A full transformation of Colorado’s kicking recreation is sort of full, as followers are mere weeks away from witnessing what CU’s teaching employees has cooked as much as handle the woes of years prior.
Over the past two seasons, saying the kicking recreation has left a lot to be desired can be an understatement. Touchbacks have been an excessive rarity for the Buffs. CU has given up a number of kickoff and punt return touchdowns and streaky discipline purpose kicking has are available waves.
Since he arrived in Boulder, Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders has been adamant that CU’s particular groups unit wants an improve.
“Generally, guys don’t take particular groups severe,” stated Sanders after Colorado’s recreation towards Baylor in 2024. “At halftime, I advised them, ‘Why do you suppose they name it particular groups? You’re purported to be particular whenever you run down there and do it.’ We’ve bought to get the ball in the long run zone kicking off. We bought to try this.”
This season, issues are shaping as much as be a bit completely different.
Alejandro Mata and his extraordinarily correct place-kicking leg are nonetheless round, robotically making practically something inside quick vary. Nonetheless, kickoffs and long-range discipline objectives have been a obvious weak point for the Buffs.
Enter Buck Buchanan, a senior switch from Louisiana Tech with a nuclear weapon for a proper leg. Saying Buchanan has a robust leg can be an understatement, because the kicker from Longview, Texas, wowed followers with a 60-yard discipline purpose in CU’s spring recreation.
Up to now, Sanders and assistant coach Michael Pollock have a plan on how they’ll absolutely make the most of each Mata and Buchanan: Mata will deal with the additional factors and shorter discipline objectives, whereas Buchanan would be the devoted kickoff man and fill in for longer discipline objectives that border on the sting of Mata’s vary. Pollock says that this newfound versitility shall be key to the Buffs’ success on particular groups in 2025.
“Anytime you’ve bought [a kicker] that’s actual constant from a sure vary, and also you’ve bought one which may give you a shot from manner again, that provides you loads of flexibility and that’s a very good feeling,” Pollock stated. “[Mata and Buchanan] each know their position. They know what they bring about to the desk and what we’re anticipating out of them, so that they’re actually specializing in what position we’re giving them to play.”
To Mata, having Buchanan on the town has lit a brand new hearth beneath him to extend his accuracy and most vary. After follow on Tuesday, Mata advised media members that he’s zeroed in on enhancing his leg energy this offseason and may now make discipline objectives from so far as 55 yards out.
“I’ve all the time [wanted to improve] my distance,” Mata stated. “I’ve all the time identified that I’ve NFL-type accuracy, and if I get a pair 50-yarders this season like I plan to, then hopefully my dream comes true of constructing the NFL.”
Mata credit his newfound energy to new energy coach Andreu Swasey, who got here to Boulder this offseason from the College of Miami. Mata says he’s been working exhausting with Swasey to get his physique prepared for his remaining push to the NFL.
“[My improved power and accuracy] has simply been as a consequence of Coach Swasey, to be sincere,” Mata stated. “He’s been operating us like a monitor crew. It’s simple to drop some weight that manner. I’ve simply been stretching on my own, getting extra versatile and extra explosive. That’s how I’ve been rising.”
With Mata’s improved energy, Pollock continues to be figuring out the precise parameters of the place Mata’s vary ends to place in Buchanan. Colorado’s employees has been paying extraordinarily shut consideration to Mata and Buchanan in follow, observing who performs finest from the place.
“What we’re doing proper now’s we’re charting each kick [Mata and Buchanan] make and miss, and now we have a chart from what distance,” Pollock stated.
Pollock and Colorado’s employees have round two weeks to iron out any kinks of their new recreation plan in relation to the kicking unit, as Georgia Tech involves Folsom Area on August 29 for every week one matchup with the Buffs. Till then, Colorado followers can relaxation simple understanding that the teaching employees is assured of their personnel this season.
