And the Reviews are Flowing

Well after a lull of information coming out of camp the past couple of days (other than injury news), the conclusion of the second scrimmage has us feeling like  Christmas is here with great write-ups coming from all the major news sources. Some shocking... some not so shocking... but all good stuff.

In the first big declaration of camp, Darian Hagan has named Demetrius Sumler the starting running back for the 2008 Colorado Buffaloes. Not all that surprising seeing how the Buffs coaches probably want to ease Scott into his college career and not make the same mistake as one Gary Barnett did with Marcus Houston. What is surprising is that we are starting to read a few quotes about Scott that we weren't hearing previously that cause us to worry a little bit. All of a sudden this groin injury is becoming a lingering problem and frankly too convenient of an excuse. Now Hagan is quoted as saying that Scott isn't running like he wants him to and that Rodney Stewart is now ahead of Scott. Hopefully Scott won't just be a short yardage back this year as Sumler seems to be more fit for that as well.

Interesting news out of Boulder to say the least. Like I said, the Sumler starting news isn't shocking but the other items go completely against what I have heard and seen thus far in practice. It could also be a pressure reliever for the freshman. Let Sumler take the load the first couple of games and then spring Scott on after the train gets rolling. I see Eastern Washington being the game the transition begins and West Virginia getting the best of what Scott has to offer.

Tons of good info in this article by the Longmont Times. I am in agreement with Cody Hawkins on the guard situation. I think that they have six capable guys who will be good fits. My guess would be Devin Head and Max Tuioti-Mariner get the nod. I think Tuioti-Mariner is a special talent and will probably emerge as the Buffs most consistent freshman this year. Also, it sounds like the special teams performance was electric yesterday.

Another good write up, this time by the Daily Camera. It has about a paragraph or two from each coach talking about the current status of their positions and what they still need to accomplish after yesterday's scrimmage. The two biggest ongoing position battles in my eyes are for the one remaining defensive end spot and the emergence of anyone to play corner. Jalil Brown's two picks and a big tackle on a swing pass to negate a first down have him in the running. With Jimmy Smith having back spasms and missing a lot of time, look for Anthony Wright to emerge as he has been getting a lot of pub lately.

Here are the summary of stats out of yesterdays scrimmage from the Longmont Times:

Passing:

Cody Hawkins: 17-27, 1 Int., 2 Tds, 225 yards, Tyler Hansen: 3-4, 2 Tds, 54 yards, Matt Ballenger: 12-22, 1 int. 142 yards

Receiving:

Scotty McKnight 5-73, 1 TD; Ryan Deehan 5-71; Cody Crawford 4-47; Kevin Celestine: 3-65, 2 TD; Patrick Williams 3-45; Riar Geer 3-18; Ryan Wallace 2-38, 1 TD; Rodney Stewart 2-9; Steve Melton 1-26; Josh Smith 1-22; Devin Shanahan 1-7; Patrick Devenny 1-1; Maurice Cantrell 1-(minus 1).

Rushing:

Tyler Hansen 6-72; Corey Nabors 4-53, Darrell Scott 6-36, 1 TD; Kevin Moyd 10-31, 1 TD; Demetrius Sumler 9-27; Matt Ballenger 5-26; Rodney Stewart 4-25, 1 TD; Arthur Jaffee 4-25; Cody Hawkins 5-18, 1 TD; Ray Polk 5-13; Josh Smith 1-(minus 6).

Defensive leaders: Shaun Mohler, Michael Sipili, Patrick Mahnke, Marcus Burton made 7 tackles each Jalil Brown made two intercpetions.

Looking at the stats, freshman Tyler Hansen put up some great numbers yesterday and there is our boy Shaun Mohler rocking the stats with seven tackles. And somewhat of a surprise is that Ryan Deehan had a great day out-stating Riar Geer. From the articles I have read to day, most say it is now going to be hard to keep Deehan off the field. A different tune to what I saw two weekends ago. Here is a good account from cubuffs.com about the second scrimmage and the overall improvement on both sides of the ball.

In other good news, WR Kendrick Celestine was ruled eligible for this year. With Simas becoming academically ineligible last month, it was important for the Buffs to have Celestine as the fourth option behind Josh Smith, Patrick Williams and Scotty McKnight.