Three Freshmen, Maybe More, To Open At Hawai'i

BOULDER GÇô At least three true freshmen GÇô and possibly a fourth GÇô will be in ColoradoGÇÖs starting lineup when the Buffaloes open the 2011 football season on Sept. 3 at HawaiGÇÖi.

CUGÇÖs post-camp depth chart, released on Monday by new coach Jon Embree, features freshmen Darragh OGÇÖNeill and Will Oliver, respectively, in the No. 1 punting and placekicking roles, and Greg Henderson in the starting right cornerback spot.

Additionally, freshman Tyler McCulloch is listed as a co-starter with senior Toney Clemons at the X wide receiver position. If McCulloch opens at Hawaii, he would become the first freshman in school history to start a season opener at wide receiver.

GÇ£Tyler has earned it and we need Toney to keep coming,GÇ¥ Embree said. GÇ£The guys on the offensive staff believe weGÇÖve got to continue to bring Tyler along; we just donGÇÖt want to throw him in the fire. ThatGÇÖs why theyGÇÖre co-starters right now.GÇ¥

In all on the two- or three-deep chart, five true freshmen are listed on offense, six on defense and three on special teams. But that total could change before the Buffs travel to Hawaii; Embree said freshman D.D. Goodson will be given a long look this week at punt returner.

GÇ£I feel good about our two-deep, even some of our GÇÿthreesGÇÖ in the D-line,GÇ¥ Embree said. GÇ£Actually, I feel really good about our first 30 or 35.GÇ¥

The coaches are now listing the base defense as a 3-4, instead of a 4-3 which has been in place at CU since 1995; the Buffs last lined up in the formation in Bill McCartneyGÇÖs final year as head coach in GÇÖ94. A newly titled position, GÇ£jackGÇ¥ outside linebacker, now complements the two inside linebacker spots (GÇ£mikeGÇ¥ and GÇ£willGÇ¥) and the opposite outside one (GÇ£samGÇ¥). Josh Hartigan is the jack OLB, with the former defensive tackle now becoming left defensive end and manned by Will Pericak and Curtis Cunningham. Conrad Obi (nose tackle) and Chidera Uzo-Diribe (right DE) are slotted next to the left end.

Other starting positions of interest:

Senior Travis Sandersfeld, a savvy former safety, joins Henderson as a starting corner (left). CUGÇÖs corner position came under the most scrutiny during camp as defensive coordinator/secondary coach Greg Brown sought to replace graduated seniors Jimmy Smith and Jalil Brown.

GÇ£Both of those guys showed more consistency in camp than the other candidates,GÇ¥ Greg Brown said of Sandersfeld and Henderson. GÇ£Travis has been around the block here and played a lot of football here. He knows both positions and how to get it done. (Henderson) was thrust into action and just answered every bell and challenge. He stepped up and claimed the job.GÇ¥
Added Embree of his new corners: GÇ£I feel really good about both of those guys. I think both had very good camps. Once Greg (Henderson) kind of figured it out, he played really well. HeGÇÖs around the ball a lot and has good instincts and heGÇÖs physical. IGÇÖm happy about him.
GÇ£And Travis is a guy whoGÇÖs always at the right spot. HeGÇÖs smart, savvy in figuring out pattern read and recognition GÇô those things. IGÇÖm very pleased with both of them.GÇ¥
Brown said his secondary still has GÇ£a long ways to goGÇ¥ in developing enough depth to face passing opponents such as Hawaii: GÇ£ItGÇÖs always a scary proposition when you play these teams that throw the ball quite a bit out of three and four-receiver sets.GÇ¥

At tailback, redshirt freshman Tony Jones is listed as senior Rodney GÇ£SpeedyGÇ¥ StewartGÇÖs backup, with sophomore Josh Ford moving to No. 3 ahead of senior Brian Lockridge and, according to Embree, Ford is threatening to overtake Jones.

Embree said Ford GÇ£has done it every timeGÇ¥ in practices and scrimmages. Embree was unsure of LockridgeGÇÖs health, noting, GÇ£I donGÇÖt know if thatGÇÖs contributing to some of the issues. We need to find that out; heGÇÖs not saying anything. So I donGÇÖt know. This is the first IGÇÖve seen him play, because he didnGÇÖt go through spring. I donGÇÖt know what heGÇÖs capable of.GÇ¥ Lockridge still is listed on the first kickoff return unit.

In the offensive line, redshirt freshman Daniel Munyer and sophomore Gus Handler are listed as co-starters at center, and Embree said GÇ£both will play a lot for us.GÇ¥ Junior Ryan Dannewitz will back up both starting tackles, while Embree said senior Sione Tau has proved to be a better fit at guard. He will be senior Ryan MillerGÇÖs backup on the right side.

Aside from cornerback, one of the defenseGÇÖs mostly hotly contested positions was the GÇ£WillGÇ¥ GÇô or inside GÇô spot. Sophomore Derrick Webb is listed as the starter ahead of senior Patrick Mahnke.

At quarterback, walk-on freshman John Schrock earned the No. 3 position behind starter Tyler Hansen and backup Nick Hirschman.

The punting competition, which saw OGÇÖNeill edge out incumbent sophomore Zach Grossnickle, was among the closest in camp. GÇ£ItGÇÖs not like it was overly cut and dried,GÇ¥ special teams coach J.D. Brookhart said. GÇ£No one dominated the competition, but somebody won it.GÇ¥

A former all-state basketball player at Fairview High School, OGÇÖNeill had never played organized football before walking on last spring. GÇ£WhatGÇÖs surprising to me is how far heGÇÖs come in five months,GÇ¥ Brookhart said. GÇ£Originally he came trying to be a kicker. I thought he was OK, but said, GÇÿWhy donGÇÖt you give this (punting) a shot and weGÇÖll look at you again.GÇÖ

GÇ£He came out the middle of spring ball and just took off. I think that shows a little bit of his athleticism . . . heGÇÖs an athletic kid thatGÇÖs good in those pressure situations. So thatGÇÖs good for him. HeGÇÖs got that mentality of having been in those situations and I think that helps.GÇ¥

Still, Brookhart said OGÇÖNeill was only GÇ£slightly aboveGÇ¥ Grossnickle in hang time and distance. GÇ£He showed improvement,GÇ¥ Brookhart said of OGÇÖNeill, GÇ£but neither of the guys are exactly where I want them to be at this point. TheyGÇÖve still got a lot of room to grow, which is good, too.

GÇ£I wish we were there, but at this point weGÇÖre not. So now itGÇÖs (OGÇÖNeillGÇÖs) chance to shine in the spotlight.GÇ¥
With OGÇÖNeill and Oliver, EmbreeGÇÖs first CU team will feature a revamped kicking game. Embree said he hopes OGÇÖNeill and Grossnickle respond like Oliver and his chief competitor, sophomore Justin Castor, did after Oliver was named the starter early in preseason camp.

GÇ£Will kind of took off once he got the job,GÇ¥ Embree said. GÇ£Actually, Castor kind of took off once he realized it wasnGÇÖt his. HeGÇÖs done great with kickoffs and working on longer field goals. Hopefully this will have the same effect with both of those guys from a punting standpoint.GÇ¥

Embree has told Grossnickle, who averaged 39.5 yards (35.7 net) punting last season, to work on both punting and placekicking. GÇ£I asked what heGÇÖs better at and he said probably kicking, so weGÇÖll see how it works for him,GÇ¥ Embree said.

UPON FURTHER REVIEW . . . : With fall semester classes beginning Monday, the Buffs began an afternoon practice schedule for the rest of the semester. MondayGÇÖs on-field work is the first since a Friday scrimmage that didnGÇÖt please Embree.

But after two days to evaluate the scrimmage and reflect on his first preseason camp, EmbreeGÇÖs mood had changed.

GÇ£Talking with other coaches GÇô some guys whose opinions I value GÇô and reading what other programs in our conference are doing, I feel better,GÇ¥ he said. GÇ£ThereGÇÖs a lot of programs trying to (develop depth and avoid injury) and thatGÇÖs the only way to develop the depth you have. No matter how ugly it may have been, thatGÇÖs what we had to do to evaluate . . . I feel better about it from that standpoint. IGÇÖm still not happy with the results, but I understand itGÇÖs part of what camp has to be.

GÇ£When I look at camp as a whole, I feel like we had 17 really good practices. I mean really good practices. We had one that was OK, and we had the one that I felt was not good enough. So when I look at the big scheme and the roster from a health standpoint, camp was good. Some of the other guys I talk to have (injury) issues; weGÇÖre good from that standpoint.GÇ¥

BOHN TO SPEAK AT DENVER PRESS CLUB: CU Athletic Director Mike Bohn will be the featured speaker at a special CU sports luncheon at the Denver Press Club (1330 Glenarm Place, downtown Denver) on Thursday.

Buffs fans and college football followers in general will learn about CUGÇÖs move to the Pac-12 Conference, the selection of new head football coach Jon Embree and the BuffsGÇÖ prospects for the 2011 season. There also will be a Q&A session with Bohn.

Doors open at 11 a.m., with a buffet beginning at 11:30. The program featuring Bohn follows at about 12:15 p.m. The price for lunch and the program is $14 for Denver Press Club members, $16 for non-members, and includes drawings for several door prizes, including tickets to the Rocky Mountain Showdown between CU and Colorado State on Sept. 17.

Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU

Colorado University Athletics