FORT COLLINS — Previously, when Colorado State went with a no-huddle approach on offense, and even when the Rams racked up yards and points last season in the spread offense, the pace wasn’t frantic.
Now, under new head coach Mike Bobo, the tempo will be relatively frenzied and relentless, with the Rams almost without exception going no-huddle. It’s all designed to exhaust a defense and limit its chance to make personnel changes, and to — yes — put up points.
That approach will be reflected in the Rams’ practices, and it was on display for the first time Tuesday when CSU went through its first spring practice under the new coaching staff — with Bobo, the former Georgia quarterback and offensive coordinator, in charge.
“The tempo was very high,” said receiver Rashard Higgins, a consensus All-American as a sophomore last season. “The first day, everyone’s legs were fresh and everything, and that’s what they expect. … Coming out here, we knew it would be a high tempo and we were going to have to get after things, and that’s what we did.”
He added, “Right now, we’re getting the schemes down pretty well, but I feel like when it comes close to crunchtime, they’ll expect me to do my job — which is to catch the ball, get upfield and make plays.”
With Craig Leonard, Coleman Key and Nick Stevens competing to succeed the record-setting Garrett Grayson at quarterback, Higgins smiled and said, “I miss Garrett.” He named all three candidates and added, “Those guys have to step up for Garrett and fill his shoes.”
Can one of them do it?
“Oh, I believe so,” Higgins said.
One of the Rams’ returning starters is guard Fred Zerblis, Bobo’s fellow Georgia native.
“The tempo was definitely high today,” Zerblis said with a laugh. “It just means our conditioning has to be on point. We have to be in top shape and everything, and this will help get us there.”
Bobo, 40, is a head coach for the time first.
“The first day went well,” Bobo said. “I thought the guys moved around with a lot of energy and played hard. That was the main thing we were looking for, having energy and effort. There are a lot of fundamental things we have to correct.”
Bobo said of his three quarterback candidates, “The first day, out of the three, I thought (Stevens) had a better grasp and understanding of what we were doing.”
Bobo added: “We still have to move faster. We have to play faster with our feet, all three guys. You can see that they’re thinking a little bit too much instead of reacting and playing through habit. But that’s natural. It’s a new offense, it’s new terminology, it’s new coaches.
“They probably can’t understand half of what I say because of the Southern drawl. So it’s going to take time for them to understand what I’m saying and kind of decipher what to listen to when I’m yelling at them.”
Footnotes. for last season’s seniors is Wednesday. … The Rams will practice again Thursday, then be on spring break before returning to the field April 24.
Terry Frei: tfrei@denverpost.com or twitter.com/TFrei
