SB Nation Denver - Colorado State Football 2012: Jim McElwain Ready To Change Culture, Mindset At CSU

Jim McElwain Brings Saban Influence to Colorado State

2012-08-26T14:13:53Z

New Colorado State head coach Jim McElwain has had a number of influences throughout his career: The longtime assistant coach has 25 years of experience with six different college programs and one NFL franchise. As Kelly Lyell of The (Ft. Collins) Coloradoan reports, a large chunk of that experience comes from McElwain's previous job as offensive coordinator at Alabama:

[I]t's no surprise that the new CSU coach is borrowing heavily from what he learned there while working for Nick Saban.

McElwain insists that his players keep their lockers neat and orderly, wear the same color socks and keep their jerseys tucked in during practices and look out for each other as if they were brothers, both on and off the field. He created a 16-class mental conditioning program with a Colorado State University doctoral candidate that is modeled after the ones IMG runs at Alabama and a handful of other powerhouse college football programs.

McElwain is also stocking practices with additional coaches and staff, closing practice to the press and public, and prohibiting players and assistant coaches from talking to the media -- all rules adopted from Saban.

The first-time head coach says the Colorado State offense will more closely resemble the pro-style system of his days with legendary Eastern Washington head coach Dick Zornes, but his defense will be pure Saban: a 3-4 formation and heavy on stunts and blitzes.

For their part, the players are buying in:

"Every time he speaks, you just feel it in your soul," Marquise Law said. "You just want to go to war for him. Every time I hear Coach Mac speak, it's like I'm hearing him for the first time."

...

"Alabama's a hell of a football team, but we're not them, and they're not us. I think he's really embraced us. He's our head guy, and all of us can't wait to follow him onto the field."

Colorado State opens its 2012 season next Saturday against Colorado in Denver.

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Colorado State Football 2012: Calvin Tonga Added To Roster

2012-08-22T14:58:48Z

The Colorado State Rams have shifted to a brand new 3-4 defense this season, owing to their plethora of solid linebackers and fairly small defensive line. Suddenly, though, the Rams will find themselves with the two biggest linemen in the Mountain West, as they picked up former Arizona Western Junior College man Calvin Tonga, who weighs 330 pounds.

"Calvin Tonga was here at practice," McElwain said. "He should be in pads tomorrow, just waiting on some paperwork to clear him on some things. He is in school, so everything is good there. He is part of the roster."

McElwain said he wasn't going to rush the 6-foot-3, 330-pound lineman onto the field but he is happy to have him.

Colorado State has one other lineman over 320 pounds, Shaq Walker. Tonga will add depth to the defensive line as they work in the new 3-4 style in 2012.

The other big news out of the camp day on Tuesday was running back Chris Nwoke practicing at full speed.

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Colorado State Football 2012: Defensive Line Adjusting To 3-4 Scheme

2012-08-21T12:15:03Z

One of the first moves that was made with the Colorado State football team when Jim McElwain joined the Rams was to move the defense to a 3-4 system, rare for college teams but perfect for the players that were available to CSU going into 2012. With tons of solid linebackers but small defensive lineman, it looks like it might be a good fit for a defense that was bordering on terrible in 2011.

There are several adjustments being made of course, with McElwain putting a lot of care into training up the defensive line, a line that was ineffective for most of last season at making their blocks and keeping running attacks from gutting them:

He also said the group will do things a lot differently than what he spied on film, and that will be a major adjustment for them.

"I think so. I guess more so they're not used to the discipline to detail and being responsible for gaps," McElwain said. "The thing I noted last year is they just ran up field. It was almost like they didn't care. That's not the role of a D-lineman."

We'll see when the NCAA season finally begins how well the 3-4 experiment works out for the Rams, seeking their first good season in quite a while.

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Davis Burl Out To Make Impact As LB In Colorado State 3-4 Defense

2012-08-20T15:30:16Z

Colorado State will be working out of a 3-4 defense, and they're hoping that senior linebacker Davis Burl can be a big name player in it. Burl has moved around a fair amount since he joined the Rams, putting together starts at just about every defensive position -- he has been solidified as a linebacker in his senior year.

His statistics last season as a defensive end were impressive enough, putting together 14 tackles and forcing two fumbles. Now that he's at linebacker, he'll get to use his speed as much more of an asset. His speed is one of the top things he has going for him, and it should help him make an impact on the defensive unit:

"I believe it definitely fits my personality and my physical abilities to run around," Burl said. "I don't really have to mess with too many linemen with my little size, so that's not too bad.

"I get to use my speed a lot more than at defensive end. I get to run around, get to cover one-on-one a little bit. I definitely get to open up my speed."

Playing in a 3-4, the Rams will need guys who can rush the passer efficiently at the OLB position -- in that regard, Burl may be one of the most important guys in the squad going into 2012, at least on the defensive side of the ball.

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Colorado State Football 2012: Back Up Running Backs Turn Heads

2012-08-20T15:08:00Z

With junior running back Chris Nwoke not participating in Colorado State's scrimmage, Rams head coach Jim McElwain was able to get plenty of looks at Colorado State's backup running backs.

McElwain came away pleased with what he saw, as freshmen Donnell Alexander and Tommy Morris, along with junior Joe Brown and walk-on senior Mark Woodbury all received carries carries at running back.

Brown ran for 54 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries and also caught three passes for 38 yards, according to statistics provided by the school's sports information office.

"He became the emergency tailback," McElwain said. "And you know what? I'm kind of excited to see the film, because it looked like he made some pretty good cuts, and he does know how to run behind his pads."

McElwain also came away impressed with the wide receivers, with freshman Joe Hansley grabbing nine catches for 69 yards standing out, while senior Lou Greenwood hauled in seven passes for 89 yards.

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Colorado State Football: Chris Nwoke Will See Limited Carries During Saturday Scrimmage

2012-08-17T20:50:05Z

When news that Chris Nwoke injured his ankle began to spread, everyone in Fort Collins probably panicked, but it looks like the running back isn't in too bad of shape. Nwoke has a sprained ankle and his foot is in a walking boot, but despite missing practice on Thursday and Friday, he should see some carries in Saturday's scrimmage.

"It's purely precautionary," head coach Jim McElwain said. "Obviously, we know what Chris is about and what he can do. Right now it's more of a precautionary thing with an ankle sprain. It isn't anything more or less than that."

The Rams are starting to run low on running backs after Dorian Brown left the team and Davon Riddick broke his wrist. What was once a position of depth doesn't look so good anymore. McElwain had just three running backs at his disposal for practice on Thursday so besides the fact that Nwoke is the Rams' best ball carrier, they need to get him back just for the numbers.

Nwoke finished third in the Mountain West with 94.2 rushing yards per game last year, totaling 1,130 yards on 5.7 yards per carry. The 6'0'', 230 lbs. junior is a preseason All-Mountain West selection.

Colorado State Football 2012: Dominique Vinson Out To Make Mark As WR

2012-08-16T14:39:11Z

After playing defensive back for most of his collegiate career, Dominique Vinson is hoping to use his speed to his and the Rams' advantage this season as he converts to wide receiver.

The 6-foot, 175-pound senior told The Coloradoan he will use his instincts as a defensive back to read defenses from the other side of the ball.

"I’ll look at the ‘D’ when I line up, and I can sort of tell what they’re in," Vinson said after a recent practice. "So, as I’m running down the field, I don’t have to keep looking at how they’re going to drop, because I know ahead of time. … It’s like I know where they’re going, so I know the route I’m running for sure."

Vinson's first attempt at converting to offense was during last year's fall camp, but then-coach Steve Fairchild moved him back to DB right before the season opener. New coach Jim McElwain is giving Vinson another shot at the skill position. McElwain's offensive knowledge helped Alabama to two national titles in three years, which certainly bodes well for Vinson's transition.

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Thomas Coffman Injury: Colorado State WR To Miss Season Opener Following Surgery

2012-08-16T13:42:49Z

Colorado State wide receiver Thomas Coffman will miss the team's season opener. Coffman had emergency abdominal surgery on Wednesday, and will be out of action for two to three weeks, according to the Coloradoan.

Coffman alerted trainers to severe abdominal pain on Tuesday. He was rushed to the hospital shortly thereafter. Specifics of the surgery were not revealed at this time.

The Rams open the season on Sep. 1 with a game against the University of Colorado in Denver.

The loss of Coffman is a temporary setback for the team. The sophomore was penciled in as a starter this season. Measuring 5'10, 180 pounds, Coffman played in all 12 games with the Rams last season, starting three of them. He was being counted on as the team's top kick returner as well.

Head coach Jim McElwain took the news in stride.

"You have to plan without him. I look it not as a deterrent, but actually it allows somebody to step up, grab the flag, take his reps on offense as well as in the return game, and it gives somebody an opportunity to step up and be a player."

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