Colorado State University Athletics
CSU scrimmage recap: Carter leads offense to narrow victory
8/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 14, 2010
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By Zak Gilbert
Athletic Media Relations
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Raymond Carter’s 33-yard reception from Pete Thomas broke open a tight scrimmage Saturday, and gave the CSU offense a lead it would not relinquish on Meet the Rams Day at Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium.
Carter, a 6-foot, 217-pound running back from Los Angeles, Calif., patiently followed his blockers on the play down the right sideline before the defense pushed him out of bounds at the 7-yard line, setting up what would’ve been a first-and-goal. The No. 3-rated running back in the nation as a high-school senior, he sat out the 2009 season after transferring from UCLA and enters his junior campaign this year.
That 33-yard catch allowed the offense to overcome the defense’s 37-36 lead en route to a 47-39 triumph in the Rams' first major scrimmage of the fall. Throughout spring and fall periods that include live tackling, including Saturday, coaches keep a running tally of points based on a system that rewards each side for big plays, or rewards the other side for mistakes.
“Raymond’s got some skills and he showed his big-play ability both in the run game and the pass game today,” said Head Coach Steve Fairchild of Carter, who added six carries for 45 yards in the 61-play scrimmage. “I thought he really stood out. I thought Pete Thomas stood out.”
Thomas, a true freshman from El Cajon, Calif., who graduated one semester early and went through spring practice with the Rams, moved a step closer to solidifying himself as the starting quarterback. The poised 6-foot-5, 218-pound signal-caller on paper was intercepted three times, going 6-for-13 for 98 yards. His lone touchdown pass, an 8-yard strike to Byron Steele, was nullified by offensive pass interference. Despite the interceptions, two of which occurred on athletic plays by defensive ends, Fairchild was impressed with Thomas.
“A couple of those were just jail-break screens that we’re not up snuff with yet,” said Fairchild, whose team opens the season against Colorado in the Cinch Jeans Rocky Mountain Showdown Sept. 4. “I thought he had a pretty good day out there.
“I just thought he threw the ball well, he went where he was supposed to, made some plays that were there to be made.”
The defensive ends also made plays that were there to be made, a welcome sign considering the Rams lost three of their top players at the position within the last few months, all to non-football issues. C.J. James sustained a minor knee injury in conditioning on the eve of camp and is just entering rehab after arthroscopic surgery, Zach Tiedgen tore a ligament in a pickup basketball game, and Cory Macon was ruled ineligible for his senior year after missing the spring due to personal reasons.
But their replacements, two players sure to see plenty of playing time at the position this year, had long interception returns Saturday. Crockett Gillmore, a 6-foot-6, 235-pound true freshman from Bushland, Texas, who was a tight end until this past Tuesday, skied several feet in the air to eclipse Thomas’ intended receiver and stab the ball out of the air. Gillmore raced down the middle of the field and just before going down inside the 5-yard line, lateraled back to a hustling Te’Jay Brown to complete a 78-yard touchdown return.
Then a short time later, Sargent intercepted Thomas on an eerily similar play. The former fullback, tight end and linebacker, a 6-foot-2, 228-pound sophomore from Chesterfield, Mo., showed his natural speed and scored on a 78-yard return.
“Athletic,” Fairchild said of his three newest defensive ends, including former safety and linebacker Davis Burl, who added three tackles Saturday. “They can change direction. When you empty a backfield and spread a defense out, you got some guys that can cover some space.”
Travis Ford also covered some space, after his sixth interception of the week. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound safety from Oakland, Calif., intercepted Thomas after linebacker Mike Orakpo, a former safety, hurried the quarterback just before the pass. Ford’s return covered 52 yards.
“I like all the personnel moves we made,” Fairchild said. “We moved three guys to defensive end, Burl, Sargent and Gillmore, but I like Orakpo down at linebacker. I like everything we’ve done. Kivon Cartwright, we moved him outside, kind of a hybrid-type. I think our staff has done a nice job of evaluating what we have and getting guys gravitating where they’re going to play against CU.”
The defense also intercepted Klay Kubiak on his first attempt, when Ezra Thompson picked off the pass early in the scrimmage. In all, including non-live periods, the Rams had eight interceptions, counting picks by DeAngelo Wilkinson, Charles Favors, Elijah-Blu Smith and Austin Gillmore, Crockett’s older brother.
AD attends scrimmage: Athletic Director Paul Kowalczyk, out of the office recovering since prostate cancer surgery on July 22, made an appearance Saturday. He joined Fairchild in the deep defensive backfield toward the end of the scrimmage for a brief chat. The two embraced afterward and Kowalczyk returned to the stands.
Meet the Rams Day: An estimated 1,000 fans watched the scrimmage, then got to walk onto the field and greet players and coaches, who signed autographs and posed for photos with the fans.
Brown back: Fullback Joe Brown, the star of the 2010 spring game, returned after battling an infection.
White pants: The Rams, who have new Russell uniforms this season, broke out their white game pants from last season Saturday, creating a unique look. Senior associate athletic director Gary Ozzello, a member of the athletic department since 1974, said he believed it was the first time the Rams wore white pants at a practice since the late 1970s.
Next week: The Rams won’t practice Sunday, using the day to move out of their dorms and into permanent housing. They hit the fields on campus for two practices Monday, at 7:45 a.m. and 4 p.m. The team returns to the stadium next Saturday for the first annual Ram Club Scrimmage, which will be closed to the public, except for members of the Ram Club.
Other comments from Fairchild following the scrimmage:
General: “I thought there were some really good things on both sides and I thought there was some inconsistency on both sides. A little of that is plays we haven’t repped enough, kids not in those situations yet. We’d probably get it down a little more before a game. I thought we were a little flat defensively to start. I thought our offense had a little more juice early on, and I think it shows, by design, we’re not in game shape right now. Toward the end, we had some guys gassed. That 2-minute drill (to close practice) almost looked like a walk-through. We have a way that we condition and a way we do things and we don’t expect it to be that perfect right now.”
On Thomas taking most of the reps with the first team: “That’s the way they’re playing right now, but as always, day-to-day, drill-to-drill, we’ll reward the guys who are accountable and playing well.”
On the timeline for naming a starting quarterback: “I’m going to look at this tape. We don’t have a lot going on tomorrow. I’m going to look at it and visit with our staff. I don’t want to do it right now. We’ll see.”
On depth-chart separation at positions: “I want to go look at the tape because you notice three things here and then a guy screws up when you’re not looking, so I want to go look at the tape. There were some good things that happened.”
On whether naming a starter earlier in August helps him become comfortable: “Yeah, I think whoever we name, obviously, they’re going to get more reps at that point.
“If it is the right thing to do, I’ll know that it is. If it’s not, then it wouldn’t be.”
On a punch being thrown during the scrimmage: “I’ve tried to tell our football team that when we come out here, it’s a game. So we ejected (Eugene Daniels), and that was in the latter part of the scrimmage, so by rule, he loses half a game next week. The conference commissioner reserves the right to look at any personal foul and suspend you for the season, so we got to take those things seriously. You’ve got to be a tough guy but you’ve got to be smart.”
On the MRI results of WR Thomas Coffman (knee injury Thursday): “He’s got an MCL. He does not have an ACL, which is a good thing. We’re still going to evaluate it some more. It depends. He could be back in a matter of weeks. There could be some other things in there. We’re looking at it. It’s better than the worst-case scenario, we know that.”
On other players that caught his eye Saturday: “I thought we were sloppy up front in the offensive line. We’ve got to really come on there. That became apparent, that we’ve got to jell in the offensive line quicker than we are.”
On Gillmore’s lateral to Te’Jay Brown for a touchdown, after Gillmore’s interception: “I liked it. Talented kid (Gillmore). That kid probably scored some 20 touchdowns as a high school tight end in Texas football, so I’m sure he can make some plays for us. I like him as a tight end, but I know this: We’ve got to find someone to play on the defensive line.”
On the format of next week’s Ram Club Scrimmage: “It’ll be more like this, but we’ve got to get a little more game-like with our special teams.”
