He`s 17 games into his college career and sophomore Curtis Cunningham already is the old man in the middle of the Colorado defensive line.

The only fellow defensive lineman on the roster with more experience is defensive end Marquez Herrod, who came into the season with roughly 100 or more snaps under his belt.

Cunningham is off to a good start as the starting defensive tackle. He is the Buff`s seventh leading tackler with 22 stops in five games. A solid total for a player often stuck battling multiple 300-pound offensive linemen on every play.

Cunningham doesn`t look like a defensive tackle on a Big 12 team, let alone a starter and key contributor.

But CU coach Dan Hawkins and his staff saw something in Cunningham three

Curtis Cunningham left, and Doug Rippy pressure Wyoming QB Austyn Carta-Samuels. Cliff Grassmick / September 19, 2009 ( CLIFF GRASSMICK )
years ago when they began recruiting him from Columbine High School. Cunningham is generously listed at 6-foot-1 and he weighs just 275 pounds.

His spirit and attitude allow him to succeed as much as the speed and quickness he uses to get by bigger, slower blockers.

"I think they are not used to going against such a shorter guy for a defensive lineman," Cunningham said. "I give up probably half a head height and 40 pounds to each of them. They`re not used to playing against a smaller guy. I think that`s where I excel at."

Hawkins said he likes that Cunningham brings a wrestler`s mentality to his job in the trenches, though Cunningham wasn`t a wrestler growing up.

"He`s very strong, he`s got great leverage and he`s got great hands and he`s real smart," Hawkins said. "I think he understands the nuances of the game."

Coaches had hoped veteran players such as Taj Kaynor and Eric Lawson would grow into more prominent roles this season after the departures of George Hypolite, Brandon Nicolas and Maurice Lucas following last season.

But that development didn`t occur and coaches have been using three true freshmen on the defensive line along with Cunningham and Herrod, especially in the past two games.

The increased playing time for those youngsters, Nick Kasa, Nate Bonsu and Forrest West, has coincided with an improvement in the overall performance of the defense.

Cunningham said the group is doing a good job of taking advantage of the opportunity when others might shy away from it.

Cunningham smiled this week when he was asked about being the old man on the line at such an early point in his career.

"I like filling that role," Cunningham said. "It`s almost like a leadership role on the defensive line. It looks out for a bright future because if we have a lot of young guys playing now, that means we`ll have a lot of experience in the future.

"Sometimes I wish I was the young guy and other times it`s great to be the veteran and having people look up to you and watch how you play."