Aug. 25, 2008

Steve Fairchild: We finished off our two-a-day practices last Saturday, with a controlled kinda game situation-type practice. Today, Monday is the first day of school and I gave the players the day off. I realize we'll gain that practice back because we play on Sunday. It's always a good day to give them the day off, the first day of school. I felt like we had a productive two-a-day camp. It answered a lot of questions. There's still some more questions out there that remain to be seen, but we're going in the right direction. I feel good about where we're headed. Like everybody, I wish we had more time, more practice opportunities, but that's not the case. We did have an injury Saturday. Jason Smith who was going to be both our kicker and our punter broke his arm. It's not a career or season-ending injury, but he will be out for an undetermined length of time. I'm fairly certain he will be back this year, which will be good for him, he's a senior. In the meantime, Ben DeLine, who we recruited to come in and be a kicker, will be our kicker, and Anthony Hartz will be the punter right now. Having said all that, we're anxious to get started. I have a lot of respect for Dan Hawkins and the CU program, but I know our kids are very excited, as am I and our coaching staff to play this game next Sunday.

Media: Going back to this whole Jason Smith thing.

SF (chucking) : I thought I'd slip that one by ya!

M: How did he break his arm in non-contact?

SF: Well, our non-contact has a little contact. We thudded a little too hard. We were trying to stay off the ground, and it was an errant snap, and probably something that could be avoided, but those things happen. It was a little bit of a, to me not a fluke deal, but when it happened I was standing right there and I watched it, and that's why I didn't mention it on Saturday. I just thought he bruised his arm. He walked off, and I didn't think it was anything serious at the time. But, unfortunately for him and us, it is. But everybody's got injuries, and people have to step up, and that's the nature of this game. And I'm quite confident, like I said, that Jason will get back, hopefully for conference to play.

M: He can't kick with a broken arm? I understand that he couldn't punt.

SF: Well, here's the deal with that. Rather than give a time frame to say what he can do and when he can do it, that's going to be determined in the next few days. And rather than say something that's incorrect, I'd rather let Jason and the doctors, and Terry and everybody collaborate a little bit. And, he's a senior. My heart goes out to him, because he's worked very hard, as has our whole football team. So, you want to give that kid some hope. You want to say, 'This is our plan, and here's when you're coming back.' But, I don't think we're able to do that accurately at this stage.

M: Do you feel that a kicker from Steamboat Springs, not to put any more pressure on him, but going from Steamboat Springs to college football...

SF: Yeah, I guess. Last fall up at high school, he came down the mountains and will now kick for us. But if he's half as tough, and half as good as his dad, he'll be a great kicker for us. But, you know, he's young, and obviously, you know, if this was ideal, Jason Smith would be on the field next Sunday night. But, it's an injury that occurred, and we'll have to deal with it.

M: What about kickoffs?

SF: Yeah, he'll (DeLine) do it, he'll kick off for us.

M: Is there any possibility that someone can decide this week that you can protect Jason's arm so that he can kick field goals? SF: No, no.

M: That's for further down the road then?

SF: Yeah, he's definitely out for Sunday night.

M: Left arm? Right arm?

SF: Right arm, I believe.

M: Upper? Lower? Wrist?

SF: Upper. Upper right arm.

M: Who's the backup kicker?

SF: We'll have some people do it. There are some possibilities there. But, I don't want to say at this point. We might have Billy Farris punting (chuckling). Maybe we just won't punt. How's that? (laughter). Just go for it on fourth down.

M: You talked a little during camp that in the years to come, you'll be more comfortable with throwing a quarterback out for his first start because you will have worked with him. What are some of the things that you are unsure of with him (Farris)?

SF: Well, you're never sure. I think I have a pretty good feel for Billy. I just, like I said, when we were here in the past, you had a guy, like we'll have had Alex Kelly now by the time he plays. It's just a better situation for everybody. But, we're able to surround Billy with some pretty good players, not only that, but pretty experienced players. But he needs, it's the old cliché: manage the game, don't go out and try to do something that's not there, and make a play when it presents itself. But, you know, when the lights come on, if you're inexperienced, and we're going to find out Sunday night. You know, we're not experienced at corner, we're not experienced at quarterback. So, we're going to find out what we have. We think we know, but you never know until you kick one off and play it.

M: How are your wide receivers coming along?

SF: They're coming along. I think we're going to be OK there. I've said all along, you know, that was an area of concern coming out of spring. I think by the end of the year, I'll be standing here in November telling you that it's one of the better areas on our football team. And I think when we're into next season those four or five, top five maybe even six, are going to be back. But right now, you know, it's still fairly inexperienced. And one retards the other. And we saw that in spring ball. When you're new at quarterback and new at receiver, it just takes some time. If you had one of them who was a little more experienced, it would bring the other along a little faster. But, we're going to be a very talented group at wide-out at some point this season. And I think as Billy plays throughout the season, he'll certainly have some growing pains, but he'll improve along the way.

M: Do you feel like there is an advantage, because CU hasn't seen your offense, because I talked to their defensive coordinator this morning...

SF: What did he say (chuckling)?

M: Because he was able to see stuff you've done with the Bills, some CSU stuff, the past couple of years...

SF: They could have a brand new defense and a brand new offense, too. There's always uncertainty with any opening game. You need to have a bunch of "what-ifs" ready to go.

M: Do you think it will make a difference that, in the past, CU has gone through a bunch of coaches and CSU remained the same, but now it is the reverse?

SF: Yeah yeah. You know, I guess it's how you look at it. But, we've got to be prepared for a number of different scenarios on both sides of the ball. You know, what if they come out and do this, what if they come out and do that? And, we certainly try to cover every base with our staff and kids in that regard.

M: How much of a factor is the fact that in this series, some players have had some great games?

SF: Yeah. You can go all the way back to Kevin McDougal and Cecil Sapp. It's a rivalry game. I still say this: It's a fantastic setting. It oughta be there for the rest of all time. We gotta be down there playing that game. The kids look forward to it and I think everybody in the state looks forward to it. You get those memorable-type things, and those type of games. And it's cool when it adds to the tradition of the game. So I look back, and I can still picture Kevin McDougal busting that 70-some-odd-yard run back in '99. I can remember it like it was yesterday.

M: Do you resent that you didn't get the chance to play Colorado as a player?

SF: That's a good question. It's so long ago, I don't know if I can remember. They didn't play it back then, and it's a shame. And we're smart enough to play it right now, and I hope we're smart enough not to ruin it.

M: After all your years as an assistant coach, are you looking forward to making the calls from a coaching standpoint?

SF: Well I've made the calls before, but I've never been the head coach. But, yeah, I'm looking forward to it. It's a wonderful opportunity for me, you know, I've never hidden that fact. I mean, I'm lucky. I'm one of the few guys on the whole planet who has the job they want in the whole world. So, I'm certainly blessed.

M: So what's your mood like as your debut approaches?

SF: I don't anticipate being very nervous. For some reason I can see that clearly. I was nervous last January, I was nervous for spring ball, I was nervous when we started in August. And I told the football team that. The outcome's decided then. When we roll down there Sunday, all that hard work and all their hard work, we'll find out where we stand as programs at that point. But most of what's going to happen has to do with how we trained this offseason.

M: So have you visualized this moment, since you've always wanted to be a head coach?

SF: Yeah. It's easy for me, at least. I don't know how it is for everybody else, but it's easy to visualize something. This isn't like getting on a plane and going to Australia for me. I mean, I've been in that stadium, I've coached that game, against that opponent, so it's pretty easy for me to visualize it.

M: Still, do you think it will be a little strange to run out of that tunnel when you're actually running out for the first time as the head coach?

SF: Yeah. Maybe, we'll see. But being in a locker room prior to a Division I football game, it gets a little hectic. We'll see. I mean, there's a lot going on. I'm not sure I'm going to have the time to reflect, kinda like what we're talking about.

M: Is Klay (Kubiak) still solid at the No. 2?

SF: Yeah, he'll be our No. 2 quarterback. If something were to happen, he'd go in the game next.

M: Have you had the chance to watch last year's tape? Cody Hawkins had his first-ever start. He launched a pretty good season off of that game. What are your impressions of him?

SF: Well, hopefully we get a little pressure on him when he's throwing. And, hopefully we can stop the run, and get them in some situations where we know what they're doing. Well, I've met Dan (Hawkins) a few times. I've known Dan for a while, and Dan's certainly a class individual. And I'm not just saying that, I really mean it. And, obviously, like any parent, he's very proud of his son, as he should be. I did realize that at some point, Cody had won every game he'd ever played in for a long, long time, so he's probably a very special kid in that regard. The thing that gives them probably a little bit of an advantage is now they've got a guy that's played, let alone the coach's son. But a guy that's played and experienced and been down the road before, and we're kinda coming out new a little bit. But he's a tremendous player, and we'll, like any quarterback, have to get a little pressure on him, and that will help.

M: I'm sure you watched more of CU than just your game. Did you see a progression in Cody?

SF: Oh, yeah. There is no question.

M: How much better do you expect him to be?

SF: As any quarterback will tell you, it's a huge step from season to season. It just is. You get the chance to finish up a season, kinda clear your head, go back and watch cut-ups, reinstall it in the spring, and reinstall your offense in August. I mean, that's where you take giant steps. And I remember thinking as a player, and I've heard even guys like Kurt Warner say this, that you can play 10-12 years, five years for me in college, and if I had a sixth year, I'd have been a lot better. That's just the way that position is.

M: Last year, CU used a lot of running backs. Are you going to prepare to play everybody, or are there certain guys to stop?

SF: Well, they're going to play more than one running back. We all know that. As will we. There's a drastic difference in what the style or what they do when somebody's in the game. Then you'll alter what you do. Other than that, you just play it the same. We have a defensive plan in place, and hopefully we'll execute it well.

M: What stands out as you evaluate the CU roster?

SF: You know, they have something very interesting. They have a defensive tackle that, in today's world of college football you don't see it very often, but a defensive tackle that can rush the passer. A guy that's strong enough and stout enough to play inside and not only hold his own from a strength and size standpoint, but has the quickness where if you leave him alone, he can go by you. I believe, Hypolite, I hope I'm pronouncing that right. But he's a very talented young man, very quick for his size, and he's impressed me. Defensively, they have a hybrid, kinda outside 'backer/defensive end guy, No. 40, Jones I believe is his name. Certainly, he has the chance to turn the corner and pass rush you regardless if you treat him like an end or blocking him with a back or a tight end as if he's a linebacker. Those two guys are very talented guys, and they play hard. So any time you play a team like, I always said this with Air Force, it's a pleasure to watch them on tape, and you have respect for their coaches when they play with the effort that they play with. So they're good. They're a little inexperienced at corner like we are, but they look like a good, solid group defensively. Offensively, they got the quarterback back, and they have some skill, and they're big up front, so we're going to have to play on defense.

M: How did you know Dan Hawkins previously?

SF: Just through common friends, and then we finally had a chance to meet a couple times and visit, and he's very upbeat and, like I said, a very class guy. He's obviously a proud father, a good parent, so that's stuff, whether we want to admit it or not, it's more important than a win-loss record.

M: Is Kyle Bell going to get more than 40 carries, like he had in last year's game?

SF: I'll tell you what, if he keeps ripping off 6-7-yard runs, he'll get 40, 50 carries if he's hot. Ever since we did it, and I wasn't the coordinator, but I saw it first-hand when we had Marshall Faulk at San Diego State. He was so talented, it was hard to take him out of the game. I remember one year, we opened up and played SC and he ran for 100 or 200 yards, and all together had three or four of those games, and you're thinking, 'Now he can't keep carrying 28-32 times a game for the whole season,' and he always ended up getting nicked. I don't think that was his durability, I think that was how we used him. So, you just can't wear a guy out. It's a physical position that's getting more physical every year in football. I mean, the safeties are getting bigger, the corners are getting bigger, the running backs are bigger, so we just got to be smart on how we use Kyle and Gartrell, and we're lucky we have depth even behind those two that we feel pretty good about.

M: You were talking over the last couple of weeks that it was the time in camp to find out about who you are and what you could do. What'd you find out?

SF: Like I said when I described our offense, we're an experienced line with a premier tight end and two good backs. We're a team that ought to be able to run the football. We're a team that's talented and young at wide receiver. We're going to grow there along with our quarterback. We're a team that's got experienced safeties, but we're inexperienced at corner. We're going to need to play smart and keep the ball in front of us. We've got a little more depth, maybe, in the defensive line then I anticipated. I know Larry's pleased with going down to almost five linebackers, maybe a sixth, who knows. We've started to get a feel for who our top players are at every position. I think I know very well now what Kory Sperry does well in both the run and the pass game, what Gartrell does well, those type of things. You know, it takes time, and do I completely know? No. I just think I've got a much, much better feel, so that allows us to game plan with a little more certainty of what we're trying to get done.

M: Do you script plays?

SF: Script definitely situations. We were doing that yesterday and today. We kind of know what we're going to do on third down, we know what we're going to do when we get into the red zone, those type of things. We'll have the what-if list, things on a game plan that everybody talks about in calling a game; you don't call a game Sunday night. You do the bulk of that right now. And then refer to it and make some decisions, but that 40 seconds goes fast now. So you had better have thought out, well thought out, all the potential things that could happen.

M: Are you giving Billy the chance to have checks and audibles?

SF: Yeah. He's got the chance to get us in and out of plays. And he'll have that all year.

M: Is Nick Oppenneer going to be ready?

SF: Yes, I believe so.

M: Was it fun for you to put together a game plan these past couple of days? Especially as far as a game that you're very familiar with.

SF: It's always fun coming out of two-a-days when you finally quit competing against your own defense and start to polish up the nuances for an opponent. I don't think any coach, myself included, on our staff wanted two-a-days to be over with. We had 15 practices in spring ball, I wish we had 115. There's 29 here, and I wish we had another 29. But we don't, so now having said that, it's kind of fun to start in to a game week and see where we're at.

M: Looking back on camp, who stepped up and surprised you the most?

SF: I'll tell you who surprised me the most. Dion Morton and Rashaun Greer. You know, I don't ever want to be critical of a kid, but I tried to get the message that we were not playing the way I thought we could play at receiver this spring. You know, I think I learned in coaching, and I tried to convey this to our staff, that you see what you see. Don't come in here and have somebody tell you Kory Sperry is an All-American and have him go out there and not practice. You know, we see what we see. And I just didn't see enough from the receivers. I didn't think it was even close. So, I was a little critical, and I was certainly hard on those guys in meetings. But I'll tell you what, they certainly have been very impressive so far. The other things that jump out at me are just any time new guys, Gerard Thomas playing with the ones a little bit when Nick (Oppenneer) was hurt at corner. That's a position that you better have a little bit of swagger to you just to line up, but he did a nice job. Marquise Law played as a true freshman. Those type of things impress you. I like our mentality in the way we play up front on offense. I don't know if that was a surprise. And then, you know, the big surprise is Jason Smith getting hurt.

M: Back to that a little. These games have been pretty close. Do you worry about the mental picture of sending a true freshman out there?

SF: Got to kick it through the uprights. Kick that ball through the uprights.

M: When did you find out about Jason?

SF: We found out yesterday and I went and saw him as soon as I found out and that was a new "what-if." But it was easily solved. We know what we're doing. I keep referring back to Utah. Didn't they have a ton of injuries last year and they ended up 9-4? They lose their quarterback and their best back. We can all sit here and pout, but guys are going to get hurt. We know that. We fully expect now and certainly in the future to have a program where maybe the guy coming in is just as good, if not better.

M: So are Law, Thomas, and DeLine the only true freshmen that are going be playing for you? Or are there others?

SF: I'd say off hand, yeah, those three. (Byron) Steele could. That's something that we were talking about earlier. He certainly is capable of playing. But with the new influx of guys, I'm not sure that's in his or our best interests. We'll think through that a little bit.

M: Talking to the players Saturday after you were done, they said it was the hardest camp they've ever been through. They came through it with a sense of pride. What does that tell you about this team that you inherited and do you have the same kind of grasp?

SF: I said it all along, and I knew I was getting into this, because I know Coach Lubick, but it is a very good group of kids from a character standpoint, and certainly from a work-ethic standpoint. And it was not easy. I promise you that. It was not easy from the first time I spoke with them in January. I mean, I don't know from a relative basis, but I know what we did, and I know we worked hard, and conditioned hard. And the thing that I pride myself and my staff in is, it's also hard because we're not relaxing. There's no practice where we take a period off and look the other way. I mean, we're going to grind you to do it right every single time you step on the field. We did work hard. I told them I'm very proud of them, I am very proud of them. It's certainly been my pleasure to be their coach. I honestly say that because it's been really fun to come to work every day.

M: There's been a whole lot of different functions and stuff going on this week, we've had luncheons...

SF: I got way, way too much!

M: How do you balance all that with trying to get ready for the season?

SF: Well we had all summer and all two-a-days. But I'm going to have to nix some of this next year.

M: So is this almost a perfect game to open up with?

SF: I think it's a perfect game to play! You know, you can see it two ways as far as an opener. You can get one that is a little easier than going out against a BCS school, but this is a perfect game to play. I'll say it one more time, it's as good a setting as there is in college football, and it'd be a shame if we ruined it.