The only way from here is up.
That, at least, is what can be said about Colorado State football’s defensive unit, which has been the root of the Rams’ failures over the past four games. The unit currently ranks dead last in all of college football in total yards allowed per game at 548, and head coach Jim Mora knows changing this team starts on that side of the ball.
“I’ve had the concerns for quite a while,” Mora said when asked if he had any defensive concerns coming into the season. “I’ve continued to try and address them. … There were some things that were worrying me. We’ve really worked hard to address them, and sometimes it takes a little longer than you hope that it would, and it certainly has taken a lot longer.”
After allowing 716 total yards, 503 rushing yards and 66 points to Texas State in the Rams’ Week 7 blowout loss, some fans are asking for answers on why this is happening.
Considering this performance came after the public firing of former defensive coordinator Tyson Summers, the impetus of the defensive struggles in games can be difficult to immediately pinpoint.
“Now what has to happen is you have to take the work from the practice field to the game,” Mora said. “And the challenge is always the speed of the game, and the intensity of the game is so much more than you can ever really replicate at practice. … That’s my job, is to try and find the positive. … And the fans, they don’t want to hear this BS; they just want results. But you can at least clearly see where the issue is and then you can fix it.”
Mora, is historically known as a defensive-minded coach — having stops in the NFL as a defensive coordinator and quality-control coach — but he has continued to keep his hands off of the defense during games — specifically with playcalling. Co-defensive coordinator Kenny McClendon, who coached his first full game as defensive playcaller last week, will continue to call the shots and be the leader of a group in need of some revitalization.
“I’m letting Kenny do it, but Kenny and I have worked together for a long time,” Mora said. “I’m just a sounding board for him, a source of advice for him, an overseer. … I think it’s really, really important that the players hear a singular voice when it comes to the defense. I have never in my life as a coach seen somebody do the things that Kenny and his family are doing right now to try to help these players get better. … Kenny hasn’t been home in two weeks, so we took our linebacker coach’s office and we turned it into a bedroom for Kenny.”
Looking at what awaits CSU, the San Diego State Aztecs have so far been an up-and-down Pac-12 team. They have won two of their last three games, which include a narrow home win over Texas State, a 66-14 blowout road loss to Oregon State and another slim home win most recently against Fresno State.
Now the Aztecs will march into Fort Collins with what may be a less-powerful offense than teams CSU has faced recently, but they will certainly come in confident they can put points on the board against what is statistically the worst defense in the nation.
“I agree with the fans, first of all: I want fewer yards and a lot fewer points,” Mora said. “That’s the bottom line here; that’s what everyone wants to see. I’m sitting up here answering questions and trying to explain things, but if I’m a fan, I just want to see the freaking result. (San Diego State) is big up front; they’re humongous up front. They spread you out — much like Texas State did — in terms of formations and things like that. I think they’ve got a tremendous running back; they’ve got a really good receiver. I don’t know who will play quarterback for them but I don’t think it matters that much. … They put a lot of pressure on you to make adjustments; I think they’re a good football team.”
Despite all the scrutiny focused on the CSU defense, the offense has a lot to look forward to on Saturday. Though quarterback K’saan Farrar has been reliable in his three starts — tallying 804 passing yards, five touchdowns and one interception — when the Rams face off against the Aztecs, Mora confirmed the Rams are expected to return to starter Hauss Hejny, who hasn’t played since the first quarter of Week 3 after sustaining a hamstring injury.
“Hauss, he’s rolling,” Mora said. “He looked good out there today. Hauss practiced fully today and he looked good. … Right now, as it stands, Hauss will start on Saturday.”
Wide receiver RJ Vick, who missed the outing against Texas State, will most likely be a game-time decision but is trending toward playing, Mora announced.
Reach Devin Imsirpasic at sports@collegian.com or on social media @DImsirpasic.
