Buffs Report: Hambright Ready; Tucker On Pressure Vs. Anxiety; Buffs Turn Focus To CSU
August 25, 2019 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Colorado offensive lineman Arlington Hambright doesn't try to hide his excitement about the prospect of getting back on the field and starting a game.
Hambright, who transferred from Oklahoma State, is slated to be CU's starting left tackle Friday when the Buffs kick off their season with an 8 p.m. game against in-state rival Colorado State in Denver (ESPN). It will be his first start since Week 5 last year at OSU, when he suffered an injury and did not play again until the Cowboys' bowl game.
"I'm feeling good," Hambright said with a grin after Sunday morning's practice. "I'm excited and ready to go. I missed a lot of games last year and I'm ready to get out and complete a full season."
Hambright is one of Colorado's most physically gifted offensive linemen, and pound for pound, he also tested out as one of CU's most explosive athletes. He is big (6-5, 300 pounds), strong and has excellent quickness, particularly for an offensive lineman.
But he is also learning his third offensive system in his college career. He played two years of juco ball before transferring to Oklahoma State, and because he did not have the luxury of spring ball in Boulder this year, it has meant a summer of playing catch-up.
"Physically, he's gifted — really good feet, just athletic and twitchy for an offensive lineman," Buffs O-line coach Chris Kapilovic said. "Technically, there's some things we have to continue to work on, like most O-linemen. Then just really grasping the system. He's got the base offense. But all of a sudden, they do this … what's our counter to that? You have to be able to make quick decisions and those are the things he's starting to get better at."
Hambright has definitely made strides in those areas, and he has leaned on his teammates to help him make the adjustment. Over the last week, he said, he truly began to feel comfortable in the offense.
"I think I've done a good job of learning the offense, and the other guys and Coach Kap have really helped me," he said. "I thought this last week was good. It's just a matter of getting used to playing with a new group of guys, and them bringing me along. They've really helped and I'm definitely more comfortable."
Friday will be Hambright's first taste of the CU-CSU rivalry.
"You want to prepare hard for every game," he said. "But I know how important this game is for CU fans and all the Buffs. We just want to go out there and get it done."
PRESSURE VS. ANXIETY: CU head coach Mel Tucker talked to his team after Sunday's practice about feeling pressure before a game and feeling anxiety.
Pressure, Tucker told the Buffs, is good. Tucker said he has felt pressure before every game in his 23-year coaching career. It is something, he said, that comes with doing something important.
But anxiety, he stressed, is a sign of lack of preparation. He told his players they have the rest of this week to make sure they are prepared — and thus don't go into Friday night's game with anxiety.
He also talked about the difference in his post-practice meeting with the media.
"Anxiety comes from knowing you that you're not prepared, knowing that you haven't done the work, knowing that you really haven't done everything that it takes to prepare to play a game," Tucker said. "Then you go into a game and you're anxious because you know that you're not quite ready."
But pressure, he said, is a different feeling.
"Pressure to me is a privilege," Tucker said. "When you're doing something special, something important, there's going to be a certain amount of pressure involved. But pressure makes you better. I told the players, I've been coaching 23 years and I've never gone into a game where I haven't felt some pressure. That's normal. That's OK. As long as you know that you're prepared and you're ready to face whatever comes your way, then you can go out there and have fun and play fast."
GAME PLAN INSTALL: The Buffs have already spent a good deal of time working on their basic game plan for Colorado State.
This week, it will be a matter of specifics.
"We've spent quite a bit of time on CSU," Tucker said. "We're going to be prepared. We laid out the scouting report, the game plan is unfolding every day. We've got corrections we have to make so we'll make those and we'll move on to the next phase of game planning and we'll go throughout the week like that. One day at a time, staying focused. There's been no lack of preparation for these guys."
Overall, Tucker said he likes the mental makeup of his team. He saw progress throughout camp in that area, and said it's a process that will continue.
"The hard work is paying off," he said. "I feel the team coming together. Not just assignment wise, but from a chemistry standpoint. The leaders have started to emerge. We have really good energy. We work with a purpose. Everyone knows what we're out here to do, what's ahead of us and what the focus is for that day. We've gotten better in terms of knowledge of our schemes, technique and fundamentals, and just overall team discipline, chemistry, attention to detail, how we do things. The culture of our team has really changed over this course of time. I like where we are right now."
SCHEDULE: With fall camp in the rearview mirror, the Buffs will now follow their regular season schedule, which means practicing on Franklin Field, just outside of the Indoor Practice Facility. They will continue to have morning workouts.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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