Greeley – First-year Northern Colorado coach Scott Downing has decided to spread the wealth.
Rich in running backs, Downing hinted that the Bears could use seniors Andre Wilson and Jahir Waterman and sophomore Patrick Ealy at the same time – even though UNC’s spread offense usually will include only a single-back set.
Waterman and Ealy lining up at times at wide receiver? Downing isn’t about to show his cards until Saturday’s opener against Cal-Davis.
“I’m not going to give away any game plans,” Downing said recently, “but we have to find a way to get those three guys on the field. You may see some odd groupings out there.”
It will be interesting to see who comes up with the funkier formations – Downing or CU’s Dan Hawkins. Hawkins’ creativity at Boise State is well-documented. But casual fans may not know that Downing coached for 14 years with Joe Tiller, who introduced the spread offense at Wyoming and Purdue.
Northern Colorado’s stacked four- and five-receiver sets, perhaps with a wideout in motion, will be a dramatic departure from the conventional pro-set offense used by former coach Kay Dalton.
UNC players can’t wait to see how the spread works in games. That includes the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Wilson, a former George Washington High School graduate, who rushed for 1,034 yards last season. He will be UNC’s featured back, although Waterman (5-9, 201) and the jitterbug Ealy (5-8, 181) have impressed Downing.
Spread formations are synonymous with pass-happy offenses, but that alignment can benefit the running game.
“If you spread out the field, sometimes the defense might take out a linebacker and put in an extra defensive back,” Wilson said. “I have no problem with a trade-off of about 40 pounds.”
Spreading out the field is a way to fight speed with speed. Downing has been impressed with the speed of Big Sky teams. Some conference players may be undersized for their position, but for the most part they can really scoot.
“The Big Sky has more speed than people probably would give it credit for,” Downing said. “The offenses like to spread you out and get you in bad situations.”
The schedule is demanding, with four of the Bears’ 11 opponents ranked in the preseason Division I-AA top-25 poll.
But Downing has instilled an attacking mentality in his defense and believes if his team plays hard, minimizes turnovers and penalties and can get its playmakers into the open field, the Bears (4-7 last season) can compete.
Wilson and Ealy broke loose for runs of longer than 60 yards last season. Waterman, a member of a state champion 800-meter relay team at Eaglecrest High School, had a 31-yard scamper. Senior wideout Andy Birkel, a former transfer from Nebraska, averaged 18.1 yards per catch for UNC last season and is a candidate for Division I-AA All-America honors. In 2003 at Lincoln Southeast, Birkel won Nebraska prep championships in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes.
UNC’s breakaway speed can relieve the pressure on quarterbacks Dominic Breazeale and T.J. Swanson, who have been locked in a battle for the starting job.
In its last year of transition to I-AA, the Bears won’t be eligible for the Big Sky title or postseason play until next season. Because UNC is playing a full Big Sky schedule this fall, the Bears know they can earn the “unofficial” league title.
“If somebody looks at the records, they’re going to know who the champion is,” Wilson said.
Tom Kensler can be reached at 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com.
