CU 'D' Primed For Mizzou's Dual Threat Dasher

BOULDER - It's not often that one player can control a game in any way he desires, but come Saturday, when the University of Colorado football team (3-6, 1-4 Big 12) faces the No. 22 Missouri Tigers (6-2, 2-2 Big 12), expect the CU defense to be ready for a twin-threat quarterback who always seems to make the big play when least expected.

Knowing they will soon face one of the top young talents in the nation, the Buffs remained focused Wednesday evening as they continued to prepare for Mizzou's electric sophomore Brad Smith. Anticipating a player who can beat defenses with his arm or legs, head coach Gary Barnett and his troops realize that they might not be able to stop Smith, however, they must contain him.

"Defensively, we have the challenge of probably (facing) the best running quarterback in the country," Barnett stated earlier in the week. "He makes a lot of big plays and most of those are in the scrambles. He's got a presence about him as I watch him. He's got great acceleration, but he just glides. He seems to control time and space as he's out there. The great athletes slow everything down and move they way they want to. He's just a real natural athlete."

Currently a sleeper in the Heisman Trophy race, Smith has racked up impressive numbers during the year. Averaging 317.4 yards of total offense over the last three games (162.7 pass and 154.7 rush), the 6-foot-3, 205-pounder ranks second in the Big 12 in both rushing and scoring (13 total touchdowns). After only 20 career games, he ranks fifth in MU's history of total offense (5,405 yards) and 10th in rushing with 1,880 yards. In the Tigers' most recent win over Texas Tech, Smith scampered for 291 yards and five touchdowns, adding 128 in the air.

"There is no question that he is a playmaker who can throw on you, or run it all over the place," safety Clyde Surrell commented on Wednesday. "He's a player that we have to expect anything from, and be ready to stop when he gets outside."

And that is exactly where Smith does the most damage to opponents ? on the perimeter. Though the Tigers usually don't run the option, they do execute many bootlegs, "nakeds" and rollout plays, according to Barnett. Noting that Smith will hardly drop back into pass formation, Barnett also said Smith thrives on third down, and isn't afraid to run the ball to gain big yardage.

"Third downs are critical for us in this game," said the fifth year head man. "There are going to be times where we get them into third and five or third and seven, and we can't let (Smith) convert those. Last year we contained him for three quarters, and then in the fourth quarter he got loose and all of a sudden they are back in the game."

In CU's 42-35 overtime win last season, Smith only ran for 49 yards on 16 attempts, as the Buffs defense complied five sacks during the day. Though he was shutdown in the run game, Smith finished the contest with 209 yards passing and two scores, energizing Mizzou's third quarter rally. Having experienced firsthand the versatility of Smith, the Buffs now see that they can't solely prepare for just the run or the pass too much.

"You can't rush him too hard or too fast," freshman safety Dominique Brooks said Wednesday. "(Smith) wants you to get pressure on him. That's what he likes and that's when he seems to make the biggest plays. We have a tough challenge in front of us that takes a lot of preparation for the entire defense."

But still, if push comes to shove, Barnett would prefer to zone in on Smith and stop his ground attack.
"If you had to say pick your poison, I'd say make him beat us throwing," Barnett added. "I think that Brad Smith is, if not the best quarterback in the country, maybe one of the top five quarterbacks in the country. He's what everybody is looking for."

Wednesday Practice Notes: Barnett said junior center Derek Stemrich (knee) should play in Saturday's game... Sophomore tight end Joe Klopfenstein, who missed last week with a nasty bout with the full, has lost about 15 pounds over the recovery period, but will play against Missouri. "He felt really good today, and he keeps getting better everyday."

The Buffs and Tigers will kick off from Folsom Field at 12:35 p.m. on Saturday, with no TV scheduled to carry the game.