Brooks: Buffs See Pressure On Carr As Key Saturday

BOULDER - Fresno State's offensive line protects Derek Carr like he was worth millions of dollars - and very soon he might be. But Carr's return for a fifth year on campus already has paid off nicely for the unbeaten Bulldogs, who are hovering just outside the Top 25 in both major college football polls.

Carr, the 2012 Offensive Player of the Year in the Mountain West Conference, has been sacked once in two games this season. A sports hernia - he underwent corrective surgery in January - limited his mobility last season and helped contribute to 27 sacks.

None of them were registered by Colorado and Carr took advantage of that feeble pressure, throwing for 300 yards and five touchdowns in the first half of the Bulldogs' 69-14 mauling of the Buffs. With a new cast of coaches and a new defensive scheme, CU is hoping an increase in pressure will lead to a decrease in Carr's numbers when he visits Folsom Field on Saturday (12:05 p.m., Pac-12 Network).

"If we don't get pressure on him, he'll throw for a thousand yards on us," said Tyler Henington, a sophomore defensive tackle. "He's a heck of a quarterback. He'll hurt you with his feet, but he's definitely a great thrower . . . a great weapon. We've been harping on keeping him contained and trying to get pressure on him. We know how he can be if you don't."

Added freshman defensive end Jimmie Gilbert: "You give the quarterback years to throw the ball and any defense can get beat. We're really working on the pass rush and collapsing the pocket and trying to contain."

In their first two wins, the Buffs' pass rush has been adequate but not what defensive line coach Jim Jeffcoat hopes for against Carr. CU has registered three sacks and eight quarterback pressures, with Gilbert, end Juda Parker and linebacker Addison Gillam accounting for the sacks. Last season's sack leader - end Chidera Uzo-Diribe with seven - has a team-best three QB pressures.

Getting his line's pass rush up to speed, said Jeffcoat, is "a learning process for them. They're learning what we want and how we want it. It's different from what they've done in the past. There's going to be some bumps, but I'm not worried about that. But as the season progresses they'll get better and better at what we're trying to do."

A 10-player rotation in the D-line has helped Jeffcoat keep his players fresh - a huge factor in a game like Saturday's when keeping pressure on Carr will be paramount. "No doubt," Jeffcoat said. "We've actually used more (than eight players in the rotation). The goal is to keep guys fresh and active . . . and that's very important this week going against a tempo offense."

Henington acknowledged the advantages of staying fresh with a rotation system, but also said CU's revamped off-season conditioning program has made all the D-linemen capable of playing faster and harder for longer periods.

"Honestly, I have not been tired," he said. "First off, we're in great shape, and then with the rotation I don't know if any of our guys get tired. We can go 100 percent for three or four plays and get a sub in. We'd like to just come in waves. That's kind of how our defensive line works - just come in waves at the quarterback."

And that, he added, "is really important when you're going against a team that throws a lot. You want to keep fresh bodies in there, maybe tire out those offensive linemen and keep us fresh so we're going 100 percent every play."

After two games, Uzo-Diribe tops the play count among the D-linemen with 127. Next are tackles Josh Tupou (107) and Nate Bonsu (99), with seven other linemen seeing from two (end De'Jon Wilson) to 64 (Gilbert) snaps. Gilbert admitted that being in on that many plays has been somewhat of a surprise.

"To be honest, coming in I was debating whether to redshirt or not because of my body size," he said. "I was wondering if I could help the team given my size (6-4, 220 pounds)."

But with help from CU's upperclassmen, Gilbert caught on quickly. "The older guys gave me confidence, helped me pick up the stuff during summer," he said. "I got to camp and things clicked a little bit for me."

But he still says his pass-rushing abilities "can use a lot of work. There are times when I feel it's just crap and times when I feel like, 'OK, I get this, but at the same time I need to do this better.' It's all in the building process."

By the time he's a junior, Gilbert hopes to weigh 245. Jeffcoat says that's a realistic goal, but adds he's more interested now in how Gilbert plays at 220: "Getting bigger comes with age. I'm not worried about that right now - only about him showing up and doing the things we ask.

"Like any freshman, he's got a lot to learn. Everything's new to him; he's like a baby, still taking steps and trying to figure out what we do and how we do it. But he'll continue to improve if he continues to focus and study things we give him."

Carr, who threw for 4,104 yards and 37 TDs (seven interceptions) in 2012, has averaged 330.5 passing yards (eight TDs, one interception) in this season's first two games. He has thrived so far with his quick release and short- to medium-range completions. He doesn't have a completion longer than 27 yards, but he's completed passes of 11 yards or longer to seven of the 10 receivers he's used in two games. Davante Adams, a 6-2 sophomore, leads the Bulldogs with 19 catches for 179 yards and three scores.

"He's very athletic, no question about that," Jeffcoat said. "He's got a quick release and a real good understanding of what they're trying to accomplish. He can throw whatever you need him to throw. He's obviously one of the most talented quarterbacks in college football right now."

When Carr torched the Buffs last September, Gilbert was a senior at A&M Consolidated High School in College Station, Texas. He played wide receiver, tight end, outside linebacker and defensive end, saying his comfort zone was found in a hybrid 'backer/end spot that allowed him to drop back in coverage but also still rush the passer.

The first time he was made aware of Carr's success against the CU defense was in a darkened room watching tape - and he was impressed by what he saw.

"I didn't see (last year's CU-Fresno State game)," Gilbert said. "But, yeah, I heard about it."

Probably often, too. The Buffs who made the trip to Fresno haven't talked much about it publicly, but that doesn't mean they've kept the nightmare to themselves.

NOTABLE: Rather than practicing on their fields adjacent to Boulder Creek on Thursday morning, the Buffs worked on Kittredge Field at a later time (10:15-11:30 a.m.) . . . . Saturday's game is on as scheduled. However, all grass parking lots will be closed, as will some other lots affected by the flooding. Updated parking information will be made available Friday.

Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU