Spring Practice - What to watch for: Special Teams

From www.cuatthegame.com

Special Teams

Returning in 2010: K Aric Goodman (Sr.) - um, that's it for kickers ... KR Brian Lockridge (Jr.), PR Scotty McKnight (Sr.), PR Jason Espinoza (Jr.), KR Rodney Stewart (Jr.), PR Arthur Jaffee (Jr.)

New in 2010: K/P Zach Grossnickle (R-Fr. - 2009 recruit), K/P Justin Castor (2010 recruit).


Where have you gone, Mason Crosby? For that matter, where have you gone, John Torp, Mark Mariscal and Jeremy Flores? (All of whom were All-Big 12 performers in the past decade). Colorado has long been a hotbed for kickers and punters, but the Buffs have fallen on hard times of late. While there is some hope for the future, the present remains unsettled.

Gone from 2009 is four-year starter at punter, Matt DiLallo, who saw his net average go down every season. Gone also are two names you may not be familar with - snapper Justin Drescher and walk-on kicker Ryan Aweida. Drescher was a four year starter at long-snapper, and performed very well at his chosen position. Aweida, who would have been a senior, left the team after the conclusion of the 2009 season.

This leaves the punter position open for Zach Grossnickle to lose. Senior kicker Aric Goodman will technically be the backup at punter, and there is a junior walk-on, Marcus Kirkwood, on the roster, but for this spring, it will be Goodman at kicker, Grossnickle at punter. Neither will be challenged until the fall, when true freshman Justin Castor comes to Boulder.

The kick returning position also remains fluid. Darrell Scott set a team record for kick return yardage in the Toledo game last season, but he's gone. Before him, his uncle, Josh Smith, set a number of kick return yardage records, but he too is long gone. Last season, Colorado was 117th out of 120 teams in punt returns. The Buffs have run a number of players back to return kicks, but have been spectacularly unsuccessful in generating a decent punt return team (the Buffs did fare better at kickoff returns, coming in at 21st nationally, thanks in large part to Darrell Scott's numbers early in the season, and Brian Lockridge's numbers late in the year).

If you do not have a stomach for it, I would avoid the kicking statistics this spring. Even if Aric Goodman's numbers are good (he hit on 13-of-17 kicks last spring, including a 50-yarder in the spring game), you will not buy into it. If the numbers are poor ... well, you know the rest.

The more interesting storylines will be how Zach Grossnickle is faring, with a full year as a Buff now under his belt, and who the Buffs run back for punt and kick returns. With running backs in short supply, the Buffs would be well advised to find a replacement for Brian Lockridge as a kick returner. Help, though, may be on the way. Most of the defensive back / wide receiver recruits from the past two recruiting classes have had "kick returner" on their resume. Undoubtedly, the Colorado coaching staff has been scouting players who can salvage something positive for the punt return unit.

Spring practice opens Saturday, March 6th. The defense in 2009 was average (57th in the all-important points allowed category), with "average" actually a step up from previous seasons. For Colorado to continue to improve, both in statistics and in the win column, the Buffs' defense needs the following: the defensive line must find consistency and depth (welcome back, Nick Kasa!), the linebackers must quickly fill holes (Major and Rippy need to blossom), while the defensive secondary needs to become a feared unit (Jimmy Smith was second team All-Big 12 in 2009; Jalil Brown honorable mention - both need to move up a ranking).

The special teams? Well ...

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