Colorado University Athletics
Brooks: Adkins' O-Line Play, Durability Underrated
October 21, 2011 | Football, B.G. Brooks
BOULDER - Ethan Adkins' football resume at Colorado speaks well of his durability: nine starts as a sophomore in 2009, every snap at left guard in the final 10 games of 2010 and seven starts at that position in seven games this season.
But that seventh start, which came last weekend at Washington, is the one that left offensive line coach Steve Marshall fairly astonished.
In CU's game at Stanford the previous Saturday, a well-timed blitz by a Cardinal linebacker "blew up" Buffs tailback Rodney Stewart near the line of scrimmage.
Stewart absorbed the crash, but Adkins was part of the collateral damage.
Game tape, said Marshall, showed Adkins being hit at near knee level and his legs bending in ways that legs don't normally bend. He stayed in the game until the fourth quarter, replaced then by freshman Paulay Asiata.
As for the following week in practice - the run-up to the UW trip - Adkins was a non-participant. "He took a hell of a shot; I didn't see any way we'd have him," Marshall said. "We thought we'd lost him."
But on the Buffs' first offensive series, there was the quietly consistent and durable Adkins at left guard.
"He bounced back and played one of his better games," said Marshall. "I call him 'The Plastic Man' because he puts himself into some unbelievable positions. But he always seems to come out of them OK. He's got some durability - he's one of those kinds of guys."
Adkins, a Douglas County High School product who was ranked as the No. 30 guard nationally when he signed with CU in 2007, might be the Buffs' most unsung three-year starter in a decade or so. But that status, according to Marshall, appears ready to change.
"He's been a big, big surprise . . . I've been very pleased with his progress throughout the year," said Marshall, no overnight evaluator of O-line talent. "He's gotten better and better and has been consistent - and he's played against some pretty talented guys and held up solidly."
In a CU season overrun by the injury bug, Adkins says he's "been lucky," but he also has taken precautionary measures - primarily increasing the amount of stretching he's done and working on improving his flexibility. That's undoubtedly why Marshall has been able to affix "The Plastic Man" tag.
"The stretching definitely has helped," said Adkins, a 6-4, 295-pounder. "I'm also doing the cold tubs as much as I can and getting to rehab after games. But I've been lucky, too . . .
"I think I've had a fairly good season. I know Coach Marshall was telling me I've been getting a couple of looks from NFL guys, so I'm happy about that. I feel like I've been playing well and I've been playing smart, I think."
The NFL has been a life-long goal for Adkins, whose 66 finish/knockdown blocks last season were third among CU's O-linemen, trailing only tackle Nate Solder (New England's No. 1 draft choice) and current right guard Ryan Miller, also an NFL prospect.
"Scouts come in and evaluate everybody . . . Ryan (Miller) has gotten a lot of publicity and rightly so," Marshall said. "But those guys (scouts) come back and say, 'Tell me about 63 (Adkins).' Whether he gets drafted or is a free agent, I think he's helped himself and put himself into a position to get a shot. He's a 295 guy, so he'll probably have to be a center or guard, a swing guy.
"But he's a smart guy and understands concepts. He's tough and he's played the game at a high level here. I think he's got to finish strong, but he's in a position to at least be evaluated for the next level."
Miller, who attended Columbine, has known of Adkins since high school, when they competed against one another. "Very tough guy who plays extremely hard," Miller said. "And he's very underrated. He's a guy who comes to work every day and does what he needs to do. He isn't appreciated enough. He's been a solid foundation in the offensive line around here."
Through seven games, the Buffs' running game hasn't been as productive as Marshall and the new offensive staff had hoped. CU is averaging 89.9 ground yards a game - 11th in the Pac-12 Conference. Part of the Buffs' problem has been continually playing from behind, abandoning most game plans and going into a catch-up (passing) mode.
"It's a shame the game got out of hand a little bit the other day (at Washington) because I thought we played our best football game in a lot of ways offensively," Marshall said. "We had a great plan against them. When you get behind, you've got to throw it and do what you got to do. All we can do is keep doing little things to keep getting little victories to make big victories."
CU (1-6, 0-3) faces No. 9 Oregon (5-1, 3-0) Saturday at Folsom Field (1:30 p.m., Root Sports). The Ducks feature a 3-4 defensive front that Marshall and Adkins call deceptively good; Oregon isn't among the Pac-12's statistical defensive leaders, ranking 10th in rushing defense and 11th in total defense. But, there is a reason.
"When you have an offense as powerful as theirs (48.7 points, 539 total yards a game), you can have a great defense but you don't necessarily have to have the best defense," Adkins said. "I think that's behind those stats."
Added Marshall: "Their defense is on the field for 80-85 snaps a game, but that's more because of their offense than a lack of ability. They score in a 1:23, 1:42 . . . their offense is fast-paced and scores so fast. They've got a talented defense and have been for a while - good players who are very athletic and move around.
"In a close game, that's a pretty good defense. You turn on the LSU game - they hung in there with LSU for a long period of time (before losing 40-27 in the opener) . . . These guys were good last year; they played for the national championship so they should be good."
A 30-plus point underdog, CU's best chance for a seismic upset is to find its ground game, control the clock and avoid falling behind early. "Hopefully, we can move the ball on them," Adkins said. "I know we'll hit some guys and try. We just have to keep plugging away at (the running game). As an offensive line, we pretty much know what to do. We've just got to tweak one thing here or there, and we'll eventually start to get it going."
If CU does hit the ignition on its ground game, it will be without leading rusher Stewart, who could be out four weeks with a knee injury. Redshirt freshman Tony Jones will start at tailback, and Adkins is among the offensive players who believe Jones' "north-south" running ability will benefit the Buffs.
"The big difference is that Tony is more 'north-south,' but I think Tony is also a little impatient at times with the reads," Adkins said. "Other than that, they're virtually interchangeable as far as being able to hit the hole and gain four or five yards.
"(Oregon) plays a three-down front and has got three fairly big guys there. I think their strength is on the outside with their two big 'backers - but they've got speed all the way around, that's for sure."
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
