It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.

For those who were chanting “get him off” about Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi’s abysmal performance against UTSA, it’s the best of times; however, for BFN himself, at this point, it feels as if the end is near — if it hasn’t already been reached.

In the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game, Colorado State‘s head coach Jay Norvell finally changed the trajectory of what he has been preaching all season by taking Fowler-Nicolosi out of the equation. Then came in backup quarterback Jackson Brousseau.

But backup no more.

“(Brousseau) is an excellent communicator, which is so vital for the quarterback position. And he handles coaching well, you know. I think the biggest thing that we were really excited about was when he went into the game. I mean, he really executed things the way that we wanted him to,” –Jay Norvell, CSU football head coach

“We’re going to start Jackson,” Norvell said. “He’s the kind of guy that does exactly what you ask him to do. And I told him this morning, I sat down with him and told him how proud I was of him, of how he’s handled himself as a backup.

“You know, it’s not easy to prepare yourself every week and not know if you’re going to play or not, and I think he’s done a fantastic job of that. He did a great job in the game with his two drives.”

With about 12 minutes left in the fourth, No. 16 left the field, and in his place No. 7 emerged, with cheers erupting from Canvas, confirming Norvell made the right call. And after six minutes passed on the clock, the Rams got their first touchdown after having struggled to get anything more than a field goal.

Since fans got to witness Fowler-Nicolosi’s start to the 2025 season against Washington, speculation began to rise about his growth compared to his first year, especially his inconsistent back-foot throws.

Yet at some point, it just became too much, or in this case, too little.

“I don’t think there’s any question that the team supports Jackson, but I think it was more about execution,” Norvell said. “He came in and he did his job and he executed, and everybody else responded. … Our kids believe in each other. They care about each other. They love one another, and I think that’s evident.”

From the moment Brousseau stepped onto the field, there was a noticeable shift, a sense of chemistry between him and his playmakers that had been lacking for the better part of the game.

And with two solid drives after a virtually scoreless three quarters, saving the Rams from what could have been a complete blowout, Brousseau set himself up for that starting position in the coming games. But now the pressure is on.

The entire practice season with the ones has been dedicated to meshing Fowler-Nicolosi with his offense. But now that it’s Brousseau behind center, there’s limited time to build that connection on the field.

“You have to develop that chemistry and closeness because you’re going to hit adversity,” Norvell said. “We’ve got to continue to develop that. We’ve made huge strides in training camp and in the first three games, and we’re not exactly where we want to be. But we’ve got a lot of our football in front of us, and we need to continue to press to get cleaner execution in all areas.”

And to make its record a winning one, that clean execution starts with the quarterback, which Norvell already seems to have a handle on.

So what does this mean for Fowler-Nicolosi?

Norvell is quick to point out the number of games Fowler-Nicolosi has won for CSU and consistently supports his quarterback, even in times of uncertainty. Yet this coming game against Washington State will be very telling, as Norvell has yet to confirm the future of the quarterback room beyond Saturday.

But for now, Norvell’s confidence lies in Brousseau.

“He’s an excellent communicator, which is so vital for the quarterback position,” Norvell said. “And he handles coaching well, you know. I think the biggest thing that we were really excited about was when he went into the game. I mean, he really executed things the way that we wanted him to.”

And as the Rams adjust to their new quarterback, their opponent is facing a similar adjustment, as Zevi Eckhaus has been named as WSU’s starting quarterback after a solid performance against UW.

In a situation that sounds all too familiar, the Cougars’ primary quarterback wasn’t performing at the rate needed, so Eckhaus came out and ignited that spark, completing 26 of 37 passes for 279 yards.

WSU also has a very large turnover in its roster, making it a little harder to predict the capabilities of the Cougars.

“When you get drastic turnover on a roster, you’re not quite sure what to expect,” Norvell said. “We learned about what we can do in a close game and how we can play, and so that was important. And I know a lot more about our kids than I did before Saturday, and I think that’s going to benefit us moving forward.”

Fowler-Nicolosi has been the team’s starting quarterback for three years after assuming the position from Clay Millen, leading Millen to transfer out. Now fans are realizing that the rope Norvell has thrown BFN will eventually be cut loose.

So will this be a full-circle moment? And is Brousseau going to be what Norvell thought Fowler-Nicolosi could have been?

Only time will tell.

“We just need a guy that can manage it and put people in position and let the skill players do what they do best,” Norvell said. “And (Brousseau) does a great job of that. … He’s a winner.”

Reach Sophie Webb at sports@collegian.com or on social media @sophgwebb.

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