Backup Jackson Brousseau is waiting in the wings.
Colorado State football head coach Jay Norvell hinted Wednesday that sophomore starter Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi’s job may not be secure after his struggles last weekend. And if CSU makes a move before Saturday, Rylan Renteria, sports editor of Texas San Antonio’s The Paisano, doesn’t think either option will be slowed by the Roadrunners’ defense.
So despite facing a powerful offense full of legitimate weapons, there’s some hope for a Ram team still looking for answers.
“If I was the CSU coach, I would leave your starting quarterback in,” Renteria said. “That could serve as a get-right game for him, and — whether it’s misplaced or not, because of the quality of the UTSA secondary — it’s still enough to, like, instill a little bit of confidence in them.”
And Renteria witnessed a new quarterback have a day against his Roadrunners earlier this season.
“(The) Texas State quarterback, (he is a) true freshman, had never really had a true test coming into our game and it was a chance to kind of exploit his experience,” Renteria said. “He looked like Lamar Jackson versus us, just throwing it wherever he wanted, slipping in and out of the defensive line like he looked comfortable in front of 45,000 fans at the Alamodome. And that really says something about the quality of our defense.”
“Whether that means they win the game or not, I don’t know. But statistically, I would be very shocked if whoever steps behind center doesn’t throw for at least, like, 250 (passing yards) and three touchdowns.” –Rylan Renteria, The Paisano sports editor
Renteria expects a shootout in Canvas and stressed the weaknesses of UTSA’s defense throughout the conversation.
“I’ll tell you one thing: It’s gonna be high scoring,” Renteria said. “Our defense has not been great so far this year, and I know that y’all are certainly capable of putting up points. If we want to stay in this game, we’re going to have to put up some points, too. So I would say my score prediction will be 35-28, and that can really go either way, but I’m going to say UTSA pulls this one out. I feel like we’re going to ride that momentum, and we’re looking to prove ourselves this week.”
And the Roadrunners have certainly scored well in each game so far, but UTSA’s staff hasn’t done much to calm concerns about the defense.
“Going into the season, we asked Coach Traylor, you know, ‘What can you tell us? What are some good qualities about the UTSA secondary?’” Renteria said. “Obviously, it’s a new unit. And he said, ‘They’re great people.’ And I was like, man, that’s horrible. That’s not very confident-sounding at all.”
The defensive backs aren’t a strength for the Roadrunners, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t threats.
“(Shad Banks Jr.) has just been all over the field for the first three games, and it’s really just been him as far as a standout player defensively,” Rylan said. “The secondary has been getting torched. The defensive line didn’t register a sack in the first two games. So that’s why I’m saying, like, we played good against (Incarnate Word), but it’s UIW. Defensively, yeah, Shad Banks is the guy to look out for.”
While CSU might be circling this game as a chance to find stability under center, UTSA’s offense begins with running back Robert Henry Jr., who has become one of the nation’s most productive players behind a solid run-blocking offensive line.
“The guy you guys are definitely looking out for is Robert Henry Jr.,” Renteria said. “I mean, he’s leading the nation in rushing yards, and he’s tied for the nation lead in rushing touchdowns. He’s had at least 100 yards in his past five games. So that’s the guy they’re looking to stop.”
While Henry Jr. fell to No. 3 in rushing yards in the country, his numbers speak for themselves. As for passing, Renteria said Owen McCown is limited by a lackluster offensive scheme despite putting up efficient production against his most recent FCS opponent.
“McCown, obviously, we were looking for him to take that next step so far, taking what we saw against UIW with a grain of salt,” Renteria said. “He hasn’t taken that leap that we wanted to see, and that could be on him not developing the way we want to. But in my personal opinion, it’s on the coordinators. Last week, we had 17 passes at or behind the line of scrimmage, so we’re throwing a lot of quick screens, a lot of manufactured looks. So, on the offense, I think we’re going to be mainly trying to get Robert Jr. going and hoping that can open up some play-action looks.”
Henry Jr.’s fantastic production has apparently masked an offense that’s become predictable despite having talent across the board. When coordinated correctly, they could be a real problem.
“We need to be attacking over the middle more and playing off play-action,” Rylan said. “Like I mentioned, our running game is elite, and our run blocking has been amazing this year, but for some reason, they just don’t trust (McCown) to take those deeper shots. And that could be because our wide receivers aren’t getting separation. “
“Obviously, (AJ Wilson) had a 77-yard touchdown. But (Devin McCuin) and (David Amador II), … going into this year, we were looking at to be our big weapons. (And) Houston Thomas — our tight end groups are obviously elite; Patrick Overmyer was a freshman All-American last year. They just haven’t been able to create separation deep.” Renteria said. “And that paired with kind of the shaky play of our tackles, we haven’t been able to protect, keep McCown upright that often.”
Even in their first win of the season, those problems showed.
But for CSU fans, the scouting report is clear. Renteria doesn’t think it matters which quarterback Norvell plays.
“It’s kind of like, pick whoever you want to succeed because regardless of who it is, they’re going to have success,” Renteria said. “Whether that means they win the game or not, I don’t know. But statistically, I would be very shocked if whoever steps behind center doesn’t throw for at least, like, 250 (passing yards) and three touchdowns.”
For CSU, that means one thing: an opportunity.
Stop the nation’s leading rusher and take advantage of a secondary that even UTSA’s own sports editor seems suspect of, and Norvell’s quarterback decision could spark the kind of momentum shift that shapes the rest of the year.
Reach Michael Hovey at sports@collegian.com or on social media @michaelfhovey.
