Contact CU Independent football beat writer Justin Guerriero at justin.guerriero@colorado.edu and follow him on Twitter @TheHungry_Hippo
The University of Colorado’s football team has certainly struggled in recent years. Losing season after losing season hasn’t given fans much to be excited about. But perhaps knowing that they have been watching one of the best wide receivers in school history will provide some solace.
Fifth-year senior wide receiver Nelson Spruce set a Pac-12 Conference record for most career receptions in Saturday’s loss at UCLA. His 11-reception day gave Spruce 267 career receptions, putting him ahead of the previous record holder, Mike Thomas, who played for the Arizona Wildcats from 2005-2008.
“The thing about Nelson is he’s a phenomenal student, he’s a phenomenal person, he’s a great leader and he is going to be a success in whatever he decides to do,” head coach Mike MacIntyre said. “He broke a record which is awesome, and it will stand for awhile.”
After a breakout 2014 season in which he caught 106 passes for 1,198 yards and scored 12 touchdowns, Spruce has been watched closely by opposing defenses.
Although the four-year starter has been on a somewhat slower pace in 2015, something due largely to being constantly monitored and double-covered by opponents, Spruce has still been on the loose.
“I feel like this whole year, with the season I had last year, I’ve been getting more attention, but I kind of like that and the challenge of it,” Spruce said.
He entered the 2015 season holding or sharing 35 school records. With four games remaining in his career as a Colorado Buffalo, Spruce has already secured the record for most career receiving yards at 2,947, and his 267 career receptions are also a school record. His 21 receiving touchdowns at CU are one short of tying the school record held by the Seattle Seahawks’ Paul Richardson.
But with a handful of games still left in the season, Spruce isn’t taking his eye off the tasks at hand.
“I’ll be able to look at that [record] for the rest of my life,” Spruce said. “The Pac-12 has had some great receivers, and the fact that I’m on top now is pretty crazy. After the season I’ll look back on it, but I still feel like I’ve got some work to do.”
With the Buffaloes’ (4-5, 1-4 Pac-12) hopes for a bowl game still lingering, the Colorado offense will need all it can get from Spruce.
But the attention he’s been garnering could turn out to benefit the Buffs. The increased coverage of Spruce has forced quarterback Sefo Liufau to spread the ball around. This has come as quite a relief, as Liufau’s relentless targeting of standout receiver Richardson in 2013 and Spruce in 2014 made the offense predictable.
The 2015 season has featured supporting cast members making increased contributions due to Spruce being covered so heavily.
“That’s exactly what I think has been happening all year,” Spruce said. “You’ve seen guys like Devin [Ross] and Shay [Fields] step up.”
Regardless of individual accolades, Spruce and the Buffs have their eyes on the target; that target being the Stanford Cardinal, who come to Boulder this Saturday for a Pac-12 showdown with the Buffaloes.
“They run a lot of man-to-man coverage, so we’re going to get a lot of one-on-one matchups,” Spruce said. “So it just comes down to us receivers winning on our routes. If we can do that, then we can make some big plays.”
“We are definitely going to have to move the ball and score points in order to have an opportunity to win,” MacIntyre said.
The Buffs will head into Saturday’s matchup at home as 16-point underdogs. The No. 9 ranked Cardinal have won the last seven meetings at Folsom Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. MST.
