BOULDER— The University of Colorado Buffalo football team will begin its fall camp on Thursday evening as the Buffs prepare for the start of the 2005 season which is now less than a month away. The team will practice from 6:00-8:15 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and fans will be able to attend open practices through August 27 to get a first glimpse of CU’s 2005 freshman recruiting class.

The fall camp will also help to develop deeper chemistry within a veteran team that will return 50 lettermen and 17 starters this year (offense seven, defense 10). The Buffs will be led by senior quarterback Joel Klatt and senior V-Back Lawrence Vickers. Sophomore running backs Hugh Charles and Byron Ellis are expected to compete for touches at the tailback position to round out the Buffs’ backfield. The unit took a blow after junior running back Brandon Caesar was lost for the entire 2005 football season after tearing his patella tendon in conditioning drills on July 27.

The Buffs’ rushing attack will feature some intriguing talent with a combination of unique speed and versatility among the running backs. The offensive line will be anchored by three incumbent starters in senior tackle Clint O’Neal, junior center Mark Fenton and junior guard Brian Daniels.

The offensive priority which was stressed in spring practices and will carry over to the fall camp is the passing game. Senior tight ends Joe Klopfenstein and Quinn Sypniewski represent arguably the best duo in the nation, while the wide out corps offer a boast of talent which must maintain consistency for the passing attack to be successful. Senior Even Judge, junior Blake Mackey and sophomore Dusty Sprague offer a veteran presence, while the fall camp will give additional time for sophomore Reggie Joseph, redshirt freshman Patrick Williams and sophomore transfer Alvin Barnett to gain a better grasp of the offense.

The Buffs’ defense remains virtually intact, as only defensive tackle Matt McChesney, now with the NFL St. Louis Rams, will be the only starter missing from last year’s group. Senior James Garee moved from the defensive end to tackle alongside senior Vaka Manupuna to provide more talent up the middle and make way for a talented trio of ends in juniors Alex Ligon and Abraham Wright and sophomore Alonzo Barrett.

The linebacker position remains the deepest position on the Buffs, led by hard-hitting senior Brian Iwuh, senior Akarika Dawn, junior Thaddaeus Washington and reigning Big 12 defensive Freshman of the Year Jordon Dizon. The fall camp will help determine the rotation of these four players, along with experienced reserves in junior Chris Hollis and sophomore Joe Sanders.

The Buffs’ secondary, although fully intact from last year’s squad, has a couple question marks concerning injuries. Junior cornerback Terrence Wheatley missed all of spring drills and is out for the fall after having surgery on his wrist. Another player who missed spring drills was senior free safety Tom Hubbard, who was the defensive MVP in CU’s 33-28 victory over Texas-El Paso in the EV1.net Houston Bowl. He injured his knee early in the spring, but should be available to the Buffs this fall.