For the second week in a row, the fate of Ram Nation rested in the hands of the defense.
Maybe a sense of deja vu, Paddy Turner once again pinned the opponent inside the 20, and out came the the CSU defense. This time, they pulled through, as the team took home their first victory 31-23 against Middle Tennessee.
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The Rams’ offense was feeling good having another good week. The Rams’ coaching staff was also in their bag, dialing up a fake field goal that led to a connection between Dallin Holker and Giles Pooler. The completion was Pooler’s first career touchdown.
As the Rams’ offense started humming in the first quarter, it looked like they would be poised to take complete control of the game. Wide receiver Caleb Goodie torched his man off the line of scrimmage, and Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi put it in a good spot.
However, a drop by Goodie led to a Blue Raider interception and was a killer for the Rams’ momentum.
The Rams then struggled on offense for a little bit in hostile territory, punting on their next four drives.
As it looked like the Blue Raiders were going to yank momentum heavily in their favor, Justus Ross Simmons yanked it back.
Ross-Simmons’ 47-yard scamper led to Tory Horton‘s touchdown. While the Rams’ offense had a great day, as a team, the Rams struggled with penalties. Again, they were the most penalized team in the game, getting called 11 times for 90 yards.
The Rams defense really struggled in the first half. Mohammed Kamara missed that half serving his suspension, and it showed. However, once he returned, the defense seemed like an entirely different unit.
In one half of play, Kamara added another sack to his now season total of four and a fumble recovery for a touchdown.
After the Rams defense turned the Blue Raiders over on fourth down, the ball was back in the hands of Fowler-Nicolosi and the Rams’ offense.
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The very next defensive possession for the Rams, Kamara went right back to work, picking up a botched end around and scoring for the Rams.
Getting the ball into the playmakers’ hands is something Norvell has preached a lot throughout the season. Well, the Rams did just that.
Tory Horton’s 10 for 99-yard day was highlighted on his second touchdown of the game, where he snagged a one-handed ball in the back of the endzone on blown coverage by MTSU.
Holker trampled the Blue Raiders, bringing a new meaning to ground and pound. Holker rammed through defenders, almost as if he was seeking defenders’ contact. Holker added another 11 catches and 112 yards, including 79 after the catch.
CSU football will return home for Ag Day Sept. 30 to take on Utah Tech. The 5 p.m. game will be the first game back at home for the Rams since week 1. UT is 1-4 heading into next week’s game, coming off a 59-14 blowout loss to Missouri State.
Reach Damon Cook at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @dwcook2001.
