Halfway Point Outlook: What We've Learned In Buffs Camp Thus Far

Photo by: Roger Carry

Halfway Point Outlook: What We've Learned In Buffs Camp Thus Far

August 15, 2017 | Football

Mike's Minute - Buff Compliance Mark Johnson Interview with TE Chris Bounds Practice #15 - Play of the Day Practice #15 - Highlights

By: Neill Woelk, Contributing Editor

BOULDER – Mike MacIntyre's Colorado Buffaloes surpassed the halfway point of fall camp Tuesday, knocking out their 15th practice of the session.

That, of course, means the Buffs have just 14 practices remaining before the Sept. 1 season opener with Colorado State.

Thus far, it's been a solid camp for the Buffs. An offense that is expected to be potent has showed every sign of being ready to meet those expectations, while a defense that lost eight starters and three assistant coaches is progressing perhaps more quickly than many people may have expected.

Still, there is plenty of work to be done before the Buffs take the field in Denver for their annual meeting with the Rams. Here's a quick position group breakdown of what we've learned at the halfway point:

Quarterback: Steven Montez entered camp as the presumptive starter, and he's done nothing to dispel that idea over the last couple of weeks. Montez has thrown the ball well, is making good strides in reading and analyzing defenses, and is becoming more and more comfortable with his receivers on a daily basis. The one thing his coaches are still stressing is consistency. Montez's gunslinger approach will no doubt produce some big plays; CU's coaches want to make sure he limits his mistakes.

If there's a surprise here, it might be the rapid progression of Sam Noyer. The redshirt freshman has thrown extremely well and looks more and more comfortable each week. If last year showed us anything, it's the value of a solid No. 2, and thus far, Noyer seems ready to fill that role.

Running back: Phillip Lindsay looks every bit like the Lindsay of 2016, and might even be a hair stronger, faster and quicker. Perhaps the best news of camp has been the steady and solid production from senior Michael Adkins II, who seems to have shaken the injury bug. Adkins could be the second part of an outstanding one-two punch in the backfield.

Offensive line: MacIntyre has called this group the best O-line he's had in his five years in Boulder, and the group has gelled nicely thus far. It's an experienced, veteran group that is working well together. Two things O-line coach Klayton Adams wants to see down the stretch is a little more "physicality," and to see one of the players from the second-team push a first-teamer for playing time. Potential players in that second group could be Isaac Miller, Josh Kaiser, Colby Pursell or Brett Tonz. If the big fellas up front can get there, they'll be a formidable group.

Wide receivers: Whew. It's been years since the Buffs have been this deep and this talented at maybe any position. They have speed, quickness, size, strength and experience, and they have been living up to their reputation every day. If we've learned anything, it might be that the task of dividing the playing time won't be easy when it comes time to start installing the game plan.

Tight end/H-back: The "forgotten" position on the offense, at least from a fan's perspective, is still an important cog. The Buffs have players who are versatile enough to line up in the backfield or split wide on occasion, and still line up tight next to an offensive tackle and provide some added power in the run game. They may not show up often in the statistics, but players such as Chris Bounds and George Frazier will make a difference this year.

Defensive line: An unknown heading into camp, there's been plenty of progress here as the coaching staff mixes and matches players depending upon down and distance situations. CU's two JC transfers who enrolled in time for spring ball, Javier Edwards and Chris Mulumba, have meshed quickly; meanwhile, senior Leo Jackson III, a starter in 2015, has developed into perhaps the most consistent player up front and Jase Franke has displayed consistency in the middle. Also a part of the equation are Timothy Coleman — particularly in pass rush situations — and Frank Umu and Lyle Tuiloma are making strides in the middle. It's still a work in progress, but if they can progress over the second half like they did in the first, it's a group that should play well.

Inside linebacker: We knew two-year starter and team captain Rick Gamboa was dependable; he's lived up to that reputation in camp. One big key here will be the continued development of junior Drew Lewis, who has made good progress thus far and will need to have the same type of progression over the last couple of weeks. Another key has been redshirt freshman Akil Jones, who is looking more and more comfortable inside and is making plays more consistently. Also interesting in the second half of camp will be the progress of true freshmen Jonathan Van Diest and Nate Landman, as one or both could see playing time this year.

Outside linebacker: One side is in great hands. Derek McCartney has come back nicely from knee surgery and is slowly returning to the top form. On the other side, the Buffs are still waiting for someone to emerge. Vets Terran Hasselbach and Michael Mathewes have had their moments; as have true freshmen Jacob Callier, Dante Sparaco and Carson Wells. These last two weeks of camp will be big for them.

Cornerback: The worst-kept "secret" in the Pac-12 might be CU's Isaiah Oliver, who played behind two NFL Draft picks last year — and might be one of the best corners in the nation this year. The big question coming into camp was who would play opposite Oliver; the answer thus far appears to be Trey Udoffia. The redshirt freshman has made big strides under the tutelage of ShaDon Brown. He will no doubt make mistakes, and Oliver's presence means he will no doubt be targeted every game. But he's had a very good camp against CU's top-flight receivers. The next two weeks will be big for him and sophomore Dante Wigley, who is competing heavily with Udoffia for the starting spot.

Safety: We'll lump safety and Buff back — the hybrid safety/linebacker spot created last year — into one position. If anything, we've learned that there's plenty of talent here. Returning starter Afolabi Laguda has had an excellent camp, particularly in pass coverage, and Evan Worthington is a terrific addition after a year away from the program. Ryan Moeller has been solid and steady (no surprise) and Nick Fisher can play. If we've learned anything, it may be that this position has a chance to be even better than we thought — and we thought they would be pretty good. The versatility of this defense, particularly with the Buff back, will allow for all of those players to not only see the field a lot this year, but to be put in play-making situations.

Special teams: Junior punter Alex Kinney is having an outstanding camp. Kickers James Stefanou, Chris Graham and Davis Price are all showing good leg strength, the key over the last two weeks will be improving consistency. Meanwhile, CU's coverage teams are getting plenty of work. This is an area that's hard to judge until we see them in a game, but the guesstimate is that we'll see improvement across the board this year.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu