A week centered around connection and joy concluded with anything but.
Colorado State football suffered a debilitating 56-26 loss to Oregon State on Homecoming weekend, and enters their bye week having dropped the last three games.
“This is awful right now,” CSU head coach Jim Mora said. “Let’s not sugar coat it, OK? It’s been two awful games in a row, well three, really. We’ve given up a gazillion points, we haven’t been explosive on offense. We’re going through it a little bit.”
In a make-or-break game for the defensive unit, the Rams crumbled under pressure.
Coming off a game in which they allowed 59 points against UTSA the week prior, CSU’s defensive core was unable to put a bandage on a bullet hole. Despite the blowout loss, CSU’s locker room isn’t pointing fingers.
“Very, very disappointed locker room, but they’re not frayed,” Mora said. “They’re not fraying, they’re still connected.”
CSU’s defensive coordinator Tyson Summers was relieved of his playcalling duties mid-game and left the field, marking the end of his time with the program. Kenny McClendon will take over as the defensive coordinator moving forward.
The Rams are hoping to right the ship heading into the bye week as they look ahead at their Week 7 matchup with Texas State.
“We just look at the mistakes that we made on film today, and we just go from there,” running back Durrell Robinson said. “See what you’re going to improve on, and you take that into the next weekend. Monday, you come back like nothing ever happened because the next game is going to come regardless.”
While the defense struggled, giving up 639 yards to the Beavers offense, the offense simply wasn’t as consequential as it had been in the past.
OSU quarterback Braden Atkinson threw fewer incompletions than touchdowns on the day, throwing for 413 yards and five touchdowns with just four of his passes falling incomplete. True freshman wide receiver Jesse Legree stood out dramatically on offense, catching five passes from Atkinson for 159 yards and three touchdowns.
The offense still has the defense’s back, in spite of their recent struggles.
“Our defense works their tail off, and we see that firsthand,” center Philip Ocon said. “Those guys work hard day-in and day-out, so there’s absolutely no disrespect coming from our end of the ball towards that end of the ball. Those guys are warriors.”
Mora isn’t unfamiliar to tough situations as a head coach, and his confidence in the team hasn’t wavered.
“You can’t coach football as long as I have and not be in these situations, and you look for certain things,” Mora said. “You look for certain reactions; you look for certain comments; you look for certain looks on people’s face … From what I’ve seen so far, our guys are gonna continue to engage and do the right thing.”
Quarterback K’saan Farrar held his own in his second straight week as the starter with Hauss Hejny missing another game with a hamstring injury. Farrar threw for 183 yards and one touchdown to pair with a rushing touchdown.
Running back Mel Brown rushed for 63 yards on just three carries before leaving the game and being hospitalized. Robinson took on the starting running back role and demonstrated that he could carry the load, rushing for two touchdowns on the night to couple with 117 rushing yards.
“(Robinson) runs hard,” Mora said. “People draw from his energy, and I’m really glad he’s on our football team right now. We need his motor; we need his energy; we need his attitude; we need his positivity.”
Robinson was one of the few bright spots in the 30-point loss to OSU, returning to the running back that Mora loved at UConn during the 2024 season.
“I’m starting to feel like myself,” Robinson said. “I still feel like I have so far to go. I want to be a great running back. I want to be considered one of the greatest of all time when it’s all said and done. I’m gonna keep watching the film, keep stacking days and just keep getting better.”
CSU has 12 days until the next time they take the field in San Marcos, Texas for their second game of conference play against TSU.
In those 12 days, Mora is looking to regroup his team and turn the tides on the season.
“I don’t just have confidence (that we can turn the season around), I have certainty,” Mora said. “I know what it looks like, and I know we’re on the right path. The path is rocky right now, but we’re on the right path.”
Reach Jack Randels at sports@collegian.com or on social media @jackrandelsmedia.
