Colorado University Athletics
Buffs OLB Wells Blossoming Into Playmaker
November 05, 2018 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Colorado linebacker Carson Wells did something last week that no one else has been able to do this season: sack Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate twice in the same game.
Wells, one of CU's budding young defensive standouts, collected both of his sacks in the second quarter of Friday night's 42-34 loss at Arizona. In both instances, he chased Tate out of bounds, making sure the Wildcats QB did not turn the corner and turn a loss into a gain.
"He's one of the fastest quarterbacks we've played, maybe one of the fastest people," Wells said Monday morning. "I just knew I couldn't let him get outside. On one of those, he rolled out and I just went ahead and took an angle to the sideline because I knew I wouldn't have a chance chasing him. I had to get the angle on him."
Wells, a 6-foot-4, 245-pound redshirt freshman, has started in four games this year. But because the Buffs usually play just one outside linebacker — Buff back Davion Taylor usually occupies the other spot — his playing time has been limited. Against Arizona, he played only 13 defensive snaps, but still finished with five tackles.
Overall, Wells' production has been outstanding this year. In just 264 defensive snaps, Wells leads the team with nine third-down stops and is second in quarterback sacks with 3.5, trailing only Mustafa Johnson's 7.5. He also has 24 tackles, five quarterback pressures, a pass breakup, one tackle for loss (along with his sacks) and two more tackles for no gain.
"Carson is very mature for a redshirt freshman," said defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach D.J. Eliot. "He has a lot of skills to be a good run-pass combo outside 'backer. He's big and strong, he can hold up on the run and he's also athletic enough that he can cover in space. He's got a good pass rush and a bright future. He gets better every day."
Wells, who grew up in Bushnell, Fla., redshirted his first year in Boulder after a leg infection sidelined him for much of the season — and also caused him to lose a significant amount of weight. He dedicated his offseason to putting that weight back on, along with a few more pounds of muscle.
Now, after getting his feet wet early in the year, he is becoming a playmaker with the size to battle offensive tackles and the athleticism to drop into coverage when necessary.
"Carson is very coachable and he's a young man that's extremely bright," head coach Mike MacIntyre said. "He's big, he's athletic and he is just getting better and better and better. We kind of challenged him a few weeks ago to start making plays. Just go ahead and trigger — go ahead and go. He was trying to be a little too hard to make sure he was doing everything right. He's kind of clicked to that next stage where he's able to show his athleticism and his athletic ability and kind of unleash a little bit."
Wells said his comfort level has grown each week this season.
"There's no substitute for game experience," he said. "I keep getting more confident each game. I keep trying to build block by block to get better every chance I get. The first few games I was thinking too much. Now I can just react and try to make a play."
Wells and his defensive mates will have plenty of chances to get to the quarterback Saturday when the Buffs (5-4 overall, 2-4 Pac-12) play host to No. 10 Washington State (8-1, 5-1) in a 1:30 p.m. game at Folsom Field. The Cougars led the Pac-12 in scoring (38.3 points per game), thanks in large part to quarterback Gardner Minshew and a passing game that is averaging nearly 400 yards per contest. Minshew has thrown for 3,517 yards, 27 touchdowns and just seven interceptions.
"I think their offensive line is the best it's been since I've gone against Mike (Leach)," MacIntyre said. "They're big and they're protecting him really well and the quarterback's able to make all the throws. He's a little more athletic than some of the guys they've had, so he's kind of extended some plays, which we're nervous about because extending plays hurt us last week. We have to be able to handle that."
STRUGGLING SECONDARY: After the first seven games this season, Colorado's defense was giving up an average of just 205 yards per game in the air and had allowed nine passing touchdowns.
But in the last two games, Oregon State and Arizona have thrown for 345 and 350 yards, respectively, and eight total touchdowns.
No doubt, injuries have played a part in that slide. The Buffs lost starting cornerback Chris Miller to a season-ending hand injury in Week 7 against Washington, and last weekend played the entire game without starting safety Evan Worthington (out with a concussion).
"Injuries have hurtt, you can't say the injuries can't hurt you," MacIntyre said. "But at the same time, their quarterback (Arizona's Tate) made some good throws and we didn't make some plays we should have made. … We have to make those plays. We had a couple instances where some guys should have blitzed and didn't blitz — I have no idea why. That would have helped us too on some of those plays. That kept them extended. That was some miscommunication with us. You can't have that type of thing happen."
MacIntyre said Worthington was still in concussion protocol Monday morning, but the Buffs hoped to have him back in time for Saturday's game.
"You miss a guy that's a pro football player — you're going to miss him," MacIntyre said. "That's just the bottom line. But hopefully he'll be back this week. … He'd be a big help if we get him back, there's no doubt. Every pro scout that comes in here, all they do is ask me about him. He's a pro football player."
Sophomore Derrion Rakestraw started in Worthington's place last week, and picked off his first career interception in his first collegiate start along with recording seven tackles.
"Overall, for his first time playing, I thought he played well," MacIntyre said.
INJURY UPDATES: MacIntyre said wide receivers Laviska Shenault Jr. (toe), Jay MacIntyre (concussion) and K.D. Nixon (hip) are all "day-to-day." ... He also said it is possible that punter Alex Kinney, who suffered a broken collarbone in the second game against Nebraska, could redshirt this season. Kinney could play two more games and still qualify for a redshirt.
ON PAC-12: The Pac-12 South is still a tight division, with just one game separating the top from the bottom in the loss column. Utah, USC, Arizona and Arizona State all have three conference losses, while Colorado and UCLA are right behind with four.
Arizona State is the one team that does not need any "help" to win the division. If the Sun Devils win their last three, they will claim the South title, as it would give them wins over Utah, USC and Arizona.
"Anybody can beat anybody any Saturday," MacIntyre said.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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