Colorado Counting On Gregorak

Forget the introductions. If he gets the chance, University of Colorado backup middle linebacker Ty Gregorak will meet Texas running back Ricky Williams on his own, probably somewhere near the line of scrimmage. There will be no handshake.

A true freshman, Gregorak was in for about 60 snaps last week against Kansas. CU’s starting middle linebacker, Mike Phillips, has been nursing a banged-up shoulder, so Gregorak has been playing more than he thought he would when he came to CU this fall.

“My confidence has definitely gone up, but that happens when you play more,” he said. “Mike has that shoulder and it’s recurring, so I’ve got to be ready. We hope Mike can stay healthy because he’s the leader of the defense. All I can do is get in there and play my hardest and try to line up correctly and not make too many mistakes. Hopefully, Mike can stay healthy, but if he doesn’t, I’ll play a lot.”

According to coach Rick Neuheisel, Phillips could have played last Saturday, but there was no reason to risk further injury.

If Phillips has trouble with the shoulder in today’s game against the Longhorns, Gregorak will get his shot at tackling Williams, who has rushed for more than 200 yards in three games this season.

“He’s the key to stopping Texas,” said Gregorak, an All-American at West Valley High School in Spokane last year. “We stop him, we win.”

Asked if he thought about getting a good lick in against Williams, Gregorak smiled.

“He’s a horse,” Gregorak said. “He’s fast and big and I watched him last year (when Gregorak was still in high school) and I thought: Wow, this guy will be back (this) year. And if he stays in college, he’ll be back again next year. So I’ll get a chance to play him again. If I do get in and make some good hits on him, it will build my confidence that much more. If I can tackle Ricky, that’s a big step for me.”

Gregorak’s first college game was against Colorado State in CU’s season opener. He still doesn’t remember a play.

“Even today, I really don’t remember a lot because I’m so focused on the game,” he said.