Font ResizeIt`s been a while since there were three doing so in the same season.
This fall former Boulder High School standout Jeff Smart is leading the Buffs in tackling for the second straight year after three games. He`s a starting linebacker and a senior captain on coach Dan Hawkins` team.
Fellow defensive starter Will Pericak -- another former Boulder High Panther -- is just beginning his college career as a redshirt freshman at nose tackle, where he has played 119 snaps after overtaking third-year sophomore Eugene Goree in fall camp.
After paying his dues for several years on the bench,
"It`s been a long trip, but it`s all been worth it," Jaffee said. "You really have to give yourall and completely dedicate yourself to the program and to what coach Hawk is doing. As a walk-on, sometimes it`s frustrating mentally when things get really rough or practices get long or when you have to wake up real early.
"I just keep telling myself it`s all good things. It`s good for me, for my mind, my body. Good for the soul."
The trio will return to the field Thursday night nearly 1,400 miles from Boulder in Morgantown, W.V., where they hope to recharge their season with an upset over the heavily favored Mountaineers on ESPN.
Colorado sports information director and associate athletic director Dave Plati said the last time three or more local players played significant roles for the Buffs in one season was 1996 when Toray Davis, Adam Reed, Tennyson McCarty and Corey Kish all were significant contributors.
Jaffee was just beginning to understand the game at that point as a young boy growing up in Boulder. He was a frequent visitor to Folsom Field in those days because his family had season tickets.
Now he`s living a dream by playing for the program he once worshipped from the stands.
Jaffee plays key roles on the punt and punt return teams as well as the kickoff and kickoff return teams. He toils in those roles and as a reserve cornerback for hours nearly every day, but unlike most of his teammates, he can get away when he needs a little peace or a home-cooked meal.
Jaffee said CU is a big enough school and his life is often so busy that he sometimes feels hundreds of miles away even though his childhood home is just a few minutes from campus. It`s the same for other local players who haven`t earned significant playing time yet, but who put in the hours and the work alongside their teammates.
"I guess the biggest thing is that a ton of friends and a bunch of family members are at every game, and they`re involved in the program and have been for awhile," Smart said.
Smart will leave the program later this year as one of the most accomplished former walk-ons and local products to have played in Boulder. He is on track to finish his career as one of the top 15 tacklers in CU history.
