University of Colorado Athletics
Brooks: Canty Learning To Hit Brakes, Accelerator
October 12, 2011 | Football, B.G. Brooks
BOULDER - It's difficult to label a receiver as being too fast, but if a wideout winds up too far ahead of his quarterback's plans, he might as well have stayed at the line of scrimmage. It's a lesson Keenan Canty is learning on the fly.
On pass patterns, it's all about controlled speed, and the Colorado redshirt freshman appears fast enough to complete a couple of routes on a single play. It's not that he's out of control, he's just, well, superfast.
Memo to Canty from quarterback Tyler Hansen: "Downshift, dude."
Said Hansen: "He's fast, real fast; he can fly and he runs good routes. But sometimes he's too fast. He's coming out of breaks before me, before I'm at the top of my drop . . . sometimes he gets too deep on routes. But he's a good receiver; he's going to be a good player down the road."
On the road last weekend at Stanford, CU got its first significant game-time glimpses of Canty. Opening in place of injured Paul Richardson, Canty made his first career reception on the game's first play in his first career start. Nice opening act - three catches for 23 yards - for the diminutive (5-9, 155 pounds) kid from Louisiana.
In high school (Edna Karr in New Orleans), Canty never was told he was too fast. That's probably because he relied on his speed more than precise routes and could easily separate himself from high school defensive backs. Plus, he and best bud Benton "Munchie" Legaux, Edna Karr's quarterback and an initial CU commit with Canty in 2009, were a hard-to-defend tandem.
But things -- primarily DBs - have changed at the college level. And Canty concedes slowing down "is tough because I kind of run straight through my routes . . . I just have to work on slowing down in my breaks and getting a little more separation with the defender. Certain routes are set for a certain pace and I might be the last read for the quarterback."
Canty and Legaux, a big (6-3) athletic QB, wound up going in different directions. Canty honored his commitment to CU, but his friend was wooed away by Cincinnati, where he was shifted to receiver for depth purposes last season but has since returned to quarterback and is now the Bearcats' backup. "We talk about once a week," Canty said.
When Canty arrived in Boulder summer before last, his desire for knowledge was as evident as his speed. "I remember his first time in seven-on (seven) in the summer, 'Kee' was one of those guys who just wanted to learn," said senior receiver Kyle Cefalo.
"Scotty (McKnight) and myself - he was in our ears the whole time, asking questions about route running. I knew he was going to eventually get his opportunity. He's very fast and has good hands, great skills, and he's got that will to work."
Cefalo, who was sidelined at Stanford with an elbow injury but will be back for Saturday's game at Washington (1:30 p.m. MDT, Root Sports), said he wasn't surprised to see Canty to step up as he did in his first start: "It was awesome - but it's what I expected after seeing him in practice for a couple of years now. I was really, really happy for him.
"He's definitely a runner . . . you watch him out there, he's natural - long strides and can get out there. But, yeah, he needs to focus on the top of his breaks, sticking his routes . . . it tells the quarterback when he can throw it."
With leading receiver Richardson out for at least a couple of more games and Cefalo out for the last one, position coach Bobby Kennedy needed Canty and senior Logan Gray to ratchet up their efforts. For the most part, both responded, with Gray making three consecutive catches for 38 yards.
Gray, said Kennedy, "is doing well, giving a good effort every day. He had a drop he shouldn't have had, but he's made plays for us. He's made plays in the two-minute situations and he's got really good hands. I see him coming on."
Kennedy said Canty "has got a better feel for things now . . . but I've told him the only way to get better is to build on what he's done so far. I've talked with him about playing another (receiver) position when Paul comes back. The only way for me to do that is to get more confidence in him, so he has to go out and do it."
Canty plans on doing that. He believes he's acclimated fairly well to the offensive changes to a pro-style system and has done enough in the weight room to increase his durability despite his size. "I try my hardest in weight room," he said. "I know I'm a small player, but I don't let that bother me. I feel like every game I'm going out and playing my hardest - and that should be enough."
After Richardson's injury in practice last week, Canty spoke with him and Kennedy about the situation, the circumstances and what was expected in the next several weeks.
"You practice hard, get your 'reps' in," Canty said. "(Kennedy) tells us to take advantage of our practices because you never know what's going to happen in a game. Just like with Paul going down in practice last week, (Kennedy) came up to me and was like, 'It's your time, time to step up.'"
Canty did, but he and Kennedy know there are more steps to be taken.
WHAT ARE YOU PLAYING FOR? The Buffs are 1-5 overall, 0-2 in the Pac-12 Conference. They're technically still in the postseason picture, but they would have to win six of their final seven games to finish with seven victories - a postseason win requirement because of their 13-game schedule.
CU's only win came four weeks against Colorado State, and coach Jon Embree said while there is disappointment among his players and staff about the three-game losing streak, an upbeat attitude remains. He said his assistant coaches have "done a good job keeping (players) focused on the task at hand, keeping them motivated and energized.
"The seniors understand how the clock is running and . . . having young guys playing, it's their first time going through it and there's still excitement on their part. That's a good blend.
"But the key to that is what you have to play for . . . what's your motivation? Obviously teams that have a lot to play are going to continue to improve. Teams that feel like all their goals and what they set out to do can't be obtained, so that has a large part to do with it . . .
"It also depends on what their circumstances are - if it's injuries and guys feel like we can't win because we don't have Player X, or if guys look at it like, 'OK, we're going to play for him until he comes back.' There's a lot of different things that go into it, but ultimately it comes down to what are you playing for."
Embree said it was his experience that a senior class doesn't begin reflecting on careers until about mid-November: "When I think back to my senior year, I really don't think you start reflecting on it until your last couple of games. Then you realize it's about to be over. We've got seven games left, we've played six. I don't think they've gotten to that point where they're reminiscing yet.
"I haven't seen any seniors check it in, haven't seen any senior go out there and not play with maximum effort."
And Hansen expects that type of effort for the next seven weeks: "We're still playing football. It hasn't gone like anyone has wanted it to so far, but we're still playing the game we love. We've grown up and taken the punches together. It's a big group and we're close. Hopefully these last seven games we can get some good positive experiences."
RARE PAIR MADE IN ASPEN: For all of Aspen's other attributes, pumping out Division I football players hasn't yet made the renowned mountain town's highlight reel. The first two were walk-ons on the CU roster.
David Goldberg now is a senior defensive end, David Clark a senior offensive lineman. Both have earned a couple of letters, Goldberg as a regular defensive contributor, Clark as a diligent special teamer and O-line scout teamer.
"I view it as a huge personal accomplishment, and most people back home think it's a pretty cool thing. Until recently it didn't carry the weight that it does in other places," Clark said of their rare Aspen football roots spreading to an FBS school.
"Our high school had won six games in four years; we didn't exactly have a great record, so football didn't mean much," said Clark, who won the coaches' Joe Romig Award last spring as the most improved offensive lineman. "Actually, the year we left, the team went 9-1. Now, (football) is getting a lot cooler."
RE-RUN THE TAPE; WATCH THE QB RUN: Starting with Hawaii's Bryant Moniz, CU has faced its share of mobile quarterbacks. Or as senior safety Anthony Perkins noted, "That seems to be the theme of the season."
The theme continues as the Buffs prepare for UW sophomore Keith Price, who doesn't have sparkling rushing stats - 27 carries, 4 net yards after subtracting sack yardage - but still is elusive enough to extend plays and frustrate a defense. Price's QB efficiency rating (173.7) trails only Stanford's Andrew Luck (182.3) in the Pac-12. Price has completed 97-of-142 passes for 1,209 yards and 17 touchdowns against only four interceptions.
Said Perkins: "He does a great job of using his feet to make plays, finding his open receivers. But his biggest asset is being able to make plays on the run."
Embree also likes Price's demeanor: "He's got a great mindset. Whether he fumbles the ball in the pocket or throws an interception, he comes right back. That's a great attribute to have as a young quarterback. He's replacing (former UW QB) Jake Locker, and there's a lot of things going on around that - the pressure living up to it. But (Price) seems comfortable doing what he does best and not forcing things."
FOCUS ON YOUR JOB ONLY: Placekicker Will Oliver has had field goal attempts blocked in consecutive games, with pressure coming from the right side of his line against Washington State and up the middle against Stanford.
Embree said "some changes" have been made on that special team, but attributed the block by Cardinal linebacker Max Bergen to an inside blocking mistake: "You always block down, block the inside gap. That kid's been reliable; he just made a mistake."
Many of the Buffs' errors, said Embree, stem from his players "trying to do too much . . . that's one of the biggest culprits. They just want to win so badly, they're trying to do extra and it hurts you."
He said he's spoken with the team about concentrating on completing individual assignments and trusting in teammates to do their jobs. "That's what we have to do," he said. "No one is going to play a perfect game - I've never played or coached a perfect game, no one has."
BUFF BITS: Embree said tailback-turned-corner Brian Lockridge remains out this week with an ankle injury . . . . CU's travel roster for Seattle will include several scout teamers who have earned their way on a road trip. Among the travelers will be true freshman tailback Malcolm Creer, whose running caught Embree's eye during Tuesday's practice. Creer, a 5-11, 205-pounder from Los Angeles, was assigned the role of UW's Chris Polk - and Creer apparently performed it well . . . . Creer has not appeared in a game thus far in 2011, and Embree said the plan to redshirt him remains solid. Asked if there was even an outside chance Creer might play, Embree joked, "'EB' (Eric Bieniemy) would go in before him."
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
