SAN MARCOS — Kenny McClendon isn’t Superman.
The first-time defensive coordinator was not an instant fix for a Colorado State football defense that continued to struggle to contain an opposing offense in its 66-27 loss to Texas State.
The Bobcats struck for 45 points and 473 yards of offense in the first half. The second half simply was not any better.
21 additional points and 243 additional yards of offense for TXST came in the second half. Any halftime adjustments that CSU made were not enough to contain the Bobcats’ high-powered offense.
TXST set a new program record for most yards in a game, putting up 716 yards of offense.
After former defensive coordinator Tyson Summers was relieved of his playcalling duties and left the program during CSU’s Week 5 matchup against Oregon State, McClendon took over as the defensive play caller for the Rams.
McClendon was unable to help the defense course correct during the Week 6 bye week, as the defense surrendered more than 50 points for the third consecutive week. The 66 points surrendered by the defense are a season-high.
TXST quarterback Brad Jackson demonstrated his dual-threat ability, passing for 213 yards and one touchdown, while rushing for 181 more yards and an additional three touchdowns.
Running back Torrance Burgess Jr. also helped with the TXST rushing attack, putting up 224 yards and four touchdowns on a CSU defense that ranks towards the bottom of the nation.
The Bobcats were able to rush for 503 yards and eight touchdowns in total, marking yet another loss for the Rams this season in which they were not able to contain the run.
The same struggles continue to plague the Rams on defense. Missed tackles, blown coverages and an inability to adjust to the opposing team’s game plan all are issues that appear week-in and week-out for CSU, and this week’s matchup was no different.
The Rams were only able to muster two tackles for a loss compared to the Bobcats’ seven.
On the offensive side of the ball, however, the Rams continue to click. K’saan Farrar made his third consecutive start in place of injured quarterback Hauss Hejny, and continued to shine.
Farrar finished the day with 282 yards and two touchdowns, completing 63% of his passes. The offense put up a respectable 27 points, shaking off a sluggish start and putting up over 400 yards of offense on the day.
Running back Durrell Robinson also got in on the action, finding the end zone twice.
In most cases, an offense that puts up 27 points on the road is likely in a good position to win, if not make the game close. Instead, throughout the season, the CSU offense has consistently put up points, but the team continues to fall short due to the continuous defensive issues.
Road games are always difficult, but it’s hard to find a way to win when the defense allows more than 60 points in a game. The CSU defense was unable to get to Jackson on the small handful of drop backs he had, and the Bobcats were able to break seemingly every tackle attempt that came their way.
After Week 2, this same CSU defense was near the top of the country in turnovers forced. Since then, the Rams have struggled to make plays on the defensive side of the ball. The difficulties forcing turnovers continued this week, with the only turnover the CSU defense forced coming on a muffed punt.
The Rams were finally able to stop the bleeding in the fourth quarter, not allowing a single score. Too little, too late for a defense that could not get off the field for a majority of the game. At this point in the game, the CSU offense had stalled and also was unable to score in the fourth quarter.
In the first-ever matchup between CSU and TXST on the gridiron, the Bobcats were able take control from the jump and never gave the Rams a chance to get close.
The Rams now turn their focus to their Week 8 matchup against San Diego State, which will kick off at 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 24 at Canvas Stadium.
Reach Jack Randels at sports@collegian.com or on social media @jackrandelsmedia.
