Brooks: Tuesday Tidbits

November 01, 2016 | Football, B.G. Brooks

Buy Tickets WATCH: Mike MacIntyre WATCH: Jordan Carrell WATCH: Sefo Liufau Buffs 15th In First CFB Rankings Secondary Braces For Bruins' Air Attack Press Conference Quotes Gameday Colorado Notes Individual Notes UCLA Notes Pac-12 Notes NFF-Colorado Chapter

Carrell positions himself as ‘Iron Man’ among Buffs’ D-linemen

By: B.G. Brooks, CUBuffs.com

BOULDER -- That 300-pounder recently seen cruising the Colorado campus on a Segway? That's Jordan Carrell.

That defensive end who rarely leaves the field? That's Carrell, too.

On a unit whose week-by-week production has steadily elevated it in the Pac-12 Conference as well as national defensive statistics, Carrell's personal stats are pretty impressive.

Last season he was one of only three defensive players to record more than 750 snaps, with his 784 the most among CU's D-linemen. Through eight games this season, he's already up to 393 snaps – once again the most at his position.

And in his time on the field, he's not merely occupying space – although that's part of a lineman's job description in a 3-4 front. Carrell, a 6-3, 300-pound senior, has made 35 tackles, including 2.5 quarterback sacks and a fumble recovery. His tackle total is tops among the Buffs' starting down linemen.

Carrell's high snap count is as much a matter of personal pride as it is a necessity in CU's defensive scheme. He admits that in his first year in Boulder there was an altitude adjustment that "took me some time . . . but once I did, I felt in way better shape than I did playing at sea level (in California)."

But this season he also knows that at the first sign of weariness he can "tap out" and the D-line productivity won't suffer. "I know that there are guys behind me ready to step in and make plays," Carrell said. "I have trust in those guys and I'm not afraid to come off of the field when I get tired."

But, added CU coach Mike MacIntyre, while playing a high number of snaps requires "good stamina," the Buffs usually need Carrell's intensity in rushing the passer. "The reason that he's played more snaps than Josh (Tupou) and Samson (Kafovalu) is when we go to our nickel package, he has a little bit better first step on pass-rush than a three-technique. That's where we used him and where he's helped us in some of those pass-rush areas. That's why he's played more snaps."

Carrell's and his linemates' pressure will be key on Thursday night when the Buffs face UCLA and quarterback Mike Fafaul, who attempted 70 passes in the Bruins' last outing (a 52-45 loss to Utah on Oct. 22).

UCLA, said Carrell, showed a balanced offense early in the season "but as the year has progressed, they have become more one dimensional." That dimension, obviously, is passing but Carrell expects the Bruins to try their running game until the Buffs prove it won't work.

"I think they're going to try to establish the run early and if we can fill our holes and let our secondary play how they play (we'll be successful)," he said. "I believe that we have the best secondary. If we force them to pass, I don't think they stand a chance."

At Tuesday's weekly news conference, Carrell sported a ball cap with "Return To Dominance" stitched across the front. It was a throwback phrase for the Buffs' rise a couple of decades ago. The cap, Carrell said, was a gift to several of the D-linemen and it fits what's happening now.

"It definitely means something to me," he said. "When I first got here I knew that Colorado was on the up and this year we've proven that we're on the rise. So, I feel like it fits with the saying 'The Rise' as well."

Carrell's preferred mode of transportation on campus for the past several weeks has been a Segway that comes from his family's business in California. He picked it up in Los Angeles when the Buffs played USC and talked CU's equipment crew into trucking it back to Boulder.

He hopes riding on it on campus will "start a new trend here . . . I'm the only guy here that rides it around campus so it's cool to get all of these snapchat videos and people pulling out their phones and filming it. It's pretty funny."

IRON MAN, PART II: Senior quarterback Sefo Liufau is scheduled to start on Thursday night, giving him 35 starts and tying the school record. Reaching that milestone was news to Liufau on Tuesday, who called it "a blessing to be able to play so long in college football. But sadly that's also means that's it's almost over.

"So I just want to focus on going out and getting a win, and to try my best to help this team get however many wins we need this season. We've got four plus more games but this one coming up is the most important one and the one we're going to focus on."

CU hasn't defeated UCLA in the MacIntyre era, with the last two defeats agonizing experiences for Liufau and his teammates. In three-point (40-37 in 2014) and four-point (35-31 in 2015) losses the past two seasons, the Buffs totaled 1,054 yards on the Bruins but came up seven points short.

Liufau's memories of those games obviously aren't fond but he contends they don't gnaw at him or provide extra incentive for Thursday night.

"I remember those games vividly (but) I don't use them as extra motivation," he said. "I haven't thought about it in a way to use it as motivation. I think that ultimately, I had two picks in each game, it's about taking care of the ball."

Liufau's 148 passes without an interception is now the longest in CU history, and twice before he's had 100-plus attempt streaks minus a pick. He's much more efficient now in protecting the ball, which Liufau attributes to "experience . . . knowing when and where to go with the football. Knowing when to pull the ball down and run and knowing when to throw the ball away.

"I think another big thing too, is the O-line up front. Being able to sit back in the pocket and deliver more balls to our playmakers allows for you to be more comfortable. And you don't have to rush as much, so if there's a tight window you can wait for the next one to open up and that makes it a lot easier on yourself. It comes down to decision making, but it helps with the O-line up front in terms of them blocking."

MOELLER – PRETTY CLOSE TO MAULER: When outside linebacker Derek McCartney was lost for the season with a knee injury, safety Ryan Moeller was asked to take a couple of steps forward – literally – and be the guy that "sets the edge" for CU's defense.

They were big steps for a player who isn't close to McCartney's size (6-3, 250 compared to 6-1, 215). But in moving closer to the line of scrimmage and taking on bigger blockers, Moeller has more than held his own.

MacIntyre says Moeller, of Rifle, Colo., has "played really well . . . he's made plays up at the line of scrimmage, made plays in the backfield and made plays covering. Ryan was a good fit for us there. We play so many teams that play a lot of spread-type situations or one tight end with one back, so we were able to utilize his strengths there."

And strength is used as a literal term here. Safeties coach Joe Tumpkin says Moeller "is as strong as anybody on our football team and is tough as nails. He's got a great demeanor about him; he wants to be successful."

Plus, MacIntyre said Moeller offers linemen a smaller, more mobile target than McCartney: "He has an advantage when linemen pull out, because he can dodge them. It's a little bit of a different animal for them to try to block out there than a bigger guy that's always going to take you on. He's done a very good job."

Moeller being plugged in for McCartney wasn't a move that transpired after McCartney's injury. Tumpkin and defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt floated the idea during August camp but an ankle injury to Moeller prevented the notion from going much further.

But when Moeller was healed, the idea was reborn. MacIntyre called it "a great move by Joe Tumpkin and Jim Leavitt to do that. We talked about it for a while when they brought it up. I was scratching my head thinking about it for a minute, and I said let's go with it, it sounds like a good idea. It worked out well."

That's mainly because Moeller is an excellent athlete who doesn't steer clear of the grunt work on defense. "Out of all the DBs, he does the dirty work," said safety Tedric Thompson. "He sets the edges . . . a lot of teams have probably tried (to beat) Moeller then they'll realize how great of a player he really is."

WHO CAN SPLIT THE UPRIGHTS? The first opportunity on Thursday night likely will go to Chris Graham, who hit one of his three field goal attempts in CU's 10-5 win at Stanford on Oct. 22 and is 4-of-7 for the season.

Also at Stanford, punter Alex Kinney made his placekicking debut, missing a 31-yard attempt. Davis Price has made four of his five attempts – including a freshman record 54-yarder – but is still recovering from mononucleosis.

MacIntyre said Graham will "get the first look" against the Bruins, adding, "and hopefully that goes really well. If it doesn't, then we'll go to Alex. Chris has had an excellent week. He's kicked better than he has any weeks that we had so far. He's made some kicks in some games, it's just getting into that rhythm and getting out there and doing it."

Kinney, MacIntyre said, has worked at placekicking this week in practice. "He has a very powerful leg. We've just got to get him back into the rhythm to be consistent hitting it."

Whether the kicking situation changes during the game depends on "how the game is going and how we're doing," MacIntyre said. "It'll also depend on the wind in our stadium."

LACE 'EM UP, COME OUT PUNCHING: The Buffs have been sporting T-shirts bearing this inscription: W.T.T.F. That stands for Welcome To The Fight. It's how they approach every day and it's certainly how they're approaching November, a month, said Liufau, that has typically found the Buffs "playing for pride and now we have something to play for."

Here's what November offers CU, which is alone atop the Pac-12 South at 4-1: Three of four games at Folsom Field and a well-defined path to the conference championship game on Dec. 2. But to get there amounts to a championship fight for the next four weeks – and the Buffs know it.

"It's a great feeling, and it adds a lot more intensity to practice and a lot more focus," Liufau said, adding that the Buffs also know they're now wearing a target.

"I think being ranked (No. 21) is also going to give extra incentive for teams to come out there and give us their best shot," he said. "So each game is critically important. Each game is like a championship game because destiny is in our hands and each team is going to come out and try and win. Especially with three out of the last four games being at home, they're just really important games. The opportunity is in front of us."

CU's W.T.T.F. T-shirts emphasize what MacIntyre and his staff have been preaching since August camp. "We're in the heavyweight battles, it's what we wanted to be in," he said. "We're there now and now we've got to perform in the heavyweight fights. The kids are excited about and I'm excited about it. Now we've just got to go out and do it."

ON HANDLING SUCCESS: At 6-2 overall and winners of four of their last five games, the Buffs are bowl eligible for the first time since 2007. Seeing how they've handled success has been intriguing for coaches like Tumpkin, who said, "Yeah, it's been very interesting to see . . . it's always key to see how you handle success.

"They really haven't stepped away from having that chip on their shoulder. They want to be out there to prove something and they know you haven't proved anything until it's all over. (People) remember you by your last game, and that's one of the things they understand."

NOTEWORTHY: MacIntyre said Isaiah Oliver will return punts against UCLA. Oliver has been in that role since Jay MacIntyre suffered a concussion two games ago against Arizona State. Oliver has had four returns for 20 yards. Jay MacIntyre, who has 16 receptions for 174 yards, has cleared the concussion protocol . . . . Running back Phillip Lindsay (ankle) and tackle Aaron Haigler (knee) practiced during the bye week and "looked good," MacIntyre said, adding that Lindsay is "100 percent healthy." . . . . The Buffs expect to see fifth-year senior Mike Fafaul at quarterback. Fafaul, who has started the two previous games, has completed 68 of 122 passes for 779 yards with eight TD passes and eight interceptions . . . . The Buffs are 2-9 all-time against the Bruins, including a 0-5 record since joining the Pac-12. However, CU's last two losses have been agonizingly close – 40-37, 35-31 – with the Buffs leaving both believing they gave the games away. Mike MacIntyre doesn't believe his players "have payback on their minds, but I definitely believe – against anybody we play – they believe they can win the game. I'm pretty sure UCLA thinks we'll find a way to screw it up, because we have the last couple years."

Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU