Boulder — Former Colorado standout Jeremy Bloom, who was in town for CU’s scrimmage Saturday at Folsom Field as part of his commentary duties for the Pac 12 Network, expects to see improvement this year in the team that finished 2-10 last season.
“It was a really young team last year,” Bloom said. “Freshman and sophomore everywhere. You’ve got a lot of those sophomores coming back, now they’re juniors. On the defense there’s eight returning starters, no seniors. I think the biggest problem last year, outside of the defense, was their inability to finish. There’s one way to learn that as a player — to go through that and, as a team, mature.”
Jeremy Bloom
CU finished 0-9 in the conference but lost four of those games by a total of 15 points, including two in double overtime.
“I can only imagine, these players, they look at those four games in-conference where they’re like, ‘We should have won these games!’ You prepare all summer and then say, ‘You know what? We’re not going to let that happen this year.’ Thatap what I hope,” Bloom said.
Bloom expects the offense to be good, led by receiver Nelson Spruce and quarterback Sefo Liufau.
“What Nelson Spruce did last year, no Colorado receiver in history ever did, and there’s been some good ones – Michael Westbrook, Rae Carruth, D.J. Hackett,” Bloom said. “Mr. Dependable, and itap good for Sefo, who’s a pretty unique talent himself. Before itap all said and done, he’ll probably own every passing record.”
Bloom was a star for the Buffs as a receiver and kick returner in 2002-03 and a two-time Olympian in freestyle moguls. The Loveland product was excited to see the new construction that includes a new Champions Center addition to Dal Ward Center and a new fieldhouse.
“I was like, wow, things look a little bit bigger, things look a little bit different,” Bloom said. “Facilities, it’s not a like-to-have, it was a must-have. To be able to recruit in this conference, with the facilities and the programs across the country, (to) these 17-, 18-year-old kids, that really matters. I remember when I was being recruited, I went to Colorado State and I saw their facilities, and as a 17-year-old, ‘I don’t want to play here.’ Really, that was my reaction. So I think it really does matter.
“Is it going to help them win games this year? Probably not. It will create a little bit more of a buzz, and that can be helpful, but it’s a long-term investment. It’s exciting.”
