BOULDER, Colo.—The Colorado Buffaloes could have three true freshmen playing in their banged-up secondary Saturday against Sacramento State, including highly touted cornerback Yuri Wright, who’s eager to repay coach Jon Embree for giving him a second chance.
Senior safety Ray Polk and sophomore cornerback Greg Henderson were knocked out of Colorado’s 22-17 loss to rival Colorado State last week with sprained ankles. Polk’s injury is more severe and could cost him several weeks.
If Henderson can’t play Saturday against the Big Sky’s Hornets, Wright will step in alongside fellow freshmen Kenneth Crawley, who started at left cornerback last week, and safety Marques Mosley, who’s also expected to get plenty of playing time.
Colorado (0-1) has never started two true freshmen cornerbacks in a game.
Wright was the gem of Embree’s recruiting class this spring. He was a top-100 talent nationally and was being recruited heavily by Michigan until he ran into some controversy for derogatory racial references and graphic sexual comments he posted on his Twitter account.
Wright was subsequently expelled from his high school, national football power Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, N.J., and the Wolverines backed off.
Wright expressed remorse and Embree offered him a shot at redemption.
“Coach Embree treated me real good throughout the whole situation that happened. He definitely trusts that it won’t happen again. That’s something I won’t get involved in,” Wright said this week.
“There was a lot of extra stuff before and now I can just focus on football and school, really.”
Wright said he’s eager to repay Embree for believing in him.
“That lets me know that he thinks I’m a lot different than what people say I am. He thinks different of me, he knows I’m not really that type of kid,” Wright said. “I really want to show him more than anything that I have definitely learned my lesson from that whole thing that happened.”
Wright and his two fellow freshmen DBs would join junior safeties Terrel Smith and Parker Orms as the Buffaloes face the Hornets (0-1), who were thrashed 49-19 by New Mexico State last week.
Mosley said there will be no hesitation among the trio of freshmen in the defensive backfield.
“I feel confident enough to go out there and be aggressive just like the actual starters, because they prepared us for this,” he said.
Polk said he’ll be tutoring the trio between series.
“I’ll be on the sidelines and whenever they come off the field I’ll be able to talk to them and talk them through it,” Polk said. “I’m not going to be out there physically, but as far as anything else goes I’ll be there mentally and be able to help them figure out what to do.”
Senior defensive tackle Will Pericak said the young DBs don’t concern him.
“It doesn’t necessarily put more pressure on us, but we definitely have to perform. If we’re able to rush the QB and get pressure it takes more pressure off those guys, so they don’t have to defend as long and they won’t be isolated,” Pericak said.
Sacramento State sophomore quarterback Garrett Safron recorded his first 300-yard passing day last week, completing 23 of 35 passes for 308 yards with two TDs and an interception against the Aggies, whose 21-0 fourth quarter blew open a close game.
Buffaloes quarterback Jordan Webb, a transfer from Kansas, had a so-so debut last week. After a slow start, he completed 12 of 16 passes in the second quarter for 111 yards and two TDs as Colorado jumped out to a 14-3 lead on its archrival.
“We were on a roll like we feel like we have the ability to be at all times and once we get to that I feel like we can be a dangerous team,” Webb said.
The Rams, however, blitzed heavily after halftime, led by linebacker Cory James, whose three sacks were the most by a CSU player in his first game, and Webb was left with a bruised hip by the fourth quarter.
He said he’s fine now and “fully mobile” heading into Saturday’s game against the Hornets, who upset another Pac-12 team, Oregon State, in overtime last year.
“They’re a fast team, they play really hard and they have a track record of beating good teams,” Webb said. “So, when they come in here we have to take them seriously and play to the best of our ability.”
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AP freelancer Monica Costello contributed.
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