Colorado University Athletics
Brooks: Buffs Braced For Williams, USC Front Seven
October 15, 2014 | Football, B.G. Brooks
BOULDER - Another fall Saturday, another Pac-12 football game, another defensive front seven for Colorado's offensive line to try and handle . . .
All true, except Southern California's front seven doesn't fall into anyone's "just another" category. It's nowhere close, in fact.
"That's one of the better fronts we'll go against all year," CU left tackle Jeromy Irwin said, probably pushing understatement well past its boundary.
USC's front seven might be the best CU has seen better because of players such as returning All-America candidate Leonard Williams. But it's also different schematically from what the Buffaloes saw in last season's encounter in Boulder, which didn't end so well for CU (USC won 47-29).
The Trojans favored a four down linemen front (4-3) in 2013, but when Irwin and the Buffs offense line up Saturday in the L.A. Coliseum (4 p.m. MDT, Pac-12 Networks) they'll face a 3-4 "Okie" alignment. But that, of course, is subject to change multiple times over the course of the afternoon.
"Every week we come out and play a different front, so that's our mindset," Irwin said. "We'll just come out prepared like we are against any other team."
CU O-line coach Gary Bernardi said USC's change in fronts "won't be foreign to us," noting that his troops have seen it from their own defense last spring and in August camp and from opponents this season such as Hawai'i.
"They (USC) do different things out of it," continued Bernardi, "but it's a lot of stuff you see most weeks."
But what the Buffs don't see most weeks is a player like Williams, a 6-5, 300-pound junior who is arguably the Pac-12's best D-lineman. Williams is listed on the depth chart as an end, but the USC defensive staff views him as a mobile piece of heavy artillery.
"He plays like an inside end on third down and pass situations, but other times he's inside," said CU right guard Daniel Munyer. "You keep an eye on where he's at. He's a good player obviously."
Added Irwin: "I expect to see him some. He's a very versatile player - he can rush, he can get down in the trenches, he can stop the run. He can do a lot of things, so I'll see a good bit of him, just like everybody else on our line. He's a good player, but they're all good players. It's the Pac-12."
In addition to Williams, USC's front seven starters include outside linebackers Scott Felix (6-2, 230) or Su'a Cravens (6-1, 225), tackle Delvin Simmons (6-5, 295) or Claude Pelon (6-4, 295), nosetackle Antwaun Woods (6-1, 325), rush end/backer J.R. Tavai (6-2, 250), middle linebacker Hayes Pullard (6-1, 235) and weak linebacker Anthony Sarao (6-0, 220). Pullard is the team's leading tackler (7.3 a game).
To a man - and that includes Bernardi - the Buffs O-linemen believe they've jelled as a unit since late August and will hold up just fine against the Trojans.
"I think there were some doubts coming into the season, with things unclear as to whether I was going to be cleared," said Irwin, a 6-5, 295-pound sophomore who has recovered from a foot injury. "But I think so far we've jelled very well, and it's been nice."
No one looks at the unit as a finished product, particularly given the offense's short-yardage struggles. But in the quarterback protection department - an area that will be critical on Saturday - the Buffs' efficiency has been stellar.
In an often pass-crazed conference, sophomore QB Sefo Liufau's 288 attempts are the second most, trailing only Washington State's Connor Halliday (438). But while the Cougars have allowed 16 sacks (the second most in the league behind UCLA's 25), the Buffs have allowed only eight (second behind Arizona's seven).
"That speaks well, but it's not just us - it's the quarterbacks and receivers," said Munyer, a 6-2, 295-pound senior. "But as an offensive unit our production is way ahead of what it was last year and the year before."
Bernardi, who coached for six seasons at USC under Larry Smith and directed the Trojans O-line in three Rose Bowls, attributed some of CU's low sacks allowed total to offensive coordinator/QB coach Brian Lindgren instructing his quarterbacks to "get rid of the ball fast. They've done a good job with that.
"I know the first to blame (for sacks) is the line, but that's not always the case. I understand that so I don't get too worked up about. But I do want the kids to have pride in protecting the quarterback and I want them to have pride in efficiently running the ball."
CU is averaging 320.3 yards a game passing, with Liufau having completed 65.3 percent of his passes (188 of 288 for 1,887 yards, 19 touchdowns, 7 interceptions). The Buffs are averaging 156.3 yards a game rushing.
Bernardi said his group has done "a good job and is getting better." He concedes Saturday's task in L.A. will be "a challenge, but they all are. I tell the players every week every defense presents a different challenge, whether it's physical or something else. Whatever it is, you have to prepare for that. (The Trojans) have a lot at stake, but so do we. You just go out and play."
As for the Buffs' approach to dealing with Williams, here's Bernardi's take: "People say you've got to triple-team that guy and double-team that other guy. Well, they've got 11 and we've got 11; how many double-teams can you have? You've just got to block them and use good technique. I think that's the biggest thing, and playing fast and hard. But those are things we try to do every week."
Williams has a team-high four of USC's 11 QB sacks and is third among the Trojans tackle leaders (38, 24 solo). He's registered 4.5 tackles for loss, with the team leader being Cravens (9.5).
Irwin and Munyer believe the Buffs match up well physically with Williams and the Trojans. "Really well," Munyer said. "I think we're playing really well as a unit, but every week we've got to take a step forward toward success. This is going to be a good opportunity to see where we're at."
NOTABLE
Coach Mike MacIntyre has been pleased with the Buffs' offensive production (31.7 points a game) through the first half of the season. "I feel like we'll be able to move the ball on (USC)," he said. "We've just got to make plays in space some, and make them miss, and we have to tackle their guys in space, some - it's going to come down to that, I think." . . . . Under new USC coach Steve Sarkisian, MacIntyre believes USC QB Cody Kessler appears much more "comfortable," which MacIntyre has attributed to the fact that the new offense incorporates much quicker throws that have allowed Kessler to get in a "better rhythm." . . . . This week, CU coaches have been watching a large supply of old Washington game tape from previous seasons when Sarkisian was the Huskies coach. "They brought their system over," MacIntyre said. "So, when you watch Washington film (from previous seasons) and (USC) film you see a lot of the same things." . . . . MacIntyre said the next phase he is looking for from the special teams unit is scoring via a kickoff return, or blocked punt/kick scoop and score. He said that would "add a spark" to the team . . . . CU will conduct two more practices before departing for Los Angeles on Friday morning.
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
