With a struggling start against Northern Colorado and only winning due to an incomplete call for the Bears, all eyes are on Colorado State football to see what this program can really bring to the field.
Throughout training, the Rams have been relentless, integrating new schemes and members to take their shot one last time at a Mountain West championship. Still, CSU has had a tough time proving its ability to perform well under pressure.
And on Saturday, the Rams are going head-to-head against the Roadrunners, who will likely roll into Canvas Stadium confident after a win against Incarnate Word, which showcased UTSA’s strongest players, including quarterback Owen McCown and running back Robert Henry Jr.
“We can’t allow them to have explosive plays in the running game, for sure, and then they’re going to test you out, throw it deep a couple times a quarter, and we’re going to have to be very sound,” head coach Jay Norvell said. “So they’ve done a very good job on offense the last few years, … and that’s going to be a big challenge for us defensively.”
Yet, CSU has already seen multiple breakout players on the defense, especially sophomore Owen Long.
In both of the Rams’ games, Long hit double digits in tackles, putting him at first overall out of the defense. From what fans have seen, he’s exactly what CSU needs in terms of leadership when it comes to disrupting the play.
And against players McCown and Henry Jr., a strong defense is a necessity, along with building the communication that was lacking against UNC.
“That’s one thing we’ve been doing as a team is over-communicating and walk-throughs,” outside linebacker JaQues Evans said. “And when we’re in practice, (we have to continue) being vocal and just being loud and being more talkative — not being selfish.”
To secure the win against UTSA, CSU needs to piece together the first-half aggressiveness it showed against Washington and the second-half scrappiness it displayed against the Bears, with players like Evans and Jacob Ellis setting the standard.
Ellis’ forced fumble and recovery from Long during Ag Day helped CSU tally its first win of the season. Meanwhile, Evans was right where he needed to be, allowing him to rack up eight tackles throughout the game.
“Everybody (has to) do their jobs, everybody’s going to make a play, because he’s got to run to one of us, right?” Evans said. “Coach says preparation meets performance, right? So that’s all that was, just playing hard, hustling, just running around, having fun.”
And as the defense looks to replicate its success while continuing to grow, areas in the offense are still working to balance themselves, especially at the quarterback position.
Since UNC, there have been lots of speculation and opinions regarding Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi’s lackluster performance, which only heightened when Norvell had the No. 2 quarterback, Jackson Brousseau, practicing with the ones on the Wednesday after the game.
But because Fowler-Nicolosi has been an established quarterback with the Rams, Norvell continues to back him time and time again, and he confirmed that his trust in BFN is still there.
“He’s been our quarterback, and he is our quarterback,” Norvell said.
So for those still questioning whether Fowler-Nicolosi will be starting or not, Norvell continues to side with his captain, leaving Brousseau waiting for his time to shine.
“I’ve spent a lot of time with Brayden over this past week, watching ball, talking ball, talking about situations and how he can kind of change his thought process and how to help the football team, and at the end of the day, that’s his job,” Norvell said. “His job is to complete passes, to get his teammates involved and put us in position to win.
“I think he sees that a little bit better than he has, and Brayden’s a good football player. He’s won a bunch of games for us. He’s got a lot of experience, and now we need to lean on that experience as we move forward.”
But experience is only as good as its results, adding pressure behind center for the upcoming game.
With UTSA being favored to win, the Rams had to put in that extra time. Instead of using their bye week to rest, it was all about pushing out the grind and studying the Roadrunners from top to bottom.
“We’re going to have to do some things schematically to affect them,” Norvell said. “But more importantly, we have got to be effective, and we have got to be efficient offensively and mix in some high completions along with the running game.”
And one key factor that has to be a point of emphasis against UTSA is establishing the rushing game. To open the season, the main backs carrying the load have been Jalen Dupree and Lloyd Avant, who rushed a combined total of 126 yards in their fair against UNC — more than half of CSU’s total rushing yards.
Even with the threat the rushing game poses, any good offense that wants to be a great one needs a passing attack. Through the first two weeks, the quietness in the wideout room has caused questions regarding whether CSU has that championship-caliber offense after showing signs of being a one-dimensional offensive unit.
Going into Saturday, the wide receivers could look to get involved early, as without their true threat, it could be a long night for the Rams.
“Our team understands how important this game is,” Norvell said. “We’ve been pointing to it; we have a lot of high goals. And to reach our highest goals, we (have) got to win in the preseason, and this is an important step in.”
Reach Sophie Webb at sports@collegian.com or on social media @sophgwebb.
