Colorado University Athletics
Brooks: Identifying Top WRs Might Run A Little Late
August 21, 2014 | Football, B.G. Brooks
(Eighth in a series of position-by-position previews of the 2014 Buffs to be posted on CUBuffs.com during preseason camp. Today: Receivers)
BOULDER - By the time Thursday, Aug. 28, arrives (or several days before) most of the position coaches at the University of Colorado will have their starters set for the next night's 2014 opener against Colorado State.
And then there's Troy Walters . . .
He coaches CU's wide receivers and he's in no feverish rush to identify the first wave of wideouts he'll send onto Sports Authority Field at Mile High. In fact, contends Walters, those good hands guys who get his starting nod will have to be just that - guys with good hands and a focus to match.
"Oh, yeah . . . I'm going to watch pregame warmups and if I see guys dropping balls in pregame warmups, especially some of the young guys. I know they may be nervous, but that goes a long way," Walters said. "So (the competition) is going to be up until pregame and then even when the game starts you've got to get the job done.
"We've got a bunch of guys who are waiting behind any starter that want to get in. So if a guy is not doing what he needs to do, we've got depth to replace them."
Indeed, the Buffaloes have nice numbers at Walters' position and the August camp competition in his group has been fierce and promising. But here's the burning preseason question: Can one, two or three of his receivers can come close to duplicating the record numbers posted in 2013 by Paul Richardson?
Conventional wisdom calls for immediately ruling out Richardson's stats being matched by one receiver - and in truth that's not what Walters or any of his players expect.
"Paul was a special talent, a next-level talent," offered senior receiver Tyler McCulloch. "That's why he's doing the things he's doing with the Seahawks right now. You don't replace him with one guy, but this is the most depth we've had since I've been here. We have guys to throw in in different situations...
"Guys are more comfortable with more positions; they can play inside, outside, Z and X - all that stuff. It's (replacing Richardson) definitely by committee but we have so much more quality depth I don't think we're going to take a step back. People might take us lightly when they say, 'There's no 'P-Rich' now. So, yeah, I hope they underestimate us."
Among CU's Pac-12 competitors, that won't be difficult to do. The Buffs were last in the league last season in total offense (369.9 yards a game) and eighth in passing offense (249.1 yards) - with Richardson's receptions totals (83 catches, 1,343 yards) largely responsible for CU finishing atop four other Pac-12 passing units.
So underestimating their air game is likely to be done weekly or until the Buffs minus "P-Rich" prove they've found an answer or two. Or three.
"We can't depend on one or two guys," Walters said. "We need five or six guys to contribute and I think we have those guys. We've got speed with Shay Fields and Lee Walker and Devin Ross and Jay MacIntyre in the slot and Donovan Lee has speed. We've got some guys who stretch the field. (Nelson) Spruce can stretch the field and (Bryce) Bobo can make the big catch over someone. We're going to be explosive this year, it's just a matter of making sure everyone is what I like to say 'eating' - sharing in the wealth and spreading the ball around. I think if we can spread the ball around we'll be more dangerous than we were last year."
Richardson routinely drew double coverage but still posed CU's most potent offensive threat. But Walters has a point with his contention that if five or six of his receivers are "eating" then the passing game will be more difficult to defend and thus more potent.
Ideally, Walters wants to identify as many as seven receivers who will play regularly. In years past, that could have gone beyond challenging, but this season it's not unrealistic. Depth, says Walters, "is there (and) it makes competition even better. Guys are fighting each day. They know they can't rest on what they did yesterday. Each day we're evaluating guys. We don't have a depth chart yet, so guys know that. They know each day, each practice is an opportunity for them to show what they can do and earn playing time."
Veteran returnees Spruce, McCulloch and D.D. Goodson figure to fill three spots in Walters' rotation. Spruce, a junior, is the picture of consistency; he's averaged just under 50 receptions and 500-plus yards in each of the past two seasons. At 6-5, 215 pounds, McCulloch is the largest of CU's targets and is healthy for his senior season. Goodson is a relative newcomer to receiver - he was a running back for the former staff - but settled in nicely at the slot spot, making 22 catches for 306 yards and two touchdowns in 2013.
Both McCulloch and Goodson approached August camp with a sense of urgency. "We want to go to a bowl game," Goodson said. "It's my last chance . . . my last shot. We have to give it our all and have a sense of urgency to get stuff done."
Added McCulloch: "With me missing those games last season I've kind of come back with more of a hunger now. This could be my last chance at football, so there is a sense of urgency to come out here every day and make sure I help us get to a bowl game."
McCulloch, who caught 14 passes for 138 yards and a TD last season, was hampered then and during spring ball by a foot injury (chronic stress reaction). But he's moved past it now and Walters believes that "any type of pain he might have in his foot he's not showing it because he knows this is it.
"He's fighting through whatever pain he might have. He's a veteran; he's knows this is it for him. He and D.D. are bringing that sense of urgency to our group - and the young guys are following their lead."
Entering their second seasons in CU's modified pistol offense, Spruce, McCulloch and Goodson have reached a comfort level that eluded them during their "break-in" season. "I'm really comfortable in it," McCulloch said. "I'm able to read the defense and know what to expect. And I feel a lot more comfortable in and out of my breaks, more comfortable with my body. I'm feeling good; I'm at a solid weight (215-220) and feeling good all around. After getting hurt I was playing pretty skinny last year. I'm not the same player."
Walters said his trio of veterans is "staying on the young guys. I tell the young guys, 'Just follow the veterans. They've been here, they know how to work, they know how to get the job done and what to do.' I think they're doing that and they're getting better day-by-day. That's a tribute to the older guys."
Among the younger receivers, true sophomore Devin Ross played in his first college season, making 6 receptions for 24 yards. Coming off redshirt seasons, Bobo (6-2, 190) and Elijah Dunston (6-0, 185) have a Pac-12 look to them. Lee Walker is a true freshman who enrolled in January and showed speed in spring drills. The other two true scholarship freshmen are Shay Fields and Jay MacIntyre, and both have had eye-catching August camps.
Although this August camp was the second under Walters, his receivers experienced a sense of newness. There was a new graduate assistant - former Buffs receiver Patrick Williams - and several new drills. The addition of Williams enabled Walters "to split guys up and get more done," Walters said. "When it was just me, it was 15 guys and one coach. Now we split them up and guys are getting more reps. Same drills, more reps."
Maybe the most noticeable new drills involved the receivers catching tennis balls thrown by Walters, Williams or a manager instead of footballs. It promotes hand-eye coordination and especially focus, said Walters: "It's really for focus, catching the point (of the ball). I like use that drill at different times. It changes things up, so it's not always a football. It's a tennis ball and it's a little different. They have to focus, concentrate. It's been a good deal."
During summer work, the Buffs got a jump on that particular exercise by working with a "Lobster" - the high-velocity machine used by tennis players to improve their service returns or volleys. "You catch a tennis ball coming out of that and you're good with the football," Goodson said. "I know it's helped me."
With just over a week remaining before the opener, Walters says he's got good players who've collectively done good jobs.
But he adds, "Now we've got to see which guys are the best and which guys are going to be in the rotation and go from there."
If it takes just a bit longer - say, until shortly before the National Anthem is sung - then it's fine by him.
THE INSIDE LOOK AT . . .
Wide receivers
Coach: Troy Walters, second year on CU staff
Returning starters: Tyler McCulloch, Sr.; Nelson Spruce, Jr.; D.D. Goodson, Sr.
Returnees: Devin Ross, So.; Bryce Bobo, RS-Fr.; Elijah Dunston, RS-Fr.; Cheldon West, Jr. (WO); Wesley Christiansen, Sr. (WO); Robert Orban, RS-Fr. (WO).
Newcomers: Shay Fields, Fr.; Jay MacIntyre, Fr.; Lee Walker, Fr.; Joseph Hall, Fr. (WO); Devin Grimes, Jr. (WO transfer); Colin Johnson, So. (WO); Dylan Spradling, Fr. (WO).
Key losses: Paul Richardson; Keenan Canty; Alex Turbow; Jeff Thomas.
Stat line: Walters calls Spruce "a steady Eddie" - and here's why: Over the past two seasons, Spruce has caught 99 passes for 1,046 yards. Last season's numbers: 55 catches, 650 yards, 4 TDs. Hard to remember he's just a junior.
Bottom line: Of course, Paul Richardson will be missed, but the hope is that without him the receptions will be spread among three or four receivers, making the Buffs more difficult to defend. Does the receiving corps have enough capable hands to make that happen? Walters thinks so, but his guys will have to prove early on that the early departure of "P-Rich" didn't deal a death blow to the CU passing game.
(Next: Secondary)
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
