Colorado University Athletics
Buffs' Kutsch Making Rapid Strides On O-Line
September 24, 2018 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Since the day Kary Kutsch arrived on campus to join the Colorado football team, he's been playing catch-up to a large degree.
But Kutsch, a transfer offensive lineman from Butte Community College, has closed the gap considerably. The 6-foot-4, 300-pound sophomore is getting more snaps as the season progresses — and in the process, catching the eye of his coaches.
"He's played well," head coach Mike MacIntyre said. "He's very talented. He's still learning the system, but he's picked it up really quick. He's really bright and has an excellent future. He'll continue to play for us if he keeps showing the trajectory he's showing."
Kutsch didn't arrive on CU's campus until late May, as he didn't sign his letter of intent until May 11. That meant he didn't have the luxury of participating in spring ball.
"It was hard because I got here and we jumped into summer conditioning right away, then fall camp," Kutsch said. "I didn't get to play in the spring, so I'm really glad I had fall camp to get up to speed. It's been a big adjustment, but I'm trying to catch up as fast as I can."
Kutsch could have played one more season at Butte, as he had offers from other schools — but they were all for the December signing period.
Colorado, though, had an open scholarship and needed to add some depth on the offensive line right away.
"We were looking but we weren't going to take one unless we thought he was definitely good enough and had the size to play right away," MacIntyre said. "He already has the size and athleticism. Now he's showing really good signs so far and has done well in the games we've put him in there. We think he will just continue to keep improving."
Kutsch played eight snaps on the line against Colorado State in the opener, then saw his playing time limited to special teams at Nebraska. But in CU's most-recent outing, he logged 51 snaps at guard against New Hampshire. Now, Kutsch is again expected see his share of time when the Buffs play host to UCLA on Friday in their Pac-12 opener (7 p.m., FS1).
"It felt good to get out there and get some time in," Kutsch said of his play against New Hampshire. "It's a lot faster than juco ball, so it's still an adjustment. But I've been getting more reps in practice and that has helped. I'm just trying to work on my technique and get better there as quickly as I can."
In the 45-14 win over New Hampshire, Kutsch had four knockdown blocks and three touchdown blocks, and did not allow a sack. He also "finished" his blocks, taking his opponent completely out of the play on a steady basis — something coaches love to see.
"He's improving at a rapid pace, especially for a guy who wasn't here in the spring," said offensive co-coordinator and O-line coach Klayton Adams. "He tries to finish blocks and he's picked up the mental portion of it very quickly. Now, it's the technique part of it that he's trying to grasp and he's getting better at a really good pace. I'm really happy and pleased with the direction he's headed."
PREPARING FOR UCLA: The Buffs still aren't sure who they will see at quarterback for the Bruins on Friday, but head coach Mike MacIntyre said they are preparing for both possibilities.
UCLA started the season with grad transfer Wilton Speight as the starter, only to see Speight injured in the first game and replaced by true freshman Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
Thompson-Robinson started the next two games, but word from UCLA is that Speight's health has improved and he could be back in the lineup.
"We'll be ready for whichever quarterback comes out," MacIntyre said. "The little bit we saw (Speight) play, they ran a lot of the same things. (Thompson-Robinson) runs around a little bit more in the pocket than (Speight) did. We've seen him before, he beat us when he was at Michigan. He's a good player, has a good strong arm and can really throw the ball downfield well."
Speight was 8-for-12 for 45 yards and an interception against Cincinnati before leaving with a back injury. Thompson-Robinson has completed 41 of 75 attempts for 522 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He has also been sacked 11 times.
Meanwhile, despite an 0-3 start in Chip Kelly's first year at the helm, MacIntyre said the Buffs have plenty of respect for UCLA. The Bruins lost 26-17 to Cincinnati, 49-21 to Oklahoma and 38-14 to Fresno State.
"They've played a really good schedule," MacIntyre said. "They've played three really good teams. They're the most athletic team we've played this year. There are athletes on the field, being able to make plays. They've had to play with a true freshman quarterback, which is really hard to do. I expect them to be really good, I expect them to be able to make plays. It's going to be a hard, hard contest for us."
While MacIntyre has never faced Kelly, he has seen a Kelly protege in current Nebraska head coach Scott Frost, who once served as an assistant under Kelly at Oregon. Kelly's influence was also strong with Oregon's Mark Helfrich, who took over when Kelly went to the NFL.
"I see a lot of similarities," MacIntyre said.
BYE WEEK HELPS WITH HEALING: The Buffs entered last week's bye week with a number of players hindered by mostly minor injuries.
Most of those players, MacIntyre said, have healed.
"It did help us," he said. "You'd like to have a bye every three weeks, to tell the truth. It's a physical game. Now we have nine regular season games in a row and hopefully a few more after that."
A year ago, CU didn't have a bye week until after the 11th game of the season.
"I like this much better than the 12th week to have a bye," he said. "This is a good fit. It kind of breaks up the preseason and the Pac-12. I like that and I think our guys have liked it. Hopefully we'll come out and play well Friday night."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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