Of the nation's nearly 10,000 football players at the major-college level, few, if any, mean more to their team than Colorado quarterback Koy Detmer, which is a heavy burden to place on such skinny shoulders.
The Buffaloes expect big things from Detmer, who still holds the school record for passing yardage in a game, having thrown for 418 yards on 33-of-50 accuracy as a freshman against Oklahoma in 1992. He redshirted in 1993 and saw mop-up duty last year behind Kordell Stewart."I think he's going to be fabulous," coach Rick Neuheisel said.
Neuheisel said Detmer is "more natural than any quarterback I've been around," and that includes Stewart and the Dallas Cowboys' Troy Aikman, who was tutored by Neuheisel at UCLA.
"He just has a feel for the game," the coach said. "He doesn't have the same strength or foot speed or size of an Aikman or Stewart, but he's a natural. The key to great quarterbacking, in my mind, is the ability to visualize the field, to see it in three dimensions. You can almost run plays in your mind, which creates great anticipation, and that's what Koy has."
Detmer, who in high school became the career passing leader in the state of Texas with 8,221 yards, looked frail when he reported to Colorado as a 160-pounder.
The Buffaloes insist that the 6-foot-1 Detmer has bulked up to 185 pounds, but he doesn't look it.
"He's done a nice job of working himself into a person you can actually see when he turns sideways," Neuheisel joked. "He's really worked diligently in the strength and conditioning program to bulk up."
Detmer's enthusiasm for the game could be his own worst enemy.
"Koy is an exuberant personality," Neuheisel said. "He loves to play. Sometimes I'll watch the tape and he'll hand off to a running back, and the next thing you know he's out there lead-blocking for him. We're going to try to calm him down in that respect. He's going to take enough punishment without having to inflict it upon himself.
"But you like that kind of charisma in your quarterback, that love for the game, and it will serve him well."
The Buffs need to keep Detmer healthy because there is precious little experience behind him.
The junior might wind up calling some of his own plays this season, as he did occasionally at Mission, Texas, where he played for his father, Sonny.
"I asked him once if he had ever called his own plays in high school," Neuheisel said, "and he said, `My dad let me one time.' I asked him how he did, and he said, `We scored the first seven times.' Somehow that stuck with me."
Detmer, the brother of 1990 Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer from Brigham Young University, said that's a role he enjoys.
"If we get in the situation where you do some no-huddle or two-minute offense, I feel comfortable I can call some things," Detmer said. "My dad's system was if I saw something on the field, I could go ahead and call my own play. I think coach Neuheisel would like to work a little of that in as we come along in this offense."
Colorado's one-back offense, which focused more on the run a year ago by utilizing two tight ends, will be more pass-oriented this year, with one tight end and three wide receivers.
"Last year was more run-oriented to set up the pass," Detmer said. "This year is going to be more pass-oriented to set up the run. Both systems are balanced. Last year we ran a little bit better than we threw. This year we hope to do both well.
"This offense is suited to my style. We ran the option some with Kordell because it suited him so much. We'll keep the option, because it's a great play and keeps the defense off-balance, but I'm sure it won't be a big part of what we do."