(Travis Green/CTV11 Sports)

***

Mike Bobo didn’t mince words after Saturday’s 41-10 thrashing at the hands of Boise State.

The first-year coach is tired of his team making mistakes. But he’s also tired of hearing about where the Rams could or should be had they made one or two extra plays to help them win.

“We’re 2-4, that’s what we are and we need to realize that,” Bobo said after Saturday’s game. “We could keep saying, ‘We could of, would of, should of,” — but we didn’t. We’re 2-4, we’ve got to back to work and worry about this week, to try to get this win, instead of talking about what we could have done or should have done.”

In two losses, CSU was within a play or two of beating Minnesota and Colorado. Against Utah State, the Rams were more than a few plays away in their 33-18 loss, but still had a chance to win in the fourth quarter. Saturday night, the Rams were smacked around from the opening kickoff. The Broncos, who re-entered the Top 25 this week, showed why they are considered the class of not only the Mountain West, but the entire Group of Five. 

After suffering just two losses during the 2014 regular season, the Rams have lost four of their first six this year, and are very possibly staring their first losing season since 2012 in the face. Things don’t get much easier against Air Force, which boasts one of the best rushing attacks in the country, but as quarterback Nick Stevens said postgame, if there’s a time to turn things around, it’s now.

“I think we definitely need to jump on this quick and get more disciplined as a team,” Stevens said. “If it’s going to be any time, it should be now because we can’t really afford to have any more games like this.”

Growing pains were expected with a new coaching staff, along with having to replace a number of key players. But Colorado State has beat itself each week, players say. Turnovers, penalties and allowing explosive plays have been the culprit most often, and all three hurt CSU Saturday night. The Rams turned the ball over three times, allowed three touchdowns of 50 yards or more and were penalized nine times for 93 yards. Seniors, like safety Kevin Pierre-Louis, realize their window of games is dwindling, but haven’t given up hope on this season. 

“I don’t think this season is gone — it’s definitely not lost yet,” Pierre-Louis said. “We’re going to continue working and continue doing what we’re doing. We’ve got a lot of football left, and as a senior, I think I have a lot of football left, and as as a team, I believe in this group and I believe we’re going to do good things this year.” 

Collegian Senior Sports Reporter Keegan Pope can be reached at kpope@collegian.com and on Twitter @ByKeeganPope.