Practice Report: Buffs Put In Long Day In Full Pads
August 15, 2017 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Colorado offensive lineman and senior team captain Jeromy Irwin said it best Tuesday morning:
"We're halfway through camp, everybody's starting to feel a little tired and legs are getting a little heavy — but this is the time you need to make strides and really push the teammates around you. It's when you have to grind through it and get better."
The Buffs no doubt had to grind Tuesday morning, as head coach Mike MacIntyre put his team through a nearly three-hour workout — by far their longest of camp thus far. The Buffs were in full pads and went through an extended team period, working on a wide variety of down-and-distance and clock situations.
"We had a good day today," MacIntyre said. "Full pads, got a lot of repetitions in."
As Irwin said, it's the time of camp when a little fatigue begins to set in — and a time that MacIntyre has stressed is important for team captains to step up.
"What I saw today and yesterday, especially at the end of practice yesterday, I saw the captains and guys that are playing more take another step," MacIntyre said. "I saw today the guys take another step, vocally and showing in their actions. You're looking for that right now. You're looking for guys that don't want to cower back, that want to keep moving forward. I'm seeing that with a bunch of the guys that are being counted on more than they have been in the past."
Irwin, a sixth-year senior, stressed that it is important for the older players to remember where they were just a year ago — a team coming off a stretch of losing seasons.
"We haven't been in a position where we have veterans who've had a 10-win season, seen a bowl game, been to a championship game," Irwin said. "You kind of have to corral all the guys together and make sure we're all pushing. At the end of the day, we need to keep everybody focused on our roots and how we got to where we got last year so we can do that again."
There's no doubt that last year's senior-laden team, one that produced a memorable turnaround season, set the tone in fall camp.
It's a standard MacIntyre said this team has yet to quite reach.
"This team has gotten close to it — not quite there yet, because you don't have as many seniors in some spots," he said.
But it doesn't mean the Buffs can't get to that point in the final 14 practices remaining before the Sept. 1 season opener. This week in particular is important as summer school classes are over, and the Buffs will begin working on a game plan for the Colorado State game sometime next week.
"I'm starting to see other younger guys step up in bits and pieces," MacIntyre said. "I'm starting to see a couple other guys step up and say something."
EXCELLENT CAMP FOR ADKINS: MacIntyre said senior running back Michael Adkins is having a "great" camp.
"He's healthy," MacIntyre said. "He played in games early (in his career) and then he's gotten hurt and he hasn't been able to come back. Last year he got healthy near the end but Phillip (Lindsay) was on fire and I wasn't going to make a change with Phillip on fire. If I would have done that, my wife and all y'all would have got all over me — and I wasn't going to."
But Adkins has been healthy throughout the spring and summer, and is showing all signs of giving the Buffs another punch in the backfield. Paired with Lindsay, it would give the Buffs an outstanding 1-2 combination.
"I expect great things out of MIchael," MacIntyre said. "I've always told him that. I just keep praying that he'll stay healthy. I mean that literally, I'm praying that he stays healthy because he's a really good player and a phenomenal kid. I hope he has a great senior year."
EVANS PROVIDES A BOOST: Junior running back Kyle Evans, who suffered a dislocated hip in spring ball, practiced again Tuesday, his second in a row.
It's been an amazing comeback for a player many originally thought might miss the entire 2017 season.
"He's a miracle guy to me," MacIntyre said. "He's doing good. We're taking him really slow. He did individual drills today, he's not in full pads or anything yet, (but) he looked good. He's amazing. I think he gave our guys life seeing him back out there. He's a guy they all love and he has that spark to him. I think seeing him out there gave them all a jolt today."
PRACTICE NOTES: The Buffs got plenty of 11-on-11 work in Tuesday morning in full pads, with some of their most extensive "team" work of camp outside of true scrimmages. They continue to match the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 units against each other, with some big plays coming from both sides of the ball. …
Tuesday had some heavy emphasis on the run game early, with Phillip Lindsay, Michael Adkins and Alex Fontenot all producing some big gainers. Lindsay showed some terrific quickness and moves with a quick burst up the middle that he popped to the second level in a hurry. ... OLB Derek McCartney has made some outstanding progress over the last week. While the coaching staff continues to bring him along slowly after his season-ending knee injury a year ago, McCartney is rounding into top form and making plays in the run game and in pass rush situations. … Afolabi Laguda continues to show solid cover skills against the top-flight receivers. … ILB Akil Jones continues to make the most of his snaps with the No. 1 unit. … True freshman Jacob Callier continues to move up the ladder at outside linebacker. … Leo Jackson III had a big pass knockdown on a third-down play against the No. 1 offense. … Freshmen wide receivers Laviska Shenault and K.D. Nixon also continue to turn heads.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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