Boulder – With the exception of Monday’s practice, Colorado coach Gary Barnett has been satisfied with what he has seen from his football team this spring.
“I think we made steady progress until (Monday),’ Barnett said. “Monday, we were a tired team that wasn’t into practice and didn’t have any sense of where it wanted to go. It was leaderless. But overall I think we’re about where I’d hoped to be.’
Position battles took precedence over how each unit played, though Barnett wanted to see more attitude from the defense. An update on CU’s workouts heading into Saturday’s spring game:
Offense
The offense was charged with improving the passing game, and it appeared to do so. Quarterback Joel Klatt had a solid spring, completing about 70 percent of his passes. He made significant strides in decision-making, with the help of simplified receiver routes.
Quarterback Bernard Jackson impressed with his playmaking ability, but still faces an uphill battle for the No. 2 job while battling James Cox, who has a better knowledge of the offense.
Hugh Charles jumped out to an early lead in the race to be the No. 1 tailback, but Byron Ellis closed with a flurry. Expect Charles to be listed as the starter, but Barnett said both will get significant playing time.
Lawrence Vickers will get his carries from a more traditional fullback role. Wide receivers Dusty Sprague and Marcus Gonzales made big plays downfield, something the coaching staff was eager to improve upon, and led a group that appears to have decent depth.
Junior college transfer Alvin Barnett is as athletic as any receiver, and Blake Mackey showed promise when he was healthy. Tight ends Joe Klopfenstein and Quinn Sypniewski are CU’s top options at that position.
On the offensive line, more often than not the combination of Tyler Polumbus at split tackle, Jack Tipton at split guard, Mark Fenton at center, Brian Daniels at tight guard and Clint O’Neal at tight tackle was the No. 1 unit. Gary Moore and Bryce MacMartin figured in as well.
Defense
It turns out the defensive line might be better than coaches thought. James Garee has adapted well to the move from end to tackle and Alonzo Barrett – listed second on the depth chart at defensive end – won his battles most of the spring. Depth is still an issue, particularly on the interior, but tackle John Guydon has made marked improvement to ease some of those concerns.
At linebacker, no news is good news concerning the play of sophomore Jordon Dizon. He has been as steady as ever, and the linebacking spot is the strongest on CU’s defense.
Look for the starters to be Dizon and Thaddaeus Washington on the inside and Brian Iwuh on the outside. Akarika Dawn and Joe Sanders are starter-quality linebackers, too.
A knee injury to safety Tom Hubbard didn’t help the secondary’s bottom line of improving its pass coverage, but defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz said the unit has made strides.
Sophomore safety Ryan Walters was the biggest surprise on defense. He has put himself into position to push for major playing time.
The cornerbacks were inconsistent, but CU expects that position will be bolstered by the arrival of junior college transfer Terry Washington in the fall.
Special teams
Little attention was given to these units, but when you have arguably the nation’s best kicker (Mason Crosby) and punter (John Torp), how much attention do they need? The return game should be similar with Stephone Robinson fielding punts and Robinson and Terrence Wheatley (if he returns from a degenerative wrist) on kickoff returns. If Wheatley can’t play, expect Charles to get a look.
Chris Dempsey can be reached at 303-820-5455 or cdempsey@denverpost.com.
