Buffs WR Fields Primed For Big Senior Season
August 21, 2017 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — In a league bursting at the seams with standout wide receivers, a league where seemingly everyone throws the ball all day long, Colorado's Shay Fields stands above the rest as the 2017 season prepares to open.
Fields, CU's senior wide receiver, enters his final season in Boulder with more catches (144) and more receiving yards (1,929) than any other active player in the Pac-12. He is also tied for the active player lead in touchdown receptions (17) and career starts (34).
The good news for Colorado fans — and the fair warning for opposing defenses?
Fields appears primed to make his final season as a Buff his best — something that won't be easy, considering he finished last year with 56 catches (including the Alamo Bowl) for 883 yards and nine touchdowns, plus a 12-yard touchdown run.
Fields has also earned a reputation as "Big-Play Shay." He has nine career plays of 50 yards or longer, with seven of those coming for 60 or more.
But, said co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Darrin Chiaverini, Fields has put himself in position to have his best season yet.
"I think he's worked harder over the last year getting his body in better shape and understanding what it takes to play at an elite level," Chiaverini said. "He's been more consistent in practice. He has big goals for himself as an individual and as a team. I think he's going to have a big senior year. He's worked hard on his body and on his mind and he's going to have opportunities to make plays. He's a guy we're going to get the ball to and let him do what he does."
After three-plus weeks of camp, Fields has shown every sign of taking his game up another notch this season. Along with the Buffs' other three starting wideouts — Bryce Bobo, Devin Ross and Jay MacIntyre — they form a formidable wide receivers corps that has been ranked among the top 10 in the nation by various publications.
"I think everybody's on the same page," Fields said after last Friday's final scrimmage of camp, one in which the offense looked the best it has looked throughout camp. "Everybody's tuned in to what our goals are, everybody's working hard, everybody's got the same goals in mind. I think we have to chance to have a great season."
One thing that has helped Fields improve his game since the day he arrived in Boulder has been the opportunity to work against quality defensive backs on a daily basis. That includes players such as former Buffs Ken Crawley, Chidobe Awuzie, Tedric Thompson and Ahkello Witherspoon; and this year the group includes Isaiah Oliver, Afolabi Laguda, Ryan Moeller and Evan Worthington.
"Isaiah's a bigger, physical corner, and that helps me improve that part of my game," Fields said. "It gives me the work I need when I go against him, and also when I go into the slot against Afolabi. Him and Ryan Moeller give me a lot of competition and a lot of work in the physical department."
Fields isn't one to talk about specific numbers. He believes if the Buffs win, he'll have the chance to play a part in that and the numbers will take care of themselves.
But he also knows this is an offense that is being touted as one of the most explosive in the Pac-12, and one that could put up some record-breaking numbers. Friday's scrimmage saw every receiver make big catches and the offense as a whole move crisply up and down the field.
But with still more than a week to go before the Sept. 1 opener against Colorado State, Fields believes there's some fine-tuning to be done.
"Every once in awhile it feels like it's really clicking, but we still have to get some work in," he said. "We still have to fix some things and keep going from there. If we do that, if we do what we're capable of doing — we're going to move the ball. There's no doubt in my mind about that."
SPECIAL TEAMS UPDATE: Head coach Mike MacIntyre was asked Monday morning if he worried about putting starting cornerback Isaiah Oliver back to field punts again this year.
"He played all the time last year, I thought he was the No. 1 corner last year," MacIntye said. "We'll have him back there, we'll have Jay (MacIntyre) back there, we'll have Ronnie (Blackmon) back there. We'll have all three of those guys at different times. I feel pretty good about him being there and being able to do it."
Oliver took over punt return duties last year after MacIntyre was injured, and had the biggest play of the year in that area, a 68-yard return for a score that helped the Buffs clinch a 20-10 win over UCLA. It was CU's first punt return score since 2005.
Oliver averaged 11.7 yards on 14 returns. MacIntyre averaged 8.9 on 17 returns, with a long of 32. Blackmon is a redshirt freshman defensive back.
As for kick returns, MacIntyre said return duties would likely go to Blackmon, junior receiver Lee Walker and true freshman K.D. Nixon.
He also said the kicking competition between James Stefanou and Chris Graham remains close, and didn't rule out the possibility that the Buffs could split the kickoff and field goal duties.
PRACTICE REPORT: After a day off Sunday, the Buffs were back in full pads Monday morning and got some "thud" work in late in the workout in four-minute drills. … Defensive back Evan Worthington, who has had an outstanding camp, continues to make plays all over the field. One observer said Worthington has great "suddenness." … True freshman outside linebacker Jacob Callier continues to be impressive, as does classmate Dante Sparaco. … CU's running back duo of Phillip Lindsay and Michael Adkins II appears to be hitting a nice stride. … MacIntyre noted that quarterback Steven Montez had his best scrimmage of camp in Friday night's finale. … The offense as a whole continues to pick up speed, getting closer to the tempo the Buffs want to produce on a regular basis.
SCHEDULE: The Buffs have just two more practices on the lower practice fields, Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday is also CU's Media Day, with appearances by Olympic sports coaches also scheduled. They will move their practices to Franklin Field, adjacent to the Indoor Practice Facility, beginning Thursday.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
Players Mentioned
