A year ago, there was no question which players on Colorado’s offense would draw the most attention from the defense.
Heisman Trophy-winning receiver Travis Hunter, record-setting quarterback Shedeur Sanders and three other NFL-bound receivers were not only the leaders of the CU offense, they were the offense.
That of course will change with all of those players now in the NFL. From head coach Deion Sanders on down, the message from CU is that opponents will need to pay attention to the run game for the first time in a while.
“We’re going to be counted on to where one of these guys, or just the position in a whole, could be the focus when a team, they look, ‘OK, their running game matters,’” first-year CU running backs coach Marshall Faulk said.
While CU has put up big numbers through the air the past two years, it ranked last in the country on the ground.
The key to recharging the run game will be a rebuilt offensive line that could feature four transfers in the starting lineup. Faulk’s room, however, will be in the spotlight.
“Our agenda (during preseason camp) is to make sure that we understand exactly what these guys are good at, what we’re good at, and then figure out a way to get them better in the areas that they’re not good,” Faulk said.
CU is thin on numbers in the running back room, with only four on scholarship (and two walk-ons), but confident in the group it has on board.
“One thing about the running back room, all of us can play,” sophomore Micah Welch said. “It don’t matter which back comes in the game. You will see somebody make a play. I love the running back room this year. It’s a lot of competition.”
Welch and junior Dallan Hayden were both on the team a year ago. Both also dealt with injuries and finished with modest numbers: Hayden with 196 yards on 64 carries, Welch with 186 yards on 43 carries.
They are joined by a pair of senior transfers: DeKalon Taylor, who rushed for 909 yards at Incarnate Word last year; and Simeon Price, who has posted 327 yards in his career at Mississippi State and Coastal Carolina.
Faulk, who was hired this past winter, said he isn’t too concerned with past results.
“They get a clean slate,” he said. “What you did last year has nothing to do with this year, because I’m going to coach you different.”
They’re also going to be used in different ways because no two backs are alike.
Hayden is 5-foot-10, 205 pounds with some speed and shiftiness. Welch is a smaller, thicker back at 5-9, 215, with some power. Price is listed as the biggest in the room, at 6-0, 215. And Taylor is a 5-9, 165-pound speedster.
“If you blink, you might miss it,” Taylor said with a smile when asked to describe his game.
The variety of body types and skill sets suits Faulk. He was a 5-10, 210-pounder during his Hall of Fame career. At the same time, the 5-11, 255-pound Jerome Bettis was carving out a Hall of Fame career of his own.
“We both got to where you want to get to, which is playing at a high level, doing the things that’s necessary and winning football and helping teams win football games,” Faulk said. “So there’s not a (cookie cutter) skill set.”
Faulk, however, did say he’s “a stickler for footwork,” how the backs line up and how they take a handoff, but after that, “Go be creative,” he said.
“We all start with the canvas and the paintbrush the same way before we go make art,” Faulk said.
The art teacher – Faulk – has made a difference already, the players have said. And, they have been energized by what they believe will be a new emphasis on their talents.
“This year, for sure, we’re going to run the ball,” Welch said. “From the summer and the spring, they just put it on us, making sure that we know where we at, know how to do it, and just being more focused on our assignment. So, I know for a fact we’re gonna run the ball this year.”
When they do, the Buffs hope the results force the opposition to respect the ground game.
“I feel in the running back room sky’s the limit,” Taylor said. “I mean, it’s guy after guy after guy. Like I said, if one of us eats, we all eat, so it’s best man up.”
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