Woelk: Big Picture Looks Good For Buffs Football
August 18, 2017 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — After the first three weeks of the longest fall camp in Colorado football history, the season opener is finally more than a hazy spot on horizon.
The Buffs are now just two weeks away their Sept. 1 opener against in-state rival Colorado State in Denver (6 p.m., Pac-12 Networks), a game that will give Colorado fans their first look at how much has changed from the 2016 team that produced a 10-4, Pac-12 South title turnaround season.
There is, of course, still plenty of work to do. While the Buffs have all the basics of their offense and defense in place, they have yet to begin serious installation of their Colorado State game plan. That effort will be helped immensely by the fact that the Rams open their season six days ahead of the Buffs with an Aug. 26 meeting with Oregon State, when the Rams will also debut their new on-campus stadium.
By all accounts, it has been a solid, productive camp for the Buffs. Young players have made big strides — especially at positions where they will be needed — and CU's veterans have shown no sign of being satisfied with last year's results. Rather, the games that stick out most in their minds are the last two — a loss to Washington in the Pac-12 title game and an ensuing loss to Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl. It is motivation that should carry a head of steam into the season.
So, with two weeks still to go, some big-picture observations as we head down the stretch:
Mike MacIntyre knows defense. We've said it before, but it's worth repeating. While there was no doubt some concern heading into fall camp with three new coaches on defense and eight starters graduated, the progress of CU's defense to this point has been solid and steady.
The continuity has come from MacIntyre's presence.
Don't forget, MacIntyre is the guy who recruited all four Buffs defensive players taken in this year's NFL Draft. MacIntyre is the guy who hired the coaches who helped CU's defense take a quantum leap forward in 2016.
And while it would be ridiculous to expect this year's defense to match last year's production, the strides made in camp under the three new defensive assistants (D.J. Eliot, ShaDon Brown and Ross Els) and one holdover (Jim Jeffcoat) have been significant.
CU's defense has held its own (and more on occasion) against an offense that should be one of the most explosive in the Pac-12. It's a credit to the new assistants and returning players, but also an indication of the foundation MacIntyre has built. He has shown a keen recruiting eye — particularly in the secondary — and his decision to switch to a 3-4 scheme two years ago is paying dividends.
Not that there won't be some bumps along the way this season — and they could show up in the opener. The Buffs' defensive line is still a work in progress, as are the second-level linebackers. That plays right into the hands of a pro-style Rams offense that has plenty of returning beef on the offensive line and some excellent running backs. The veteran CSU offense will be a huge test for the Buffs defense right out of the gate.
But there is still plenty of talent on the Colorado defense as well as some quality coaches. While it may take a few games to gel, it is a unit that has the chance to surprise some folks.
Brian Lindgren is a QB whisperer. Calmly and quietly (Lindgren trademarks), CU's co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach has become a guy who turns good high school QBs into outstanding college quarterbacks.
Lindgren's reputation began to grow when he helped make Northern Arizona's offense a national top-20 unit in passing in two of his last three years there before he joined MacIntyre in San Jose State. There, he turned unknown David Fales into one of the nation's leading passers in 2012 before MacIntyre took the job at CU, bringing Lindgren with him.
At CU, Lindgren made Sefo Liufau into one of the most productive passers in Colorado history. Last year, with one week to prepare a redshirt freshman for his first start ever — on the road, at Oregon — he helped Steven Montez become the first QB in Colorado history to throw for at least 300 yards and rush for 100 in the same game.
Now, Montez heads an offense that is expected to be among the best in the Pac-12, and right behind him is this year's redshirt freshman, Sam Noyer, who has already made tremendous strides under Lindgren's tutelage in the span of a year.
"He's always had record-breaking quarterbacks," MacIntyre said. "He's always had guys be able to compete and play. David Fales had no scholarship offers except Indiana State. Nobody thought he would be who he was. Brian knows how to tutor them, knows how to handle them, has a great demeanor with them, a great teacher of mechanic. He did the same thing with Sefo, he's doing the same thing with Montez, he did the same thing with David Fales and he'll do the same thing with these guys."
It's Year Two of the up-tempo Buffs. Remember, last year was the first season with co-offensive coordinators Lindgren and Darrin Chiaverini, and the Buffs played 2016 with a quarterback (Liufau) who didn't even participate in spring drills.
This year, the Buffs have a quarterback who has two springs under his belt in the system as well as valuable experience from a year ago, veterans across the board at every position, two coordinators who have had a year to work together and refine their approach, and an offensive line that has had a year to develop under Klayton Adams.
"Coach Chiaverini and I have a better handle of what we want to do as far as the system and concepts that we want to run," Lindgren said. "I think our players across the board have a better understanding of the concepts and the adjustments. I think we feel very good about where we are compared to last year."
One thing the Buffs have done this year is tweak the offense to fit Montez's skill set.
"There's some things that we like that he does that we've added to our offense in the passing game that he can do a lot better," MacIntyre said.
What has also become apparent in practices thus far is that the Buffs appear ready to bump up the tempo another notch. With Chiaverini's veteran wide receivers and linemen who are now comfortable with the attack, CU has the potential to move the ball in a hurry and do it consistently. Throw in the ever-present threat of a running game that should be better than a year ago, and it has the potential for an explosive, entertaining year.
The overall talent level has improved significantly. Even as recently as two years ago, there were still places on both sides of the ball where Colorado didn't have Pac-12-quality athletes, never mind depth.
That's no longer the case. Colorado has upped its recruiting game considerably, especially with the arrival of Chiaverini, whose love and dedicationg to the recruiting game is evident.
Touted as the best class in years in Colorado, the incoming bunch hasn't been a disappointment. As a group, they are big, fast and impressive. The Buffs now not only have Pac-12-caliber athletes at every position, they also have depth up and down the lineup.
But the best news is many of those youngsters will have time to "soak." While a handful of freshmen could see playing time this year, it won't be a case of throwing youngsters to the wolves. Rather, they'll get some quality playing time while surrounded by capable veterans.
The rest will have the chance to redshirt and mature physically and mentally, meaning the Buffs should be able to continue to reload — and the "rebuilding" era should be a thing of the past.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
