Karl Dorrell gives an update on JT Shrout

BOULDER — J.T. Shrout left Saturday’s scrimmage on a cart after his knee buckled during a move against air.

Over the weekend, Shrout underwent an MRI and on Monday, Karl Dorrell gave reporters a little bit of information.

“He does have a significant injury,” Dorrell said. “He will be out for a period of time.”

Dorrell didn’t say exactly what the injury was or what the timeline for Shrout’s recovery timeline looks like, including whether he’ll be able to return this season. Dorrell said he’ll have a clearer picture following Shrout’s surgery.

“Sometimes they get in there (during the surgery) and they find out ‘Oh, it wasn’t as bad,'” Dorrell said. “Usually Dr. (Eric) McCarty calls me when he’s done and he tells me what’s the case, what’s the timeframe and all that. We’ll know that after the surgery.”

While there’s still some lack of clarity regarding Shrout’s injury, Monday’s report from Dorrell doesn’t paint the picture CU fans desired.

Shrout was competing for the starting quarterback job with second-year true freshman Brendon Lewis. Now, Lewis takes the job over and he’ll be getting all of the first-team reps until Shrout returns.

“Anytime you get more reps than when you’re splitting with someone, it’s definitely helpful,” Dorrell said. “His growth has already been tremendous since that bowl game and we’re all expecting he’s going to continue to just really blossom and climb and be more precise and be so much more cleaner in everything he does from an operational standpoint. So he should benefit from that.”

With Shrout out of the picture, Lewis may need to change up his play style. He’s a dual-threat quarterback who is likely to provide almost as much on the ground as he does through the air. But Colorado only has two true freshman behind him on the roster—Drew Carter is now the No. 2 and walk-on Jordan Woolverton is the No. 3—so losing Lewis even for a series or two could cause problems.

“He does great things when he’s getting a chance to move around in the pocket and break out of the pocket and all those things,” Dorrell said. “I think the biggest thing we’re going to coach him about is, obviously, not trying to run over people like Sam (Noyer) used to do last year. Jumping over people and running over; we’re not going to try to do those things. We’re trying to have him be smarter on his decision of how he’s trying to attack contact.”

Even though Colorado’s quarterback situation is on much thinner ice than it was a few days ago, there’s still plenty to be excited about.

“He feels like he’s Superman and really, in a way, he performs that way at times,” Dorrell said. “So we’re happy that we have still a great-caliber player that can give us a chance to win each and every week. He’s excited and he’s more motivated than before, just understanding the responsibility.”

Linebacker Carson Wells is excited about Lewis, too.

“It sucks about JT,” Wells told DNVR on Monday. “B-Lew has been doing good. I’ve been seeing some good things.”