J.P. diZerega

Wyoming

Sep 20 (Sat)

8:15 p.m.

Position:
Fullback
Height:
6-2
Weight:
240
Class:
Redshirt
Hometown:
Lakewood, Colo.
High School:
Wheat Ridge

AT COLORADO: This Season (Jr.)-Enters the fall listed second at fullback.

2002 (Soph.)-He saw action in all 14 games, including the Alamo Bowl, mainly on special teams; but he did make one start at fullback against San Diego State. He played all 69 snaps on the field goal/PAT unit, and was on a couple of other units as well. He had five special team points, as he had four tackles on coverage duty, one inside-the-20. He was the Scout Team Offense Award winner for his practice play leading up to the Nebraska game. He moved from defensive end to fullback for spring drills, and made a good transition to his new role.

2001 (Fr.-RS)-He saw action in 12 games including the Fiesta Bowl, all on special teams, as he played 71 total snaps on the field goal/PAT unit as well as some occasional action on other units.

2000 (Fr.)-Redshirted; practiced the entire fall at defensive end.

HIGH SCHOOL-As a senior, he earned All-America honors from both PrepStar and SuperPrep, which ranked him as the No. 41 linebacker in the nation, and the No. 28 player overall in the Midlands region. He earned all-Colorado honors from the Denver Post, garnered first-team 4A all-state honors from the Post and Rocky Mountain News and made the Blue Chip list by both papers. He was also a first-team all-Jefferson County League selection on defense. As a junior, he earned first-team all-conference and second-team all-state honors. As a senior, he set Wheat Ridge?s all-time record for solo tackles in a season with 84, and finished with 125 total, including 10 for losses and a quarterback sack. He also had three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and an interception. On offense, playing primarily as a blocking tight end, he caught five passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns (30 and 60 yards). As a junior, he had 84 total tackles with eight for losses and a sack, while catching three passes for 80 yards on offense. He occasionally played on the kickoff coverage unit on special teams. His top games included a 19 tackle effort in a 34-20 loss to Dakota Ridge as a senior, which enabled him to break the Farmers? single-season record, and a 12 tackle performance in a 21-10 win over Lakewood in snowy conditions, when he caught one of his TD passes on offense. Wheat Ridge was 7-3 his senior year, 8-3 his junior season and 9-2 his sophomore year under coach Lee Kunz, and was 13-1 his freshman year (state champs) under coach Ed Stevens. He also lettered twice in lacrosse as a junior and senior.

ACADEMICS-He is majoring in communication at Colorado. He owned a 3.3 grade point average in high school.

PERSONAL-Born June 9, 1982 in Glenwood Springs, Colo. Hobbies include lifting, running, Frisbee golf and spending time with friends. An uncle (Scott Klune) played football for CU in the early 1970s, and a grandfather played at Northern Colorado. J.P. stands for Joseph Patrick. (Last name pronounced dee-zair-ig-uh.)