Interim defensive coordinator Gerald Chatman worked with defensive backs, linebackers and defensive lines throughout his career, but the coaching shakeup at Colorado presented a new opportunity for him to take the reins of the entire defense.
Throughout September, opponents rolled through Colorado’s defense. On Oct. 1, Arizona piled up 673 yards of offense against the Buffaloes and athletic director Rick George pulled the plug on both former head coach Karl Dorrell and defensive coordinator Chris Wilson.
Chatman was given two weeks to reimagine the worst run defense in the FBS.
Neither Cal’s mediocre offense (nor the public) couldn’t fully anticipate what the Buffs had in-store on Oct. 15. In his first time calling a game, Chatman fooled the Golden Bears with the adjustments he had made, limiting them to just 35 yards rushing in Colorado's lone win of the season.
This was just the beginning of an arduous six-week stretch, but given how the season had started little more could have reasonably been expected from the unit.
“It was an easier transition for me to become a coordinator because of those things like leadership, having a philosophy, knowing the traits that I wanted my players to play with, but now taking that to an entire defense to play with,” Chatman said. “Calling plays, it’s been a priceless experience for me because now I can say that I’ve done it. I know the mistakes that I've made and I know the good things that I've done as well too. I can take that and I can clean up the mistakes and I can continue to build off of the good things.”
The good things include placing some players in more productive positions. "[It] makes you really happy to even play defense,” ILB Aubrey Smith said on Oct. 18. Chatman and the defensive staff created a more elevated role for Smith acting similarly as another safety on the field, allowing him to play man coverage on tight ends and running backs or cover zones.
"I have multiple jobs where I can blitz, drop back in coverage or play man," Smith said. "I gotta say that spot makes me really use all my tools in my box."
A successful showing against Cal boosted the confidence of the Buffs’ defense, but the following weeks put Chatman’s approaches and the players’ performances to the test. The nuance and quick implementation of Chatman’s system challenged younger players.
“We installed a brand new defense four weeks ago,” ILB Josh Chandler-Semedo said after the Oregon game. “I don’t think people really understand that, like completely different. Tyrin [Taylor] goes from nickel to free safety, never played free safety before in his life. The two constants on our defense, back end-wise, were me and Trevor [Woods] both playing boundary safety and wheel. Everything else was [in] flux.
"You got to teach new schemes, teach new concepts, so the coaches and the defensive players, like it’s been a ton of work.”
Contributing on this defense has been a learning process for everyone involved. The results on gameday weren’t what the Buffs wanted, but it was also apparent they never stopped fighting on the field and for each other.
Each week presented new challenges for Chatman as the defensive coordinator, but despite the continued adversity, he said, “If I had to do it again, smack-dab in the middle of the season, I will. If I get the entire offseason in a football school with spring ball … I would love to [be a DC] again."
Change is never an easy process, but Chatman brought forth a valiant effort under the circumstances.
“The change is what we needed as a defense,” senior safety Isaiah Lewis said.
Even though the Buffs did not win after that momentous Cal game, Chatman found plenty of satisfaction in the experience nonetheless.
“I think the most rewarding thing is just helping the players with life after football, and teaching them through football the things they need in life,” Chatman said. “Consistency, hard work, patience, knowing who they are, helping them find out who they are, I think is the most important thing.”