Colorado University Athletics
Brooks: Buffs Set Sights On Sun Devils, Pac-12 South
October 25, 2011 | Football, B.G. Brooks
BOULDER - With four North Division foes finally in their rearview mirror, the Colorado Buffaloes now look South for their final five Pac-12 Conference opponents.
And when they look at No. 23 Arizona State, the Buffs can't help but see quarterback Brock Osweiler, who at 6-8 has little difficulty seeing his passing lanes, and linebacker Vontaze Burfict, whose reputation for ferocity apparently is well-deserved. After perusing the ability of both on tape for the last several days, CU coach Jon Embree gets a field-level view on Saturday afternoon in Sun Devil Stadium (4:30 p.m. MDT).
Osweiler, said Embree on Tuesday, "is impressive . . . he's all of 6-8." Embree's first glimpse of the junior QB came in July at Pac-12 media day in Los Angeles. "Seeing him and some of those other quarterbacks . . . it was like a basketball team walking around there," he said.
Osweiler, a junior from Kalispell, Montana, is second in the Pac-12 in total offense, with 294.7 yards a game. Of that total, 281.1 come from passing; he's completed 171-of-258 for 2,006 yards and 15 touchdowns (eight interceptions).
Plus, noted Embree, Osweiler "runs well; it's a testament to his athleticism . . . he probably should be playing basketball; I wish he was. He does a good job when he runs; he doesn't just take off and leave the pocket."
Osweiler's 50 carries are ASU's second-most this season, behind tailback Marshall Cameron (122 for 518 yards). Osweiler has gained 195 yards rushing, but he's lost 100 of that total - mostly on sack yardage. ASU QBs have been sacked 18 times this season.
ASU's top receivers are Jamal Miles (33 receptions-215 yards, 4 TDs), Gerrell Robinson (32-523, 4) and Aaron Pflugrad (28-389, 4).
Embree believes Burfict is currently the Pac-12's most dominant defensive player - and Burfict's numbers offer strong backup material. The 6-3, 250-pound junior's 36 total tackles are third on the team, but he leads ASU in tackles for loss (5.5) and quarterback sacks (4.0). He also has made one interceptions, broken up three passes and defended four more.
Burfict has been called "the meanest man in college football," with one Pac-12 coach terming him "deliciously violent" in a Sporting News story. In the same article, an NFL scout says Burfict's temperament is "what you get after you kick Ray Lewis' dog."
Embree isn't that theatrical, merely calling Burfict "the straw that stirs the drink . . . if it moves he's going to hit it." But Embree said Burfict's reputation will be "conveyed to our team. Don't be out there jogging around or relaxing, thinking the play's over. He plays to the echo of the whistle. I love his passion and intensity level. You can tell it's important to him. I think he's a heck of a player."
As a freshman (2009), Burfict gained notoriety after pushing an official in a game against Georgia when the Bulldogs were going for it on fourth-and-inches. Burfict's intent allegedly was to stop the play. Detractors in the Pac-12 claim he's had questionable hits on players, but Embree says Burfict's ferocity - and nothing he's done that some deem questionable - has fostered the player's reputation.
"When you hit someone hard in the mouth, that's what will intimidate them," Embree said. "And that's what he does. All the things that have happened with him - there's way more good than that. I don't see him as a player that's defined by some of the other things; I see him as a player that's defined by how he gets after you."
Embree also has been impressed by the guys who line up in front of Burfict, calling ASU's defensive front very physical. He's been especially impressed by the intensity of left defensive end Davon Coleman, a 6-3, 262-pound sophomore who has 25 tackles (1.5 for loss, 0.5 QB sacks).
The Sun Devils are 5-2 overall, having lost 17-14 at Illinois in September and 47-21 at now-No. 7 Oregon on Oct. 15 - their last game before Saturday's homecoming contest. ASU has beaten South Division foes USC (43-22) and Utah (35-14), and an Oct. 1 win against Oregon State (35-20) puts the Sun Devils at 3-1 and atop the South.
SENIORS TRICKLING IN TO TALK: Embree said his seniors are "in the process of coming in" to talk with him about their goals to finish the season. "I'm pleased with what I've been hearing so far," he said, adding there has been talk of leaving a legacy of "showing the younger players how to win" and making this season's final five games "a springboard to 2012. "And the road issue (a 21-game losing streak away from Boulder) - that's something that's still important. It's important to have the right guys in the locker room. It's been some varying things, but the one common theme is they still want to win, they still want to prepare and they still want us to coach them hard and work them hard. And that's what we'll continue to do."
CAN'T GET ANY YOUNGER: Embree has played 15 true freshmen and doesn't plan on playing any more unless there even more dire circumstances arise. "We're about where we are," he said. "I'm not going to burn any more shirts for one game or a few plays. If any more freshmen play, it's because they have to play. It has to be a situation of an injury, or the depth is such that they'll get a lot of quality reps. We'll still play the guys that give us the best chance to win. We're not going to forsake everybody and throw in the young guys."
CAN'T LOOK AT MANY JC GUYS: No news flash here, but CU historically has had a difficult time recruiting junior college prospects. Embree "would like to in some situations, but they would have to be able to do the work academically . . . (but) because of what we are as an academic institution, it makes it a little more difficult to get in," he said.
That's because CU doesn't offer physical education courses and doesn't accept D's on transfers' transcripts. Other schools aren't working under those restrictions. Also, many JC players want to enroll in January in order to participate in spring drills - and doing that requires extra work to get admitted.
CU being a traditionally difficult place for JC players to land "affects you," Embree admitted. "You'd like to have some D-linemen, JC guys. Usually that's the commodity that takes some time to develop. That's the position, the inside guys, where you'd like full-grown men, so to speak. Playing young guys you'll have some growing pains there."
However, Embree said when he accepted the CU job last December, "I understood what the JC piece was all about." Having to "chase" players into class, he said, is not worth it in the long run: "If academics are a distraction to the kid, he's not going to be productive on the field either."
Embree's experience with JC players during his stint at UCLA was even more difficult. "Nearly impossible," he said. "To get a JC guy in there was a rarity. I think we took two while were there and both were unique situations. I think they have one committed right now."
Making it even more frustrating for the Bruins, he noted, are the number of California junior colleges - El Camino, Mt. Sac, College of the Canyons - that turn out top-tier prospects.
NOT A LOST WEEKEND, DESPITE THE SCORE: The 45-2 loss to Oregon notwithstanding, CU's recruiting weekend for the Oregon game was a success, Embree said. He called it a "great recruiting weekend" and said fans' reaction played a huge role in making it happen.
Embree said fans "have a tremendous impact" on CU revamping its program: "The fact they did what they did for the Oregon game and how they were at the Stampede (Friday night) and after the game goes a long ways. Kids do see opportunity here . . . the questions they need answered in their minds are, 'Is there support here? Do the fans want to win? Are they behind the team?'"
When prospects are able to answer yes to those questions, "That's going to help us put together a tremendous recruiting class," Embree said. He expects to have 28 available scholarships and plans on using that many.
BUFF BITS: Embree said senior starter Tyler Hansen (concussion) continues to show daily improvement, but redshirt freshman Nick Hirschman will continue to get "reps" with the No. 1 offense at quarterback. "Nick will continue to prepare like he's the guy - you need to prepare like that all the time. Obviously, you're one play away - especially at that position. This will be good experience for Nick in how to prepare." . . . . After Week 3 of the season, Embree said he stopped disputing officiating with the Pac-12 office, preferring to spend his time helping the Buffs prepare for upcoming games. "It doesn't do you any good," he said. "I prepare and get on to the next one . . . you can't go back and fix what's happened. I would rather focus on trying to help us win." Embree doesn't believe "anything's happened maliciously to our players, I don't feel like we've been unduly officiated. Officiating is the least of our worries." . . . . The Buffs play 13 consecutive games - no byes. Embree said that won't happen next season and in seasons to come: "It just ended up being the perfect storm (this season) - changing conferences and all that other stuff . . . In the future I'm sure our guys will think the season's a lot easier having byes and not playing as many games." . . . . Embree on Tebow Mania: "I'm just glad that's all going on, because that means less questions for me." . . . . A question Embree asks his recruits is what are their favorite and least favorite high school classes. If their least favorite class features the most demanding teacher, a red flag goes up: "It says a lot about them . . . that lets you know that maybe he's not right for this program if he wants someone who's always going to let him have the easy way out." . . . . A quote from Herm Edwards that has stuck with Embree: "Do you love football, or do you love what football gives to you?" Said Embree: "If you love what football gives to you, you're not going to last." . . . . In recruiting, said Embree, "Stars don't mean anything." But he was quick to add that, if nothing else, a number of "five-star" recruits in a class mean that a school is making headway with the alleged best prospects. Embree said it would be intriguing to see recruiting classes ranked in the star system four years after signing day . . . . Tuesday was the 25th anniversary of CU's 20-10 victory against Nebraska (Oct. 25, 1986). It was Embree's senior year, and of his game against the third-ranked Cornhuskers he said, "I had a good enough game to help the Buffaloes beat Nebraska." It was the Buffs' first win against the Big Red in 18 seasons - a "signature win" for CU football. "You can get upsets here and there, but when you finally beat a program like that . . . that game set it in motion," Embree said, calling it "the most significant win" in his CU playing career.
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
