Not every spark shows up on the stat sheet.
The Colorado State football wide receiver room is full of glimmer and habit, but in the Rams’ season opener, that spark didn’t really show up on the stat sheet. Tight end Jaxxon Warren took the front seat, hauling in six catches for 79 yards and a touchdown alongside an even more impressive rushing performance from running back Jalen Dupree. The receivers, on the other hand, are still looking for someone to step up next.
The room is alive, even if it didn’t entirely come through against Washington. During practice, they know how to have a good time; in film, they dig; and on game day, they have yet to find their stride.
Tay Lanier is a big part of the energy and life among the receivers. His big smiles and relaxed nature never completely disappears, as he always seems to be ready to provide some juice when it’s needed.
“Outside of film, we (are) all a bunch of jokesters,” Lanier said. “We always like to clown on each other. Just our chemistry inside the film room, we like to get others’ advice on, how would they run this route? What do they see in this coverage? And just learning from each other.”
That mix of joking around and paying attention runs through everyone.
Lavon Brown is usually all smiles between reps with Lanier, and the two can even be found posing for the occasional photograph or video after a big play. But when he talks about the offense, his knowledge of the game shines through. Between his confident, clear tone and what he displayed during fall camp, he looks primed to break out in just his redshirt freshman year.
“We have a lot of versatility in our room,” Brown said. “We (have) got a lot of guys that can go deep. We (have) got guys that are quick and fast that can pick up first downs. But we have a lot of everything in our room. So our weapons, like, we’re just trying to figure out how to use those in certain pieces of offense because we’re still learning a new form of offense right now, which is going really well.”
That versatility in the Rams’ opener was on display, but no one receiver cracked the stat sheet in a big way.
CSU’s offense leaned heavily on Warren underneath, with the big-bodied tight end racking up 11 targets compared to the next best total of five. Quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi went 17-for-32 for 180 yards with one touchdown and an interception on a night that relied on a balanced attack, with a mix of Tahj Bullock trickery to accumulate a large portion of production.
Though, when one of the wideouts inevitably has a big game, Brown hopes it affects everyone in a positive way.
“You don’t want envy toward your teammate,” Brown said. “You don’t want no jealousy in the room. So we do our best to just make sure everybody’s positive in the room. And we have everybody helping each other, looking after each other because, at the end of the day, it’s a competition. But if somebody goes down, we (have) got to have somebody else ready to step up, so we don’t want to be selfish to none of our guys.”
Tommy Maher looks like one of those players ready to step up at a moment’s notice.
As a walk-on who earned a scholarship last year after a big game against Wyoming, he seems to know what it takes when it’s time to work, and it looks like he’s earned the trust of the coaching staff. He garnered more targets than any other wideout Saturday, but he can also be seen doing a little bit of everything at practice: returning punts, lining up in the backfield and running various kinds of routes.
“Right when I touch the field, I’m a lot more serious than most people because it’s just straight business,” Maher said. “But when I’m at home around my friends, you know, in the receiver room, I’m a completely different person. You know, super into joking — all of that.”
Lanier, by contrast, is energy on legs — the kind of guy teammates feed off of.
“Tay is a positive guy,” Brown said. “His smile lights up the whole room. Everybody knows when something’s wrong, you know? Like, that’s just how it goes personalitywise.”
And Lanier takes that seriously.
“I kind of noticed that as I got older, if I’m feeling down, then part of the whole room, it’s very contagious,” Lanier said. “Yes, I do (take responsibility to bring energy) a lot.”
During a one-on-one interview with Lanier, it was clear he loosened up as time went on. He even got around to talking about the different kinds of touchdown celebrations he plans on displaying throughout the year.
“I remember I had caught a pick in the past, in (a) 7-on-7, and (Lanier’s dad) told me to do the Dougie, and ever since then, and he just told me, ‘Every time you score, you just dance,’ Lanier said.
“When I was at NAU, I did a Michael Jackson dance. I always liked to watch Michael Jackson; he was one of my favorite artists. I always wanted to be like Michael Jackson when I was little.”
Those celebrations will matter more if the receivers can find consistency in the end zone. But for now, consistency anywhere on the field is a good start.
“I love big plays, honestly, but I’m never (going to be) a person that’s going to not love a small play, too — like the five-yard gains,” Brown said. “That’s really key and important. … At the end of the day, you can throw a 50-yard bomb, but you still (have) got to get in the end zone.”
CSU’s revamped defensive back corps is key in sharpening those different situations.
Lanier said he knows if he doesn’t bring his best, the DBs will expose it. Maher pointed to his battles with AJ Noland, and Brown gave a shoutout to Lemondre Joe. But every player has their own strengths and weaknesses, so matchups in practice never quite look the same.
“Every DB is not going to play the same,” Brown said. “We have Lemondre Joe; he’s more like a peer-step guy. So when I know when I’m going against him, he’s going to step and then shoot a hand. I have to make sure I’m anticipating the hands. And then bigger guys, their base likes to get wide. So I know that I have to attack a half of a body because, with the bigger guys, their arms are longer.”
Having that knowledge and having more mouths to feed comes with its advantages, though. This year’s pass-catching group, including Kojo Antwi, Jordan Ross, Petey Tucker and tight-end Rocky Beers, makes up one of the deepest in recent memory.
“Tory Horton did a lot of good things here,” Lanier said. “And people want to know, like, who’s going to be the next guy? … No diss to Tory at all. It’s not just a one-guy show. We (have) got, like, six, seven guys.”
It may take more than one of them stepping up for CSU to hit the level Brown is talking about.
“I feel like our room has the chance to be the best in the Mountain West just because of all the talent we have, but (also because of) all the hard work we put into (playing the game).” Brown said.
Reach Michael Hovey at sports@collegian.com or on social media @michaelfhovey.
