For Thompson, CU Career Has Gone By In 'Blink Of An Eye'
December 10, 2016 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — As Colorado senior safety Tedric Thompson prepares for the Buffaloes' appearance in the Dec. 29 Alamo Bowl, two things have struck him:
One, for the first time in his life, he won't be home for Christmas.
Two, his days in a Colorado uniform are coming to an end.
The first is relatively easy to deal with.
"It means I'm doing something right," Thompson said. "My mom is still hurting a little from that, but she's also happy for me. She'd rather have me out here doing something good than being home. She knows how important it is."
The second part, however, might be the toughest for Thompson. He and his band of Buffs' brothers have spent their college careers in Boulder battling to get to this point — and now that the reward is near, so is the end.
"I'm just going to do my best to enjoy these last days with my teammates," Thompson said after Saturday morning's practice. "We've been through so many ups and downs. Freshman, sophomore, junior year, we were thinking about going home at this time of the year.
"But now we're all here, focused on the bowl game — and I really don't want to go home. When we leave for the bowl, it's going to be the last time I ever play football for Colorado. It's just kind of sinking in right now."
Thompson has no doubt made his senior year one to remember, both from an individual as well as a team standpoint. He led the Pac-12 in interceptions this season with seven and tied for the conference lead with teammate Ahkello Witherspoon in passes defended (22). He was named first team all-conference by the Associated Press, second team All-Pac-12 by the league's coaches and second team all-conference by Pro Football Focus.
Tie it all in with CU's first bowl game appearance since 2007, a 10-3 record and a top-10 ranking and it has made the last three years all worthwhile.
"We've definitely come a long way," Thompson said. "I'm just proud of the senior class and proud of our coaches, how we stuck together and fought together and believed in each other. We put ourselves in this position and it's something none of us will forget."
Thompson arrived in Boulder as part of head coach Mike MacIntyre's first recruiting class. He remembers being mentored by some of CU's upperclassmen then, and has done his best to pass on that kind of guidance to current Colorado youngsters.
"(Former safety) Jered Bell was one person who always talked to me, told me there would be ups and downs," Thompson said. "He helped me keep my head up. My freshman year, he told me that he felt like before I leave, I had the opportunity to do something great.
"Now, I just tell the young guys like Anthony Julmisse, Johnny Huntley, Rick Gamboa — I tell all those guys to enjoy the moment because when it comes, it's going to go by in the blink of an eye."
Throughout the year, as Colorado's turnaround season evolved from a goal into reality, MacIntyre continually made reference to that first recruiting class, a group that came to Colorado with no promises — other than the chance to accomplish something special in a program that was struggling.
Now, MacIntyre watches during CU's bowl practices as those first recruits are enjoying the fruits of their labors.
"It's exciting to be out there with those guys and them getting to feel all of this," MacIntyre said. "When exams get over, they'll even enjoy it more. It's going to be fun sending them off the right way."
Thompson, meanwhile, vows to make the most of every moment as the clock ticks down on his CU career.
"The games, you will always remember, no doubt," he said. "But the biggest thing I'll remember is the friendships and all the memories outside of that. Those are the memories I'm going to cherish forever. … I've never had a bond of brothers like this.
"That's what I'm going to miss. I'm going to miss them a lot."
PRACTICE REPORT: The Buffs haven't yet started to install the game plan for their Dec. 29 meeting with No. 12 Oklahoma State. Coaches will dive into OSU film early next week when players are in final exams, and they'll begin installing the game plan when practices resume next Friday. …. The Buffs continue to give the non-travel players and redshirts a chance to get extra practice after the regular workouts, one of the bonuses of bowl workouts. It gives CU coaches a chance to work more closely with those players, a big head start on spring ball and next season. … The Buffs emerged from the Dec. 2 Pac-12 Championship game without any serious injuries, and they are expecting to have a full squad ready for the bowl game.
OSU UPDATE: Oklahoma State finished final exams last week and opened their bowl practices on Friday.
"I'm really excited about this matchup," Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy said. "Defensively, they could very well be the best secondary we've seen this year. They have a nose guard that's really thick. They have a pass rusher that is really good. Their corners are really good. I would say they're a senior-dominated defense. I would say that three, maybe four could play in the NFL. That's why their numbers are so good on defense."
Earlier this week, OSU had three players named to the AP All-Big 12 first team: receiver James Washington, defensive tackle Vincent Taylor and safety Jordan Sterns.
GUNDY VS. BUFFS: Gundy has a long history against Colorado, going clear back to his playing days with the Cowboys in the 1980st. When the Dec. 29 game is played, he will have played or coached against the Buffs when they were members of the Big Eight, the Big 12 and the Pac-12.
According to the Daily Oklahoman, Gundy was a true freshman quarterback in his sixth college game when CU thumped the Cowboys, 31-14 in 1986.
After the game, he told late Oklahoman reporter Tom Kensler — who would go on to cover the Buffaloes for the Denver Post — "I hope they (Buffaloes) enjoyed it today, because they aren't going to beat us the next three years."
The Cowboys did get wins over CU in 1987 and '88, with the latter game a showcase for former Cowboys star Barry Sanders.
But in 1989, the Buffs — ranked No. 2 at the time — hammered OSU, 41-17.
As a head coach, Gundy is 2-1 against Colorado, with a loss in 2005 (34-0) and wins in 2008 (30-17) and 2009 (31-28).
CU SCHEDULE: The Buffs will practice again Sunday, then take four days off for exams before reconvening for practices next Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They are also scheduled to practice Dec. 20, 21, 22 and 24, with an afternoon departure for San Antonio scheduled for Dec. 24.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
