Brooks: Buffs Are A House Divided - For One Day - University of Colorado Athletics

BOULDER - Think Saturday's spring football game and its made-for-fun format isn't being taken seriously by the Colorado Buffaloes?

Consider: It might have been an oversight by the "rules committee," but Gold team quarterback Tyler Hansen contends that prior to Wednesday afternoon's player draft, no one informed him or fellow captains B.J. Beatty, Keenan Stevens and Jalil Brown that Joe Silipo wouldn't snap for both teams.

This is a problem because Silipo, a converted defensive lineman, is one of only two long-snappers on the CU roster who get regular work in practice. Receiver Mario Conte is the other.

So in one of the draft's shrewder moves, the Black team brain trust - captains Cody Hawkins, Mike Iltis, Jimmy Smith and Michael Sipili - snapped up Silipo and Conte, leaving the Gold squad snapper-less. A couple of Gold offensive linemen were to have auditioned for the job on Thursday.

"Yeah, it's going to be an adventure," Gold coach Darian Hagan, who normally tutors the tailbacks/fullbacks, said of his team lining up in punt formation. "Those (Black captains) kind of outfoxed us in the draft room."

However, Hagan and his out-witted bunch received a late reprieve. Before Thursday's practice, the Black team's Conte (long snapper) and guard Ethan Adkins (short snapper) were identified for those temporary duties on the Gold team.

"We got a couple of loaners," Hagan said. "But it cost us (outside linebacker) David Goldberg."

Skullduggery of that sort and a couple of days of good-natured trash-talking aside, CU expects to end spring drills Saturday at Folsom Field (1:30 p.m., free admission) with a spirited, competitive and hopefully productive format that the players are fully behind.

"The locker room is a lot of fun right now," Hansen said.

Opposing Hagan as the Black team's head coach is offensive line boss Denver Johnson, who said the draft probably divided the squad as evenly as possible.

"We had some guys paired up (by position) so we guaranteed some parity," Johnson said. "I thought it kind of came out the way it should be, and the kids are fired up about it. It'll be a lot of fun."

Believe him or don't, but Hagan claimed players clamored to be drafted onto his team: "A lot of those guys, when they found out I was a head coach and Denver was a head coach, there were a lot of guys who wanted to play for me. That made me a little bit happy."

In Wednesday's draft - it went about an hour and was for players only, with the coaches listening on a speaker phone - the first pick was receiver Toney Clemons by the Gold. Offensive tackle Nate Solder went first to the Black team.

Schools conclude spring practices in a variety of ways. Head coach Dan Hawkins believes this format is preferable to those he's followed in each of his first four springs - matching the first offense against the second defense and vice versa, or conducting mostly situational work when his overall numbers were down.

"There's a lot of ways to approach it - sometimes scrimmages, sometimes the No. 1 O vs. No. 1 D, sometimes the best against the rest," Johnson said. "Then sometimes you divide it up like this, scatter everybody out and create two teams.

"I think there's an upside to all the different ways to do it. This way makes it a little bit more fun for the kids and a little more interesting.

"There's a part of you that would like to have the groups together and have the continuity and finish up the spring with a well-executed, well-orchestrated scrimmage situation. But I think for morale, spirits and esprit d' corps, this is pretty good. So we're excited about it."

Hagan also likes the approach, but said he wanted his squad to prepare for Saturday's game as if it were going to play Colorado State - CU's season-opening opponent (Sept. 4, Invesco Field at Mile High).

"This is the first opportunity for us to go out and test ourselves on the main stage, and I want my guys to understand it's not a joke, not all fun and games," he said. "We're playing against our teammates, but at the same time, a lot of these guys haven't played in front of our fans and not a lot football since high school. So it's an opportunity for them to interview."

And to prevent the levity from possibly overflowing, Hagan also wants his players to reflect on last season's opener, when CSU visited Folsom and left with a 23-17 victory. "I want them to remember the way those guys came in here, put it on us a little bit, danced on our field and took pictures that are probably hanging up in their football building like lasting memories," he said.

Game plans for Hagan's and Johnson's teams will be kept simple, but will still include a little wiggle room for trickery.

"We want to run our offense and defense and do the things we're going to do in the fall," Johnson said. "But a little spice here and there is probably a good thing, too. There's no embargo on trick plays, but maybe just a cap."

Added Hagan: "We'll have some room to do some razzle-dazzle stuff, some deception plays. But at the same time, we don't want to show a lot - in case some people are around. We do want to get after it, do our base offense and add a few things. But by and large, we want to protect our guys, simplify things and let the O-line play fast . . . and give everybody the confidence that we can play well together. You don't want sloppy football."

The teams will have to share Zach Grossnickle, left as the lone punter after a chronic hip problem sidelined Aric Goodman (he'll have surgery Friday). Grossnickle will be the placement specialist for the Black squad, while Marcus Kirkwood will kick for the Gold team.

With only two healthy tailbacks, there will have to be in-game adjustments if either Quentin Hildreth or Corey Nabors is sidelined. One option would be to use a tight end in a protection role for the quarterbacks and go to a mostly passing offense. Obviously, neither coach wants that.

The Black team drafted Hildreth ahead of Nabors, and Hagan plans to use that to motivate Nabors.

"Like I'm telling him, they drafted this guy (Hildreth) over you," Hagan said. "That's a slap in the face . . . especially for a guy like (Nabors). He doesn't play with a lot of fire, a lot of emotion in the first place. So when you get a chance to jack a guy up and twist his brain a little bit, you've got to do it."

For the first time this spring, quarterbacks are "live" - meaning they can be tackled. Both Hansen and Cody Hawkins contend they welcome it, with the more mobile Hansen saying his defense was stocked with better pass rushers and, "I think I can escape their pass rush. I'm excited about it."

So is Sipili, a Black team linebacker who figures to give chase to Hansen. "I love it," Sipili said.

Cody Hawkins believes the quarterbacks being live "adds an extra element to it and gives the offense better looks . . . it'll be great to get that experience."

At least that's the plan. Dan Hawkins, who will exercise "quality control" from a spot on the sidelines, admitted he wasn't too keen on the idea. However, he bowed to the wishes of his staff and undoubtedly will spend much of the afternoon with his fingers crossed.

In last year's spring game, in which the QBs were off-limits, Hansen suffered a broken thumb. "You're always apprehensive," Dan Hawkins said.

The game will feature four 10-minute quarters, a 20-minute halftime and a 25/40-second play clock. Several rules have been tweaked: On punts, no more than four players can rush the punter, while no rushing is permitted on field goals.

Other rules include the ball being marked down where the returner catches the ball or it is blown dead; there will be no kickoff returns (ball spotted at the 20-yard line); if the receiving team is behind, the ball is spotted at the 30; if an overtime period is necessary, it will be played.

Hansen, in a dead heat with Cody Hawkins for the starting QB spot, believes the game's format will enhance competition and is a more enjoyable way for the players to conclude spring practice.

"Talking to the guys, I feel like we'll get more out of it," he said. "You get the same amount of work in, the same plays you'll usually work on in the spring game. But I think this way, it's more competitive, more fun and guys are going to be into it as opposed to just another scrimmage. This way you're competing against guys who are your roommate, guys you see every day.

"Obviously, both teams want to win. But we want to end spring on a good note and be competitive - have some good things happen on both sides of the ball. There are some things that both teams are stirring up a little bit, just to be creative. We're going to go out and have some fun."

Within reason, of course, said Johnson: "We still want to go out and have it be a legitimate practice opportunity and a legitimate opportunity to advance our football team."

In CU spring games during the Bill McCartney era, the winners were served steak dinners by the losers, who ate beans and franks. Dan Hawkins declined to say if that practice was being resurrected, but did note, "One team could go hungry."

BUFF BITS: Working in shorts and helmets, the Black and Gold teams conducted separate practices Thursday. The Gold team worked outside, the Black team inside the practice bubble, with its practice lasting about 30 minutes longer . . . . Several 2010 signees visited Thursday's practice, including punter/placekicker Justin Castor (Arvada West) . . . . For the first time this spring, Cody Hawkins spoke with beat writers after Thursday's practice. He said he has remained silent so some of his teammates would have an opportunity to be interviewed, adding he was concentrating on improving his game . . . . Saturday's schedule starts with Healthy Kids Day, which begins at 11 a.m. at Folsom Field. All events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit CUBuffs.com/springgame.

Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU