BOULDER — Soon after running back Tony Jones joined the Colorado football program, the New Jersey native decided versatility could be his ticket to playing time.
Jones was redshirted as a freshman and spent much of that season honing his receiving skills.
“I’d even go out catching balls with the receivers,” Jones recalled. “If you can show that you have good hands as a running back, you have a chance to play more.”
Jones has now joined Colorado’s “1,000-500” club. That requires 1,000 career rushing yards and 500 receiving yards. He passed the receiving mark Saturday in the 40-37, double-overtime loss to UCLA.
A senior, Jones had reached 1,000 rushing yards earlier this season.
“I definitely heard about that list,” Jones said. “I’m blessed to have been able to come here to Colorado and contribute to the team as much as I could.”
It’s also special, Jones said, to have former teammate Rodney “Speedy” Stewart atop Colorado’s 1,000-500 club. Stewart rushed for 3,598 yards and caught passes for 969 yards.
Stewart overlapped Jones for two years: Jones’ redshirt year and his freshman season.
“Speedy taught me the mechanics of coming out of the backfield, making sure to catch the ball first before going up the field, stuff like that,” Jones said. “That was big for me as a young player adapting to college. He really helped me.”
Through eight games,the 5-foot-7, 185-pound Jones tops CU rushers with 323 yards and ranks sixth in receptions with 15 for 107 yards. During Jones’ early years at CU, he tried to dance around tacklers. This season, he’s more of a cut-and-go runner.
It’s working. His average gain of 4.9 yards per carry leads all Buffs runners with at least 10 carries.
“Since early in the season, Tony has been playing very decisive in the run game,” said Klayton Adams, CU’s running backs coach. “It takes confidence to make decisive cuts and trust your blockers.”
Jones’ career statistics are even more impressive considering he has made only eight career starts, four this season.
Adams said Jones practices all out whether he will be starting or be a reserve. He’s the kind of player who is easy to root for, having taken a leap of faith by crossing the country to play college football and now being on track, in December, to become the first in his family to earn a college degree.
“Tony is just a phenomenal young man,” CU coach Mike MacIntyre said. “He has great intensity and gives great effort. I’m very pleased with Tony as a player and as a leader.”
Footnotes. MacIntyre said starting safety Tedric Thompson has a concussion. He is listed as day to day for Saturday’s home game against Washington. “He’s got a chance (to play), but he got a good one,” McIntyre said of the concussion. Thompson was injured while making a tackle during the first overtime period Saturday in the loss to UCLA. … Backup safety Marques Mosley, a junior, tore an ACL on Saturday and is lost for the season, MacIntyre said. … Linebacker Addison Gillam (flulike symptoms) returned to practice Monday.
Tom Kensler: tkensler@denverpost.com or
