	0	0	0	0	0	0
39	Burgner, Matt	FB	230	Jr.	0	0	0	0	0	0

check out the rest after the jump...

Overview:

I bet if you ask 10 Buff fans who they are most excited to see play in 2009, you would probably get 8 people saying Darrell Scott or Rodney Stewart. It would have been 10 out of 10 for Darrell Scott last offseason but don't let a slow freshman season fool you into thinking that Scott has lost some of his luster. Scott will still be the guy everyone comes to see and will probably be the first guy most team reports comment on. But Darrell Scott wasn't the only freshman running back story last year as most of the focus belonged to Rodney Stewart. Stewart, small but well-built, burst onto the scene against West Virginia to lead the Buffs in rushing in the 2008 campaign. Until he suffered a season ending leg injury against Texas A&M, he was on pace to get to the 1,000 yard mark, something that has been relatively uncommon for a freshman to do at Colorado. Even with the setback, most still considered him the offensive MVP last year with electrifying performances against West Virginia, Florida State and Kansas State. Based on a few sources including Tim Griffin at ESPN, Stewart is recovering well from his injury and " doubts that the coaches will hold him back any" this spring. Director of SID at CU, Dave Plati, also lists him as a "Full Go" for spring ball, something that should be music to Buff fans' ears. Darrell Scott, Demetrius Sumler and Brian Lockridge will have their work cut out to try and unseat Stewart.

Now to Darrell Scott. Personally, I wish we would have redshirted him last year but no doubt, we saw glimpses of greatness in the games against Eastern Washington, Iowa State and Texas A&M but they were often overshadowed by injuries and struggles with conditioning. There is no mistaking it, Scott came into camp overweight and that led to injuries his freshman year. A redshirt would have alleviated these problems as he got up to speed, but the injury to Stewart late in the season, would have forced him to play no matter what. Regardless of what happened last year, it is now a new year and I think all the talk about him being a bust is ludicrous. I believe Darrell Scott will come out this year and not only prove he is the best running back at Colorado but it won't even be close. He is down to his optimal weight at 200 - 205 pounds and if there was one thing that you could see him missing last year it was his acceleration. Remember he came in almost 20 pounds overweight last fall.

A few other things that will help Darrell Scott (as well as all the other backs) is a more experienced and healthy line as well as a new offensive scheme that will allow him to line up in a more conventional "I" formation. Last year's offensive system was not conducive to a running back being successful. I think Scott having a lead blocker along with ability to read the defense will have a major impact. With all the injuries and a lack of a mobile quarterback for most of the year, the running backs were left on an island, especially Darrell Scott. Finally, Scott was a freshman. Like many of our readers have brought up, name five other running backs who had impacts as freshman last year. It just doesn't happen. Look for a very improved year from Scott.

The two other running backs who should see some time toting the rock this year are Demetrius Sumler and Brian Lockridge. Sumler proved to be a good asset out of the backfield last year in both the passing and running game. He also was CU's most skilled pass protector in the backfield, which had him in the game for many third down situations. Scott, Stewart and Lockridge will all have to learn from Sumler to be trusted in third down and passing situations. I expect, like Darrell Scott, for the modified offensive scheme to help Demetrius Sumler. Sumler was the third leading rusher last year.

The other back of note is Brian Lockridge, who redshirted last year because of injury. He will enter the 2009 campaign as a sophomore. If you remember, Lockridge saw a pretty good amount of playing time as a freshman in 2007, gaining 213 yards, good enough for third on the team and an average of 5.6 per carry. Lockridge is slender at 175 pounds but is another change of pace back that you may see the Buffs put in the slot for a more dynamic offering. Look for FB Jake Behrens to play a bigger part this year as a lead blocker for the new offensive system.

Need to Replace:

Nobody. Barring any injuries, the Buffs will have the same unit at running back for the next two years. Continuity!

Players to Watch:

Of course, Scott and Stewart don't need to be watched. They are expected to be the #1's going into the season. Watch out for how they use Stewart and Lockridge this season, though. Lockridge has already shown that he has the ability to play at this level and could force himself into some good playing time situations. Last offseason, I speculated that Stewart could be a great option in the slot (because with his ability, CU had to find touches for him) and I feel the same way about Lockridge playing a dual role in this offense. The key for the Buffs is getting playmakers on the field and the ball in their hands. If used right, I think Lockridge can be that 5 - 8 times a game change of pace playmaker.

Top 3 Question Marks:

Youth - It is still a factor no matter how you cut it. Scott, Lockridge and Stewart are all sophomores, although very experienced sophomores. Even Sumler is still a junior. Stewart has shown he can handle the reins but will the Buffs be able to limit the growing pains of missed blocking assignments, etc?
Is Scott ready to be the man? For all intensive purposes, Scott is at his optimal playing weight, has an offseason to prepare for the upcoming season, should be recovered from injuries and has seen some of the lofty expectations fade with time. He is out of the "recruiting sites" spotlight as it is now on Bryce Brown from the 2009 class.Basically, it is just time for Darrell Scott to just play ball and I think that is what he thrives at.
Durability - whenever you mention running backs, you always have to look at the their durability. With this group, it is a valid question. Brian Lockridge medical redshirted last year due to a sports hernia, Rodney Stewart is coming off a knee injury that forced him to miss the last three games of the year and Darrell Scott seemed to have multiple nagging ankle/knee injuries all year. Stewart and Lockridge aren't the biggest guys on the field either. Was '08 just a bad luck year or will it be an ongoing problem?

First Game Depth Chart:
1. Darell Scott
2. Rodney Stewart
3. Demetrius Sumler