FORT COLLINS — In 2010, Georgia’s first-year starting quarterback, Aaron Murray, didn’t have star junior receiver A.J. Green as one of his potential targets in the first four games. Green was serving an NCAA suspension for selling his jersey.
Mike Bobo was the Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator at the time, and he watched with considerable interest as Georgia struggled to a 1-4 start, bottoming out with a 29-27 loss at Colorado, and a six-win season that concluded with a defeat against Central Florida in the Liberty Bowl. Murray showed the potential that led to him going to Kansas City in the 2014 draft. Green finished his nine-game season with 57 receptions for 848 yards and nine touchdowns.
Now Colorado State’s first-year head coach, Bobo has said many times that despite having another star junior receiver, Rashard Higgins, he wants the Rams to spread the ball around as he uses as many as eight wide receivers in his push-the-place, no-huddle offense. He mused that Murray might have become locked in on Green in their one season together, and he preferred a more democratic — little “d” — approach.
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Of his Georgia receiving corps at the time, Bobo said: “We had a couple, three guys that I felt good about. I feel like we have a lot of depth here at receiver. I’m not uncomfortable if the ball goes to any skill position on the field here. I don’t feel like we have to scheme something up where it has to go right to this guy. There are certain plays you have on your call sheet, you want No. 82 (Higgins) to get the ball, you try to direct it to him. Still, they might play some coverage where it’s got to go somewhere else.
“And then Aaron Murray was a freshman. He was a redshirt freshman, and then A.J. Green is a once-in-a-lifetime player, and sometimes it’s not bad just to throw it to a guy.”
Green averaged 6.3 receptions in his nine games in 2010. Higgins averaged 8.0 in 12 games last season.
So how do CSU and redshirt sophomore quarterback Nick Stevens balance taking advantage of Higgins while still spreading the ball around? Higgins had seven receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown in the 65-13 rout of Savannah State in the opener and will face a much tougher Minnesota defense Saturday at Hughes Stadium.
“What he’s talking about is just the way our offense is designed,” Stevens said of Bobo. “It’s to get the ball in different guys’ hands. That’s how I went into it. I wasn’t thinking ‘Get the ball to Rashard as much as I can.’ It ended up being that way. He had the most catches, I believe, but just the process of me going through my reads every play and taking what the defense gave me, I was able to spread the ball out just fine.”
“Coach Bobo always says you won’t go broke taking a profit, so if that means throwing 2 yards to the back, you won’t go broke taking a gain.”
Higgins suffered what appeared to be a minor ankle injury in the opener. He’s expected to be ready for the Minnesota game but because he wasn’t on the field for the open part of practice Tuesday, he wasn’t made available to the media this week.
But after Saturday’s opener, he said of his first game working with Stevens as the starter: “It’s just a starting point. It also gets Nick his momentum going and his timing right. We practice in practice, but coming out here in the game, he missed a few throws that he usually makes, and that just comes with practice. We’ll watch the film, and we’ll get better.”
Stevens and Higgins often stay out after practice to work together.
“He pulled me out there and said ‘Let’s work’ because he wants to see me at my best so he can be at his best as well,” Stevens said. “I think we have a good relationship and we’re developing an even better relationship. He always says when I throw a good ball, ‘You’re going to get me paid, and I’m going to do the same for you!’ I think we’re just trying to make each other better.”
Terry Frei: tfrei@denverpost.com or
