Lewis Now Clear No. 1 QB For Buffaloes
August 16, 2021 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Colorado redshirt freshman Brendon Lewis has stepped into the role as the Buffaloes' clear No. 1 quarterback after a knee injury to sophomore J.T. Shrout.
The two were involved in a neck-and-neck battle for the starting spot before Shrout suffered what head coach Karl Dorrell termed a "significant" injury in Saturday's first scrimmage of fall camp. Now, Lewis — who has played in one college game — will get the majority of repetitions with the No. 1 offense as CU prepares for its Sept. 3 season opener against Northern Colorado at Folsom Field (7 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
Shrout's injury also elevates true freshman Drew Carter to No. 2 status while another true freshman, Jordan Woolverton, is next on the depth chart.
The Buffaloes currently have no other quarterbacks listed on their roster, as three others from last fall's roster departed via the transfer portal.
"As you can imagine, he's devastated, but he's the type of kid who will bounce back," Dorrell said of Shrout, who transferred to CU from Tennessee. "We're going to keep him involved with what we're doing … You know, he feels like he's let down his teammates — that's the kind of guy he is. He doesn't think about himself, he thinks more about the team, and that tells you the character and the mindset of this program is changing. They're not thinking about themselves unless they're thinking about what's best for the team."
Lewis, who had a sparkling college debut in a relief role in the Alamo Bowl last season, has had an excellent camp thus far. He threw three touchdown passes in Saturday's scrimmage and was also among the leading rushers in the workout.
Dorrell said the Buffs won't change their offensive plan for Lewis in order to lessen the chance for injury — but CU coaches will make sure he understands how to make smart decisions when it comes to contact.
"We're going to do the things that are great for him and part of his game," Dorrell said. "He does great things when he's getting a chance to move around in the pocket and all those things. We're going to try to fit it around what he does best."
But, Dorrell added, they're going to make sure Lewis is cognizant of the importance of avoiding unnecessary situations.
"The biggest thing we're going to coach him about is obviously not trying to run over people like Sam (Noyer) used to do last year — jumping over people and running over people," Dorrell said. "Trying to have him be smarter in his decisions and how he's trying to attack contact."
Carter, a true freshman, did have the benefit of enrolling last January and participating in spring ball. But his level of responsibility no doubt took a big leap forward in the wake of Shrout's injury.
"He has really good qualities," Dorrell said. "What I told him in front
of the team is, 'You're a play away from being the guy so your urgency about what you're doing every day is important. You have to start preparing and thinking like you're the starter.'"
PRACTICE NOTES: Dorrell said Monday's practice, the 11th of camp, was one of the Buffs' best so far training camp.
"That's showing some maturity and some growth and not letting the physical outweigh the mental part of it," Dorrell said. "I was really encouraged by that so we spent a good time talking about that at the end of practice." …
As for possibly getting some other players some reps at quarterback, Dorrell said he and his staff are studying the possibilities.
"We're actually talking with a couple guys on our team about some possible solutions for that, but we're going to ride with what we have right now."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
