Brooks: All 'Speedy' Needed Was A Little Push

BOULDER - Football coaches need to be part psychologist, part drill sergeant, part priest, always knowing which button to push and when. This week's case in point is Darian Hagan, who as Colorado's running backs coach is dealing with a delicate situation - a couple of them, in fact.

To keep Rodney "Speedy" Stewart bouncing along at his current pace - just under a 118-yard average in his past four games - Hagan believes Stewart needs to know another CU back is gaining ground, closing the gap between backup and starter.

"That's all he needs - somebody on his heels to push him," Hagan said. "When he gets pushed, the best comes out of him."

A month ago, Stewart's pursuer was Brian Lockridge, a fellow junior who started in Stewart's place against Georgia and punched up a career-best 109 yards rushing. Stewart, by the way, responded with 106 in his unaccustomed "backup" role.

But the pusher - 'B-Lock' - suffered an ankle injury the next week at Missouri and recently underwent surgery that will sideline him for the rest of the season.

Enter Will Jefferson, a talented sophomore who played receiver last season because that's where the Buffs needed able bodies. With Lockridge shelved, Jefferson was needed at tailback. He debuted there last weekend against Baylor and, besides allowing the bouncing football to beat him into the end zone, was credible in his first game.

You should know this much about Jefferson: There might not be another harsher self-critic on the CU roster. He doesn't blink twice and forget about his mistakes. Late Saturday night and early Sunday morning he might have stopped just short of self-flagellation.

On Tuesday morning, he told me, "Yeah, I let go of it (his fumble) . . . the game's over. But I'm not going to forget that I fumbled; that's going to help me keep that ball high and tight. I'm never going to forget it. But I'll move on by it."

That's what Hagan needs from Jefferson to keep Stewart churning - Jefferson on Stewart's heels in practice, the position previously occupied by Lockridge. And Hagan believes Jefferson is up to doing that.

"'B-Lock's' out of the equation now, but you've seen what (Jefferson) can do," Hagan said. "He fumbled, unfortunately, but that dude hit the hole full speed and was out of the gate. He wanted it so bad that his ball security was all jacked up at the end of (the run).

"But he's a guy who can push (Stewart), too. He's explosive, he runs angry, he can stretch it - and he wants to be good. He's always been a running back; he's a guy who can help us."

I asked Hagan if appearances were correct, that Jefferson had moved to running back and immediately moved ahead of redshirt freshman Quentin Hildreth and senior Cory Nabors.

Here's how Hagan answered: "'Q' would fill in for 'Speedy' first in that (overall) role; he and Cory have to know everything - they're emergency guys. But with the specialized plays and the little bit of runs that we're giving Will, he doesn't have to think a lot, he can use his natural instincts. He can help right away. 'Q' and Cory can be effective, but right now they have to understand it's 'Speedy' and Will, then those two."

So while his acclimation to running back at this level continues, Jefferson fits best into a specialty role, although he contends learning the playbook from his new vantage point isn't a problem.

"As far as knowing what to do, that's not an issue," he said. "I know all my assignments. It's just that at running back you have to react, you can't think. It's all reaction and instinct to make it work. I guess that just takes time; I have to get used to it. So I'm hoping for a better showing this week."

Jefferson wound up with four carries for 36 yards against Baylor - not a bad showing despite the one bad error. On Monday afternoon, in an attempt to help Jefferson focus forward, Hagan planned to call Jefferson into his office and "give him a little gift."

Hagan reached to one side of his desk, grabbed a king-sized candy bar - right, a "Butterfinger" - and cackled. "It's just to let him know that everybody makes mistakes," he said. "It's his first week playing running back at the college level and he was forced to do it.

"Yeah, it would have been fine for him to get that touchdown and it probably would have helped us win the ball game. But at the same time, you can't be too hard on yourself. You have to worry about the next play. If you worry about the past you're going to keep making mistakes."

Before his fumble, Jefferson said he "probably would have given myself a 'C' grade . . . but after that I don't think it was a good performance at all. There are a lot of details I have to get down -- keeping the ball high and tight is the first thing, then just getting back into a running back feel, a running back rhythm."

Or, the kind of rhythm Stewart seems to have developed in the past month. Over the past four games he's averaged 22 carries, with his 30 against Baylor a season high and two shy of his career high (32 for 127 yards against Wyoming last season).

Coach Dan Hawkins said Stewart is most effective when "he's got a chip on his shoulder," and Stewart wouldn't disagree. In the Georgia game, he said, "'B-Lock' had never played as much as he did. I kinda did have a chip on my shoulder. But I just had to come in and do what I could to help the team."

Hagan attributed Stewart's productivity since the Georgia game to the player practicing better, paying more attention while watching tape and the heightened competition. Stewart claimed he wasn't doing that much differently, but noted his offensive linemen "are making good calls . . . they're doing a good job and letting me know where I need to be."

The Buffs rushed for 192 yards against Baylor and are averaging 155 - sixth in the Big 12 Conference. Texas Tech, which visits Folsom Field Saturday (1:30 p.m., no television), appears more susceptible to the pass (292.3 yards a game) than the run (142.5).

But Jefferson dismisses those stats, saying, "Whoever we play, every play in football is designed to work. It's all in how bad you want to do it. If we decide we want to run the football, that's what we can do. If we decide we want to throw the ball, that's what we can do . . . . It's all up to us. It doesn't really matter what the other team does."

That was a lesson, a hard lesson, he learned last weekend. Chances are good that he'll hold onto it (and the football) in games to come.

BUFF BITS: Hawkins said backup center Keenan Stevens was scheduled to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery Monday afternoon, prompting guard Blake Behrens to shift and become Mike Iltis' backup . . . . Corner Jimmy Smith (concussion) and defensive end Josh Hartigan (knee) didn't practice Tuesday but likely will be available Saturday . . . . True freshman safety Terrel Smith, a former redshirt candidate, is being prepared to play against the Red Raiders . . . . Hawkins said there is a possibility that defensive back Travis Sandersfeld (leg) could return . . . . Secondary coach Ashley Ambrose said the Baylor game "was our worst as far as tackling as a unit. We gave up too much yardage (543) because of missed tackles." . . . . About 9,000 tickets remain for CU's 96th homecoming game.