Tucker encouraging his young defense to be physical
BOULDER» In the old days, whenever Mustafa Johnson knocked the living snot out of somebody in practice, the CU Buffs defensive lineman knew full well there’d be holy heck to pay during the coaches meeting that followed. A butt-chewing of epic proportions.
Saturday’s practice? Another Mustafa Mash.
Saturday’s coaches’ meeting? Different tune.
“Mustafa,” first-year coach Mel Tucker said, calling out his most veteran interior plugger, who braced for the worst. “You’re doing a good job. But please don’t do it the next time.”
“That’s pretty much all it was,” Johnson recalled with a smile at the Dal Ward Athletic Center during CU football Media Day an hour so after the fact. “So I definitely like that experience.”
If there’s a recurring theme for Tucker’s initial preseason Buffs camp, now a few days old, it’s this: The training wheels are off. Everywhere. We’re three weeks
“It’s a little different than the previous staff, where if I were to make too aggressive a play, they would be upset, like, ‘Don’t do that.’” said Johnson, the 6-foot-2, 290-pound anchor of the greenest unit on the CU defense. “While Coach Tuck is like, ‘Be careful, that’s still your teammate.’ But I love it.”
He’s loving the whole veteran-leadership thing, too, even if it landed in his lap largely by default after the Buffs’ coaching regime change.
When Johnson transferred in from Modesto (Calif.) Junior College more than a year ago, he was the new guy. Now he’s the only projected returning starter from a defensive line unit that lost a total of 82 tackles and 4.5 stops for losses, combined, from the departed Javier Edwards, Israel Antwine, Jase Franke, and Chris Mulumba.
“It’s kind of — I wouldn’t say stressful, but it’s definitely weird being the only one with experience,” noted the Aurora native, who led CU in sacks (8.5) and tackles for losses (18) last fall. “So I definitely have taken on a role of coaching them up to be at a high level.”
Johnson’s new linemates are long on reach — projected starting nose tackle Jalen Sami, a redshirt freshman, checks in at 6-foot-6, while the current No. 1 end, sophomore Terrance Lang, is 6-7 — but short on mileage. And the trials by fire ought to start heating up soon.
CU’S first foe, the Colorado State Rams, struggled to run the ball throughout 2018 and may continue to do so at times this upcoming fall. But Nebraska’s zone-read scheme under Scott Frost and Air Force’s option attack in Weeks 2 and 3 portend a serious — and quick — step up for the new kids in the trenches.
“I trust my coach; (defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh),” Johnson vowed. “He’s got a lot of experience and I’ve seen what he’s been telling the new guys, and even with me, because I’m not perfect. So I definitely have faith.” Faith and company. “There’s going to be a lot more rotating,” Johnson said of CU’S 3-4 front. “Last year, we didn’t have depth, any depth at all. So I would rotate from end to tackle to nose to wherever (I) needed to be played. I definitely think there’s going to be more rotations.”
More rotations. And fewer butt-chewings.
“I love the aggressive, physical mindset, when you’re going out there in practice and having fun,” Johnson said, smiling again. “Sometimes when we do stuff that’s a little too hard, (Tucker) lets us know, but he’s not mad at us. He’s like, ‘I’d rather you guys be too physical than not physical enough.’ I’ve definitely been having fun with that.”