Colorado University Athletics
Spring Game Preview: A Look At Buffs Offense
April 05, 2016 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — With five practices remaining and the annual Spring Game on tap Saturday, the Colorado Buffaloes are on the verge of wrapping up their fourth spring under head coach Mike MacIntyre.
Overall, CU's coaches have been happy with the progress they've made — but to a man, they're each offering the standard "We have a long ways to go" qualifier.
A year ago, the Buffs were installing a new defense under a new coordinator, Jim Leavitt. This year, they're revamping their offensive playbook with new co-coordinator Darrin Chiaverini on board.
Here's a position-by-position look at the Buffs offense and what to look for in Saturday's Spring Game:
Quarterback: It hasn't been an ideal situation here. Sefo Liufau, the starter for the last three seasons, is out with a foot injury. Transfer Davis Webb, expected to step in next fall and immediately contend for the No. 1 spot, is still finishing his degree at Texas Tech.
But the bright side of the equation is plenty of repetitions for redshirt freshman Steven Montez, the youngster from El Paso with the big arm and athleticism to match. Montez has had an excellent spring and has taken full advantage of all the work he's getting. He's still learning to read defenses and is still adjusting to the rapid-fire pace of the reworked offense, but overall, he's exceeded expectations in just about every regard.
Senior Jordan Gehrke, meanwhile, has been getting his share of reps and has had some solid moments while Jaleel Awini seems to be getting more and more comfortable as he gets regular snaps at his original college position. It will be interesting to see what the Buffs do with Awini next fall — he has the potential to make defensive coordinators nervous with his running ability and he's had a good spring throwing the ball.
Saturday's scrimmage will give fans a first-hand look at their progress.
Running back: Last week, MacIntyre and new running backs coach Darian Hagan pointed to juniors Phillip Lindsay and Donovan Lee and sophomore Patrick Carr as having the most consistent springs.
No surprise, but the good news is all are adapting quickly to the up-tempo pace. Lindsay has been the “steady Eddy,” in Hagan's words, and Lee and Carr have both shown the ability to make big plays in space — a major goal of the offense. It will be interesting to see if any of them emerges from the pack Saturday.
Also having some good moments has been junior Michael Adkins II. He's coming back from a hamstring injury that kept him out of the lineup for 11 games last fall, and still isn't in tip-top football shape. But it wouldn't be surprising to see Adkins have some big plays Saturday.
Wide receiver: No secret here, Chiaverini has let Shay Fields know he's expecting big things from the junior this season. Fields has had some excellent practices, but Chiaverini wants Fields to live up to his “Big-Play Shay” reputation on a consistent basis.
Maybe one of the most pleasant surprises of the spring has been the progress of Devin Ross. The speedy junior has catching just about everything thrown his way and has broken some big gains in the process, and Chiaverini is quietly enthusiastic about Ross' advancement.
Also making an impression has been junior college transfer Kabion Ento, who has the ability to stretch the field; and junior Bryce Bobo and sophomore Jay MacIntyre have also had solid springs.
Offensive line: If the Buffs are going to be an improved offense next fall, it has to start here. When spring drills began, new O-line coach Klayton Adams vowed that every spot on the line would be open, and that's been the case thus far. Competition has been fierce — particularly with Jeromy Irwin, next fall's likely starter at left tackle, still out rehabbing a torn ACL.
Adams has been mixing and matching combinations throughout the line. Youngsters such as Aaron Haigler, Isaac Miller and Tim Lynott have been getting lots of looks, along with Sam Kronshage, John Lisella, Gerrad Kough, Shane Callahan, Alex Kelley, Sully Wiefels, Josh Kaiser and Jonathan Huckins. Lynott is having an outstanding spring and pushing veteran starter Kelley at center, Callahan has seen time at both tackle spots, Kough looks to be nailing down a guard spot and Huckins is showing versatility by playing guard and center.
Perhaps the only certainty here is that nothing will be certain heading into the fall — but Saturday's scrimmage will no doubt play a role in giving Adams a starting point when he begins penciling out a depth chart.
Tight ends/fullbacks: It will be interesting to see how these positions develop with the offensive changes at hand. Starting tight end Sean Irwin has had an excellent camp, both blocking and catching the ball. Tight end/fullback George Frazier, meanwhile, is also showing his value and versatility, and tight end Dylan Keeney has had a solid spring catching the ball. Defensive coordinators will have to account for their presence.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
