2009 football outlook: Why not Colorado State?

March 25, 2009

Spring football prospectus / Spring practice schedule

By Zak Gilbert
Athletic Media Relations

FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- Like the Rams' two new athletic facilities rising near Moby Arena, Colorado State's football program needed to solidify a foundation before it could grow.

That foundation - after a resounding 40-35 triumph in the New Mexico Bowl to stamp an exclamation point on Steve Fairchild's first season as head coach - is now in place. So, where do the Rams go from here? Well, the road doesn't get any easier.

"Last year, we trained hard and made a step in the right direction," Fairchild said. "But the first steps are always the easiest. And now as we try to build back into the elite-type team that we think we can be, those next few steps are harder."

So, this offseason, Fairchild and his staff turned up the volume on the team's conditioning program, including the grueling mat drills that begin at 6 a.m. two days per week. The Rams did more of the mat drills, started them earlier, and changed some of the things they did compared to last offseason, so the drills became more difficult.

"I like the way our team's responded," Fairchild said, "but we're still a long way off from being a good football team and we just need to keep working."

Work they will, beginning this week when spring practice kicks off. The Rams are leaps and bounds ahead of where they were a year ago, thanks in part to the two weeks of bonus practice they earned prior to their bowl game in December.

The Rams will use that springboard to take the next step. And, unlike last year, when results were not the defining aspect of CSU in its first season of a new era, the Rams are up and running. Results now will start to define where they want to go.

"What we needed to define us last year was establishing a toughness, a work ethic, an accountability in the way we operated, and I think we did that," Fairchild said. "And now I'd like to start aiming at something."

That something - at least in 2009 - still isn't entirely clear, because the Rams know they haven't earned the respect that comes with consistent success built of several winning seasons. But Fairchild certainly has a vision, looking forward to a team that legitimately challenges for the Mountain West title every year, and takes an occasional stab at a BCS bowl game.

Fairchild knows that level of success won't happen immediately, but he's communicating that vision to his team as it prepares for the upcoming campaign, so the Rams can at least eye the prize.

"And the thing I wanted to be very clear about with our coaches and our football team," he said, "everybody on campus, and anyone that has anything to do with Colorado State football, is I don't want to set that sight too low.

"And that's our message to our football team, `Why not us? Why can't we do something extra special?' And if we try and don't get there this year, so be it. But at least we aimed high."

And that was evident in early February, when the team began its first mat drills, the Rams certainly won't be shooting low in 2009. Every player and coach has a sense of what to expect. CSU isn't learning from the ground up like it was last season.

These Rams have experienced success, coming off the program's first winning season since 2003. They also understand what's expected, that they continue their upward trend, and to do that will require working harder than in 2008.

The first order of business, now that the first phase of the offseason program is history, is to begin assembling the fall depth chart, and there certainly are serious questions.

"But we had to fill some shoes last spring," Fairchild said. "Guys just have to step up and play and they know that. And we'll put the pieces together this spring. I'm really anxious to see what we look like this spring."

Offense
Football architects who subscribe to the theory that a successful team builds itself around a solid offensive line would fall in love with the 2009 CSU Rams. Without question, at least entering spring, that line is the strength of the team. And with the Rams needing to fill some gaping holes in their offensive backfield, returning four starters - all seniors - on the offensive line is a very good thing.

The line ushered Gartrell Johnson to the Mountain West rushing title in 2008, and if the offense is to enjoy success at that level this season, obviously, the Rams need to find a player who can replace the inspirational Johnson, a NFL Draft prospect.

In addition to its line, CSU returns both starting wide receivers, as well a jackpot of talented depth at that position. And if the Rams can find a successful quarterback - the same challenge that faced them before their 2008 bowl season - someone who can quickly build rapport and chemistry with that group of talented receivers, the Rams might be among the most exciting offenses in the nation.

Quarterback: Perhaps the biggest question the Rams need to answer before they get too far into August practices is who'll be under center. The bad news is that whoever that player is, he'll have no more than a handful of quarters of calling signals at the Division I level.

The good news is, CSU's offense and coaches overcame the same challenge just one year ago, and finished the year with a bowl victory and their best record in five years.

"It's exactly like last year," Fairchild said. "We have candidates, but we don't have anybody on our campus that's played a great deal of college football. So, we'll open it up. We'll let everyone compete. And when the time's right, when I'm comfortable, we'll name a starter. And that could be the first week or two in spring football. If it takes, like last year, through the summer, into August, then that's the way we'll do it."

Gone is Billy Farris, whose 2,934 passing yards in his only season as a starter were more than all but three passers in Rams history. Plus, the only other quarterback with a few quarters of snaps under his belt is Klay Kubiak, who is out this spring after shoulder surgery.

The first snaps in spring practice will go to Grant Stucker, who like Farris in 2008, is a senior with strong potential but little prior experience. Stucker led Ponderosa High School in Parker, Colo., to the state championship, but spent his college career behind some of the best passers in CSU annals, Justin Holland, Caleb Hanie and Farris.

Stucker took a handful of snaps in 2008 - the first of his career - but most were part of the Rams' offensive game plan. One of those planned snaps gave the Rams their first points on an 18-yard QB sneak against Fresno State in the New Mexico Bowl. So if Stucker is the starter is 2009, the Rams will have an added dimension, a legitimate running threat from their quarterback, something they haven't had since Bradlee Van Pelt earlier this decade.

Another candidate is newcomer Jon Eastman, a transfer from Snow College who led the Badgers to the 2008 junior-college national championship, where they lost in double overtime.

He'll compete with immensely talented redshirt freshman Alex Kelly, a first-team all-state selection as a senior at Rocky Mountain High School, just two miles south of the CSU campus. The southpaw signal caller got a head start on the spring with some quality reps during the Rams' preparations for the New Mexico Bowl.

Whoever emerges at the position, rest assured, the player won't be under coached. Two former CSU quarterbacks, Daren Wilkinson and Fairchild, won't rest until they've molded that player into a successful leader. Job security will be tough to achieve, too.

"Nothing's ever in granite around here," Fairchild said. "You get an opportunity everyday just to keep your job, and if you don't keep it, then we'll move the next guy in. We'll have good quarterback play here. I'm confident in our coaching ability, and I know we'll have outstanding contributions from such an important position. We proved that last year in similar circumstances."

Running Back: Like quarterback, the Rams are staring at a steep challenge in finding a starting running back. They not only lost Johnson to graduation, but also former 1,000-yard rusher Kyle Bell, who provided outstanding depth.

Two players could emerge in the battle, Miami native John Mosure, a quick and scrappy junior who has had several carries in his first two seasons, and newcomer Leonard Mason, a transfer from the College of the Desert.

Also in the mix are senior Alex Square, and a pair of redshirt freshmen in Micheal Connor and Jonathan Gaye, who hail respectively from the Lubbock, Texas, and Denver areas.

Zac Pauga returns to start at fullback, where redshirt freshman Jason Klingerman should make his college debut in 2009.

"We have to find, not necessarily who's replacing Gartrell, but how we're going to replace Gartrell," Fairchild said, "and whether it's one, two or three guys that are in there."

Wide Receiver: One year ago, Fairchild pulled no punches when he said he was most disappointed with the play of his receiver corps following spring practice. But the Rams made it their goal to turn that corps from a weakness into a strength by season's end, and that was a mission the team certainly accomplished.

So, entering 2009, not only do the Rams find themselves with a pair of outstanding returning starters - both seniors - in second-team all-conference selection Rashaun Greer, and Dion Morton, who matched the program's single-season record with 10 TD receptions last year, they also have a goldmine of talent at the position.

In fact, coaches believe they have enough talent at the position to push Greer and Morton for their starting jobs.

Greer, who had not even seen a pass in his direction prior to 2008, surfaced as one of the most dangerous threats in the conference, becoming CSU's first 1,000-yard receiver since David Anderson three years earlier. Morton, also a first-time starter, emerged as Farris' go-to target in the clutch, racking up double-digit touchdowns, including a critical acrobatic grab that all but guaranteed CSU's bowl eligibility in the regular-season finale.

Look for a pair of converted quarterbacks, T.J. Borcky, a 6-foot-4 pure athlete, and Matt Yemm, a fast, sure-handed player from Fort Collins, to challenge for playing time. Ryan Gardner is a legitimate senior target who can get open.

And, ready to spring forward at any minute, are redshirt freshmen Marquise Law from Miami, Fla., and Byron Steele, from Arlington, Texas. Both players have prototype frames and speed for their position.

"We should be some of the best receivers around and I'll be very disappointed if we're not because we're very talented there," Fairchild said. "That's my job as a coach to make sure we meet expectations, not just play well."

Also returning is letterman Tyson Liggett, and in the fall, watch for Jyrone Hickman - the cousin of Arizona Cardinals superstar Anquan Boldin - who is looking to rebound from an injury-plagued first year in Fort Collins.

Tight End: The Rams need to fill another obvious hole at tight end, where graduation claimed the always-dangerous Kory Sperry, but coaches aren't as concerned because Eric Peitz has been waiting patiently for this moment.

Peitz, a junior, was one of only two true freshmen to see the field in 2007, when he came in to replace an injured Sperry over the season's final 10 games. All told, Peitz has six career starts, and is expected to take the starting role and run with it in 2009.

Behind him are two big, veteran targets in junior Adam Seymore and senior Norman Gee. Both saw limited playing time with Sperry and Peitz in the fold last season, but each player should see his most snaps to date this season.

Offensive Line: Based solely on experience and stability, if it remains healthy, CSU should have one of the top lines in the nation this season.

Not only do the Rams return a senior starter at four of their five positions, they also return a player at offensive tackle - Mark Starr - who has started at the position over parts of both 2007 and '08. Also returning are all-conference players in center Tim Walter and guard Shelley Smith, as well as stalwart tackle Cole Pemberton and three-year starter Adrian Martinez at guard.

Coaches know offensive line is an obvious strength, but depth is a concern. Whether injury forces the Rams to tap their reserves in 2009, or graduation forces them to replace four of the five positions in 2010, CSU won't take any chances and will start developing its depth this spring.

"And that's critical because we're going to lose a lot after this season," Fairchild said. "So that's a big thing we need to address in the spring, is what we have behind those five starters. In addition to quarterback and running back, depth on the offensive line is a major question mark this spring. Also, are we as good as we think we should be at receiver."

Defense
Every area of the Rams' defense - except cornerback - was hit hard by graduation. But the challenge entering the spring on that side of the ball isn't much different than the situation coaches faced because of injuries during the regular season in 2008.

"Defensively, I love the job that Larry Kerr and his staff did last year with what they had," Fairchild said. "Larry's a sound football coach and we're very fortunate to have him at Colorado State."

Kerr, CSU's assistant head coach and defensive coordinator, had his hands full with injuries at every position last season. But through it all, he worked to establish a defensive identity the Rams bring with them into 2009 - a sure-tackling unit that doesn't give up the big play.

"I was extremely pleased with the way we tackled and the way we kept the ball in front of us for the most part," Fairchild said. "We've got a developed depth in every area. I'm not sure we'll be the type defense we need to be right away, but I see us just quietly developing depth, quietly getting faster on that side of the ball. As the years progress, I think we're going to be very happy with our defensive play here at Colorado State."

Defensive Line: Unlike the offensive line, the defensive front was decimated by graduation. Gone are both defensive ends, Tommie Hill and Wade Landers, as well as starting tackle Matt Rupp.

The team also lost converted linebacker Jake Pottorff, who would've been a senior defensive end, but saw his career cut short by nagging injuries.

The only returning starter is James Morehead, whose shoulder injury is expected to keep him out most of the spring.

The first reps on the edge will go to junior Cory Macon, who has seen plenty of playing time as a reserve the past two seasons behind Hill.

CSU also returns part-time starter Ty Whittier on the inside, as well as seasoned veteran Guy Miller, who like Macon has seen plenty of snaps as a reserve over the 2007-08 seasons. Sophomores Nuku Latu, Steve Collins and Eugene Daniels also are in the mix.

"Our goal there will be to play sound on the inside and get results on the end," Kerr said.

Opposite Macon, senior Sam Stewart enters the spring at the top of the depth chart. A junior-college transfer in 2008, Stewart saw limited snaps behind Landers and Hill in his first season. Fellow '08 transfer Sevaro Johnson also enters his senior year and will challenge for run-stopping playing time on the inside.

And in Fort Collins, where anyone on the roster will be given an opportunity to prove they can help the Rams win, look for in-state talent Ben Tedford and Zach Tiedgen - both redshirt freshmen - to push Macon and Stewart for their jobs at either end. The other darkhorse is true freshman C.J. James, a member of the 2009 signing class who graduated early and has been working out with the Rams since enrolling at the beginning of the spring semester in January.

Linebacker: Graduation and unfortunate circumstances have conspired to dilute the Rams' available contributors at linebacker. On the bright side, the team returns its leading tackler, the program's first-ever freshman All-American in Mychal Sisson. A slimmer, faster Sisson - who finished second in the nation among freshmen with 105 stops last season, trailing Oklahoma's Travis Lewis - will change sides of the field, moving from strong side to weak side.

The move is due in part to the loss of Ricky Brewer, whose season-long suspension for a violation of team rules left a big hole at the linebacker position. Sophomore Michael Kawulok, a 2007 grayshirt signee from Boulder, Colo., is the likely replacement at the `sam' backer. Kawulok, whose family includes three Division I football players, played most of the 2008 season as a true freshman, and even replaced an injured Brewer in the starting lineup for one game.

"The linebackers will be an area of wide-open competition," said Kerr, who also coaches the position. "We have just one returning starter now in Mychal Sisson, who's just a sophomore. It's a young, inexperienced group. We'll need to see who develops. There will be a lot of opportunities."

In the middle, where they need to replace ironman Jeff Horinek, the Rams will have a new starter for the first time since 2004 (Horinek started 41 consecutive games). Walk-on Alex Williams will get a tremendous opportunity to earn a scholarship in that position, entering the spring as the starter. Williams was a special-teams standout in 2008, but saw limited snaps behind Horinek on defense.

Redshirt freshman Chris Gipson, a Dallas product, also will certainly get a shot to show the coaches he can play in the middle.

Several other walk-ons, Jacob Biddle, Broderick Sargent and James Skelton, who earned the defensive scout team player of the year award last season, will battle for a scholarship.

And in the fall, as they will every fall, coaches will give a handful of true freshmen - specifically Mike Orakpo and Cameron Loughery - enough reps to show whether they can contribute.

Defensive Back: Entering 2008, cornerback was perceived as a weakness and safety was a strength at Colorado State. One year later, the tables are turned. CSU returns starters at each cornerback spot, senior Nick Oppenneer and sophomore playmaker Gerard Thomas.

And while starting safety Klint Kubiak returns hoping to avoid the injury demons that have plagued him each of the last two years, the Rams need to replace the leadership and experience of a graduated starters Mike Pagnotta and Jake Galusha.

The glass-half-full approach says that while Kubiak and Pagnotta were injured much of the 2008 season, the Rams saw solid contributions from converted cornerback Elijah-Blu Smith, who enters the spring as the starter at free safety.

Also back at the one CSU position hit hardest by injury in 2008 is sophomore Jarrad McKay, whose knee injury ended his promising season in August last year. McKay, who was expected to see significant playing time in 2008, can prove he has recovered and regain his pre-injury form, he might start opposite Kubiak. That would allow Smith to return to his familiar cornerback spot.

What's more at cornerback, the Rams return part-time 2008 starter Brandon Owens, as well as DeAngelo Wilkinson. They'll join a host of intriguing walk-ons who'll challenge for reps, including Marcus Shaw, Scott Zick and Jamon Allen.

Special Teams
Every injury is bittersweet, including the setback sustained by 2008 kicker Jason Smith on the eve of the regular season. While Smith's broken arm robbed the Rams of their senior kicker, it also allowed Ben DeLine, a true freshman, to get invaluable experience in that role over the first quarter of the 2008 season before Smith returned to action.

That experience, which included a game-winning field goal as final seconds ticked off the fourth-quarter clock in Fairchild's first win as CSU coach last season, should give DeLine a great head start into his sophomore year as the Rams' full-time kicker.

Smith, who graduated as the most accurate kicker in CSU history, won't be easy to replace, but DeLine has genetics in his favor. His dad, Steve, was the Rams' kicker from 1984-86, and his uncle was Colorado's kicker in the same period.

Punter is another story. The Rams lose all-conference performer Anthony Hartz, who left the team on his own accord. The obvious replacement is prep All-American Pete Kontodiakos (cunn-DOH-DEE-aack-iss), who'll be on campus this summer after he graduates from high school. Until then, walk-on Cody Harter will handle the spring reps.

Scott Albritton returns at the all-important long-snapper position, while Mosure, Square, Thomas and Morton provide experience in the return game, where the Rams' only loss was kickoff return man Mike Myers, who graduated.

Overall, the Rams enter the spring with 44 returning lettermen, their most in recent memory. But of those returning lettermen, only 12 are starters, so it's clear that the team has a strong nucleus of reserve playing experience, and coaches will be challenged with bringing out the best in the starters who emerge from that nucleus.

And perhaps an overlooked fact as national prognosticators try to predict CSU's fortunes in 2009, the Rams return their full coaching staff, a rarity in today's ultra-competitive game. That coaching staff helped the Rams, who were Vegas underdogs in 10 of their 13 games last year, win nail-biter contests in 2008.

"I like the way we're coaching and I think we're finding a way to win some close games," Fairchild said. "I think we're finding a way to not get discouraged if we're down, like in the UNLV game, when we're down 14-nothing. I think we're training hard to where we feel like we've got something left in the tank at the end of a game.

"This was never going to be an easy project. And we certainly like what happened last year, but we're not by any means where we need to be and there are going to be some bumps in the road. People and fans, they get discouraged here or there, but I'm very confident that we're doing the right thing to have a good program here."

Now, with the coaching staff and foundation in place, and with a clear vision for a successful future, the Rams bid to take the next step, and eye their next target. "We can contend for this conference title," Fairchild said, "and why can't Colorado State be the team that goes to the Sugar Bowl and squares off against an Alabama, or a Georgia, or an Ohio State?

"Maybe it's next year, maybe it's five years down the road. But I still want to set our sights there because I feel like when you have a vision, then you're not working aimlessly. And I think we have talented football players. I think we've got talented coaches. I think, it's time now to say, `Where do we want to go?,' instead of just, `How do we want to work?'"

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results