BOULDER — Neither the offense nor the defense performed spectacularly Friday during Colorado’s second scrimmage of spring drills.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing, coaches say. What’s worse is if either side of the ball continually dominates.
“It’s been a good back-and-forth this spring, offensively and defensively,” CU offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich said after the controlled scrimmage that included 65 plays plus some special-teams work. “We’ve had some good days (on offense), and they’ve had some good days.”
The defense might have had the upper hand more often Friday, but that was understandable. Colorado has only three wide receivers on scholarship, and Josh Smith (sore ankle) and Scotty McKnight (strained triceps) were held out. That left sophomore Markques Simas to carry the load, along with a bevy of walk-ons.
Simas, a redshirt in 2007 and academically ineligible last season, responded with four catches for 32 yards and a touchdown. Much of the scrimmage involved “situational” work in the red zone. Most pass patterns were relatively short.
Even so, Simas (6-feet-2 and 200 pounds) used his lanky frame to shield off cornerbacks and was tough to defend.
“Markques is a player, I’m telling you,” sophomore quarterback Tyler Hansen said. “He’s going to be a force to be reckoned with in the Big 12. We’ve just been waiting for him to come out. Finally, he’s stepping up in the classroom, and he’s showing that he can make plays.”
Simas took some licks but bounced up each time.
“The defense came out ready to play,” Simas said. “We kind of got them a little bit in the first scrimmage, so this was their chance to get back at us. With Scotty and Josh out, they had an opportunity to single up on some guys.”
Hansen completed 9-for-11 passes for 64 yards. Cody Hawkins went 14-for-23 for 146 yards. Both threw for a touchdown. Coach Dan Hawkins said the quarterback battle remains just that.
“They’re very close,” Dan Hawkins said. “Both bring something different to the table. Both have done a nice job.”
Footnotes.
Sophomore tailback Darrell Scott led rushers with 43 yards on 17 carries. Everybody struggled to find running room, but Scott did break free for two long kickoff returns. . . . Josh Smith spent the afternoon showing around prospective recruit Toney Clemons, a former Michigan wide receiver from the Pittsburgh area who had been recruited by CU two years ago.
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
