Boulder – Among the true freshmen expected to make their college football debut for Colorado at home Saturday night, wide receiver Josh Smith is as excited as anyone. He figures fate allowed him to recover from a bruised kidney in time to face Florida State.
Smith played high school football in Moorpark, Calif., but he considers himself a Floridian. He was born in Tallahassee, not far from the FSU campus.
Extra incentive? You bet.
“I’m not going to lie, I always wanted to play for Florida State,” Smith said. “I was disappointed when they didn’t recruit me.”
Seeking stability from a broken home, Smith moved to California as a teenager to live with an older sister who kept him focused on schoolwork. He was an honor student at Moorpark High School and drew interest from Harvard and Columbia for track.
But Smith wanted to play major-college football, even though he hadn’t taken up the sport until his junior year. Following a senior season in which he caught 21 passes for 477 yards and 10 touchdowns, Smith picked Colorado over UCLA and Washington State.
He didn’t even receive a form letter from Florida State.
“So the game Saturday night will be like a championship game to me,” said Smith, a 6-foot, 190-pounder.
Possessing an explosive combination of sprinter’s speed and sure hands, Smith became the talk of fall camp before an Aug. 18 scrimmage. That’s when he ran almost full speed into the retaining wall at Folsom Field while looking back at the quarterback while running a pattern. He remained hospitalized for four days while doctors waited for the swelling in his left kidney to subside.
Only a couple of true freshmen – wide receiver Kendrick Celestine and walk-on kicker Tyler Cope – saw action in Colorado’s first two games. CU coach Dan Hawkins said more will join them Saturday night, although he has not revealed which ones other than Smith. He prefers to redshirt as many true freshmen as possible, but with CU’s needs to get more speed on the field, freshmen such as Smith make attractive options. Hawkins does not want to burn a redshirt year if the player doesn’t contribute.
“Freshmen want to play right away,” Hawkins said. “But you have to balance it: How much do you need them? How much do they bring to the table? What’s their risk-reward benefit? Being able to give them meaningful plays.”
Don’t expect a dozen true freshmen to toss away their redshirts Saturday night. But after watching his team wear down last weekend in the 33-14 loss at Arizona State, Hawkins apparently has decided to send in some fuzzy-faced reinforcements.
Ryan Miller (6-7, 320), a Parade All-American last fall at Columbine, and Hawaiian Kai Maiava (6-0, 295) could spell an offensive line that has seen the five starters go the distance in the first two games. Brian Lockridge, a small (5-8, 180) but shifty halfback, might provide a spark. Defensive end Conrad Obi (6-3, 250) and other true freshmen might also get a chance, Hawkins said.
“Those guys have been watching for two weeks, so they know what to expect,” said senior linebacker Jordon Dizon, who earned Big 12 defensive newcomer of the year honors in 2004 as a true freshman. “But still, they’re going to be nervous.
“I remember my first game. I was running out there like a chicken with its head cut off. But then it settles down.”
Footnotes
The athletic department announced Thursday it is backing the CU student group organizing a “Black Out” in Folsom Field and hopes fans wear black to the game. … Approximately 1,200 tickets remain for the game, according to CU officials. Tickets may be purchased by calling 1-800-87BUFFS.
Staff writer Tom Kensler can be reached at 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com.
