Amid the rubble of Colorado State’s 51-30 loss to Navy in the Poinsettia Bowl, H-back Kory Sperry delivered a breakout performance of eight catches for 117 yards. Then the multipurpose receiving threat broke out the weights.
When CSU opens spring practice Monday, the 6-foot-6 junior will weigh 260 pounds, nearly 30 pounds heavier than last season when he rotated among blocking back, H-back, tight end and wideout.
For the second half of his CSU career, the coaches decided Sperry should specialize.
“We have to make Kory an every-down guy,” offensive coordinator Dan Hammerschmidt said. “He’s Joel Dreessen with skinnier ankles.”
Dreessen, going into his second year with the New York Jets, was Sperry’s role model. When Sperry arrived from Pueblo County as a 210-pound freshman, he didn’t know if he would ever be able to match Dreessen’s bulk.
“After the bowl game, I grabbed him and told him if he wanted to look at the next level, he’d have to be an every-down tight end,” Hammerschmidt said. “He’s not going to be a wide receiver. Even at 230 pounds he was not going to run a 4.4. He has to learn to block.”
Sperry was CSU’s third-leading receiver with 547 yards and four touchdowns last fall.
A reluctance to block, however, is a definite liability when you’re asked to play blocking back. Opponents soon learned that if Sperry lined up at blocking back it telegraphed a pass play, as he would usually be sent out of the backfield to catch the ball.
The best position battles during spring ball are likely at left guard and right tackle. Senior Clint Oldenburg, the top returning offensive lineman, is moving from right to left tackle. The coaches were high a year ago on the freshman offensive line class and redshirt freshmen Cole Pemberton, Adrian Martinez, James Morehead and walk-on Scott Benedict will be battling for backup spots.
Last spring the staff redesigned the traditional one-back offense to incorporate a blocking back. Hammerschmidt said the main tinkering with the playbook this spring involves reinstating the quarterback run for Caleb Hanie and Billy Farris.
Hanie, the starter for the second half of 2004, goes in with the No. 1 unit replacing senior Justin Holland.
Despite the loss of all-time leading receiver David Anderson, a veteran receiving corps returns. Wide receivers coach Marc Lubick, who was diagnosed last month with a rare but treatable form of cancer, has returned to work part time after 2 1/2 weeks at the Mayo Clinic for tests and chemotherapy.
Footnotes
Nnamdi Ohaeri, the running back who asked to be moved to the secondary, will miss spring ball because of foot surgery. …
Reserve safety Dion Morton will join his brother Damon in the wide receiver corps.
Natalie Meisler can be reached at 303-820-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com.
