Aria Paul
Running back Javion Kinnard (24) makes a run with the ball during the Homecoming game against Hawaii at Canvas Stadium Oct 18.
Sometimes, a small flame can be extinguished quickly.
Colorado State football looked the best it had all season just a week ago against Fresno State, but it didn’t quite last. The Rams fell to Hawaii 31-19 Saturday. Besides a few sparks on the offense, CSU couldn’t get anything consistent going while doing what it could defensively against a talented Rainbow Warriors offense.
UH playmakers flash
Micah Alejado got his flowers last week as MW Freshman of the Week, and he showed Fort Collins why he deserved it.
The true freshman took over the game, throwing for 301 passing yards and 3 touchdowns and one interception while going 26-for-38. The star quarterback’s agility and precision combined for a deadly performance, and he only threw a handful of poor passes, one being the interception he gave up.
UH’s receivers got wide-open on several occasions, and Alejado’s ability to extend plays outside of the pocket made a difference.
CSU offense heats up late
In the fourth quarter alone, the Rams racked up 261 total yards.
Before CSU’s final drive of the first half, the offense had only 57 total yards.
Things picked up as the game went on, but consistency wasn’t present in the first half. The rushing attack, at times, also wasn’t as effective as it’s been in the past, but CSU’s backfield committee still averaged 4.8 yards per carry and finished with 94 yards on the ground.
Jackson Brousseau finished the game 15-for-29 with 176 passing yards and 1 touchdown. The Rams also gave up six sacks in the contest.
Special teams provides boost
The punt and punt return units made up some ground the offense was lacking.
Notably, Javion Kinnard scored CSU’s first touchdown of the night on a record-tying 91-yard punt return. Kinnard did not register a carry against UH, but he contributed in the receiving game.
Bryan Hansen also pinned the Rainbow Warrior on their own 1-yard line after the punt team tagged a bounding kick perfectly.
CSU continues looking for consistency
It was a tale of two halves for the Rams, and they hung in with one of the better teams in the conference in the end.
After stringing together two 75+ yard drives in the fourth quarter, it seems like the adjustments on offense needed to come a little sooner and with more urgency. Going for two 2-point conversions when they weren’t necessary also put the game a little more out of reach, but the defense held up enough to make the game two possessions with all things considered.
Special teams and playmakers like Kinnard made the contest closer than it felt at certain points, but capitalizing on momentum is something Jay Norvell has mentioned many times in the past.
CSU gets its next chance against Wyoming at 5:30 Oct. 25 in Laramie.
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Reach Michael Hovey at sports@collegian.com or on social media @michaelfhovey.