RB Depth, Experience Will Be Key For Buffs' Offensive Balance

BOULDER — Over the last two seasons, the Colorado Buffaloes have been at their best when they have produced a balanced offensive attack.

The numbers:

In 2018 and 2019 combined, the Buffaloes rushed for at least 100 yards and threw for 230 yards in the same game 11 times. Colorado produced an 8-3 record in those contests — a 4-1 record in 2018 (Oregon State the only loss in those five) and a 4-2 mark in 2019 (losses to USC and Arizona).

But in games when the Buffs didn't hit both of those numbers, they were just 2-11 in that same stretch. That's a 1-5 mark in 2019 and 1-6 in 2018 — with both of the wins coming over Nebraska.

It's why the Buffaloes have been stressing balance in this long and bizarre offseason. With an inexperienced quarterback a virtual guarantee — no matter who wins the starting job — CU coaches know they have to run the ball with consistency in order to give whoever earns the spot a fighting chance to succeed.

All of which brings us to a running backs room that should be poised to deliver in that regard. Led by returning starter Alex Fontenot and bolstered by a host of talented younger players, CU's rushing attack has the potential to be as deep and as strong as it has been in years — and, yes, that includes the Phillip Lindsay era.

Fontenot, named to the preseason Doak Walker Award watch list, is clearly the centerpiece of the group. After getting a taste of playing time as a redshirt freshman, he stepped into the starting role last year and delivered a solid 185-carry, 874-yard, five-touchdown season, despite missing one complete game with an injury.

But the Buffs' backfield likely won't be a one-man show. Sophomore Jaren Mangham is back after a 107-carry, 441-yard, three-touchdown debut season as a true freshman; sophomores Deion Smith, Jarek Broussard and Joe Davis return; and highly touted true freshman Ashaad Clayton brings with him some lofty expectations.

It is a group that has already impressed Fontenot, even though the Buffs have yet to conduct an official practice under new head coach Karl Dorrell.

"You just feel how hungry they are to get on the field and show the world what they can do," Fontenot said of the younger Buffs. "I know how good they are and what they can do. They just want to show other people."

What they all want to do is play.

What they need to do is provide a consistent enough punch that their quarterback has time to develop and grow.

That's where new-but-not-really-new offensive coordinator Darrin Chiaverini comes into the picture. The play-caller in 2018, Chiaverini saw those duties shifted last season to then-offensive coordinator Jay Johnson in the very short-lived Mel Tucker era.

Now, with Dorrell at the program helm, Chiaverini is back in the saddle as the man calling plays — and while he has yet to see the 2020 Buffs practice, he knows what he needs to see when fall camp finally begins.

"We have to be better in the run game in 2020," Chiaverini said recently. "We have to be better at running the football. I think I have to incorporate more play action for us to help out the quarterback position … We have to be a little more balanced."

There's that word again — balance. And while Chiaverini loves to throw the ball as much as the next guy (or maybe a little more), he also knows that if you are going to throw, you'd better give your quarterback some time — particularly if he's a quarterback who has taken only a handful of snaps in a college game (or none at all). The best way to do that is make opposing defense respect your run game.

Of course, we haven't mentioned maybe the most important piece of the CU running backs puzzle — the position coach.

While some CU position rooms have been a revolving door for coaches over the past few years, continuity and consistency has been a staple in the running backs room. This will be Darian Hagan's fifth straight year as the RB position coach, a welcome bit of stability for his players.

"It's really nice not having to switch out a new coch every year like some of our other positions have to deal with," Fontenot said. "Having Hagan here since I got here my freshman year has really helped me develop into a better football player."

No doubt, there are plenty of questions to be answered before the Buffs even open fall camp. Then will come a month of practicing the schemes the Buffs have spent months working on in the film room, along with answering what will no doubt be a lengthy list of position battles.

But one thing that shouldn't be a question is the running backs room.

That's one place that depth, experience and coaching seem to be well in hand.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu