Boulder – Left at home last weekend to heal a strained hamstring, Colorado senior tailback Hugh Charles was so antsy he couldn’t stand to watch football Saturday until the telecast of the CU-Arizona State game came on that evening.
“I watched Tiger Woods (play in a golf tournament) and I watched U.S. Open tennis,” Charles said Tuesday after returning for full contact work for the first time since he suffered the injury in the opener against Colorado State.
“I feel real good about it,” Charles said after the practice. “I did a lot of work that I didn’t think I could do. I’ll be full go this Saturday.”
Freshman wideout Josh Smith also returned to practice, ending an even longer absence. Smith, the talk of the early fall camp, suffered a bruised kidney when he ran into a retaining wall at Folsom Field during an Aug. 18 scrimmage. He practiced Tuesday with protective padding around his lower back.
“It felt the same (as before the injury),” Smith said. “I think I did pretty good. That was a lot of time off for me, and I wanted to see if my fundamentals were OK. I was excited to be back.”
Wide receivers coach Eric Kiesau made sure Smith was in some live drills.
“Josh actually looked pretty good; he was in a lot better shape than I thought he would be,” Kiesau said.
When asked what Charles and Smith can add to the offense for Saturday night’s home game against Florida State, CU coach Dan Hawkins replied with a single word: “Speed.”
Jackson update
Hawkins sounded as though the college career of former starting quarterback Bernard Jackson may be over.
Hawkins said Jackson, who converted during spring drills to a run/catch/return hybrid role, needs to complete an independent study class to become cleared academically. This is Jackson’s final season of eligibility.
“I would never close the door,” Hawkins said. “But I’m also realistic. He is (out of the picture), and he has been. So until something else changes, that’s his status.
Jackson could not be reached for comment.
Footnotes
Hawkins, on the Seminoles: “Yeah, they can all run. Particularly when you look at them on defense, their front four can all motor. They’ve always had great speed among their skill guys.” … CU freshman offensive tackle Ryan Miller, a former prep All-American from Columbine, worked with the first team.
Staff writer Tom Kensler can be reached at 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com.
