Better Prepared for What is Still to Come

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – They didn't expect any of it to be the same, but that doesn't mean the differences were any less striking.

The speed. Not just the physical, but the mental. Practices were more structured and intense. The schemes were beyond anything they'd been asked to comprehend.

"The first thing I noticed was the mental difference," Colorado State sophomore linebacker Bam Amina said. "It's a lot more of a mental game; it's not so much of see-ball, get-ball, you actually have to step up the game physically, but mainly mentally."

The Rams have six returning sophomores who saw action as true freshmen, and only three of them – Amina, Henry Blackburn and Aaron Moore – played in at least three games. Of that trio, only Blackburn drew a start, doing so in the final two games of the season at safety.

After a fractured first season collegiately, they all brought a little something extra to spring camp and once again for the preseason workouts and camp. A very special extra something.

A clue.

"Before we were in spring and preseason camp not really knowing, but now we know exactly what we're preparing for," Blackburn said. "We know exactly the type of teams were going to be facing, the type of players; there's a lot of good players in this conference. We knew after last season what we have to train for and how prepared we need to actually be in order to be successful within our team and in this conference. Just seeing how it actually is … In our preparation we can be that much better."

There is no teacher like game experience. Even though the NCAA allows for players to play four games and still count a redshirt season, CSU head coach Steve Addazio isn't about to throw a freshman on the field just because he can get away with it without affecting eligibility. The pandemic took care of that anyway, limiting the Rams to just four games.

Besides, if a player is really, really good, they may not last four years in a program anyhow. But once they are ready to play, there are too many benefits not to put them on the field and see how they react. Even a role on special teams can expose a young player to the reality of it all.

Henry Blackburn Gary Williams

"I like the rule. It gives you an opportunity to develop your roster. I'm into the development of players, so I'm in favor of it," Addazio said. "When I was at a Power five school, if you have a really talented guy, you're probably not going to keep them for four years, and certainly not five. Just getting their toes wet, getting them a chance to play, then not getting caught up and worried about losing a year is extremely valuable. There's no substitute for being on the field.

"Anytime you can extend your depth with guys who have played, it's going to help you. In my experience as a head coach, and specifically here, you need them all. We played a bunch of guys, and at some positions we're going to have a great amount of depth, and others, maybe not as much. We constantly try to expand that. Those linebackers, those young guys, we've got a lot of them, so you're trying to get them work on the field."

Blackburn played regularly in every game before getting his starting role late, finishing fourth on the team with 23 tackles and breaking up a pass. He was an early arrival, giving him a spring and fall camp before his first season.

The tempo at practice, he noticed, was high paced. He credits the offense for setting it, as well as the coaches for pushing it throughout. However, stepping on the field to face Fresno State on the road showed him there was another gear to attain.

"I'd say the speed of the game is the biggest difference, and just being able to adapt to that quick and just feel the tempo. You can only get so accurate in practice of how fast it's actually going to be in a game, but once you get between the lines in a real game, it's really fast," he said. "That's one thing young players have to adapt to, to keep up to the physical speed and also keep up with the mental side of the game and the pace of the game."

What all freshman find is speed has depth. Being able to run sideline to sideline is important for a safety, so anytime they can drop their 40-yard dash time it's a plus. But they can improve it beyond what they've been blessed with ability wise and how they've improved it.

The ability to read and react gets them out of the starting blocks quicker. If they have to think about it, they're a step slow regardless. Thus, learning all they could from a playbook much thicker than they have ever seen, was just as important as early morning conditioning.

"When it came to building up the scheme and the game plan, I noticed the more I'd study and get my mental game strong with learning the plays, physically I was able to fly around a lot faster and move around a lot faster," Amina said. "Now it's not so much thinking, its more reacting and actually getting to play the game of football.

"The preparation aspect and how I looked at practice was definitely different. Now that I have the experience of how the game was going to be, how the tempo and everything was flowing, it made me step up my game in everything I do. Now I was able to lock in more and I knew what to expect when it came to things."

That made spring camp and this preseason camp more valuable to both Amina and Blackburn. While they may not to accurately be able to mimic game speed, they know when it's close. They comprehend the more they know about the defense, the better they'll be able to execute it and use practice not just to keep up, but to advance their play.

They want to see even more time on the field and make an impact. And with the playing time they received last year, they have more anticipation for what they're about to face with the promise of a full schedule.

"I'm super excited to go out there. I've been waiting for this moment all offseason," Blackburn said. "Last year we didn't really get a real season, so that's one thing I'm really looking forward to is actually being able to play a full 12 games, with fans, all that stuff. It feels real this time."

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