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Buffs need big year from these four

Posted July 29, 2008

Each fall at least one college football team seems to come out of nowhere to surprise the nation. Those teams were Kansas and Hawaii in 2007 and Boise State a year earlier.

The Colorado Buffaloes are expected to finish somewhere in the middle of the pack in the Big 12 Conference this season with a young roster loaded with potential and inexperience. With a little luck and improvement in a few key areas such as turnovers and third downs, the Buffs could be back in the spotlight sooner than expected.

Another factor that could help propel the Buffs return to the national rankings and conference championship picture is veteran players who exceed expectations or dramatically improve on past performance. Here is a look at four candidates who need to have big seasons for the team to follow.

Gardner McKayThe senior cornerback has an opportunity to claim one of two starting jobs in his senior season. He has learned in the shadow of Terrence Wheatley and Lorenzo Sims and can now prove himself.

McKay has played sparingly on defense over his first three years in the program. He has recorded just 25 tackles and no interceptions in 27 games. He began to emerge on special teams and in spot duty on defense late last season.

McKay was a highly regarded prospect from the Los Angeles area in 2004 and Superprep Magazine once referred to him as a “shutdown specialist.” Reaching that level of play on the college level would be a boon to the CU defense.

Patrick WilliamsThe senior wide receiver has routinely been cited as a player with enormous potential throughout his career, but he hasn’t reached the next level where he consistently makes big plays.

The first game of the past two seasons has been his best or close to it for that year. He has struggled with dropped balls, but showed signs of improvement this spring. Maybe this will be the year all his hard work pays off in converting from an option quarterback in high school in the Dallas area to a standout college receiver.

Maurice LucasAnother player who has logged plenty of playing time in three years but hasn’t been able to consistently perform at the level of play at which coaches believe he is capable.

Lucas has registered only 64 tackles and three sacks in 30 games. The Buffs badly need to improve the pass rush this year with a group of young defensive backs who are bound to make mistakes in coverage.

This is the moment (or season) for which Lucas has been waiting.

Nate SolderThis converted tight end definitely falls into the “must exceed expectations” category. While coaches believe he has the potential to become an All-Big 12 caliber player because of his freak blend of size (6-foot-8, 298 pounds) and athleticism, they don’t necessarily expect it all to come together this season. He’s supposed to be a work in progress. If he surprises, the CU offense will be much more dangerous.