How do you follow up the game of the year?
An away win against a 5-1 conference rival might just do that.
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Colorado State will travel to take on UNLV in Allegiant Stadium Oct. 21. For head coach Jay Norvell, UNLV is a familiar foe from his time in Nevada.
“It’s a little different,” Norvell said. “It was a big rivalry when we were at Nevada and we were playing for the cannon. … I’m just really excited to go back there. I really do love to go to Vegas; I love to play at Allegiant Stadium.”
Norvell often played UNLV in the Silver State rivalry, but this will be his first time taking on the Rebels in green and gold.
This isn’t quite a must-win game for the Rams, but it might be their most winnable out of their next four. After this game, they will face Air Force, Wyoming and San Diego State before they play Nevada and Hawaii.
A win this weekend and against Nevada and Hawaii would get the team to the six wins needed to be bowl-eligible.
“Big challenge for us to go to Vegas and play the (Rebels),” Norvell said. “They have a quality team, and it’s going to be a big challenge for us.”
Offense
Norvell said the CSU analytics team predicted that the odds of getting an onside kick is 10%, the odds of a successful Hail Mary is 10% and the odds of doing both are one in a 1,000.
Scoring all 31 of their points against Boise State in the second half, the team finally showed some of what they had looked like prior to the Utah State catastrophe.
“We never say die,” wide receiver Louis Brown IV said. “We have to fight to the end (and) give 100% (on) every play, every rep. That’s what we did in that fourth quarter.”
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Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi was hailed with a multitude of awards on Monday, including Mountain West Freshman of the Week, the Davey O’Brien Great 8, the Manning Award Stars of the Week and an Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Honorable Mention.
“(I’ve) definitely seen a different type of quarterback from the first half to the second half,” Brown said. “He just got into Brayden mode — he just did what he had to do to help our offense and bring us back into the game.”
UNLV has one of the best rushing defenses in the MW, and unfortunately for the Rams, Norvell announced that running back Kobe Johnson is dealing with a serious injury and will redshirt this season.
Getting in a rhythm will be key for the offense, and starting fast can be a big factor in developing that rhythm.
“We always want to start fast, and that’s really important,” Norvell said. “I just feel like we have a sense of urgency as a team.”
Watch for: a record-breaking day for Dallin Holker
Holker has caught a touchdown in every game this season except for one. With his most recent one, he tied Kivon Cartwright and Kory Sperry at six, which is the record for most in a season by a tight end.
Defense
Before getting into the game preview for the defense, it’s important to note that first-year defensive lineman Kennedy McDowell, who was carted off the field on Saturday, has been released from the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.
“Our trainers and our medical staff did an amazing job,” Norvell said.
Although the holes were big for Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, the Rams held the QB rushing attack of Boise in check — something Norvell said was a key to their victory.
Jayden Maiava has been neck and neck with Fowler-Nicolosi for one of the best new quarterbacks in the conference. The redshirt freshman is coming off of a breakout game where he completed 80% of his passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns.
Maiava has only thrown two interceptions this season, and while capable as a runner, he isn’t a barn burner on the ground.
The Rebels are a +9 in turnover differential and have the best ratio in the MW. It will be a key for the Rams to keep the turnover battle close.
“That’s one thing we harp on every week is the turnover battle,” linebacker Justin Sanchez said. “We have to get turnovers, and the offense has to hold the ball and secure the ball.”
While Maiava has been good to start the season, it’s a lot easier to do so when your running game is as lethal as UNLV’s. They’ve averaged 221.5 yards per game this season and usually rush four backs, meaning their backfield is almost always fresh.
So far this season, the Rams have allowed an average of 162 yards per game and will need to buckle up in order to go into Allegiant Stadium and keep a team who is looking to go bowl eligible this week at five wins.
“They’re the highest scoring team in the league right now,” Norvell said. “We’re going to have to get our arms around that and slow them down. I thought our defense did a good job of adjusting to Boise and just managing areas of the game.”
Watch for: the run defense
The Rams did a good job at controlling Jeanty in the second half of their game against Boise. If they can keep that momentum and prevent the UNLV rushing attack from carving them up, they’ll be in good shape come Saturday.
Reach Damon Cook at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @dwcook2001.
