Colorado University Athletics
Buffs LBs Coach Hart Says Offense's Tempo Is Testing Defense
April 13, 2023 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — There may be no group happier to hit the regular season next fall than the Colorado Buffaloes' defense.
At least then the Buffs won't be facing CU's up-tempo, run-at-a-breakneck pace offense, which is keeping the defense on its heels as spring ball continues to unfold.
Here is linebackers coach Andre´ Hart's blunt assessment after Thursday's practice, the 10th of CU's spring session:
"The offense is putting the pedal to the metal. They are on the gas. We're trying to adjust and line up quickly … I mean they're confusing us. They're having us all over the place. You see folks jumping around, trying to get lined up. We're nowhere near ready to handle that tempo."
But truth is, that's not a bad thing. As CU's defenders get used to that tempo, they will learn to adjust on the fly, react more quickly and be prepared to face any speed of offense they might see next fall.
"We love it," Hart said. "If they continue to do that like that, then when game time happens in September, we will be ready. The game will be slower for us and we'll be ready to execute. So we keep telling them, keep pushing the gas. When it comes time to win the games, we'll be ready."
Hart, who followed Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders from Jackson State, is busily implementing Colorado's new defense under coordinator Charles Kelly. Along with the physical aspect of making plays in practice, Hart is also feeding his players as much information as possible. That mental preparation, he said, will be critical next fall.
"We're never satisfied because we're putting so much in," Hart said. "We're adding in stuff every single day to see how they handle it mentally. When we get into a game, we will have a game plan but they (the opponent) will have a game plan and we're gonna have to make adjustments on the field. And when those adjustments happen, you have to be able to mentally switch over what you practiced all week to a whole new way of playing or executing the play when we get back on the field. So that's why we're trying to press them right now, to see how much they can handle. How much change can you handle and how much can you obtain and adjust when we have to do game time adjustment? So we're not satisfied with it. But we are happy that the guys are taking the challenge and are trying to get it."
As with every other position group on the roster, the Buffs have spent the offseason adding a host of new players, from high school recruits to portal transfers. Among those newcomers are transfers LaVonta Bentley (Clemson) and Jeremiah Brown (Jackson State).
Bentley "earned" his number this week — and he admits the rapid pace of the offense has been a challenge.
"Fast," he said. "It's definitely different, but we're getting used to it — tempo, tempo tempo. But I know during the season when we play teams that blow through it, we can prepare for that."
Hart said Bentley is one of a couple of 'backers who have been impressive thus far.
"He's been doing excellent in camp," Hart said. "He's gotten better every single day. He's become a leader in our room."
As for Brown, Hart said the Buffs will use him in a variety of roles.
"You'll see him off the ball and on the ball," Hart said. "He's a dynamic athlete. He's gonna be there for us here with his speed and his athleticism."
Also having an impressive spring is returnee Isaac Hurtado, a junior who spent last year near the bottom of CU's depth chart and appeared in just two games at linebacker. But after a solid scrimmage, Hurtado also earned his jersey number.
"Isaac, who honestly was on the bottom of my list, played that first practice scrimmage that we had and showed up out of nowhere," Hart said. "He was playing at a whole different speed than the other guys and even though he's at the bottom I think that created some competition in my room to see that he could get his number before about three, four guys have in front of them. And I've also moved him up to what we call the gold team or the second team. So he's going against the ones right now and I'm looking forward to seeing exactly how he keeps progressing."
Two other returnees who have made an impression are Aubrey Smith and Marvin Ham II, both of whom saw extensive time last year.
"(Ham) looks more like an inside 'backer and since we've moved him there he's smart and he's been moving around well," Hart said. " Aubrey Smith, he's been another one that's really impressed me with his talent level."
Overall, Hart said he likes his group's progress.
"We're definitely getting smarter," he said. "We're reacting quicker to our offense's tempo based on the plays we're putting in but I think we still need to be a little bit tougher as far as our tackling is concerned. It's a mentality. I'm not sure if the days running together and how hard we've been practicing are getting to them but we got to toughen up. There's no reason to miss tackles or leave plays on the field like that. And if we're going to be the best we're going to be we got to get better at that."
Players Mentioned
