Colorado University Athletics
Woelk: Incremental Progress Adds Up To More Improvement
April 09, 2016 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Fans who wanted to see fireworks at the Colorado Buffaloes' spring game Saturday may have come away less than fulfilled.
It was — as most spring games are — a vanilla affair that had a few big plays, a few mistakes and included only the most basic of offensive and defensive schemes.
But fans who wanted a glimpse of the future, a glimpse of individual pieces that will play a role in the big picture next fall, saw plenty of positives.
Start with the defense. Sophomore cornerback Isaiah Oliver had a nice interception, five tackles, three pass breakups and a third-down stop. Fellow defensive back Nick Fisher, meanwhile — also a sophomore — had six tackles (one for loss), a third-down stop and one pass breakup. Both are players who saw some baptism under fire as freshmen a year ago; next fall, they'll be impact players on a defense that will be expected to take another significant step forward.
“You couldn't help but notice Isaiah Oliver,” head coach Mike MacIntyre said. “He's a good player with great range. He was playing a lot for us at the end of last year and he's taken another big step this spring. He's making a lot of plays and he's going to make more.”
Other good signs from the defense? Despite missing much of the spring with an injury, Kenneth Olugbode is showing every sign that he plans on making his senior season a special one. Olugbode had eight tackles — two third-down stops — and was active on every snap he saw on the field.
“I thought we had a good day,” defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt said. “I just wanted them to have fun today. We had a lot of guys who weren't out there, but we saw some good things.
“What counts is that we had a productive spring and I'm excited about the fall. I think we've got a chance. We're not going to be deep; we'll play about 15 or 16 guys. But I think we've got a chance to get better.”
Other defensive bright spots came in the form of sacks from outside linebacker Jimmie Gilbert and defensive end Michael Mathewes; some quarterback pressure from N.J. Falo and Tim Coleman Jr.; two tackles for losses from Aaron Howard; and a combined 10 tackles from safeties Tedric Thompson and Ryan Moeller.
Again, pieces of a puzzle that has the potential to be a much-improved product next fall.
Offensively, there were also bright spots. While redshirt freshman quarterback Steven Montez struggled early — he admitted the nerves of playing in front of a crowd might have affected him more than he anticipated — he settled down to make some nice throws as the scrimmage progressed. Senior quarterback Jordan Gehrke, meanwhile, had a very solid day, and the running game — Phillip Lindsay, Patrick Carr, Donovan Lee and Michael Adkins II — was consistently productive.
Out wide, receiver Devin Ross had an outstanding day. Ross caught everything thrown his direction and finished with eight catches for 57 yards and five first downs. Shay Fields had four catches for 39 yards, including a 29-yard score from Gehrke, and Jay MacIntyre had a pair of catches.
“I was excited to see those guys make plays,” said offensive co-coordinator and receivers coach Darrin Chiaverini. “I saw Shay make a couple plays, I saw Jay make a couple plays and Devin on some option routes looked good. He caught the ball very well today. He was focused out there and played with confidence.”
Up front, the Buffs had the chance to take a long look at some young offensive linemen. Redshirt freshmen Tim Lynott, Aaron Haigler and Isaac Miller all saw plenty of time. Miller suffered a knee injury late in the scrimmage, but initial reports were that it was not one that will prevent him from being ready next fall.
“You usually don't see a lot of big-impact things in a spring game,” offensive line coach Klayton Adams said. “But what you do see are a lot of little impacts that add up — things like a lot of our guys getting a lot of snaps and a lot of experience this spring. You may not notice it, but those are the things that add up.”
Indeed, and that might be the overriding theme of the Buffs' spring drills this year — incremental progress in a lot of places that should add up to overall improvement across the board.
A year after installing a new defense, they're more comfortable and have more playmakers in more places. Players know what Leavitt and the position coaches expect, and they're making plays instinctively.
Offensively, the installation of some significant adjustments to the playbook have come together quickly. After a relatively slow start, the offense caught a spark after spring break and Saturday showed flashes of what the Buffs hope will be consistent production next fall. Even the increased tempo was noticeable — CU ran 77 offensive snaps in less than an hour on the field.
“When you look at the offense, you have to look at where we started — and we've come a long way,” Chiaverini said. “Coach (Brian) Lindgren and I are really meshing well together with ideas and philosophies. We took some good steps in a short period of time.
“Do we have a long way to go? Of course. But I think we can have a really good offense if we keep working.”
Certainly there are questions. Nobody is forgetting last season's 4-9 finish. Depth will still be a question mark on both sides of the ball.
But if MacIntyre's fourth spring showed anything, it's that there are more pieces in more places than anytime previous in his tenure. Players who have proven they can play in the Pac-12 — Olugbode, Chidobe Awuzie, Gilbert, Thompson, Lindsay and Fields — are being joined by players who are showing they belong in that group. Youngsters like Oliver, Lynott, Fisher, Haigler and Carr are showing they're ready to step into their roles. Throw in players who weren't on hand Saturday but are expected to be available in the fall — Addison Gillam, Juwann Winfree, Drew Lewis, Josh Tupou, Jeromy Irwin, Davis Webb — and there's reason for optimism.
Of course, nothing will come easily. As MacIntyre and every assistant will tell you, the Buffs have a long way to go. It's a puzzle that's far from finished, and much will depend on summer workouts and fall camp. The Buffs will need to take full advantage of every opportunity possible, and the margin for error will still be razor thing.
But when they do reconvene next fall, there will at least be more playmakers in more places — and that is enough to have made the latest spring a successful one for the Buffs.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
