Statistically, there were some good numbers by Colorado linebackers Martavius French and Reginald Hughes last week.
During a 27-20 loss to Georgia Tech in last Friday’s opener, Hughes led the team with 11 tackles in his CU debut. French recovered two fumbles and posted six tackles and one-and-a-half tackles for loss in his first game as a Buff.
That duo, and the linebacker room as a whole, however, knows it has to improve going forward, beginning with a home date with Delaware on Saturday (1:30 p.m., Fox).
“We’ve got to do better,” CU head coach Deion Sanders said of the linebackers. “That was not acceptable.”
Aside from the personal numbers, the linebackers – and defensive line – struggled in allowing Georgia Tech to rack up 320 rushing yards throughout the night.
“You’ve got to know your keys and you got to be physical,” Sanders said. “Play with a certain type of controlled violence that football would allow. We just got to do better overall. They have the ability to do better.”
French and Hughes are both sixth-year seniors, but first-year Buffs, and there’s been an adjustment period for both.
“My main takeaways from the first game is probably adjusting to the play calling with the crowd, sold out stadium, playing in front of a sold out stadium, all the noise and the crowd cheering us on,” said Hughes, who starred at Jacksonville State last year.
Hughes and French – a transfer from UTSA – have been in Boulder since January and have worked on the practice field together quite a bit, but French said it was a different feeling during the game. With the noise and the pace of the game, French said he had to make calls several times just to be heard.
“It’ll get better as the season goes because it’s my first time, also, playing in Folsom,” French said.
CU lost both of its starting linebackers from a year ago, with LaVonta Bentley graduating and Nikhai Hill-Green transferring to Alabama. There are six inside linebackers on scholarship this year, and all six played for six different teams a year ago.
The rebuilt room includes not only French and Hughes, but Shaun Myers (North Alabama), Kylan Salter (TCU), Jeremiah Brown (CU) and true freshman Mantrez Walker, who was in high school last year.
Over time, Hughes said, that has bonded the group as they go through the same adjustment.
“Us going through that together kind of brings us closer,” he said.
It has, however, led to a bit of a bumpy start, with communication being a glaring issue against Georgia Tech.
“(Communication) could definitely be better,” linebackers coach Andre Hart said.
Newer technology allows coaches to talk to a specific player with a helmet headset (last week, it was Hughes), but Hart said players rely on that and need to still look to the sideline for signals.
“It’s really training the guys to make sure, even though we’re getting somebody with a communicator, that we still look to the sideline and we get the signals right,” he said. “Just don’t rely on one person. … We’ll be better this week with that.”
The Buffs have no choice, and the coaching staff won’t have much patience. French and Hughes had some good moments and played the majority of the snaps, but Myers, Brown and others are eager to get a shot, too.
“We have, I think, probably five to six guys in a room that can really contribute right now and get some value out of, but they just got to play better,” Sanders said. “You should see much more of a rotation this week.”
As a group, they’ve been challenged by Sanders and the staff. French and Hughes said they are aiming to respond and be leaders.
“Every day is really a challenge to come out here, because they challenge us every day to be better and better and push our team,” French said. “When I’m playing in a room with so many good people, I ain’t got no choice but to try to have my best ability.”
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