Colorado’s defense is about to get its first real exam, and Chris Marve doesn’t want the Buffaloes judged by scheme or buzzwords. He wants them known for how hard they fly to the ball.
That idea has already caught Deion Sanders’ attention. Asked what he most wanted to see against Georgia Tech, Sanders went straight to the defense’s effort and pursuit.
“I want to see how they get to the ball defensively because Marve has them flying,” Sanders said. “They’re flying to the ball. When you fly to the ball like that, you should see turnovers consequently.”
For Marve, that kind of response is the whole point. Since being elevated to defensive coordinator in February after Robert Livingston left for the Denver Broncos, he has spent the spring and preseason building something he believes goes beyond a call sheet.
“We fundamentally believe it’s not the play call, it’s the play style,” Marve said. “Football is about matchups, so you have to be smart in terms of what position you’re putting certain players in and what you’re asking them to do. But at the end of the day, defensive football in particular is about play style.”
Marve already feels like Colorado has moved in that direction.
“Identity fortification certainly has occurred,” Marve said. “That was one of our primary objectives for fall camp.”
The Buffaloes’ next challenge is turning that identity into a clean, fast defense on game night. Marve has stressed communication, recognition and trust, all of it designed to help players sort out formations, motion and personnel before the snap and react without delay.
“The volume of reps that we’ve had between the first day and now certainly has engendered a sense of comprehension, a sense of connection amongst the group,” Marve said.
That connection is tied to another of his favorite lines.
“We need the best 11, not the 11 best,” Marve said. “If we all know what we’re doing and we’re on the same page, we’ve got a better opportunity to do the right thing.”
Marve will handle the defense from the sideline, where he can stay in direct contact with his linebackers. He said he’s spent 80 to 85 percent of his career on the field and joked that time in the booth meant spilling coffee and annoying everybody around him. But the bigger reason is simple.
“I have to look those guys in the eyes,” Marve said. “I have to see what they see. I have to be able to talk to them in a way that I understand what they’re feeling because they drive the defense.”
Now comes the hard part: Georgia Tech, a team that already showed exactly where Colorado’s weaknesses were a year ago. The Yellow Jackets rushed for 327 yards in a 27-20 win over the Buffaloes last season, with Haynes King piling up 156 yards and three touchdowns while Colorado struggled to contain him.
King is gone, but Georgia Tech still brings a physical run game, now with former Alabama and Michigan running back Justice Haynes added to the mix.
“He’s dynamic,” Sanders said. “He can score from anywhere on the field.
He’s tough. He’s physical.
He’s been there, done that. This kid can flat-out play.”
Marve called Georgia Tech physical, well-coached and hungry. He also brushed off any idea that old film offers Colorado some kind of shortcut.
“What happened in the past is the past,” Marve said. “Football is what happens right now, what’s in front of you.”
And what’s in front of Colorado is a straight test of everything Marve has been drilling since the spring. The Buffaloes have preseason recognition on the roster, but Marve said that means nothing once the ball is snapped.
“Watch lists are cool recognition, but you’ve got to give them something to watch,” Marve said. “We can talk about all the preseason recognition, but it’s about when they put the ball down. That’s what football is about.”
Thursday night will show whether Colorado’s defense is more than a work in progress. For Marve, it comes back to the same standard.
“Our play style,” Marve said. “That’s what I want to see.”
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