Colorado’s Boo Carter is already drawing plenty of work from opposing quarterbacks, and that says something about how teams are viewing the Buffaloes’ new outside corner.
Through two games, Carter has been targeted more than any other Colorado defender, according to DNVR Buffs reporter Scott Procter on Sunday. Quarterbacks have gone after him 13 times in coverage, completing six passes for 53 yards. That leaves opponents at 46 percent when they challenge him, with those throws averaging a little more than four yards per attempt.
That kind of volume matters for a player making the jump from nickel and safety to outside corner. Carter isn’t just flashing in limited looks; offenses are testing him repeatedly, and the early returns have been manageable.
Colorado defensive pass game coordinator and nickels coach Kevin Mathis said in the spring that the issue with Carter was never ability. The question was whether that ability would show up play after play.
“There’s no doubt about the talent being there,” Mathis said before adding that Colorado needed Carter “to be consistent on every play.”
Carter’s first game in a Colorado uniform gave everyone the loudest snapshot of what he can do. He blocked a field goal with three seconds left to preserve a 14-13 win at Georgia Tech, a play that earned him Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week. Since then, the attention has shifted to the quieter part of his value: how he holds up on the edge in coverage.
That move outside comes with more one-on-one stress, and opponents have been willing to see how Carter handles it. So far, he has answered without giving up much.
Deion Sanders spent the preseason talking about all the different ways Colorado could use him - on offense, in the return game, and in several defensive spots - but he made it clear there was one priority first.
“He has to focus on dominating the defensive game, and then we’ll see about that,” Sanders said in August.
Sanders also laid out the NFL angle at Colorado’s fall media day, saying Carter could work himself into first-round territory if the production matches the talent.
“This year, I feel like he would be a first-rounder when he puts it all on tape and does what he’s capable of doing,” Sanders said.
Two games obviously don’t settle the bigger question about Carter’s future at outside corner. But they do show that opponents are already treating him like someone worth targeting - and that he’s giving them less than they probably expected back.
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