Colorado State University Athletics
Football Opens MWC Play
9/23/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Fort Collins, Colo. - Colorado State University's football team opens Mountain West Conference play Saturday by playing host to the University of Utah
Kickoff Saturday is at 4:30 p.m. MT (no local t.v. coverage; radio: Colorado State Sports Network) at Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium in Fort Collins..
The Utes, 2-1, are coming off an emotional win over California Sept. 10 and had a bye last week. In Lubick's mind, that presents extra challenges for his 2-2 team that is still smarting from last week's loss to Miami of Ohio.
"Utah will have had 12 days to prepare, and I'm sure they probably will have put some new stuff in. They will try and catch us off guard," he said. "We'll just have to make some adjustments."
One of the adjustments the Rams hope to make is re-establishing the team's ground game. The Rams managed just 39 yards on 29 carries in last week's game.
"They have a lot of good players," said Lubick. "They are real physical on the offensive and defensive line. They are going to be tough to run against."
"This will be a good football game. Utah is good," said Lubick. "It seems like every time we play, it's a close game that comes down to the fourth quarter."
A year ago, the Rams won in Salt Lake City, 28-20, and enter Saturday's matchup having won four games in a row in the series.
While Lubick and his staff will prepare the team on the field for Saturday's conference opener, the veteran coach says some changes will need to be mental.
"It comes down to being consistent, being a little tougher, and being hungry," he said.
Colorado State will also have to contend with one of the nation's top rushers, senior Brandon Warfield., who is averaging 149.3 yards per game, third best nationally.
"He looks like a big, strong runningback - a tough guy," said Lubick. "He gets in the secondary, he's hard to bring down."
The game also marks the return of former Rams' assistant coach Urban Meyer, now Utah's head coach, who coached at CSU from 1990-95. Meyer's wide receivers coach is Billy Gonzales, a four-year letterwinner at Colorado State who also played for Lubick.
Tickets are available by calling 491-RAMS, tolll-free, 1-800-491-RAMS, or online, CSURAMS.com.
