FORT COLLINS — Measured in a little less than a dog year, everything has changed and nothing has changed since Colorado State defensive coordinator Larry Kerr returned from a five-year absence.
Everything has changed, it seems, when coach Steve Fairchild sounded as if he were ready to belt out “The Way We Were” this week while praising TCU’s defense as being where CSU’s used to be. Heck, TCU wasn’t even in the Mountain West Conference when Kerr last coached at CSU in 2002.
Nothing much has changed professionally for Kerr, however, who’s back trying to teach his Rams swarm-to-the-football defense. And, after detours to UCLA and Duke the past five years, his daughters, former CSU volleyball players Kelly and Lindsey, are back to greet Kerr, 55, and his wife, Tracy, after every game. Perhaps best of all, his dog, Bubba, is back home in the same town where he was rescued from the local shelter.
“When we came here (in 1993), Kelly was in third grade and we tried to make her happy with the move. She wanted a lap dog,” Kerr said of bouncing through three schools in four years before his first CSU coaching stint.
Lindsey now coaches volleyball at Fort Collins High School, with her older sister an assistant. Instead of the Kerrs having an empty nest, the kids’ Italian greyhound mix became the parents’ pet.
Kerr said his wife accuses him of having lost his hearing and eyesight, just like their 17-year-old pooch. But just like Bubba, Kerr is wired with energy.
“In meetings he’s a real softspoken guy,” senior linebacker Jeff Horinek said. “As soon as we get into a game or practice, you flip a switch and he’s crazy. He’s a competitor.”
As defensive coordinator, Kerr helped build CSU into a conference powerhouse in the 1990s under coach Sonny Lubick. Kerr spurned job offers to stay at CSU because he was determined his daughters finish public school in Fort Collins.
He left for UCLA when Kelly was a junior at CSU. He had mixed success as defensive coordinator at UCLA from 2003-05, with the highlight a near upset of eventual national champion USC in 2004.
“The third year they kicked my tail right out of the city,” he said of his dismissal. He latched on at Duke, coaching linebackers for two years, his first position coaching job in 17 years. Now he’s back where he wanted to be.
“For whatever reason, I’m extremely comfortable with the type of players we have here,” he said. “I just try to be myself in front of them.
“I’m very comfortable with hardworking guys like Mike Pagnotta, Ty Whittier, Matt Rupp, Wade Landers and Jeff Horinek. They are blue-collar, tough guys. There are some similarities (to past players), but they are not as far along.”
Kerr will consider them “there” when they walk off the field and can tell exactly what went wrong on a play.
Truth be told, CSU never dominated defensively under Kerr the way Saturday’s opponent, TCU, is doing now with the NCAA’s No. 1 rushing defense. But Kerr usually had the Rams near the top of most WAC or MWC defensive categories and took special pride in turnover margin.
When Kerr left five years ago, and the supply of all-conference linebackers dried up, the defense slowly eroded. The turnover margin vanished. CSU went into a spiral, leading to Lubick’s ugly ouster last fall and the hiring of Steve Fairchild as head coach.
One of Fairchild’s first calls was to Kerr, whom he gave his best sales pitch. It wasn’t necessary. With his daughters settled here, Kerr wanted to come back after losing his job when the Duke staff was fired after last season.
“It was an easy sell job,” Kerr said. “We always wanted to get back to Fort Collins eventually. I’m fortunate it worked out the way it did.”
Kerr is slowly molding CSU’s defense into the type of aggressive unit he demands. After three close home wins, several players commented that they previously would have lost those types of games. And CSU’s turnover margin is plus-4.
Said Kerr: “The key is the players, their willingness to buy in and give the coaching staff the ability to teach what we do and listen to how we approach things and what we expect. I wanted to make sure this defense’s identity was to run to the football and make the tackle. If you play hard, we’ll create some havoc.”
Kerr stresses that his defenders keep everything in front of them and not allow big plays. Untested cornerbacks Nick Oppenneer and Gerard Thomas, burned early this season, have played much better of late. Since a 40-yard touchdown pass by Sacramento State on Sept. 6, no opponent has broken a play longer than 35 yards.
“It’s a confidence factor. We’ve had some success, but it’s not like we’re shutting people down,” Kerr said.
Kerr makes it clear what he wants.
“He explains why your job is important,” Rupp said. “If you don’t do what you’re supposed to do and make your own plays out there, you’re going to affect the entire defense.”
TCU coach Gary Patterson sees Kerr trying to get his unit to play the type of ball the Rams did years ago. Patterson was the defensive coordinator for the Horned Frogs in 1998, when CSU defeated a TCU team that featured running back LaDainian Tomlinson, 42-21.
“They are going to give a lot of problems down the road for the rest of the conference,” Patterson said.
As for how his group stopped Tomlinson, Kerr quipped: “He didn’t start. When he came in, we were already way ahead.”
Natalie Meisler: 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com
The Kerr file
Graduated: San Jose State, 1975, was a teammate of ex-Bronco Louis Wright’s.
Division I coaching jobs
1980-83: San Jose State, linebackers
1984-88: Stanford, linebackers/spec. teams
1989: UCLA, linebackers, special teams
1990-92: Northern Arizona, asst. head coach/defensive coordinator
1993-2002: Colorado State, def. coordinator
2003-05: UCLA, defensive coordinator
2006-07: Duke, linebackers
2008: CSU, asst. head coach/def. coordinator
NFL players coached at CSU: Joey Porter, Sean Moran, Brady Smith, Ray Jackson, Greg Myers, Jason Craft, Clark Haggans, Adrian Ross.
Natalie Meisler, The Denver Post
The Lowdown
By Natalie Meisler The Denver Post
TCU (5-1, 2-0)
Player to watch: LB Jason Phillips.
The preseason MWC defensive player of the year ranks seventh nationally with 8 1/2 tackles for loss, matching his output of a season ago. His play is a big reason the Horned Frogs rank first or second in five national defensive categories, including No. 1 in rushing defense.
Key for Horned Frogs: Pressure the QB.
TCU leads the MWC in sacks with 22; CSU has allowed 13. If TCU can duplicate Cal’s effort in pressuring the quarterback — and the Horned Frogs have the athletes to do it — it could be a sad homecoming for CSU.
COLORADO STATE (3-2, 1-0)
Player to watch: RB Gartrell Johnson.
The MWC offensive co-player of the week goes from facing the worst rush defense in the MWC to the best in the NCAA. Any chance of a CSU upset depends on controlling the clock, and that starts with Johnson finding some running room.
Key for Rams: Keep it close.
The Rams believe they can win any game at home if they are able to stay close through three quarters. TCU is capable of blowing the game open early with its stifling run defense. The Rams need to move the ball through the air early to open up running lanes and give themselves a chance late.
