FORT COLLINS — Football has been anything but fun for Colorado State while enduring back-to-back 3-9 seasons, including losses in the final two games of 2010 by a combined score of 93-10.
In an effort to break up the spring routine, CSU coaches shook up the regimen. Seniors were given more input. Practices started in the morning, and the team was invigorated by music over the loudspeakers, even if nearby dorm residents weren’t amused at 7 a.m. Every day a competitive period was introduced, breaking down offense vs. defense by positions.
“So far this spring the atmosphere is a lot better than it has been in the past,” senior safety Ivory Herd said. “I see people more excited, coaches getting a little more involved and more excited to actually be at practice.”
The biggest difference? “Players are having fun,” Herd said. “Being in that type of atmosphere is just going to make everyone better and pull everyone along to the best of their ability.”
The only way to completely reverse the no-fun atmosphere that has permeated the program is to starting winning again — with regularity.
Half the team — and coaching staff — will close out the school year with a win of sorts in today’s annual spring game at 11 a.m. at Hughes Stadium. Two groups of three-man committees “drafted” teams.
The only imbalance is at quarterback, where sophomore returning starter Pete Thomas leads the Gold. His spring backup, former walk-on M.J. McPeek, who spent most of his time with the scout team last season, will lead the Green.
Herd came up with the two biggest defensive plays of the spring. In the first scrimmage, he grabbed a fumble in midair and returned it 67 yards for a touchdown. In the next scrimmage April 15, Herd picked off a pass and scored on a 69-yard return.
Following that scrimmage, CSU coach Steve Fairchild said: “Bottom line, are you going to produce? Ivory seems to do that when he’s on the field.”
Herd will play for the favored Gold team. Under the format splitting position groupings down the middle, his best friend in the secondary, fellow senior Elijah-Blu Smith, will play for the Green.
Fairchild said this week the key move of spring ball was switching Smith back to cornerback from safety. A lack of experience at cornerback after Momo Thomas went out with a shoulder injury led to an inability to stop the big play in the air.
It wasn’t very funny when opposing receivers ran wind sprints through the CSU secondary last fall. Now, there’s a sound of laughter coming out of the film room during position meetings for the secondary.
“I love it. It’s very exciting. It frees me up to do a lot more things than I could do in the past,” Smith said of his move to cornerback.
The hardest hitter in the secondary last season, Smith brings a more physical element to the boundaries. “He (Fairchild) wanted to see a little bit more physical play,” he said.
For all the encouraging signs, there will be no final grade for the secondary until CSU starts the regular season. While Fairchild is enthusiastic about having a returning starter at quarterback for the first time in his four springs, there is too much familiarity from the defense.
“We’re around Pete so much I kind of feel we know what he’s going to do before he does it,” Smith said. “It puts us in a better position in practice.”
Natalie Meisler: 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com
