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Spring Practices … First Look: Running Backs
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Program Note … Spring practices will begin February 16th (Spring Game: March 17th). Leading up to spring ball, previews will be posted for each unit of the 2018 Colorado roster.
… Previously posted: Quarterbacks … Wide Receivers … Tight Ends/Fullbacks … Up next: Offensive Line
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The roster:
Players lost (with 2017 season stats) … Phillip Lindsay (50 career games; 30 starts … 1,474 rushing yards; 14 touchdowns … 23 receptions; 257 yards; one touchdown) … Michael Adkins (32 career games; four starts … 11 rushes; 25 yards … one reception; four yards) … Tanner Grzesiek (walk-on; no stats)
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RUNNING BACKS (7 scholarship):
Seniors: Kyle Evans; Donovan Lee; Travon McMillan (transfer)
Juniors: Beau Bisharat
Sophomores: none
Redshirt freshmen: Alex Fontenot
True freshmen: Jarek Broussard; Deion Smith
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The stats (2017):
— Beau Bisharat … Played in all 12 games … 21 carries for 61 yards; one reception for six yards … Led the team in special team points, with 29, including nine unassisted tackles (no other player had more than four)
— Kyle Evans … Played in eight games … Two carries for two yards … one reception for six yards … one special teams point (one tackle)
— Donovan Lee … Suffered a broken ankle during spring practices, missed the 2017 season … Had 28 carries for 97 yards in ten games during the 2016 season
— Travon McMillan … Played in 12 games, with eight starts, for Virginia Tech … 104 carries for 439 yards and two touchdowns … 12 receptions for 173 yards and three touchdowns
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Chemistry.
Leadership.
Two words which often define a successful team.
They are intangibles, and they can’t be bought or falsely created.
The 2016 Colorado football team had it.
The 2017 Colorado football team did not.
Sefo Liufau, the quarterback for the 2016 Pac-12 South championship team, is back in Boulder to earn his degree, having retired from football after the 2017 season. Liufau was asked by Brian Howell from the Daily Camera about the current team, and what Liufau had to say was telling:
“I don’t know if there’s a whole lot of leadership in that team right now,” said Liufau. “There’s a lot of new faces, I’ve heard; a lot of new JUCO kids; a lot of kids that I’ve heard through the grapevine that feel like they’ve accomplished something based off of what we did as seniors (in 2016). If that’s the mentality they’re going to have, they’re not going to be successful, and that’s kind of worrying to me. The biggest thing is leadership, and it can’t be a coach. A coach can only do so much for a team. It has to be the players.”
With the departure of Phillip Lindsay – and his 24 school records – there was a known void in the backfield heading into the 2018 campaign. Lindsay led the nation in rushing attempts in 2017, with 301, leaving precious few carries for his backups.
Spring football, 2018, was to be about who would take over as the leading rusher for the Buffs:
– Beau Bisharat was third on the team in rushing last season (behind Lindsay and quarterback Steven Montez). As a sophomore last season, Bisharat earned his stripes leading the team in special team points. At 6’2″, 215-pounds, Bisharat is more of a bruising back (a la Lawrence Vickers) than what Phillip Lindsay (5’8″, 190-pounds) brought to the lineup;
– Kyle Evans (5’7″, 175-pounds), a senior this fall, is more in the Lindsay mold, and had the 2018 season to look forward to as his chance to step into the spotlight;
– Donovan Lee (5’9″, 180-pounds), another senior to be, spent last fall practicing with the team, but knowing that he was taking the year off after breaking his ankle last March. The move made sense. If Lee took the field in 2017, it would have been in a limited role, wasting his senior season. The red-shirt season gave Lee the chance to be a star in 2018; and
– Alex Fontenot (6’0″, 190-pounds) a true freshman in 2017. Spring ball, 2018, was to be his first chance to make his pitch as CU’s next great running back. Fontenot rushed 91 times for 642 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior in high school, averaging 7.1 yards per carry, and there were many Buff fans who believed the 2018 season would be his grand introduction to the college football world.
It was shaping up to be an interesting spring … and it still will be.
Except for the fact that the above players, in addition to knowing that two true freshmen Jarek Broussard and Deion Smith were joining the team this summer, now have an all-new specter hanging over the Champions Center.
Travon McMillan.
The Virginia Tech senior transfer will be graduating as a Hokie this spring, becoming a Buff this fall. McMillan won’t be on campus for spring practices, but his name will often be mentioned.
McMillian played quarterback in high school before moving to running back at Virginia Tech. He rushed for over 1,000 yards and scored eight touchdowns during his red-shirt freshman campaign in 2015. After Frank Beamer retired, the past two seasons, McMillian received less carries in Justin Fuente’s by-committee tailback system, prompting the move to Boulder.
McMillan rushed for over 2,000 yards in his three seasons at Virginia Tech, and, as they say, you don’t bring on a senior graduate transfer to ride the bench.
So, how will the spring play out for the running backs currently on the roster?
Will the seniors – Donovan Lee and Kyle Evans – fight to show that they deserve the carries this fall, newcomer be damned? Or … will they assume that the writing is on the wall, and sulk into the background (it’s worth mentioning that Donovan Lee is on pace to graduate in May, and could transfer to another school if decided to choose a path similar to the one McMillan is taking).
Will Beau Bisharat, the heir apparent at starter, take the courting of Travon McMillan as a challenge to be met? … Or as a slight?
Chemistry … and leadership.
The 2016 CU team, which finished 10-4, had both in spades.
The 2017 CU team, which finished 5-7, was lacking in both categories.
Phillip Lindsay is taking with him to the NFL not only his talents, but his leadership.
This spring will be an interesting test for the running back corps. Not only to see which back has the most talent, and is most likely to be atop the depth chart heading into Fall Camp.
But also whether there is chemistry in the unit, and whether a leader might emerge.
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—–
Stuart
Continue reading...
Spring Practices … First Look: Running Backs
—
Program Note … Spring practices will begin February 16th (Spring Game: March 17th). Leading up to spring ball, previews will be posted for each unit of the 2018 Colorado roster.
… Previously posted: Quarterbacks … Wide Receivers … Tight Ends/Fullbacks … Up next: Offensive Line
—
The roster:
Players lost (with 2017 season stats) … Phillip Lindsay (50 career games; 30 starts … 1,474 rushing yards; 14 touchdowns … 23 receptions; 257 yards; one touchdown) … Michael Adkins (32 career games; four starts … 11 rushes; 25 yards … one reception; four yards) … Tanner Grzesiek (walk-on; no stats)
—
RUNNING BACKS (7 scholarship):
Seniors: Kyle Evans; Donovan Lee; Travon McMillan (transfer)
Juniors: Beau Bisharat
Sophomores: none
Redshirt freshmen: Alex Fontenot
True freshmen: Jarek Broussard; Deion Smith
–
The stats (2017):
— Beau Bisharat … Played in all 12 games … 21 carries for 61 yards; one reception for six yards … Led the team in special team points, with 29, including nine unassisted tackles (no other player had more than four)
— Kyle Evans … Played in eight games … Two carries for two yards … one reception for six yards … one special teams point (one tackle)
— Donovan Lee … Suffered a broken ankle during spring practices, missed the 2017 season … Had 28 carries for 97 yards in ten games during the 2016 season
— Travon McMillan … Played in 12 games, with eight starts, for Virginia Tech … 104 carries for 439 yards and two touchdowns … 12 receptions for 173 yards and three touchdowns
—
Chemistry.
Leadership.
Two words which often define a successful team.
They are intangibles, and they can’t be bought or falsely created.
The 2016 Colorado football team had it.
The 2017 Colorado football team did not.
Sefo Liufau, the quarterback for the 2016 Pac-12 South championship team, is back in Boulder to earn his degree, having retired from football after the 2017 season. Liufau was asked by Brian Howell from the Daily Camera about the current team, and what Liufau had to say was telling:
“I don’t know if there’s a whole lot of leadership in that team right now,” said Liufau. “There’s a lot of new faces, I’ve heard; a lot of new JUCO kids; a lot of kids that I’ve heard through the grapevine that feel like they’ve accomplished something based off of what we did as seniors (in 2016). If that’s the mentality they’re going to have, they’re not going to be successful, and that’s kind of worrying to me. The biggest thing is leadership, and it can’t be a coach. A coach can only do so much for a team. It has to be the players.”
With the departure of Phillip Lindsay – and his 24 school records – there was a known void in the backfield heading into the 2018 campaign. Lindsay led the nation in rushing attempts in 2017, with 301, leaving precious few carries for his backups.
Spring football, 2018, was to be about who would take over as the leading rusher for the Buffs:
– Beau Bisharat was third on the team in rushing last season (behind Lindsay and quarterback Steven Montez). As a sophomore last season, Bisharat earned his stripes leading the team in special team points. At 6’2″, 215-pounds, Bisharat is more of a bruising back (a la Lawrence Vickers) than what Phillip Lindsay (5’8″, 190-pounds) brought to the lineup;
– Kyle Evans (5’7″, 175-pounds), a senior this fall, is more in the Lindsay mold, and had the 2018 season to look forward to as his chance to step into the spotlight;
– Donovan Lee (5’9″, 180-pounds), another senior to be, spent last fall practicing with the team, but knowing that he was taking the year off after breaking his ankle last March. The move made sense. If Lee took the field in 2017, it would have been in a limited role, wasting his senior season. The red-shirt season gave Lee the chance to be a star in 2018; and
– Alex Fontenot (6’0″, 190-pounds) a true freshman in 2017. Spring ball, 2018, was to be his first chance to make his pitch as CU’s next great running back. Fontenot rushed 91 times for 642 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior in high school, averaging 7.1 yards per carry, and there were many Buff fans who believed the 2018 season would be his grand introduction to the college football world.
It was shaping up to be an interesting spring … and it still will be.
Except for the fact that the above players, in addition to knowing that two true freshmen Jarek Broussard and Deion Smith were joining the team this summer, now have an all-new specter hanging over the Champions Center.
Travon McMillan.
The Virginia Tech senior transfer will be graduating as a Hokie this spring, becoming a Buff this fall. McMillan won’t be on campus for spring practices, but his name will often be mentioned.
McMillian played quarterback in high school before moving to running back at Virginia Tech. He rushed for over 1,000 yards and scored eight touchdowns during his red-shirt freshman campaign in 2015. After Frank Beamer retired, the past two seasons, McMillian received less carries in Justin Fuente’s by-committee tailback system, prompting the move to Boulder.
McMillan rushed for over 2,000 yards in his three seasons at Virginia Tech, and, as they say, you don’t bring on a senior graduate transfer to ride the bench.
So, how will the spring play out for the running backs currently on the roster?
Will the seniors – Donovan Lee and Kyle Evans – fight to show that they deserve the carries this fall, newcomer be damned? Or … will they assume that the writing is on the wall, and sulk into the background (it’s worth mentioning that Donovan Lee is on pace to graduate in May, and could transfer to another school if decided to choose a path similar to the one McMillan is taking).
Will Beau Bisharat, the heir apparent at starter, take the courting of Travon McMillan as a challenge to be met? … Or as a slight?
Chemistry … and leadership.
The 2016 CU team, which finished 10-4, had both in spades.
The 2017 CU team, which finished 5-7, was lacking in both categories.
Phillip Lindsay is taking with him to the NFL not only his talents, but his leadership.
This spring will be an interesting test for the running back corps. Not only to see which back has the most talent, and is most likely to be atop the depth chart heading into Fall Camp.
But also whether there is chemistry in the unit, and whether a leader might emerge.
–
—–
Stuart
Continue reading...
