BOULDER — Colorado defensive coaches and players had to secure game tape of Georgia’s 2009 season to study the moves and tendencies of Bulldogs junior wide receiver A.J. Green. At 6-feet-4 and 212 pounds, Green was easy to pick out.
He seemingly can leap over cornerbacks in a single bound and also run past them.
“Green certainly changes the way you do things defensively because you have to account for him,” CU coach Dan Hawkins said Tuesday during his weekly media luncheon.
Green will make his 2010 debut Saturday in Boulder. He served a four-game suspension by the NCAA for selling his bowl jersey for $1,000.
The impact that Green will make to the 1-3 Bulldogs offense could be enormous. Through four games, Georgia receivers are averaging 13.8 yards per reception. Green has averaged 16.2 yards per catch on 109 grabs for his college career.
Depending on a redshirt-freshman quarterback (Aaron Murray) and with Green out of the lineup, Georgia ranks just 80th nationally in total offense (352.3).
“I think (Green’s impact) will mean a lot to them, not only physically but emotionally as well,” Hawkins said. “Georgia obviously needs that shot in the arm. He’s a guy that can go up and get it. You can have him covered, and he’ll still go up and make a play.”
Aiming to make them proud.
As of Monday, 73 members of Colorado’s 1990 national championship team had informed the school they will attend the 20-year anniversary celebration this weekend. Also, five seniors from the 1989 team will join in.
Festivities begin Friday with a public luncheon at the University Memorial Center (UMC building at the student union.) The honorees will participate Friday evening in the Pearl Street Stampede, then will be honored during halftime Saturday.
“I think the whole team feels the way I do — we just want to represent those guys,” senior wide receiver Scotty McKnight said. “They’re the ones that put Colorado football on the map. We want to show them we’re on the way back, and we’re going to fight and we’re going to be a great team.”
The envelope please . . .
Hawkins said the first-team nickel back Saturday will be junior inside linebacker Patrick Mahnke, who was a safety until converting to inside linebacker during spring ball. Backing up Mahnke will be junior cornerback Jonathan Hawkins, who played the nickel for much of the Hawaii game after cornerback Paul Vigo was injured in the first half.
Mahnke will be the fourth nickel starter in four games. Opening-game starter Parker Orms suffered a season-ending ACL tear against Colorado State, and Travis Sandersfeld fractured a fibula at California.
Footnotes.
Being coy, Hawkins said “we’ll see” when asked if the Buffs will employ the hurry-up, no-huddle offense that sparked the comeback victory over Hawaii. . . . CU officials anticipate a sellout Saturday. It has been designated a CU “Blackout” game, with spectators encouraged to wear all black. . . . Only one other SEC team has visited Folsom Field. LSU romped 44-0 here in 1979.
Tom Kensler, The Denver Post
