After two road victories against New Mexico and Fresno State, the Rams picked up right where they left off at home against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The Rams came out firing on all cylinders, looking to make a statement in front of the Ram faithful. They got the crowd out of their seats early with a 99-yard kick return on the first play of the game by cornerback Anthony Hawkins.

This kick return gave the Rams early momentum that set the tone for the rest of the game. On the first defensive possession of the game, the Rams were flying all over the field and making plays.

Safety Logan Stewart completed his first sack of the season as the Rebels were forced to punt. After a great punt return from freshman Dante Wright, the Rams were put in excellent field position at the Rebels’ 18-yard line. It only took one play from Marcus McElroy to punch the ball in from the 18-yard line for a CSU touchdown.

“Loved how we started fast,” Head Coach Mike Bobo said. “It was good to see us fed up and take it to the field. That was something we haven’t done. It was a total team effort, and I’m proud of my guys.”

Special teams were the name of the game for the Rams. The special teams unit had multiple returns throughout the first half that left the offense with great field position in Rebel territory. The Rams were perfect in the red zone in the first half; capitalizing on great field position played a big role in their 24-0 halftime lead.

The Rebels found themselves in an unusual hole at halftime. UNLV was down a massive 24 points while having more yards than the Rams and zero turnovers on the stat line. The shocking point margin at halftime shows how great the Rams’ special teams played in the first half.

Coming out of halftime, the Rebels found a little rhythm to get themselves back into the game. They were able to put together a drive, marching down field to tack on a field goal, making the score 24-3. The Rams would soon respond with a field goal of their own to extend the lead 27-3.

To start the fourth quarter, the Rams went on a five minute drive downfield that ended in another field goal, making the score 30-3 Rams. This drive cemented the outcome of the game. During the five minute drive, Rams wide receiver Warren Jackson set the CSU record for most receiving yards through four games with 657.

Jackson has been spectacular through the past four weeks, tallying 657 yards and four touchdowns in this span. He has been a focal point of the offense and needs to be for the rest of the season.

“When I got injured, it really made me feel down. I couldn’t help the team, and watching the offense struggle really hurt me,” Jackson said. “When I got the green light to go, I wanted to make sure that I would never feel that way again.”

With seven minutes left in the game, the Rebels added to the scoreboard with a touchdown of their own, making the score 30-10. The Rams would answer, scoring another touchdown, making the score 37-10. The Rebels added a garbage time touchdown with a minute left in the game, making the final score 37-17.

Great special teams play and taking care of the football led the Rams to their third straight victory of the season.

This third straight win marks a turning point for CSU football. Only a few weeks ago, Bobo seemed to be in the hot seat, but now he finds himself at the reigns of a team that’s not willing to give up.

With a bye week coming up, the Rams will need to use this week off to take advantage of their good form. All attention needs to be focused toward preparing for the road to the post season. They are coming up against three opponents at the top of the Mountain West.

First, the Rams will take on Air Force at home, who, after beating Army this Saturday, have a commanding 7-2 record. Then comes the Border War against Wyoming, a series that CSU has lost the past three years. Finally is a game against Boise State, a team who currently holds the top spot in the Mountain West.

The road to the post season is not going to be easy. But if the Rams are able to keep their momentum, Bobo behind a team of green and gold could make a run into the post season.

Junior Guerrero can be reached at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @juniorg45.