Tuesday Buffs Bits: 'Ghostbusters' Pay Off; Penalty Work; Morale Stays Solid

BOULDER — Colorado coach Mel Tucker calls it the Buffaloes' "Ghostbuster" period, twice-weekly sessions in which players who aren't on the two-deep depth chart get a chance for some extra work after regular practices.

Those sessions, the Buffs are learning, are extremely valuable. Players who aren't getting regular playing time — and aren't getting scrimmage work with the No. 1 and No. 2 units in practice — get a chance to work in 11-on-11 team drills.

The result is that some of those players get a chance to move up the depth chart and ultimately earn some playing time. Players who have made such a jump this year already include true freshman defensive backs K.J. Trujillo, Mark Perry and Tarik Luckett; along with junior college transfer linebackers Jamar Montgomery and Jash Allen.

Those are among the players who weren't on the two-deep when the season began, but are now getting significant playing time and will likely be on the field Friday when the Buffs play host to USC in a 7 p.m. game at Folsom Field (ESPN2).

Trujillo has stepped in as a starter at cornerback the last three games after injuries claimed two Buffs starters. Perry earned his first start last weekend at nickel against Washington State, while Montgomery, Allen and Luckett all earned some playing time against the Cougars.

"These guys were all Ghostbusters," Tucker said at his weekly Tuesday press conference.

Tucker named the weekly extra periods as a tribute to the late Terry Hoeppner, who gave Tucker his first full-time coaching job at Miami of Ohio in 1999. Hoeppner used that name for the extra periods then, and Tucker brought the designation with him to Boulder.

The concept is not new, as college programs around the country regularly find ways to get players farther down the depth chart some weekly work in 11-on-11 drills. But as the Buffs are learning this year, they are vital sessions, especially when injuries take a toll.

"You have to get as many guys ready to play as possible because it is never ending," Tucker said. "They don't stop for anyone. You are going to have injuries. It's going to be a competition. We're always evaluating who the guys are that give us the best chance. There are some guys now that were playing more early and they're not playing as much now because they haven't performed and someone has passed them up."

The process, Tucker said, helps build depth on a team — and makes everyone better through daily competition.

"The stronger roster you have, the more depth that you have and the more competition you have on the field," he said. "That's a big part of how you get better because you practice a lot more than you play. When you have depth on your roster and you have really, really good players at every position and you're out there competing for playing time and just sharpening the saw, that's how you get better."

Those newcomers to the lineup have been delivering. In last week's game at Washington State, Allen played 19 snaps and finished with a Pro Football Focus grade of 77.7 — the best of any CU defender — and he was credited with three tackles. Montgomery was in for 15 snaps and had a pass knockdown.

"Jamar Montgomery has developed to the point where he has earned some playing time," Tucker said. "He gets in the game and does a good job on special teams. He made plays for us on defense. Jash Allen has developed. He was one of our best players on the field last week."

HOME, SWEET HOME: Even though the Buffs are just 1-2 at home this year, Tucker is more than happy to be back at Folsom Field this week.

The Buffs (3-4 overall, 1-3 Pac-12) are hoping they can extend USC's road woes. While the Trojans are 4-3 overall (3-1 Pac-12), they have yet to claim a road win this year.

"It's really good to get back home, our crowds have been strong," Tucker said. "We're one of the few places in America that has it packed out every game and that's what I remember about this place when I played against the Buffs way back when I was in college (at Wisconsin). That was my last memory of CU, just seeing a crazy crowd packed in there, 50,000 strong. The noise just never escapes, Ralphie running and a damn good football team out there. That's what I remember and that's what it's been this year."

In three games, the Buffs have drawn an average of 51,560, with two sellouts. Those kinds of crowds, Tucker said, are valuable in recruiting.

"That's what these guys want to see," he said. "We're recruiting against Oregon and the SEC schools and USC, and that's what big-time football is all about. That's what these guys want to be a part of and that's why we do it. Our crowd and our fans have done a great job this year so I'm really looking forward to getting back out there."

NO WHITE FLAG: If there was any concern that the Buffs' morale would be at a low ebb after two lopsided losses, they dispelled those worries at Monday's practice.

"Our guys have been really focused coming off a couple of really tough losses, just really taking a hard look at ourselves and figuring out what we need to do to get things figured out," Tucker said. "Our guys are really getting after it, our coaches are coaching really hard trying to get guys better, get them more disciplined, better execution."

In fact, Tucker said, the Buffs came out Monday and put forth their highest GPS numbers of the season in practice.

Colorado utilizes a Catapult GPS system in practice with wearable devices that monitor players' activity by measuring top speed, total distance traveled, acceleration and player "load" (energy expended).

"We actually had our highest output on our GPS units (Monday)," Tucker said. "It was the highest we've had in any practice this season. We actually had to back them down today a little bit just to make sure they're fresh and ready for the game. And that shows me a lot about our guys and their commitment to reaching their full potential and getting the job done. That's what we've asked of our guys. We're going to continue to challenge them. Coaches are going to continue to find ways to get our guys better, get better execution."

LOOKING AT PENALTIES: While the Buffs did manage to cut their penalties down to seven against Washington State — half the number they incurred against Oregon — Tucker wants to continue to reduce the yellow flags.

"We have some repeat offenders in terms of penalties, so you either have to replace them or you've got to get them better," Tucker said. "It just depends on who's behind them and who gives you the best chance to get the job done."

Tucker brought officials into Tuesday's practice to call the team work, something he does on occasion.

"We had two false starts, we had a defensive offsides, defensive pass interference, and an egregious defensive holding, so we called it out and addressed it there with those guys," Tucker said. "We're going to continue to do those types of things to find ways to get everything we can out of this football team."

CLOSE BUT … After watching film of last week's game, Tucker said he was struck by how close the Buffs came to making some big plays.

"You see where you're just really, really close on some things," he said. "It's a game of inches. It's not just a cliche, it really is. Really close to connecting on a deep ball, where we've got a guy beat and we got a good ball and run a good route and we're just not quite connecting. In this last game, I think we had five missed sacks on guys scot-free (to the quarterback) … And we had four missed opportunities on defense to get the ball, to get your hand on the ball or when a balls on the ground. Those are opportunities that can change the game and we have to make those plays. Finishing blocks is big, too, finishing blocks and straining a little bit longer, offensive line and receivers to get that block and spring a guy, to maybe give us a first down or maybe create a third and short. Body language is huge. Staying poised and staying neutral, playing the next play. So there's a lot of things that are revealed and you just have to point them out and coach them through it."

Tucker also said he and his staff are constantly exploring ways to improve their approach.

"We look at everything we do as well and think how can we be more efficient, how can we do a better job of coaching, how can we get the message across maybe in a different way?" he said. "That's what you have to do. You can't overlook anything, it all adds up and it's all important."

MONTEZ STILL CONFIDENT: Quarterback Steven Montez has been under fire after two rough outings, but Tucker said he hasn't seen any drop in confidence from the CU senior.

"(He) looks good to me," Tucker said. "You see these guys every single day, so if a guy is struggling with confidence you can tell, and I haven't seen that from him. He's fighting and scrapping, he made plays yesterday and he was making plays today."

ROSTER CHANGES: Tucker announced that three players — junior safety Aaron Maddox, senior tight end Darrion Jones and sophomore linebacker Jacob Callier — have left the team. "I wish them the best and I'm going to be here for them if they need anything," he said.

BROADCAST CREW: Friday's ESPN2 crew will see Dave Flemming on play-by-play, Louis Riddick with color commentary and Paul Carcaterra on the sidelines.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu