BOULDER — Always big for his age, Matt Bahr never played anything but lineman while progressing through various levels of football.
Did Bahr ever think he could catch the ball, as he did last Saturday? Lined up as a 6-foot-4, 280-pound tight end, Bahr hauled in a 4-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tyler Hansen for Colorado’s first score in the 29-27 victory over Georgia.
“I never was a receiver,” said Bahr, a native of Orange County, Calif. “But during high school in the offseason, I’d always run around with friends and catch balls and run routes in 90-degree heat because it was great for conditioning.
“I always caught the ball. My coaches saw that, but they wanted me to block people.”
Bahr, a junior, and another former offensive lineman, redshirt freshman Scott Fernandez (6-3, 275), were converted early in August camp to a newly created hybrid fullback-tight end position that Colorado calls a “U-back,” short for utility back. With the roster lacking a conventional fullback, CU coaches figured Bahr and Fernandez could fill the need for a short-yardage blocker.
But whether Bahr or Fernandez line up in the backfield or as a tight end, they also become an eligible receiver. Both were in the lineup for Bahr’s touchdown catch on second-and-goal. Georgia’s strongside linebacker followed Fernandez in motion to the right, which left Bahr wide open to the left.
Bahr caught the pass cleanly, without a bobble.
“It just so happened that the first time we started throwing the ball (to Bahr and Fernandez), they could catch it,” CU coach Dan Hawkins said. “We weren’t really banking on that necessarily. But obviously it’s a plus. They can catch it. I’m not saying they’re in Scotty McKnight’s league, but they can catch the ball.”
To improve his agility, Bahr said he has lost about 20 pounds from the beginning of August camp, when he was a 300-pound offensive tackle. Coaches don’t want him to lose any more. “They want me to stay heavy so I can move (opponents) around,” he said with a grin.
If nothing else, when Colorado sends in a U-back tonight in Columbia, Mo., it should give Missouri’s defense something else to think about.
Reading their minds? Missouri has played so well against Colorado in the last four meetings (winning by an average score of 44-10), “it’s like they know exactly what we’re doing,” CU senior cornerback Jimmy Smith said. “They scheme up so well against us, it’s crazy. They execute so well.”
Footnotes. CU junior offensive guard Ryan Miller said Missouri’s defensive front is as quick as usual. “They have a lot of lean, athletic guys. I’m just thankful that Ziggy Hood is not there anymore. There is a man,” Miller said of the 6-3, 300-pounder who was drafted in the first round in 2009 by the Pittsburgh Steelers. … This will be a tiebreaker for Colorado in its last Big 12 Conference opener: The Buffs stand 7-7 in opening Big 12 games (2-4 on the road). … CU has not ranked high among Big 12 teams in sacks in recent years but at least the Buffs are consistent. They have recorded at least one sack in 24 consecutive games.
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
