Buffs Report: No Spring Break Blues, O-Line Shuffle, Defense Progressing

BOULDER — Very quietly, Monday might have been one of the first big tests of the spring for Mel Tucker's Colorado Buffaloes.

In Tucker's eyes, his players passed.

The Buffs returned to work Monday after a week off for spring break and for the most part, Tucker liked what he saw. Instead of taking a step back after a week off following their first week of spring practice, the Buffs picked up where they left off — an important step for Tucker and his staff as they work toward building a new level of accountability.

"I thought the players did a good job today," Tucker said. "They know what the standard is, what the expectation is for how we want to practice, how we need to work and they came out here and did that today."

While spring break usually means getting out of town and enjoying a vacation, a number of CU players instead chose to remain in Boulder and work out on their own. Meanwhile, those who did leave still apparently found time to get some regular workouts in.

Thus, they did not take a step back after their nine-week "fourth quarter" offseason conditioning program and first week of spring practice.

"It was great to see," Tucker said. "Obviously you have to do something over break to be ready for practice Monday and I thought we picked up where we left off."

Tucker and his staff have made the practice tempo a key component of their program — and it shows up everywhere on the field, from individual drills to team work. Coaches run with players from drill to drill, and are actively coaching and teaching during 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 work.

"I think that's the biggest thing about this whole staff," said junior safety Derrion Rakestraw. "It's faster and there's more accountability. The coaches are on us all the time, they're running to the ball with us — it's more intense. It's easier to do it when you know the coaches are doing it right along with you."

Now, Tucker said, the next step will be to continue to increase the tempo while also executing the new offensive and defensive schemes. The Buffs were in shorts and helmets on Monday; Wednesday they will be back in shoulder pads, with a full-pads workout scheduled for Friday.

"I expect us to practice fast, play fast, have better tempo and really get after it," Tucker said.

O-LINE SHUFFLE: The No. 1 offensive line had some new faces in new places Monday morning as coaches try a variety of combinations up front.

Monday's lineup included senior Tim Lynott Jr. at center and sophomore Colby Pursell at guard, while redshirt freshman Kanan Ray stepped in at right tackle. On the left side, sophomore William Sherman remained at tackle and junior Kary Kutsch was at guard.

Lynott, a starter since his redshirt freshman year, has 33 career starts under his belt, including four at center in 2017. He has also played the position in a relief role in some games, and has regularly worked at the position in practice. It is also a position at which some scouts think he might be best suited for at the next level.

Pursell, meanwhile, has played only center, starting there all 12 games last season (the only lineman to start every game last year for Colorado). But he is also someone whose versatility could allow him to play guard.

"We switched it up a little bit to see how it was, see what we could do with that and what's best for our O-line and best combination we can get," Lynott said.

Ray, meanwhile, appears to be taking advantage of finally getting the go-ahead for full-speed workouts after a long rehabilitation and recovery period from a knee injury and surgery. He had a solid nine-week conditioning program, has added some weight and muscle to his frame, and could no doubt challenge for playing time next fall.

YOUNG GUN: Outside linebackers coach Brian Michalowski is making a good impression on his players and Tucker in his first role as a full-time assistant at the Division I level.

Michalowski arrived in Boulder as a defensive quality control assistant from Georgia, but after interviewing for the outside linebackers spot, earned the job.

Previously, he served as a graduate assistant or quality control assistant at Arizona State, Wyoming, Memphis and Georgia (where he met Tucker), as well as serving as the defensive coordinator for a year at Garden City Community College.

"He's very detailed, he's very energetic, he has great relationships with his players," Tucker said. "Very organized in his teaching. He's super smart, he's a really intelligent guy. He's a young guy that's hungry that cares about kids that loves football."

Michalowski is in charge of a group that has some good returning experience as well as some promising up-and-comers. Sophomore Jacob Callier started two games last year and played in two more before an injury sidelined him (giving him a redshirt season), sophomore Carson Wells has six starts under his belt, and senior Nu'umotu Falo Jr. has plenty of experience as well.

But after four practices, one OLB who has been showing some excellent flashes as a pass rusher has been senior Alex Tchangam, who transferred to CU last from from junior college. Tchangam, Michalowski said, has shown a knack for getting past tackles and to the quarterback in a hurry.

DEFENSE MAKING STRIDES: Defensive coordinator Tyson Summers, who also coaches safeties, said he has been pleased thus far with the progress of his side of the ball. While the Buffs are still playing a base 3-4 scheme, the differences from what they played the last several years far outweigh the similarities.

"The thing I'm most proud of them is how well they've adapted," Summer said. " I do think our defense does have some similarities from a base 3-4 standpoint, but other than that, there's a lot of changes. The best thing they've been able to do to this point is adapt to what we're asking them to do."

Summers said a big plus has been the players' willingness to work, learn and apply that knowledge on the fly.

"They've worked extremely hard, they're trying to do everything we've asked them to do and I think you're going to continue to see more production as we continue to go through the spring," Summers said. "They're going to get more and more comfortable and have the ability to play faster each and every day and each and every rep."

SCHEDULE: The Buffs now have four practices in the books and 11 remaining, including the April 27 spring game at Folsom Field. CU will practice three times a week for the remainder of the month. Wednesday's workout is scheduled to be a shorts/shoulder pads day with Friday a full-pads workout.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu