Colorado State University Athletics
CSU football camp blog: Practice 1
8/5/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 5, 2010
Day 1 photo gallery | 2010 football ticket information
By Zak Gilbert
Athletic Media Relations
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Without Tony Drake, CSU already had one of the deepest offensive backfields in the Mountain West.
But throw in the true freshman, a 5-foot-8, 176-pound running back from Skyline High School in Dallas, and the Rams are even deeper at that spot, if that’s even possible for a team that returns 92 percent of its rushing yards from 2009.
Rated the No. 8 all-purpose back in the nation and No. 53 overall prospect in talent-rich Texas by Rivals.com, Drake was on the field for the first time Thursday morning as the Rams kicked off fall practice, less than a month before the annual showdown with the CU Buffs at Invesco Field in Denver.
He got plenty of reps, too. That’s by design, according to Head Coach Steve Fairchild.
“I told our staff that we’re under the premise that nobody’s going to redshirt,” said Fairchild, entering his third year at the reins of the Rams. “And if they can help us, we’ll use them; if not, they’ll redshirt. But I’d like to give every one of them an opportunity to get on the field, even if it’s just covering kicks on special teams.”
Special teams might be a role for Drake, who also returned punts Thursday. Called by Tom Lemming (USA Today Super 25) the No. 25 tailback/slotback in the country, Drake was a three-year starter for a perennial Texas power Skyline, mostly as a running back, but he also saw time as a wide receiver in his career, scoring more than 50 touchdowns.
“Tony Drake looks like he’s got a real chance,” Fairchild said. “He’s got a maturity to him that I like. But it’s hard to access a running back until you get pads on.”
Fairchild added that Drake knows how to compete because his high school is a factory for Division I players. That’s good, because he joins a backfield that includes the former No. 3 running back in the nation out of high school (Raymond Carter), the Rams’ leading returning rushers in seniors John Mosure and Leonard Mason, and the back that enjoyed arguably the best spring, redshirt freshman Chris Nwoke.
“I’m sure he’s going to have a good career,” Fairchild said of Drake. “We’ve just got to figure out if he’s going to get on the field this year.”
Borcky begins at safety: True freshman Bobby Borcky, recruited as a phenomenal athlete from Orlando, Fla., was penciled in to join the Rams’ wide receivers. Instead, he began his college career as a safety Thursday. But don’t be surprised to see him move around.
“I’m going to take a look at him as a safety first,” Fairchild said, “because of the volume of the receiver class, we’re a little thin at safety. I think Bobby physically can do that. It doesn’t mean he’s going to stay there.”
Receivers ready to do battle: That receiver position should be among the Rams’ most interesting position battles. Keep an eye on true freshmen James Boone, Thomas Coffman and Austin Gray, all of whom saw plenty of reps on the first day. Unlike running back, where the Rams lost no one, at receiver CSU lost both starters and returns only 47 percent of its receiving yardage. The leading returning pass-catcher is fullback Zac Pauga.
“We’ve got big numbers,” Fairchild said. “We think we have talent so as camp wears on, I wouldn’t be surprised if a guy or two got himself in the mix to play.”
One of those players might be Marquise Law, who made a pair of big-time plays Thursday. Senior Tyson Liggett and sophomore Byron Steele are penciled in atop the depth chart entering the fall. Lou Greenwood, displaced because of the immense talent at running back, also joins the receiver group full-time. Local product Matt Yemm, like Liggett a high-school quarterback, will see plenty of opportunity, too.
Steele might be the wildcard, though. With a prototype 6-foot-3, 211-pound frame, he also flashed Thursday.
“He’s going into his third year so it’s about time for him to step up,” Fairchild said. “We’ve got some good, young receivers here who are still learning but we’ll be fine at the receiver spot.”
Grayshirts: Fairchild said there were no surprises as to the members of the class of 2010 that weren’t on the field Thursday, meaning they won’t be with the Rams this fall.
Quarterback Garrett Grayson and linebacker Max Morgan will enroll in January and go through 2011 spring practice. Morgan likely will leave on a mission following the fall 2011 semester, after he turns 19. Vance Green, Jay James and Marquis Hood have enrolled in junior colleges and the Rams will keep a close eye on them. Marvin Ford, meanwhile, is not expected to play for the Rams.
Every other member of the 2010 class was at practice Thursday.
Robinson returns: Redshirt freshman wide receiver Chris Robinson, initially not expected to rejoin the team this fall, was a late addition to the Rams’ 105-man roster and practiced Thursday.
7:42: As promised, Fairchild blew the first whistle before the posted 7:45 a.m. start, 3 minutes early to be exact. Every player heard him clearly at Wednesday’s team meeting, because no one was late. On a gorgeous morning, with just enough cloud cover to keep the temperature comfortable, the practice lasted until about 9:50.
“The times are arbitrary,” he said. “It’s more of a rep practice. The third group, mostly true freshmen, had a little trouble getting in and out of the huddle. They were asking questions, so that slowed it down a bit, but it was a good practice.”
Plays of the Day: Law, a 6-foot-4, 196-pound sophomore from Miami, Fla., made two head-turning plays, both on long passes from Nico Ranieri. First, Law hauled in a 60-yard touchdown on a go route down the left sideline. Then later, he kept his focus, got separation from cornerback Immanuel Mitchell, and secured a 44-yard pass, on his rear end.
Steele, meanwhile, caught a 50-yard touchdown from Pete Thomas. On defense, true freshman Bernard Blake picked off an overthrown pass, and safety Jarrad McKay made a nice effort to break up a sure first down on the right sideline.
New threads: As part of the apparel and footwear contract negotiated by Athletic Director Paul Kowalczyk, the Rams’ new practice jerseys and cleats were on display for the first time Thursday.
The Russell Athletic practice jerseys have curved striping on the shoulders, similar to the Denver Broncos patterns. The Under Armour shoes are black with green trim. The shoes actually are the Rams’ gameday footwear, but the team is breaking in the brand-new shoes during practice. Players will have practice shoes once the game shoes are ready for play.
Other Fairchild quotes from Day 1…
General: “We got a lot done. From a schematic and organizational standpoint, our players did some things this summer and I think that helped us. So, we just keep plowing away. We’ve got to get better every day. It’s going to be a game here before too long.
“I just want to finish, play hard, and five days from now we’ll come up and assess where we’re at after that first day in pads.
“We just want to do what we did today, get some good things done in our meetings tonight, and do that for five days, the last one will be full pads, we’ll probably do a little live period and at that point in time, we’ll assess where we’re at.”
On whether he could detect a difference compared to practices last year: “Yes, we’re playing harder, we’re finishing better than we did last year. There’s going to be some mistakes with a young offensive line and young quarterback. It’s going to get sloppy at times. I could care less. I just want to see the effort, the finishing drills and the playing hard even as practice wears on. And it gets a little tougher when you get tired, but I thought we did a nice job today.”
On the battle for the starting quarterback, between Ranieri and Thomas: “I don’t anticipate naming a starter for a while. They both had a good day out here today, and we’ll let them go at it.
“They’re kind of similar. Pete’s a little bigger, Nico’s probably a little more mobile but they’re similar. They’re both accurate tough guys, both smart, so we’ll let them go at it and see what happens. They’re on equal ground.”
