Buffs Prepare for Second Spring Scrimmage

BOULDER-The University of Colorado football team nears the end of its third week of spring practices after wrapping up a Thursday afternoon session.

            "We're (the defense) coming along pretty well," senior safety D.J. Dykes said.  "Today was one of the better days that we've had all spring.  We're starting to be more physical, make more plays and the biggest difference is that we are starting to think less and just play.  When we can just react and play rather than thinking, it enables us to make more plays."

            The defense isn't the only side of the ball that feels like it's making significant progress.  The offense has looked impressive after showing off a new, fast-paced, no-huddle offense this spring.

            "We're picking it up really well," junior tight end Patrick Devenny said.  "The idea from the beginning (for the new offense) has been received positively and I think that has helped.  We've picked it up quick because we can see the advantage we gain with this offense."

            Heading into the second scrimmage of the spring, the team is looking to keep moving forward by making the scrimmage a little more like a real game.

"We're going to try and do a little more game stuff," head coach Dan Hawkins said.  "We're going to play the ball where it lands and we're going to keep score a little bit too."

During the first scrimmage, the new offense looked to be coming along quickly.  One thing that stuck out to most of the fans in attendance was the fast pace at which the offense was operating, but the Buffs aren't at full speed yet.

"We want to play at a faster tempo," Devenny said.  "From the fans perspective, it probably looks like we're going much faster, but we were actually a little sluggish in the first scrimmage.  We're looking to improve that on Saturday."

The offense is going to have some work to do on Saturday when a few linebackers on defense that missed the first scrimmage are expected to play on Saturday.

"We'll have the linebackers playing in the scrimmage," Hawkins said.  "They're going to make a difference; they were pretty prominent in practice today."

IMPORTANT NOTE: This Saturday's scrimmage has been changed to a 10 a.m. start.