FORT COLLINS — Tony Drake has speed — Texas speed. It’s the acceleration not often seen on Colorado State’s roster through the years. After returning nine kickoffs for a 26.9-yard average against Nevada, the freshman is looking to expand his repertoire Saturday at Miami of Ohio.
In an otherwise forgettable outing for CSU, Drake held his own track meet for 242 yards — a CSU and Mountain West single-game record.
He didn’t get a carry from scrimmage. Whether he could return punts was a moot point. Nevada never punted.
With CSU (0-2) looking for a spark, any spark, Drake spent more time taking handoffs in the backfield in practice this week.
It’s part of the learning curve. Just as chemistry textbooks become more complicated between high school and college, football playbooks grow in complexity.
“In high school, you just know when you’re going to the left, you know when you’re going to the right,” said Drake, who graduated from perennial Dallas power Skyline.
“Now it’s a thousand different plays. The playbook is totally different, so you have to get your head in and study.”
Offensive coordinator Pat Meyer said: “He’s a difference maker. He’s a freshman. He’s going to learn. . . . We’ve got to find something for him to do.”
Drake (5-feet-8, 176 pounds) wowed the coaches in the first week or two of practice with his raw speed. He moved into the top three of the depth chart, only to hit a plateau.
He had two carries for 32 yards in the opener against Colorado but then didn’t get a carry against Nevada.
With CSU’s ground game showing only glimpses of potential, it’s of little surprise Drake is taking more snaps in practice.
“That’s more on Tony Drake than our coaching staff,” CSU coach Steve Fairchild said this week. “We’ll certainly try to develop things for Tony Drake just like we did for Lou Greenwood (a running back turned receiver) last year. But as a true freshman, it’s your responsibility to handle it and practice it well or we’re not going to call it in a game.”
Drake was ticketed to play immediately since he signed his letter of intent, but Fairchild said “some things overwhelm him. The ability to take some things from the classroom and go out and perform it well on (practice days) is not as easy as it sounds for a new guy.”
For his part, Drake said the day is coming.
“I feel like in film sessions studying what I’m supposed to do, where I’m supposed to be on that play, (that) everything is starting to come together right and starting to click,” he said.
While the Rams might be happy just to make a first down, Drake said he can be the big-play threat so sorely missing this season.
“I came here for a reason, to make big plays at running back, kick return, punt return and wideout,” he said.
The speed of the game hasn’t been a drastic change because Drake said he came from a program emphasizing speed.
Even after nine kickoffs, he still has some unfinished business in the return department, saying, “I’m going to break one.”
Natalie Meisler: 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com
Three questions for Colorado State
1. Will the Rams finally find the end zone? This is the only major school in the country without a touchdown. The schedule has hardly reached the “must win” point, but Miami (Ohio) was 1-11 last year and gave up 21 points last week to Eastern Michigan, which brought in a losing streak two games longer than CSU’s 11.
2. Will the Rams’ defense gain confidence when it inevitably forces Miami to punt? Miami has some decent individual talents in wide receiver Armand Robinson, running back Thomas Merriweather and quarterback Zac Dysert. Just forcing a punt at this point will be reason for a Rams celebration.
3. Can Tony Drake get the dormant running game going and take pressure off QB Pete Thomas? While he doesn’t have the size to be an every-down back in CSU’s offense, the 5-foot-8, 176-pound freshman Drake has potential game-breaking speed. Although it’s too early to expose many gadget plays on film, the Rams may have no choice at this point.
