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By Stuart
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[h=2]Spring Grades – Offense[/h]–
Spring practices are completed for the University of Colorado. The players now have a few weeks to get ready for finals, the coaches are off to evaluate high school talent, and the Buff Nation can take a few moments to catch its breath.
How did the Buffs fare in their*second set of*spring practices under Mike MacIntyre?
Let’s take a look …
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[h=3]Quarterbacks[/h]If goal number one for the spring for the quarterbacks was not to get anyone hurt … mission accomplished.
Colorado entered spring practices with only two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, sophomores Sefo Liufau and Jordan Gehrke. The lack of depth was such a concern that the*unit supplemented by equipment manager (and former high school quarterback) Trent Sessions. The loss of either Liufau or Gehrke to injury would not have only hampered spring practices, but would have relegated the Spring Game to yet another controlled (read: boring) scrimmage.
So at least the Buff quarterbacks made it through spring in one piece.
The two questions I posed at the opening of spring camp for the quarterbacks were:
1) Can Sefo Liufau continue to improve; and 2) Can Jordan Gehrke compete for the starting job?
It appears that the answer to both questions is “yes”.
Liufau received high marks throughout the spring for improving on his mechanics. Liufau,*said offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach*Brian Lindgren, “is not as gifted athletically (as Jordan Gehrke), but Sefo is a sharp guy who anticipates things really well. We’re trying to get him to be able to do some of that stuff when things break down – but that’s hard to teach.”
Liufau’s most noticeable spring improvement, noted Lindgren, likely is in the running component of CU’s pistol offense in “carrying out fakes and being a threat as a runner in some situations. He’s doing a better job there and in just identifying packages and seeing what the defense is giving him. That’s allowed him to anticipate some things in the pass game.”
“Basically, I’m just more comfortable in the offense,” said Liufau, who completed 149-of-251 passes last season for 1,779 yards and 12 touchdowns (eight interceptions). “I’ve made a lot of improvement from when I was last on the field in November. I think it’s been a very good spring.”
While Liufau has been remained atop the depth chart as the No. 1 quarterback, Gehrke did provide healthy competition this spring.
“Jordan’s an athletic guy,” said Lindgren. “When things break down he’s done a nice job of making plays with his feet or keeping his options and finding somebody downfield. I’ve been really pleased with how he’s picked up the offense …*I think he’s definitely pushing Sefo on a daily basis.”
In the spring game, Gehrke’s black team got the better of Liufau’s gold team, 21-17. Gehrke completed only 5-of-11 passes, but did have a 67-yard touchdown pass to Bryce Bobo.
Liufau, meanwhile, had better numbers in the spring game – 19-of-31 for 238 yards and two touchdowns – but also had made several mistakes which Buff fans will not want to see repeated this fall:
1) An ill-advised interception. When pressured, Liufau did not throw the ball away, instead throwing a balloon which was intercepted by Ahkello Witherspoon;
2) In the two-minute drill right before halftime, Liufau again made a mental error, taking a sack after taking the team into field goal range. Three plays after the sack, Diego Gonzalez missed a 47-yard field goal attempt; and
3) In the two-minute drill at the end of the game, Liufau threw four straight incompletions after driving the ball into black territory. On third-and-ten and fourth-and-ten, despite having almost a minute of clock remaining and the ball at the black 33-yard line, Liufau went for the touchdown instead of the first down. Both passes were batted down. Ball turned over on downs …*gold team loses.
It’s hard to read too much into a Spring Game, a game in which the quarterbacks (including Trent Sessions) performed well overall. Liufau looked better on deeper throws, and Gehrke looked like a more-than-able replacement should Liufau be injured.
Still, there are the nagging doubts about those three drives …
Spring Grade …. B+
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Still to come tonight: Running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, and offensive line … and coming on Tuesday: Defensive line, linebackers, defensive backs, and kicking game …
Originally posted by CU At the Game
Click here to vie
–
[h=2]Spring Grades – Offense[/h]–
Spring practices are completed for the University of Colorado. The players now have a few weeks to get ready for finals, the coaches are off to evaluate high school talent, and the Buff Nation can take a few moments to catch its breath.
How did the Buffs fare in their*second set of*spring practices under Mike MacIntyre?
Let’s take a look …
–
[h=3]Quarterbacks[/h]If goal number one for the spring for the quarterbacks was not to get anyone hurt … mission accomplished.
Colorado entered spring practices with only two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, sophomores Sefo Liufau and Jordan Gehrke. The lack of depth was such a concern that the*unit supplemented by equipment manager (and former high school quarterback) Trent Sessions. The loss of either Liufau or Gehrke to injury would not have only hampered spring practices, but would have relegated the Spring Game to yet another controlled (read: boring) scrimmage.
So at least the Buff quarterbacks made it through spring in one piece.
The two questions I posed at the opening of spring camp for the quarterbacks were:
1) Can Sefo Liufau continue to improve; and 2) Can Jordan Gehrke compete for the starting job?
It appears that the answer to both questions is “yes”.
Liufau received high marks throughout the spring for improving on his mechanics. Liufau,*said offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach*Brian Lindgren, “is not as gifted athletically (as Jordan Gehrke), but Sefo is a sharp guy who anticipates things really well. We’re trying to get him to be able to do some of that stuff when things break down – but that’s hard to teach.”
Liufau’s most noticeable spring improvement, noted Lindgren, likely is in the running component of CU’s pistol offense in “carrying out fakes and being a threat as a runner in some situations. He’s doing a better job there and in just identifying packages and seeing what the defense is giving him. That’s allowed him to anticipate some things in the pass game.”
“Basically, I’m just more comfortable in the offense,” said Liufau, who completed 149-of-251 passes last season for 1,779 yards and 12 touchdowns (eight interceptions). “I’ve made a lot of improvement from when I was last on the field in November. I think it’s been a very good spring.”
While Liufau has been remained atop the depth chart as the No. 1 quarterback, Gehrke did provide healthy competition this spring.
“Jordan’s an athletic guy,” said Lindgren. “When things break down he’s done a nice job of making plays with his feet or keeping his options and finding somebody downfield. I’ve been really pleased with how he’s picked up the offense …*I think he’s definitely pushing Sefo on a daily basis.”
In the spring game, Gehrke’s black team got the better of Liufau’s gold team, 21-17. Gehrke completed only 5-of-11 passes, but did have a 67-yard touchdown pass to Bryce Bobo.
Liufau, meanwhile, had better numbers in the spring game – 19-of-31 for 238 yards and two touchdowns – but also had made several mistakes which Buff fans will not want to see repeated this fall:
1) An ill-advised interception. When pressured, Liufau did not throw the ball away, instead throwing a balloon which was intercepted by Ahkello Witherspoon;
2) In the two-minute drill right before halftime, Liufau again made a mental error, taking a sack after taking the team into field goal range. Three plays after the sack, Diego Gonzalez missed a 47-yard field goal attempt; and
3) In the two-minute drill at the end of the game, Liufau threw four straight incompletions after driving the ball into black territory. On third-and-ten and fourth-and-ten, despite having almost a minute of clock remaining and the ball at the black 33-yard line, Liufau went for the touchdown instead of the first down. Both passes were batted down. Ball turned over on downs …*gold team loses.
It’s hard to read too much into a Spring Game, a game in which the quarterbacks (including Trent Sessions) performed well overall. Liufau looked better on deeper throws, and Gehrke looked like a more-than-able replacement should Liufau be injured.
Still, there are the nagging doubts about those three drives …
Spring Grade …. B+
—
Still to come tonight: Running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, and offensive line … and coming on Tuesday: Defensive line, linebackers, defensive backs, and kicking game …
Originally posted by CU At the Game
Click here to vie