Neill Woelk, cubuffs.com
BOULDER — Colorado coach Mel Tucker saw what he wanted to see from Friday's first scrimmage of spring ball.
"In terms of the competition and guys straining to finish and extending drives and things like that and making plays, I thought they ran around pretty good today," Tucker said after Friday's workout in the Indoor Practice Facility. "I'm really looking forward to seeing the tape."
The Buffs ran 94 plays in the day (including kicks), with coaches getting a good look at a variety of players with the No. 1 and No. 2 units.
It was by no means perfect, Tucker said, but given that it was the Buffs' first chance at full-speed, full-contact work, the ninth practice of spring ball will provide an excellent baseline when it comes to evaluation.
"We're still not playing as fast and as physical as we need to, but I thought we made a step today," Tucker said. "The players were serious. They understood this was a big day for us. We've been waiting for this day for quite some time to see guys play live football. I thought the attention to detail was there, guys were focusing throughout from start to finish. I thought the execution was solid."
Both sides of the ball came up with big plays. Quarterback Steven Montez, who received the majority of the drives (seven in all), had an 11-for-19 day for 148 yards and a pair of scores. One of the scores was a 62-yard Hail Mary scoring toss in a two-minute drill on fourth-and-forever to Jaylon Jackson, who went up in between three defenders to make the catch.
Jackson was one of five wideouts to finish with three receptions, joined by Daniel Arias, Tony Brown, K.D. Nixonand Dimitri Stanley. Nixon also had a touchdown catch, a 4-yarder from Montez.
In the backfield, running backs Alex Fontenot, Deion Smith and Jarek Broussard all made the most of their reps with the No. 1 offense, with Smith notching an 18-yard touchdown run and Broussard breaking loose for a 22-yard scamper.
Defensively, defensive end Terrance Lang and linebacker Jacob Callier each produced two sacks while inside linebacker Jonathan Van Diest led all tacklers with eight (six unassisted). Lineman Mustafa Johnson had four tackles, a fourth-down stop, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble; linebacker Nate Landman had four tackles (one for loss) and two third-down stops; and Trey Udoffia also recorded a sack from his safety spot.
"We still have a long way to go, don't get me wrong," Tucker said. "But I was encouraged."
Tucker liked what he saw from both sides of the ball in the trenches, particularly in goal-line and red zone situations. The Buffs put the ball in the end zone on six drives, with Smith carrying in twice (1 yard and 18 yards) and Broussard (4 yards) and Fontenot (1 yard) each getting one score from inside the 20.
"We were in some situations where we really tried to pound it in and I thought we were physical on both sides of the ball," Tucker said. "The offense popped some runs, the defense made some stops in the running game. The physical nature in the trenches, we were able to see that in a scrimmage format."
Now, Tucker and his assistants, as well as players, will spend the weekend watching film. Tucker said he expects his team to learn from what happened Friday and move to another level beginning next week.
"Once you get that first scrimmage under your belt and guys get the chance to see it live and coaches get the chance to see it live, then guys can see, 'OK, this is where we are,'" Tucker said. "It's apparent. You know exactly where everyone is and we know where we have to go, what the next steps are."
HAIL MARY: Sophomore wide receiver Jaylon Jackson, who has battled a long list of injuries for the last few years, came up with the catch of the day when he grabbed a 62-yard Hail Mary from Montez for a touchdown in a two-minute drill. Montez's throw, coming on a fourth-and-long, traveled roughly 70 yards in the air.
"Steven just put the ball up in the air and just like any other Hail Mary play, you have to make a play on it," said Jackson, who went up between three defenders for the catch. "I was able to get up there and make a play."
QUARTERBACK PLAY: The offense had four scoring drives of at least 30 yards, with all three scholarship quarterbacks — Montez, Tyler Lytle and Sam Noyer — producing points. Lytle is now getting regular snaps with the No. 2 offense as the battle for the backup spot behind Montez is up for grabs. Lytle got 20 snaps Friday and threw for 116 yards; Noyer took 21 snaps and had 33 yards passing.
Montez, however, has done nothing to lose his No. 1 spot.
"Steven, I like him," Tucker said. "I think Tyler's getting better, Sam made some plays. They have a good grasp of the offense and they're playing with confidence. I feel really good about that group. Jay Johnson has done a phenomenal job with that. There's really good energy and good poise and composure. They're better now than they were when we started."
Montez appears to be settling into the new offense.
"He's got good poise," Tucker said. "He's got good command and he's very confident. I love the way the ball spins coming out of his hand. He can throw it."
SCHEDULE: The Buffs will practice again next Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with the second scrimmage of the spring set for next Friday. If the weather cooperates, they will be outside for the scrimmage.
CU has just six practices remaining for the spring, including the April 27 spring game.
BOULDER — Colorado coach Mel Tucker saw what he wanted to see from Friday's first scrimmage of spring ball.
"In terms of the competition and guys straining to finish and extending drives and things like that and making plays, I thought they ran around pretty good today," Tucker said after Friday's workout in the Indoor Practice Facility. "I'm really looking forward to seeing the tape."
The Buffs ran 94 plays in the day (including kicks), with coaches getting a good look at a variety of players with the No. 1 and No. 2 units.
It was by no means perfect, Tucker said, but given that it was the Buffs' first chance at full-speed, full-contact work, the ninth practice of spring ball will provide an excellent baseline when it comes to evaluation.
"We're still not playing as fast and as physical as we need to, but I thought we made a step today," Tucker said. "The players were serious. They understood this was a big day for us. We've been waiting for this day for quite some time to see guys play live football. I thought the attention to detail was there, guys were focusing throughout from start to finish. I thought the execution was solid."
Both sides of the ball came up with big plays. Quarterback Steven Montez, who received the majority of the drives (seven in all), had an 11-for-19 day for 148 yards and a pair of scores. One of the scores was a 62-yard Hail Mary scoring toss in a two-minute drill on fourth-and-forever to Jaylon Jackson, who went up in between three defenders to make the catch.
Jackson was one of five wideouts to finish with three receptions, joined by Daniel Arias, Tony Brown, K.D. Nixonand Dimitri Stanley. Nixon also had a touchdown catch, a 4-yarder from Montez.
In the backfield, running backs Alex Fontenot, Deion Smith and Jarek Broussard all made the most of their reps with the No. 1 offense, with Smith notching an 18-yard touchdown run and Broussard breaking loose for a 22-yard scamper.
Defensively, defensive end Terrance Lang and linebacker Jacob Callier each produced two sacks while inside linebacker Jonathan Van Diest led all tacklers with eight (six unassisted). Lineman Mustafa Johnson had four tackles, a fourth-down stop, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble; linebacker Nate Landman had four tackles (one for loss) and two third-down stops; and Trey Udoffia also recorded a sack from his safety spot.
"We still have a long way to go, don't get me wrong," Tucker said. "But I was encouraged."
Tucker liked what he saw from both sides of the ball in the trenches, particularly in goal-line and red zone situations. The Buffs put the ball in the end zone on six drives, with Smith carrying in twice (1 yard and 18 yards) and Broussard (4 yards) and Fontenot (1 yard) each getting one score from inside the 20.
"We were in some situations where we really tried to pound it in and I thought we were physical on both sides of the ball," Tucker said. "The offense popped some runs, the defense made some stops in the running game. The physical nature in the trenches, we were able to see that in a scrimmage format."
Now, Tucker and his assistants, as well as players, will spend the weekend watching film. Tucker said he expects his team to learn from what happened Friday and move to another level beginning next week.
"Once you get that first scrimmage under your belt and guys get the chance to see it live and coaches get the chance to see it live, then guys can see, 'OK, this is where we are,'" Tucker said. "It's apparent. You know exactly where everyone is and we know where we have to go, what the next steps are."
HAIL MARY: Sophomore wide receiver Jaylon Jackson, who has battled a long list of injuries for the last few years, came up with the catch of the day when he grabbed a 62-yard Hail Mary from Montez for a touchdown in a two-minute drill. Montez's throw, coming on a fourth-and-long, traveled roughly 70 yards in the air.
"Steven just put the ball up in the air and just like any other Hail Mary play, you have to make a play on it," said Jackson, who went up between three defenders for the catch. "I was able to get up there and make a play."
QUARTERBACK PLAY: The offense had four scoring drives of at least 30 yards, with all three scholarship quarterbacks — Montez, Tyler Lytle and Sam Noyer — producing points. Lytle is now getting regular snaps with the No. 2 offense as the battle for the backup spot behind Montez is up for grabs. Lytle got 20 snaps Friday and threw for 116 yards; Noyer took 21 snaps and had 33 yards passing.
Montez, however, has done nothing to lose his No. 1 spot.
"Steven, I like him," Tucker said. "I think Tyler's getting better, Sam made some plays. They have a good grasp of the offense and they're playing with confidence. I feel really good about that group. Jay Johnson has done a phenomenal job with that. There's really good energy and good poise and composure. They're better now than they were when we started."
Montez appears to be settling into the new offense.
"He's got good poise," Tucker said. "He's got good command and he's very confident. I love the way the ball spins coming out of his hand. He can throw it."
SCHEDULE: The Buffs will practice again next Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with the second scrimmage of the spring set for next Friday. If the weather cooperates, they will be outside for the scrimmage.
CU has just six practices remaining for the spring, including the April 27 spring game.
