Woelk: Buffs Defense Continues To Provide Good Test For Montez, Offense

BOULDER — Heading into fall camp, one of the main storylines for the Colorado Buffaloes was an offense that has the potential to put up some big-time numbers this year.

Roughly 10 days in — one-third of the way through camp — that storyline hasn't changed. Thus far, the offense has had shown explosiveness in the passing game, consistency in the run game and an offensive line that continues to gel.

But, quarterback Steven Montez admits, the offense hasn't yet established the overall consistency the Buffs want to achieve.

"It's definitely getting there," Montez said after Wednesday's practice, the 10th of fall camp. "I know there are some days where we go out there and we feel like we can't get anything going on offense and there's some days we go out and we're scoring touchdowns and completing balls and receivers are making people miss and we're looking really good. ... You're going to have that, but once we get two weeks before CSU, I would like us to be absolutely every practice the same — high power, up-tempo, completing all the balls, not fumbling, not throwing picks."

But the offense's search for consistency also dovetails with another one of those pre-camp storylines that continues to emerge: Colorado's defense is progressing nicely. The group that came into camp as an unknown thanks to the loss of eight starters to graduation thus far seems to be making solid strides on a daily basis.

"I think we're going to be very solid on defense," Montez allowed.

If anyone should know at this point — at least anyone outside of the coaching staff — it is Montez. After all, he is the player who gets an up-close-and-personal look at the Buffs' No. 1 defense on a daily basis. It is Montez who sees first-hand who is putting pressure on the quarterback, who is making plays in the secondary and who is stopping the gap in the run game.

The answer?

Just about everyone. Montez has said more than once this camp that Colorado's defense has talented players across the board. But asked who specifically provides him with trouble on a daily basis, Montez quickly rattled off some names:

"(Cornerback) Isaiah Oliver is a freak. Fo (safety Afolabi Laguda) is very, very good. (Linebacker) Drew Lewis is good. (Linebacker) Rick Gamboa probably knows every single play of our offense better than we do. (Cornerback) Trey Udoffia has looked good. For being a young guy, he's been clamping people up. Up front, the D-line has looked good. … Leo Jackson III has been in there a few times (pressuring the quarterback), and obviously Javier Edwards is a very, very, very large human being making things happen."

In other words, the defense that had some question marks coming into camp continues to provide some answers. While the offense has produced plenty of big plays and nice drives, the defense has no doubt had its moments as well against the No. 1 offense — stopping drives, picking off passes and stuffing the run game.

Of course, the man in charge with making sure the defense is up to snuff is still leaning on the side of cautious optimism. New defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot liked what he saw in Saturday's first full scrimmage of camp, but made it clear the defense has a long way to go before it's ready for the Sept. 1 opener against what's expected to be a high-powered Colorado State offense.

"I thought our D-line played well," Eliot said of Saturday's scrimmage in Folsom Field. "I thought for the most part we were in the right spots. We didn't make a lot of mistakes. We weren't perfect, we missed some tackles and we missed some plays on the ball on the back end, but I was pleased with our progress for the first scrimmage."

But most of all, Eliot said, communication continues to improve, particularly among the first unit. It meant that players know the calls, are in position to make plays and aren't playing "catch-up" when the ball is snapped.

"Overall, the communication was good," Eliot said. "It wasn't perfect, and there's always things we can get better at, but for a first scrimmage, it was good. We were getting the calls and knowing where we were supposed to be for the most part. But it's something we're going to continue to stress and improve on throughout the rest of camp."

DB GEORGE ARRIVES: Cornerback Kevin George, a member of the 2017 recruiting class, arrived on campus this week, attended practice Wednesday morning and should be ready to participate in his first practice with the Buffs on Thursday.

George played high school ball in Lafayette, La., then spent last season at Georgia Military Academy, where he helped the Bulldogs to a 9-2 ranking and a No. 14 spot in the final NJCAA poll. He had 10 tackles and two interceptions last year, returning one of the picks 56 yards for a touchdown and another 76 yards. His arrival was delayed because he was finishing up some academic work over the summer.

Head coach Mike MacIntyre, who called George is a "good looking, tall corner," said he expected George to begin competing for a spot at cornerback, but it won't happen overnight.

"He's a little bit behind right now, but we've got a long season," MacIntyre said. "The other thing is the way we're doing camp this year, in the past we would have had more practices pounded in. This helps, he'll have some more time to have more practices done."

DAILY BATTLE: Some of the more entertaining daily matchups in camp involve CU's wide receivers vs. the Buffs secondary. It means standout players such as cornerback Isaiah Oliver squaring off against receivers such as Bryce Bobo and Shay Fields.

But the common denominator is Montez, who must try to complete passes against Oliver, already regarded as one of the best defenders in the Pac-12.

It has made for some entertaining moments in practice, with Montez steadfastly refusing to avoid throwing Oliver's way.

"We live together, we're in the same house," Montez said. "He'll have a good day and he'll bat down a few balls or get a pick or whatever and he'll be in my ear when we get home. Better believe I'm going at him the next day. We complete some back-shoulder balls, complete some other stuff on him, I let him hear it when we get home. I definitely let him hear it. I'll challenge him — I'm not scared of anybody."

But Montez also admits he has great respect for the Buffs' secondary.

"He is original OG Moneygang," Montez said with a laugh. "Him and Fo (Laguda). Whenever I see them out there, I keep that in the back of my mind — those guys can play a little bit."

PRACTICE NOTES: The Buffs were back in shorts and light pads Wednesday after full pads on Tuesday. MacIntyre called it a good "teaching" day, with the Buffs also continuing to get plenty of work on special teams. …

The Buffs did get in some situational work near the goal line. Bryce Bobo had a nice catch in the flat that he followed up with a nifty move that left the defender flat-footed, allowing Bobo to head to the end zone. … Uryan Hudson and Isaiah Lewis both came up with interceptions.

SCHEDULE: The Buffs will practice in light pads again on Thursday and Friday, then return to full pads Saturday for a scrimmage.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu