Jackson Brousseau sparks CSU football, Norvell’s gamble ends in loss against UTSA

The boos started before the touchdowns.

What was left of the student section after halftime had seen enough. For the second straight game, Colorado State football’s offense sputtered. Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi couldn’t shake the same shaky form that defined his outing against Northern Colorado, and Canvas Stadium grew restless. By the time UTSA put away the game 17-16, the chants coming down from the east stands came and went.

It wasn’t just typical disgruntled crowd noise after one bad play though.

It was the culmination of constant chatter throughout the bye week, throughout the year and, at times, throughout Fowler-Nicolosi’s career. Just recently, speculation circulated the CSU sports sphere about a change in signal caller, which made the pressure to perform well against a leaky defense all that more intense.

Head coach Jay Norvell had received his fair share of criticism as well — questions about his quarterback, questions about his own contract, questions about playcalling — the common experience for a coach.

But eventually, he made the change.

“Brayden played the first three quarters and struggled a little bit; we weren’t able to move the ball,” Norvell said. “I thought (Jackson Brousseau) deserved an opportunity to come in. He came in in the fourth quarter, did a really nice job. I think he was 10 for 12 throwing the football. (He) really just handled his plays very positively and allowed us to score a couple times and give us a shot to win at the end of the game.”

Before the chants turned into cheers, the defense fought all game to keep the Rams afloat against a premier Roadrunner offense. Owen Long laid a hit on an early Roadrunner reception, Jake Jarmolowich mid-game shoestring stop saved a would-be touchdown and Lemondre Joe came up big yet again with an improbable interception.

Even Bryan Hansen showed off his leg and boomed a 62-yard punt that pinned UTSA deep at one point.

But flags kept the good in check , again.

Soon after the start of the second quarter, CSU already had five penalties for 65 yards, a mess that slowed any rhythm. And then, of course there was Robert Henry Jr., the nation’s leading rusher, who had been relatively bottled up until he wasn’t.

One hole. One cut.

With just over 10 minutes before halftime, Henry broke free for a 76-yard touchdown.

“I have a lot of respect for Henry,” Norvell said. “I think he’s an NFL running back. And the way that we fought him today and played good, solid run defense, he got out one time on us, but I thought that was a real positive for us.”

The Rams had chances to answer but squandered them.

Fowler-Nicolosi connected with Armani Winfield on a 47-yard strike and then appeared to cap the drive with a clever design that left Beers uncovered in the end zone. Canvas cheered and then fell silent with another yellow flag. A touchdown came off the board, and CSU settled for three.

At halftime, the Rams had seven penalties for 85 yards and only those three points. By the end of the third quarter the three was still burned into the scoreboard.

That’s when Norvell finally pulled the trigger, and that’s when Brousseau trotted out to lead the huddle.

“You (have got to) do it every single day,” Brousseau said. “It starts back in January, just preparing like you’re gonna be the guy every single day. The process never changes, and you just (have got to) be ready for your number (to be) called.”

The change wasn’t dramatic, but it was steady.

Short throws. On-time passes. A rhythm that had been missing all night. His first sustained drive ended with a touchdown toss to Beers, and suddenly Canvas was buzzing again with a much smaller crowd.

Meanwhile, the defense held its line.

Henry’s long run and a late 74-yard catch-and-run was the only true breakdowns. Otherwise, CSU held a team that averages over 30 points per game to just 17.

“You look to your left, you look to your right, and you got just 11 dudes that, you know, they’re giving their body every play,” Long said. “And you know, it’s fun to be a part of. And I mean, ultimately, you know, we’re frustrated with the outcome of the game, but you know, we’ll get back to work and get back to the drawing board. That’s the cool thing about football. A week from today, we’re right back at it.”

Norvell said that didn’t suprise him.

“I liked our defense in the spring; I liked our defense in the summer,” Norvell said. “They’re playing together, which is what I’m very pleased about. (Owen McCown) has been throwing for alot more yards than he threw tonight, and so we held them under their averages. And I think that’s what we’re capable of doing as a team. It doesn’t surprise me one bit.”

With under a minute left, Brousseau found Beers again to pull CSU within one. Norvell sent the kicking unit out — then waved them off after a UTSA offsides. Half the distance, momentum swinging.

“I like the play that we had; I thought it was the right play,” Norvell said. “After the penalty is what really made me decide to do it. If we wouldn’t of had the penalty, I wouldn’t have went for it. But we did, so I felt like that gave us an opportunity to get it.”

Tahj Bullock rolled right and Lloyd Avant slipped to the back of the end zone.

They was just one point and a few inches short.

“I loved the play call,” Brousseau said. “Putting the ball in Tahj’s hands — he’s dynamic, and we just didn’t execute. But the fact that you have a coach that’s willing to take a point off the board because he thought you had the momentum to win, it means everything to us. We want to play for someone who wants to win a game like that. That’s something we can rally around.”

The quarterback question still lingers though.

“It’s too soon to say,” Norvell said. “But (Brousseau) getting a chance to play tonight will help us. The team responded to him. We’ll look at that, and we’ll do what’s best for the team.”

Norvell seems to still back Fowler-Nicolosi, and was non commital on the starter next week.

“I just think he needs a break, and he needs somebody else in there so he can see it,” Norvell said. “I’m hoping that he will take a step back and look at his play and work on the things that can help him be better. Nobody wants him to be better than us. It’s frustrating right now the way we’ve played the last two weeks, so we’ve got to find a solution to that.”

Norvell is searching for those solutions.

But what fans also saw was a defense that refused to fold, a backup quarterback ready for his moment, and a team that still had the ball in its hands with a chance to win.

Even after a loss hope remains.

The Rams get another chance Sept. 27 against Washington State.

Reach Michael Hovey at sports@collegian.com or on social media @michaelfhovey.