Colorado University Athletics
CU Practice Report: Tucker Continues To Like Buffs' Effort
August 05, 2019 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — After four fall camp practices, Colorado coach Mel Tucker likes what he has seen from his Buffaloes, and he let them know after Monday's workout.
Tucker told the players he was pleased with their effort, their competitiveness and their physical play. The Buffs put on shoulder pads for the first time in camp Monday, and the intensity during team drills no doubt stepped up a couple of notches
But Tucker also stressed to the Buffs that it was imperative that they continue to focus on the second part of the equation — knowing their assignments and executing them correctly. If the Buffs can do that, Tucker told his players, they will be ready to compete with anyone and everyone on their schedule.
"I told the guys the only thing that will hold us back is if we don't know what to do, we don't know our assignments, we don't know how to execute, things like that," Tucker said in his post-practice press conference. "But the effort is going to be there. We've got enough players on both sides of the ball to get it done. It's really going to come down to execution, how hard we play, how physical we are. That's what I saw today."
The Buffs will don full pads on Tuesday for the first time in camp. But after Monday's physical workout in shells, Tucker said he doesn't expect to see a huge change.
What he does want to see is the continued competitive position battles, which will develop much-needed depth.
"There's not a whole heck of a lot of difference between wearing shoulder pads and helmets and putting the pads on," Tucker said. "I shouldn't see any dropoff. We should get better and stronger and more physical as we go. That's what I expect. Obviously there's competition at these positions and the cream is going to rise to the top. But we want as many guys to be ready as possible. We want to have depth. We don't want to leave anyone behind. We want everyone to develop."
That depth will be integral to Tucker's goal of winning games in the fourth quarter — something that hasn't been a CU trademark in recent seasons. His philosophy is to have fresh legs heading down the stretch, which depends on two things: an outstanding conditioning base and enough quality depth to wear opponents down.
"We're trying to bring everyone together so we can have depth so we can have the numbers that we need to wear people down and win fourth quarter games," he said. "This is why we train the entire out of season in the weight room and all our running and lifting. It's a mental toughness deal. You don't want to give in mentally before your body gives in physically. We'll continue to push and our leaders will lead and bring guys along."
EARLY STANDOUTS: Tucker continues to name a few players after each practice as those who are having good camps or who had a particularly good practice. Asked Monday what players have made significant improvement since spring ball, he named running backs Deion Smith and Alex Fontenot and wide receivers Dimitri Stanley and Daniel Arias on offense; and safety Aaron Maddox, cornerback Chris Miller and outside linebacker Carson Wells on defense.
Wells has been one of the steadiest performers for the Buffs since camp began. After an excellent summer strength/conditioning session, he has become the clear regular for the Buffs on the outside in their 3-4 defense. At 6-foot-4, 250 pounds, Wells has the size to be an excellent run defender, the power to put pressure on the quarterback and can drop into coverage when necessary (he had one of the first interceptions of camp in Friday's team drills).
"Carson Wells is probably our most underrated player," Tucker said. "He does a great job consistently, every day." …
PRACTICE REPORT: Arias had several nice catches in Monday's workout, including a beautiful grab in the back of the end zone in double coverage … Guard Casey Roddick and tackle Frank Fillip took snaps with the No. 1 offense on the left side of the line. Roddick and Fillip could both figure in the Buffs' rotation up front … Delrick Abrams Jr. continues to hold down one corner spot, with Mekhi Blackmon and Chris Miller working the other side … Safety Mikial Onu delivered one of the bigger hits of the morning … Linebacker Jacob Callier had a fumble recovery in red-zone work … Punter Alex Kinney is having an outstanding camp ...
The Buffs continue to put in plenty of work on goal-line and red zone situations, with the run game getting plenty of attention. True freshman Jaren Mangham continues to show an ability to get the hole with quickness and a purpose, and Deion Smith is also running with authority.
SCHEDULE: The Buffs will put on full pads for the first time in camp Tuesday, the fifth practice of camp. The first scrimmage is scheduled for Saturday.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
