Comatose got its reps in.
Colorado State football took on Northern Colorado in their first home game of the season. After a blowout loss to Texas in week one, the Rams bounced back in a big way.
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The first half was CSU’s. The Rams ended the half up 24-7, a stark contrast from their situation just a week ago. The offense seemed to finally hit a stride.
The defense, on the other hand, played just good enough. Linebacker Buom Jock reflected on the defensive play throughout the entire game against the Bears.
“I really feel like we showed a lot of good things out there,” Jock said. “It’s a big game next week — and I feel like we put some good things on tape, but I really feel like there’s some things we need to improve on.”
With a packed student section amid an orange-out, CSU had an energy advantage from the start. The marching band participated in the March to Victory, a new feature for game day which leads fans from the tailgate directly into Canvas Stadium. The Rams also unveiled a brand-new battering ram, which they used to unleash the team from the tunnel.
On top of that, the CSU community witnessed the immortalization of Lt. Col. John Mosley just before kickoff. The city of Fort Collins officially claimed September 7, 2024 for Mosley, a CSU Athletics Hall of Fame inductee and the first Black football player in the then Mountain States Conference. Coach Jay Norvell got a chance to spend time with Mosley’s family in the days prior.
“I just thought it was outstanding how our administration honored them,” Norvell said. “It just shows you what kind of place CSU is — (a place) where people like John Mosley can come and accomplish all the amazing things he accomplished.”
Besides the retirement of No. 14, the highlight of the day came from the first offensive possession for the Rams — a 78-yard punt return touchdown from the current No. 14, Tory Horton.
The star receiver remained relatively quiet the rest of the game until he hauled in a 31-yard pass early in the third quarter — and went down with an injury. Unfortunately, the team doesn’t have enough information to make an official statement regarding the wide receiver’s status.
The Rams dominated on the ground with 246 total yards across eight rushers. Running back Justin Marshall had a strong showing with 67 yards, but fellow back Keegan Holles stole the show to the tune of 89 yards and a touchdown.
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The second half kicked off in an opposite fashion. The Rams came out of halftime with three-straight incompletions, which was followed by a massive 50-yard touchdown pass from the Bears.
CSU wasn’t having it. Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi responded with a perfectly placed deep throw to Caleb Goodie for a 40-yard touchdown to regain momentum. The 170-pound sophomore showed fans that size doesn’t matter when you have the speed he possesses.
“I (have) just got to be ready when it’s my moment,” Goodie said.
Despite the electric play, the rest of the third quarter was a back and forth battle. To seal out the game, Avery Morrow rumbled in for a tough 8-yard touchdown run while UNC kicked an impressive, albeit futile, 53-yard field goal. After a failed onside-kick attempt, the game was all but set.
Surprisingly, the Rams found success in the run against the Bears despite being labeled an air raid offense coming into the season. The running back depth has proved to be greater than anticipated and may have more of an influence on the game plan moving forward.
“We’re just getting started as a team,” Norvell said. “I think we’ll gain a lot of confidence from tonight’s game, but we’re going to see a lot better opponents as we move forward, and we’ve got to continue to improve.”
Reach Michael Hovey at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @michaelfhovey.
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