Colorado University Athletics
Brooks: Ducks' Speed, Rippy's Absence Concern Buffs
October 19, 2011 | Football, B.G. Brooks
BOULDER - There's only so much a scout team offense can do - particularly when it's trying to emulate the warp-speed option attack run by No. 9 Oregon.
However, Colorado Coach Jon Embree gave his scout guys props on Wednesday afternoon for doing a credible job in masquerading as the blink-and-they're-gone Ducks: "We got a good look from our scout team; it went well today."
Embree, who is preparing the Buffs for the Ducks' visit on Saturday to Folsom Field (1:30 p.m., Root Sports), admitted Oregon's offense is "a little bit" difficult to simulate.
But he added, "It's really just option football when it comes down to it. We just run two huddles at them (defense) to try and simulate the speed. Then it's really about being gap and assignment conscious . . . you get used to it - as well as you could in a week."
Perhaps the CU defense's bigger adjustment comes in determining who (or how many) will play in place of injured middle linebacker Doug Rippy, the team's leading tackler (62) who is out for the season with a knee injury.
"I know we're looking at a few guys, a few different scenarios," Embree said. "It will probably depend on (Oregon's) personnel package and what we end up doing. So it won't ultimately wind up being just a one-man deal."
"Doug's hard to replace . . . we just have to move on and do the best we can," said junior outside linebacker Jon Major. "Everybody has to step up."
Embree echoed Major's assessment on the difficulty of replacing Rippy: "That's why it'll take more than one guy to do it. We'll have to fill his shoes as best we can. That's always the case when someone goes down . . . maybe Rippy will be the new Wally Pipp."
Freshman Woodson Greer III could be part of the replacement corps, Embree said, calling the 6-3, 235-pound Greer "very physical. When he hits you, you go backwards. He finishes tackles very well, he runs good. Obviously he's green from the standpoint of seeing some things here and there, but I think he's going to be a very good player for us. He's a load."
In light of Rippy's departure, one bit of good news for the defense is the return of "jack" linebacker Josh Hartigan, who was held out of last weekend's Washington game for precautionary measures after experiencing shoulder/neck soreness.
Hartigan said CU's defense, which has yielded an average of 50 points in the past two games and given up 1,000-plus yards in total offense, "needs to take every week at a time, step-by-step, play-by-play. We need to get back to what we were doing; we definitely need to stop the run, start holding people in the running game, get them to go to the passing game. We had a lot of sacks, so you have to be able to stop (teams) in their primary game plan in order to open some things up for us."
Stopping Oregon's primary game plan would mean stifling a running game that averages 315 yards and is No. 5 nationally (first in the Pac-12).
"It's important every week, but we know they've got good backs, good receivers, their quarterback is good . . . they've got good backups and everybody is fast," Hartigan said. "We knew coming in this was going to be a track meet, we were going to have to be in shape and run the whole game. I think we're ready.
"They want to spread you out, then they're looking for the crease or the mistake. And they have the speed on the edges to do those things. It's assignment football, so hopefully everybody is able to do their jobs. If everybody does that, then there's nowhere for them to go, nothing for them to do. We know what we've got to do."
The Ducks, who also are fifth nationally in total offense (539 yards a game) and third in scoring (48.7 points), lost their opener 40-27 to LSU, which since has climbed to No. 1. Oregon lost to another SEC team - Auburn - in the 2010 BCS National Championship game.
The common thread in both defeats was physical play. The Buffs believe following that blueprint (and playing an almost flawless game assignment-wise on defense) could help them spring what would be the college season's biggest upset to date.
The Ducks' overall speed, said Major, "is what they were recruited for and it's been their scheme for the last few years. They've gotten the guys they wanted. This is not really a physical, old-school opponent . . . they want to take you where they want you to go, seal you off and let their athletes find the hole - then do what they do best."
INJURY UPDATE: Embree said cornerback Travis Sandersfeld practiced Wednesday and "looked good out there . . . really good. We'll see what the soreness factor is and make a judgment on what's best for him. If it's this week, it's this week, if not he should be ready to go for next week."
He also said he anticipated having defensive backs Ray Polk and Jason Espinoza, who showed concussion symptoms following the Washington game. However, a final decision likely won't be come until Thursday after they have been cleared according to concussion protocol.
"I'll be surprised if we didn't have at least one of them," Embree said.
Polk, a senior safety, also has a cracked sternum and a wrist injury (ligaments) that could require post-season surgery. Said Embree: "Yeah, but he has a lot of heart . . . if you have one of those, it doesn't matter, right? He has one. He's a tough kid with a big heart."
RECRUITS VISITING THIS WEEKEND: CU will host several 2012 prospects, and Embree said the visitors will "get a chance to see what opportunity awaits them if they choose to be a Buffalo. So we're excited to have them in. Those are some guys we feel can definitely help us."
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
