An offense as electric as CSU football’s is enough to offset the nation’s worst defense.
And it all started with the return of Hauss Hejny Saturday.
CSU put out an astonishing offensive performance to break a four-game losing streak, beating San Diego State 56-49 at home.
While defensive issues persisted — allowing SDSU to nearly break the 50-point mark for CSU’s fourth straight game — some timely forced turnovers and game changing plays from the defense mixed with the stunning performance of the offense gave the Rams another tally in the win column.
In Hejny’s return as the starting quarterback — following a three-game absence due to a hamstring injury — he totaled 418 scrimmage yards, five total touchdowns and one interception. Hejny showed off his elite quickness with 85 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns, while remaining poised passing the entire game throwing for 333 yards on 24-for-31 passing.
Hejny didn’t just help an offense that needed a tiny boost: he rejuvenated an entire team that was on the verge of collapsing.
“I was just super excited to be back on the field,” Hejny said. “It wasn’t fun being on the sidelines, but I learned a lot, and it definitely taught me gratitude and patience. … But it was just fun to come back on the field and feel healthy again and be with my brothers again, because you feel separated from the team when you’re hurt and you’re not in the grind with them every day.”
Hejny continued exactly where he left off after weeks one and two, where he ranked second in the country in total touchdowns following those couple hot games. However, he didn’t just continue his elite play from before the injury — he also brought the leadership that the team needed during his absence.
“Not only is Hauss just a great guy, Hauss is one of the hardest workers I’ve ever played with,” running back Durell Robinson said. “He’s one of the fastest, he’s one of the strongest … to see a guy like that lead our team, it just raises the whole morale because now we got to match it. Hauss brings a lot of great energy and to see him put his body on the line like he did so many times today — who would I be not to (do the same)?”
One of the two CSU interceptions on the night came from safety Tre’Shawn Moore, who returned his pick 38-yards for a touchdown to give the Rams a 35-24 lead in the second quarter.
Moore not only came up big for a struggling CSU defense, but did it through the leadership of Hejny and the camaraderie of a team that is looking to go on a hot stretch.
“Before the game, me and (Hejny) had a conversation — I got your back, you got my back,” Moore said. “And it’s just like a full circle moment … (After the interception), he was like ‘thank you, thank you, you got my back, you got my back.”
While the Rams’ defense did allow 49 points and 565 yards to the Aztecs, they did just enough to come up with timely stops that kept CSU in front for the entire second half while the offense continued to pour it on.
With opportune interceptions from Moore as well as defensive back D’Mon Brinson, holding the Aztecs to field goals rather than touchdowns as well as huge pass breakups from the secondary on third downs; the defense did enough to give the Rams a well-earned win.
“Just proud of our young men, proud of our players — it has not been an easy month,” head coach Jim Mora said. “What we need to see is improvement, and we saw improvement, and improvement doesn’t always show up on the stat sheet or the scoreboard — it shows up in the way you play … We were much more consistent stopping the run, we had more negative plays, we still gave up too many big plays in the pass game.”
Despite having to leave Saturday knowing the defense still has room to improve from allowing 49 points, it’s a big step for a defense that has been floundering over the four-game losing streak.
“We just have to dissect the film and keep teaching these young men,” Mora said. “And they will keep learning, and they will keep applying and they will continue to improve. … There was a point in that game where for the first time in what seemed like forever, there was some energy on defense. There was some passion, some enthusiasm, some guys that were fired up and starting to believe. We just got to build on that.”
Despite Hejny being the catalyst of the explosive offense, he got tons of help from his playmakers to contribute to the 56-point barrage.
Robinson rushed for 86 yards on 19 attempts, cashing in two touchdowns on the ground and one on a 28-yard screen pass. He now has rushed for eight touchdowns over the last five games as he finds a true groove in the backfield.
But a big story of Saturday was the breakout game of junior Tommy Maher — who was finally given his moment to shine in his third season now with the Rams.
Maher finished the night with six receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns, doing most of his damage in the first half. He caught a nine-yard touchdown to open up the game, and caught a deep 54-yard touchdown on a post route in the second quarter.
For Maher, the past two years as a rare returner for this CSU squad have been a battle to find playing time — and he made the most of his opportunity Saturday.
“(Being injured) really wasn’t great for me mentally,” Maher said. “I love being out there, I love competing with my brothers and I’m just so happy that we all just competed tonight and we all got a great win.”
With Hejny back in the lineup and in true form, the Rams have plenty to build off as they look to keep improving the defense steadily while the offense continues their electrifying run.
CSU will match up against Utah State on the road at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, looking to get their record back to .500.
“There’s 12 games in the season — you put so much work into those 12 games,” Hejny said. “When you’re out on the field, you’re not thinking about protecting your body or about how you feel. You’re just thinking about executing and winning the game and doing it for your brothers and putting your body on the line.”
Reach Devin Imsirpasic at sports@collegian.com or on social media @DImsirpasic.
