Colorado University Athletics
Buffs LB Gillam Aims To Have Impact On Ducks
September 21, 2016 | Football, Neill Woelk
CU junior says he's healthy, ready to play
BOULDER — Just in time for the Oregon Ducks, Colorado linebacker Addison Gillam believes he'll be ready to put in some extensive playing time Saturday when the Buffs open Pac-12 play in Eugene (3:30 p.m., Pac-12 Networks).
Gillam, who missed most of last season with a knee injury, also missed all of spring ball rehabbing his knee after surgery and was on a limited schedule throughout fall camp.
He played 23 defensive snaps in CU's season opening 44-7 win over Colorado State, then just nine plays the following week against Idaho State and only seven last week at Michigan.
But he's been active in practice this week and CU head coach Mike MacIntyre said in his Tuesday press conference that he expected Gillam to play more at Oregon.
"That will be good for us," MacIntyre said.
Indeed, a healthy Gillam couldn't come at a better time. While he doesn't play the same position as outside linebacker Derek McCartney (out for the season with a knee injury), he will nevertheless be a key component in helping contain Oregon's speedy running game.
"I like playing them," Gillam said of the Ducks. "The Pac-12 style is a lot of fun. It's stuff that I like. It's not trickery, it's straight-up football."
As for the status of his health, Gillam simply said, "I'm feeling good. Awesome, actually, I can't wait to get out there and play."
In last year's 41-24 Oregon win in Boulder — a game the Buffs led, 17-14, in the second quarter — the Ducks' running game made the difference, gashing CU's defense for big gains on on the ground. Oregon finished with 361 yards rushing, with Royce Freeman totaling 163 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries and Taj Griffin adding 109 yards and one touchdown on just 10 carries.
The Buffs expect the Ducks to attempt to do the same this year. While Freeman is questionable after suffering an injury in last Saturday's loss at Nebraska, Griffin is back, as well as Tony Brooks-James and Kani Benoit.
"They will try to stretch the field with us," MacIntyre said. "If we let them get started, they get rolling, so we have to keep them from getting started too quick."
A healthy Gillam would be a big help in that area. In his first two years with the Buffs, he proved to be one of Colorado's best sideline-to-sideline defenders, combining good speed with excellent instincts.
The fact that he has seen the Oregon attack before — he played against them as a true freshman and a sophomore before missing last year's game — is also a plus.
"Once you start getting ready for Pac-12 games, it just seems like practice gets a lot more intense," Gillam said. "But I also think part of it is stuff we've prepared for before and things we've seen before. It's not all completely new. I think everyone's ready to start playing Pac-12 games."
While the Ducks have shown a potent offense again this year, they aren't the same Ducks of seasons past up front. While Oregon's starting offensive linemen have 44 combined starts between them, 34 of those are courtesy of right guard Cameron Hunt. Elsewhere on the line, the Ducks will be starting four redshirt freshmen.
That's good news for an experienced CU interior defensive line that has played well thus far.
"I thought they did good in the Michigan game a lot of times," MacIntyre said of his interior D-line. "Some of the runs that went outside weren't really the inside guys, the nose tackle and the ends. It really wasn't their plays. They harassed the quarterback a little bit. I thought they did some good things on that. Their big runs and big plays weren't inside the tight end area."
QUARTERBACK UPDATE: MacIntyre said quarterback Sefo Liufau, who is nursing a sprained ankle, "was better (Wednesday) than he was yesterday and moving around better. I think he liked the tape job better on his ankle today."
MacIntyre said he was "encouraged" by Liufau's progress, but added, "It's still going to be a game-time (decision). … Every day he's made a little better progress."
Meanwhile, the Buffs continue to give redshirt freshman Steven Montez some reps with the first-team offense in case Liufau can't go.
BIG-PLAY WIDE RECEIVERS: In three games, the Buffs already have 12 pass plays of at least 20 yards, with three of those coming last weekend against Michigan's secondary, touted as one of the best in the nation. The long completions included a 70-yard touchdown pass from Liufau to Shay Fields, as well as a 50-yard Liufua toss to Bryce Bobo and a 37-yard Liufau touchdown pass to Devin Ross.
"We've got good receivers, as good as anybody in the country," MacIntyre said. "Our quarterbacks are able to throw the deep ball well and our guys will keep making plays like that."
Four different wide receivers — Ross, Fields, Bobo and Jay MacIntyre — have caught at least eight passes, and each has at least one reception of 28 yards or longer.
THE SERIES: Oregon leads the all-time series between the two teams, 12-8, which includes a 4-1 advantage in Eugene. The Ducks are also 5-0 against the Buffs since CU entered the Pac-12.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
