Colorado University Athletics
BUFFS? YOUNG GUNS STRUT THEIR STUFF
BOULDER ? As the University of Colorado football team (7-5, 4-4 Big 12) continued preparations Wednesday for its showdown with UTEP in the EV1.net Houston Bowl on Dec. 29, the Buffs looked ahead to the future during the afternoon by conducting a 20-minute scrimmage with solely their younger players to cap off a two-hour practice.
Going into the practice week, head coach Gary Barnett said the time leading up to the bowl game would be very crucial for his less experienced players, as over the years many coaches have looked at bowl practices as a way to evaluate a team’s raw talent. Barnett and his staff are no different, while for the second day in a row CU held a short scrum that highlighted drills and gave its underclassmen a chance to shine.
“We need to take advantage of that (extra practice) as much as we can,” Barnett stated in his Tuesday press conference. “We’ll spend a lot of the time working with a big emphasis on our young guys, and that won’t be hard since we are a young football team. But, it’s important to put some more emphasis into our freshmen and sophomores to get them ready even prior to spring ball.”
“We all like getting on the field in game-type situations, and it’s only going to help build more experience for next season,” freshman tailback Hugh Charles added. “Right now we want to build momentum, finish the year strong with a win and go into next season on a high note. I think that’s important for us younger guys to do as much as we can.”
Another CU practice goal over the next weeks will aim at rejuvenating the confidence of younger players after a tough loss last Saturday in the Big 12 Championship game. Noting that he is not worried about his veterans bouncing back, Barnett said it’s essential for the Buffs’ underclassmen to get over the difficult defeat and focus on the task at hand.
“The older guys will be fine, because they know how to react to things like that,” Barnett said. “We have to be careful with our young guys, because they don’t always know how to handle themselves (during adversity). It’s important that they get back on track and learn something.”
Torp Tops: Junior punter John Torp, who stands second in the nation with a 46.34-yard average, was tabbed ESPN.com college football writer Ivan Maisel’s first-team All-American punter Wednesday. Torp propelled the Buffs to a No. 1 net punt ranking at 42.4 yards to finish the year.
“That’s just something where I have to give a lot of credit to everybody else on the team who worked hard too,” said Torp, a second team All-Big 12 selection and Ray Guy Award candidate. “I think everybody has taken a lot of pride being on that punt team.”
Added Barnett on CU’s No.1 standing: “I’m damn proud of that. That’s hard to do. That means you have to have a great punter, and great coverages and schemes, too.”
Frosh Rack Up More Honors: The Sporting News came out with its All-American and all-conference awards this week, and several young Buffs were honored for their performances this season. Linebacker Jordon Dizon was selected to the second team Freshman All-American squad, while he was also a first-team Freshman All-Big 12 performer. Joining Dizon on the conference’s main list were redshirt freshmen Dusty Sprague and Edwin Harrison.
Sprague finished the year with 22 catches for 278 yards and one touchdown, even though he missed three of CU’s last four games with a broken clavicle. Harrison, who appeared in 10 games as an offensive tackle, complied an 82.6 percentage grade against Kansas in his best game.
As for Dizon ? who was also named the Big 12 Defensive Freshman and Newcomer of the Year by both the league coaches and Associated Press last week ? the 6-foot, 220-pounder ended the year third in tackles for the Buffs with 88 stops (including five for loss). He set the CU freshman tackle record by besting J.J. Billingsley’s mark of 67 in 2002.