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Grimes will choose guards Saturday night

Posted August 26, 2008

Four Colorado offensive lineman will continue their training camp battle for starting roles at guard right up to the night before the game, offensive line coach Jeff Grimes said.

Junior Devin Head and redshirt freshman Shawn Daniels are competing at right guard while true freshman Max Tuioti-Mariner and redshirt freshman Blake Behrens mix it up at left guard.

Regardless of who starts against the Colorado State Rams in the season opener in Denver, all four are likely to see playing time. Grimes appeared nowhere near a decision after Tuesday's practice and said he will name starters Saturday night.

"Quite honestly, I don't know how it's all going to go down right now," Grimes said. "It's not like I'm just holding it for the last minute. For the most part, it's still open.

Grimes said while it is probably new territory for players, it's nothing new for him to enter game week at the outset of a season with positions still undecided. He said he went through an entire season at Arizona State rotating three guards.

"We'll have a certain way that we'll start off this game, and it could be these two guys are starting and they will play unless they get hurt. Or it might be this guys is rolling in with this guy every third series. It might be everybody is rotating in, but the next week, it might be a different set of circumstance based on how they did the first week and how they prepare the second week."

You often hear talk about the importance of continuity, familiarity and cohesion within the offensive line. Grimes isn't worried about how rotating guys might affect the way the unit plays. In fact, he doesn't believe it's an issue at all.

"I don't think there is any real truth to that in the offensive because how many times do you go through a whole year playing those five guys and those five guys only?" he said. "So at some point, one of those guys is going to get hurt, and you would hope that the cohesiveness of the group as a whole would be strong enough that that sixth guy could step in even if its the 10th game and that group camaraderie and that group unity just be able to carry right along."

Behrens said Grimes hasn't let the linemen know where they stand for about a week, and he believes it's because the coach wants to see who will remain committed and working hard longest. Behrens is also practicing some at center.

Behrens, who came to CU from the Phoenix area before last season, says he is excited to be on the cusp of achieving a childhood dream of playing major college football. He redshirted last season.

"It's an amazing feeling to actually look back and remember when you used to desire to play at this level," he said. "Hopefully, now I get the chance to do that. It's one of the most amazing feelings one could feel I think."

When it comes to his competition, Behrens has been impressed with the true freshman.

"Max is an amazing athlete," he said. "You're either born with that or you're not."

...I asked coach Hawkins after Tuesday's practice whether he likes playing the game at Invesco Field at Mile High. Here is what he said.

"I'm good either way, and I'm mot just trying to sit on the fence. I see the positives of being down there. I think going to Denver is a good thing for Denver and a good thing for the state. Having the kids play in Invesco, I think is a fun thing. Obviously for the crowd, if you get to that kind of crowd numbers it helps because of the size of the stadium and all that.

"I think there is positives to playing on campus and having your home-field advantage, and having that whole collegiate environment. I've said this before. I'd love to play every game on green grass at 1o'clock on Saturday afternoon, but you don't always get that. So you just got to adapt and roll."

...Hawkins said four or five walk-ons will be added to the roster after the CSU game. One of those players will Evan Eastburn, the former Fairview High School standout, who transferred from Maryland.