Colorado University Athletics
Five Takeaways From Latest Buffs Scrimmage
April 21, 2019 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — With two scrimmages in the books and three practices still to go for the Colorado Buffaloes' spring ball session, here are five quick takeaways from what we've seen so far on the field:
1. Tempo, physical play and effort are non-negotiable. While this has nothing to do with Xs and Os, it has everything to do with the culture change Mel Tucker and his staff are working to instill.
"Tempo" doesn't mean running as many plays as possible. Rather, it means playing full speed from the snap to the final whistle of every play, running to the ball and finishing assignments. It is a true sense of urgency that CU's staff is making a bedrock fundamental: every practice, every minute, every snap counts. Ditto for every weight room session, every meeting, every meal. Make the most of every opportunity to get better.
As for physical play and effort, there is no room for discussion. Football is a physical game. Those who play it that way will be the players on the field when the lights go on in September.
2. Competition is truly wide open. While there will no doubt be some returning starters from last season back in those spots when the curtain goes up Aug. 30 against Colorado State, it won't be a surprise to see some starters from last year watching from the sideline.
Tucker vowed that he and his staff would start with a clean slate, and that has been the case this spring. Everyone is getting a chance to prove they can play, and competition at a number of positions has been intense. Fall camp will only intensify the battles at those spots.
3. There are some positions with depth — and some that will be replenished over the summer. On the offensive side, the Buffs have no shortage of wide receivers, including some with plenty of experience, as well as some youngsters making a case for some significant playing time. At running back, experience is thin but there is talent, and it will be a spot that will be particularly fun to watch develop next fall.
On defense, the Buffs have good depth at outside linebacker, where the competition has been fierce. There is also some depth in the secondary, but development there will be a huge key.
Depth at several places — on both sides of the line and at inside linebacker — will increase dramatically when the rest of CU's recruiting class arrives for the summer. That will be a big part of the Buffs' fall camp process. Four more junior college players are set to report this summer, and all could be vying for immediate playing time. There are also a handful of high school signees who could be in the mix from the beginning, meaning the competition at several spots will only increase in fall camp.
4. Emphasis on taking care of the ball is showing up. One of offensive coordinator Jay Johnson's fundamental principles of success is taking care of the ball. "First and foremost, respect the football," Johnson said in his first interview in Boulder. "If you take care of the football, you have a chance to win games. If you don't, you're probably not going to win many games. That's the first thing our entire team will understand and know — we have to have great respect for the football."
In two scrimmages, the offense has done just that. CU's quarterbacks have yet to throw an interception in two scrimmages, and the Buffs have fumbled just once. It's a sign that the quarterbacks are growing comfortable with the new offense — in particular senior Steven Montez — and an indication that Colorado won't be in the habit of giving away cheap scores.
5. Colorado's defense will attack the ball and put pressure on the quarterback. When defensive coordinator Tyson Summers arrived in Boulder, he noted, "The best defenses are those where there are two or three people at the point on the tackle. That's what you saw a lot of 10 years ago; now people get caught up in scheme and overdoing it so you end up shortchanging your fundamentals. We're going to try to keep our guys from getting put into one-on-one situations over and over again. We will attack the ball and not give up explosive plays."
That has no doubt been the case thus far. The defense swarms to the ball on every play, and pressure on the passing game has been solid in the two scrimmages. While turnovers in scrimmages haven't come at the rate Summers wants to see, the defense has gotten pressure on the quarterback (six sacks in Friday's scrimmage) and has prevented explosive plays (the longest play given up by the No. 1 defense went just 33 yards).
NOTES AND QUOTES: Four true freshmen who signed in December are already on campus, and several have moved their way up the "rep chart."
One of those is offensive lineman Austin Johnson, who has been getting some snaps at guard with the No. 1 and No. 2 offense. Johnson had a good first strength and conditioning session, and is now reaping the benefits.
"It's been challenging," Johnson admitted. "The first three weeks is just kind of getting your feet wet and getting a routine down. But once you get the routine down, you kind of get the hang of things. … I still have to keep working. The goal is not to just get some snaps with the twos or ones, I want to be the best I can be and hopefully start."
Also showing up in Friday's scrimmage was true freshman outside linebacker Alec Pell, who notched a pair of sacks. …
Installing a new scheme — on either side of the ball — is never an easy process. It involves new terminology, new technique and quite often a new mindset.
So far, offensive coordinator Jay Johnson is cautiously optimistic with what he's seen.
"I'm pleased from the standpoint that the guys are working hard and trying to handle the transition well," Johnson said. "I think we're attempting to be more physical but we're still a long ways off. I do feel like it's starting to click a little bit. At the end of the day, a lot of football is a lot of similar things, people just have different languages. That's hard on the kids. It's starting to sink in a little bit. Now we need it to keep sinking in so we can play faster and more physical."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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