Prior to underperforming offensively last week at Utah State, Colorado State football looked like the best passing offense in the Mountain West heading into conference play. The performance against USU showed that the Rams still have some work to do to fulfill their potential.

The Rams looked like the team they’ve been all season in the first quarter: aggressive in the air and rampant on the defensive front. Tory Horton showcased his incredible talent with a punt return to the house for the game’s first touchdown, and Mohamed Kamara was a force to be reckoned with, accumulating three sacks.

After the first quarter, CSU showed some uncharacteristic attributes. The offense struggled to get anything going, and the defense created holes for the Aggie offense to explode through.

“We did not play with any rhythm on offense,” head coach Jay Norvell said. “Every game isn’t going to be exactly the same, and so we have to do a better job of adjusting and playing through different opponents. Defensively, we played well in spurts, but we gave up too many big plays. I think that was the biggest thing that we are majorly concerned about is the big plays that were given up.”

Heading into the second week of conference play, the Rams look to recoup on both sides of the ball and bounce back with a big win against Boise State for CSU’s annual Homecoming game.

Since joining the Mountain West in 2011, the Broncos have held a perfect record of 12-0 over CSU.

Offense

Last week, the Rams seemed completely out of tune on offense. Heading into their matchup against Boise, it is crucial for the Rams to reignite what they achieved against Utah Tech and not only find the aggressiveness in the air but be assertive on the ground as well.

“We’ve got to do a good job protecting our quarterback,” Norvell said. “We’ve got to do a better job of spreading the football around in this game and getting our playmakers involved. And it’s always important that you run the ball effectively against Boise when you play them. So special teams’s got to continue to be a factor. But this is an important conference game for us.”

After throwing for 462 yards and four touchdowns against Utah Tech, Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi had a considerable setback against Utah State. He failed to throw for a passing touchdown and threw three interceptions.

Horton, who was injured on a big hit in the second quarter and is hopeful to play on Saturday against Boise, Norvell said, had just three receptions for 20 yards on offense against Utah State.

The Boise State matchup sets up the Rams offense to rebound after a defeat to Utah State. The Broncos defense has shown signs of exposing holes in their secondary, something that Norvell and his offense will look to take advantage of.

“After a loss, it just hits you a little differently, and you really want to get that win that next week,” Dallin Holker said. “So I think it’s just kind of different. Everything’s a little different. It wakes you up a little bit more.”

Watch: The offensive line

Despite failing to create any sort of momentum in offense against Utah State, there was one bright spot: the offensive line. The Rams offensive line only allowed one sack last game and has kept Fowler-Nicolosi safe this season. They will look to have a big performance against a well-put-together Boise defensive line.

“It’s one of our strongest statistical areas right now as minus yardage plays,” Norvell said. “We’re not giving up sacks; we’re not giving up my minus-yardage plays on offense. I’m proud of our offensive line right now. They’re doing a good job of protecting the quarterback.”

Defense

Defensively, the biggest takeaway against Utah State was giving up big plays. The Rams defense allowed a handful of big-yardage plays, including touchdowns of 76 and 51 yards.

“It’s frustrating, you know, because when you look at the film, guys are playing hard — it’s not a lack of effort or anything like that,” defensive lineman Cam Bariteau said. “It’s really just mental mistakes that we need to go over and just really clean up now. We need to stop playing like we’re scared to mess up. We need to go out there and be ready to make plays and know we’re going to make the plays.”

Outside of the large plays, the defense held up against USU. They recorded six total sacks and forced three turnovers but were beaten by the big plays.

Kamara, who was injured in the third quarter, is also hopeful to play against Boise, Norvell said, and has been a consistent bright spot for the Rams defense. He recorded three sacks and moved himself to third in the all-time CSU sacks leaders. If he plays, look for him to have another big performance for the Rams defense.

Watch: The secondary

Boise will be a huge test for the Rams secondary. The defensive line has shown up time and time again by making crucial plays in crucial spots, but the secondary has yet to have their moment. This matchup will consist of huge plays in the air, and the secondary will need to be at their absolute best to contribute to a win.

Reach Ben Fairly at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @benjaminfairly.