Colorado University Athletics
O-Line On Stage As Buffs Set For Spring Finale
April 08, 2016 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre has some advice for fans who will be watching Saturday's Spring Game scrimmage finale at Folsom Field:
“I'd be taking a look at the young offensive linemen that have been doing really well in camp this spring,” MacIntyre said after Friday's practice. “It will kind of be their first time on stage, so to speak, and they've been having really good camps. That's a place that will be worth watching.”
Saturday's spring finale is scheduled to begin at noon. The Buffs will go through about an hour of a regular practice session before Ralphie runs at 1 p.m. That will be followed by a full-contact scrimmage that will give fans a close-up look at a number of players who have stood out this spring.
“We've had a good camp,” MacIntyre said. “We had the season-ending injury to (defensive back) Jaisen Sanchez, and we had a lot of little nicks and bruises, so we won't have a real long scrimmage because we're shorthanded in some places.
“Overall, though, we got a lot accomplished and I feel good about what we've been able to do. We've done some good things on both sides of the ball.”
As for the young offensive linemen, three in particular stood out in the spring: Tim Lynott, Aaron Haigler and Isaac Miller. All three are redshirt freshmen and all three are atop their respective positions on the spring “pencil” depth chart. Lynott is listed at right guard, Haigler at right tackle and Miller at left tackle.
“Timmy Lynott, Aaron Haigler and Isaac Miller have improved every day,” MacIntyre said. “They're getting better and better and better, and the spring game will be a good indication of where they are on a big stage, and they're going to continue to get bigger and stronger over the summer. I've been really pleased with those three young linemen. They're very athletic and they've got a bright future.”
MacIntyre stressed that he calls the spring depth chart a “pencil” depth chart because it is far from being etched in stone. Rather, it's a merely starting point for the Buffs when they return for fall camp in August.
“Once you get everybody back in the fall for the first week or so, you start narrowing it down and things get a little clearer,” MacIntyre said. “We also have a lot of newcomers coming in, and guys that were injured this spring and couldn't practice. It's a starting point, but it's definitely in pencil.”
MacIntyre also said he's liked the progress of the Buffs' running backs, in particular junior Phillip Lindsay and sophomore Patrick Carr. “They've had good springs,” MacIntyre said. “That's another place I think fans will be watching.”
Of course, fans will also be interested in seeing CU's up-tempo passing attack, one they've tried to speed up a little more this spring with the addition of co-offensive coordinator Darrin Chiaverini. Senior quarterback Jordan Gehrke, who has had a consistent spring throwing the ball, and redshirt freshman Steven Montez, will have their turns throwing to Shay Fields, Devin Ross, Kabion Ento and Jay MacIntyre.
Defensively, Buffs fans will have the chance to watch a number of mainstays from a year ago, including Jordan Carrell at defensive end, Jimmie Gilbert at outside linebacker, Kenneth Olugbode at inside linebacker, Chidobe Awuzie at corner and Tedric Thompson and Ryan Moeller at safety.
Youngsters who have made an impression in camp and will get their fair share of reps Saturday include Isaiah Oliver at corner, N.J. Falo and Tim Coleman Jr. at defensive end, Jase Franke at nose tackle, Afolabi Laguda at safety and Nick Fisher at both defensive back spots.
“As a team, we just want to run everything crisp and put on a good show,” Franke said. “For myself, I just want to play all the techniques correctly, have the correct footwork, appropriate hands, using my hips, all the fundamentals.
“But I think people will see we're making some strides toward accomplishing something big this year.”
The Buffs won't be giving away any secrets in the scrimmage. Spring finales are traditionally “vanilla” in flavor, and this one isn't expected to be any different. Still, the players are excited about the opportunity to finish up in Folsom Field in front of fans.
“We want to accomplish good effort,” Awuzie said. “ We don't call that many calls in a spring game, so all we can really control is effort. We're going to call plays we already know. As long as everybody is running to the ball, it's going to be a good day.”
MacIntyre said the Buffs will use the opportunity to get some of the younger players some reps in a live situation in front of a crowd.
“We're looking for execution, guys playing out there in a big stage to see how they react — and we're definitely looking for no injuries,” MacIntyre said. “We want to put a few of the younger guys into different situations to see how they respond. We're evaluating a lot of guys and we want to see how they react. The older guys that have had a good spring, you want to get them out there in front of a crowd, but you don't want to get them too many plays this late in the spring.”
OUT SATURDAY: One downside of the spring has been a variety of injuries, some of which will prevent some players from participating Saturday. The only season-ending injury was a torn ACL suffered by defensive back Jaisen Sanchez. But a number of other mainstays, including linebackers Christian Shaver, Derek McCartney and Rick Gamboa, wide receivers Bryce Bobo and Lee Walker, offensive lineman Jonathan Huckins and defensive back Ahkello Witherspoon, likely won't be in pads Saturday.
Meanwhile, players out for the spring because of injuries included several starters from last year, among them left tackle Jeromy Irwin, quarterback Sefo Liufau and linebacker Addison Gillam.
SATURDAY SCHEDULE: Spring Game attendees Saturday can join UCHealth and the Buffs for the first Stair Climb Challenge to promote health and wellness. Participants can climb 2,500, 5,000, 7,500 or 10,000 steps to be entered into a grand prize drawing that will be announced during the game. Registration begins at 11 a.m. at Folsom Field, with the event set to begin at 11:15 a.m.
The Buffs will take the field at approximately noon for warmups and drills. Ralphie will run at 1 p.m., followed by the scrimmage.
After the scrimmage, a “selfie session” will be held on the field with players and coaches, and self-guided tours of the Champions Center will also be available.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
