BOULDER — Speaking Tuesday during his weekly news conference, Colorado football coach Mike MacIntyre stopped short of confirming that backup quarterback Jordan Gehrke will get some playing time Saturday at No. 3 Oregon if usual starter Sefo Liufau is fully recovered from a concussion.
“We’re going to find out as the week goes along, with Sefo’s situation,” MacIntyre said, when asked about the prospects of Gehrke getting a substantial number of snaps.
CU offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren told last week that Gehrke definitely will play against the Ducks.
MacIntyre would not go that far.
Liufau, a sophomore, suffered a concussion while throwing an interception during the Nov. 8 loss at Arizona. CU is coming off an open date.
Liufau ranks fifth among Pac-12 quarterbacks with 278.0 passing yards per game. But he also has thrown the most interceptions (14) and is responsible for a total of six turnovers in the past two games against Arizona and Washington, with three interceptions and three lost fumbles.
“Sefo was able to do a little bit more today (Tuesday morning),” MacIntyre added. “But he’s still not 100 percent cleared from his concussion. We think he will be.
“So we’ll just see how it goes and how the week progresses to see how much (either QB plays) for Saturday.”
Also a sophomore, Gehrke redshirted at CU in 2013 after transferring from a junior college in Arizona.
“We’re going to play the guy that’s ready to play,” MacIntyre said, again hedging around questions about how snaps may be divided between the quarterbacks.
“But we’re always looking to play the guy that can help us win the game that Saturday. That’s how we look at it.”
Tom Kensler: tkensler@denverpost.com or twitter.com/tomkensler
