Sept. 18, 2010
Final Stats |
Photo Gallery 1 
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Photo Gallery 2
Colorado State at Miami (Ohio); Yager Stadium
TEAM NOTES
Fumbles lost: The Rams, in recent history one of the nation's best teams at protecting the football, lost two fumbles in a game for only the second time in the Steve Fairchild era (also Nov. 21, 2009, at New Mexico).
CSU now has had only four such games (two or more lost fumbles) since the beginning of the '06 campaign: 2006 at Fresno State (2), 2007 vs. Georgia Southern (2), 2009 at New Mexico (2) and today.
Turnovers: Miami won the turnover battle, 4-0, the major difference in the game. CSU outgained the RedHawks, 306-299, but couldn't overcome the turnovers, CSU's worst turnover differential in a single game since Nov. 5, 2005, when CSU also finished minus-4 in a 33-6 loss at TCU.
The Rams are now minus-7 in turnover ratio this season and opponents have outscored CSU, 20-0 off turnovers, including Miami's 10-0 advantage today.
Unique connection: The retired No. 42 beneath the Yager Stadium scoreboard is in honor of the late John Pont, a former Miami head coach that later led Indiana to its only Rose Bowl, after the 1967 season. Pont's grandson, John, joined the CSU football staff as an academic graduate assistant this fall. The younger Pont, Terry Bowden's son-in-law, began his coaching career at North Alabama last season.
First-half defense: CSU's defense stepped up after a difficult night the week prior at Nevada and held the RedHawks to just 86 yards in the first half, including 17 attempts for negative-16 on the ground. However, three first-half turnovers, including a 56-yard touchdown return on a second-quarter interception, led to a 14-3 Rams deficit at intermission.
Interception return: Evan Harris' 56-yard interception return for a second-quarter touchdown was the first INT returned for a score since Ward Dobbs had a 24-yard return for a score at Wyoming, Nov. 22, 2008.
Another true freshman: Jake Levin, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound fullback from Brighton, Colo., became the eighth true freshman to see the field for the Rams this year. He made a tackle on his first collegiate play, the Rams' initial kickoff in the first quarter, after their field goal.
The Rams already had played LB Mike Orakpo, QB Pete Thomas, LB Charles Favors, CB Shaq Bell, DE
Nordly Capi, RB Tony Drake and DE Crockett Gillmore.
Those eight true freshmen, including Levin, are the most used in a single season by the Rams in 23
years. In 1987, under head coach Leon Fuller, CSU used 15 players fresh out of high school (RB Tony
Alford, LB Jon Boyd, CB Andy Byrne, RB Tony Carr, DE Robert Chirico, LB Mike Epley, G Jeff Fixmer, P
Alan Glazer, LB Don Hock, CB Craig Jersild, LB David Laskowski, FB Paul MacRenato, LB Ron Martin, TE
Keith Sheaffer and LB Eric Tippeconnic).
Only team in nation: CSU is the nation's only FBS team without a game in its own stadium over its first three dates. The Rams finally open their Fort Collins slate against Idaho, a defending Humanitarian Bowl champion that defeated UNLV in impressive fashion today in Moscow. The Rams' initial 2010 game, against CU, was always planned to be in Fort Collins until last fall, when the two athletic directors agreed to move the series back to Denver, leaving the Rams with just five Fort Collins games, and none until Sept. 25.
The Rams do play three of their next four in Fort Collins and don't leave the state until Oct. 23 when
they fly over the Rockies to Salt Lake City. CSU's next road trip, Oct. 9 at Air Force, is in Colorado
Springs.
First starts: Three players made their first career starts today: WR Lou Greenwood, S Ezra Thompson and CB Shaq Bell, who joined Pete Thomas as one of two true freshmen to start so far in 2010.
Sacks: The Rams had five sacks in the first three quarters, their most in a game since they had seven in a loss vs. San Diego State, Oct. 6, 2007.
Ohio: CSU is on its first road trip to the state of Ohio in 40 years, since a 24-14 loss in the 1970 season finale at Toledo.
CSU made its first back-to-back non-conference road trips in four years, when the Rams successfully
answered a previous loss at Nevada with an impressive win at Fresno State, Sept. 30, 2006.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
WR Matt Yemm's 36-yard reception midway through the first quarter, giving the Rams a first-and-goal,
was the longest of his career, eclipsing an 18-yard catch at BYU on Sept. 26, 2009. Yemm then gave the
Rams their first 2010 touchdown, a diving, 6-yard grab late in the contest, his first career TD.
QB Pete Thomas, in addition to that TD pass to Yemm (the first of the QB's young career), also notched
his initial 300-yard passing effort.
WR Byron Steele picked up career bests in both catches (7) and receiving yards (118), his first career
100-yard receiving game and the first by the Rams since Dion Morton collected 106 yards on five
catches in a 24-17 loss vs. Utah, Oct. 10, 2009.
LB Mychal Sisson, who saw his 24-game starting streak end last week at Nevada (knee), has still played
in all 28 games of his college career, including today.
DE Broderick Sargent's sack marked the first of his career.
LB Alex Williams also notched the first sack of his career.
FB Jake Levin, a true freshman, made his college debut on CSU's initial kickoff in the first quarter, and made the tackle on his first college play.
LB Ricky Brewer's first-quarter sack was his first since Oct. 6, 2007, when he combined on a sack against San Diego State as a redshirt freshman.
RB/KR Tony Drake dropped back to return a punt for the first time, but the punt bounced off a teammate and into the arms of Miami, a key first-half turnover.
DT Guy Miller and FB Zac Pauga have played in every game of their college careers, 40 including today.
TE Eric Peitz had caught a pass in 10 straight games entering today, a streak that began Sept. 12, 2009, vs. Weber State.
Reserve safety and special-teams standout Jarrad McKay had his 22nd birthday today.
FS Elijah-Blu Smith (shoulder) saw his 14-game starting streak come to an end. The last time he missed a start was the 2008 New Mexico Bowl, Dec. 20, 2008, when the bowl berth allowed an injured Jake Galusha enough time to heal and return to the lineup. Smith still has started 17 of the past 20 since replacing an injured Klint Kubiak in the lineup as a redshirt freshman vs. BYU on Nov. 1, 2008. 
