After Jackson Brousseau was cleared to start for the first time over Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, Colorado State football fans were a little more optimistic. And with the up-and-down season Washington State had prior to Saturday’s matchup, a bounce-back seemed in order.
That was not the case.
CSU fell 20-3 in supremely disappointing fashion at home against WSU, with the Cougars now leading the Rams 3-1 all-time. CSU is set to join WSU in the Pac-12 next year.
Zevi Eckhaus carves up CSU’s secondary
Although CSU has generally defended well so far this season, ranking 11th in the nation in passing touchdowns allowed, Zevi Eckhaus was on point Saturday.
In the signal caller’s second game as starter this season, he went 16-for-28 through the air while taking on 189 yards and two touchdowns. It came as no surprise, since 80.3% of WSU’s total yards came from passing prior to the matchup.
Offensive struggles
Every time Tahj Bullock came in for a substitution package, Canvas Stadium knew what the next play was — CSU fans, the Cougars, anyone tuning into the game.
The element of surprise in that certain package has worn off since the Rams’ first game against Washington, and head coach Jay Norvell might have to head back to the drawing board to effectively utilize his wildcard player.
After the Rams’ bout with the Huskies, Norvell mentioned establishing more motion to get his pass catchers open looks, but that hasn’t happened. The receiving group looked deep coming into the season, and it may need its full strength back to get on track.
Jackson Brousseau does what he can
The former backup performed well in his first start, making good reads and taking minimal sacks until star lineman Tanner Morley left the game with an injury.
Brousseau’s pass timing was a step up from Fowler-Nicolosi, and the new starter was more accurate on short-to-intermediate throws. His deep ball had little success, but he wasn’t really asked to air it out.
Where he excelled in the first three quarters, though, was on the ground.
Stepping up in the pocket often as the edges collapsed helped him avoid sacks but also gain positive yards up the middle. Brousseau sidestepped when needed and looked the part in a game when the offense had little juice. He finished with 19-of-28 completions, 188 passing yards and no touchdowns.
Inconsistent open-field tackling
For a Cougar skill group that hasn’t received much praise this year, they performed admirably in the open field throughout the game.
Quick in its cuts and surprisingly slippery, WSU’s wide receivers turned several catches in the flats into chunk gains. CSU’s secondary left its feet often in the first half and yielded extra yardage, giving up contain on the edges.
Costly penalties in the first half
The Rams tacked on another five penalties in just the first half, which stumped the steady, albeit short, progress they had made on offense.
It’s becoming a trend this year, as CSU also gave up seven penalties for 85 yards before the break against UTSA. And if things aren’t cleaned up quickly, more uphill battles lie ahead.
CSU gets its next chance on the road against San Diego State Oct. 3.
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Reach Michael Hovey at sports@collegian.com or on social media @michaelfhovey.
