Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State Postgame notes
9/25/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 25, 2010
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TEAM NOTES
Keli McGregor Day: Before kickoff, Keli McGregor’s wife, Lori, and their children Taylor, Landri, Jordan and Logan, and Keli’s parents, and other family members, served as honorary captains at the coin toss. They stood with Ben Tedford, Keli’s Godson who wears No. 88 and plays McGregor’s former position, TE, and Broderick Sargent, the Rams’ starting DE and recipient of the first Keli S. McGregor Memorial Scholarship, presented to a walk-on player. Tedford and Sargent presented a game ball to the family signed by the entire team.
- The CSU athletic department also honored the family and McGregor’s legacy in a ceremony after the first quarter.
Close games: Winning close games, something in which the Rams excelled in 2008, eluded their grasp in 2009, when CSU lost four contests by a touchdown or less. The Rams are intent on returning to their winning ways in that category, and made a statement today. CSU was 2-4 last season in games decided by one score or less. The Rams were 4-2 in such games in 2008.
On this date, 28 years to the day: Northwestern and head coach Dennis Green ended a 34-game losing streak (longest in Division I FBS history) with a 31-6 victory over Northern Illinois, Sept. 25, 1982.
- CSU got its first win since Sept. 19, 2009, when the Rams improved to 3-0 and knocked off Nevada 35-20 in Fort Collins, earning more votes in both national polls as they padded their winning streak to six games.
Home openers: Once dominant in Hughes Stadium openers, the Rams now have won three straight and five of their last six.
- Dating to Sonny Lubick’s second year as head coach, 1994, when the Rams won their home opener en route to a 10-2 finish and a berth in the Holiday Bowl opposite Michigan, CSU has won 15 of its last 17 home openers.
- Those two losses were to respective ranked Pac-10 and Big Ten opponents, No. 10 Cal in 2007 and No. 22 Minnesota in 2004.
Against a quality opponent: Pete Thomas and the Rams had 386 passing yards against a defense that entered ranked No. 7 in the country, allowing just 120.33 yards per game.
Fairchild in home debuts: In his 11 combined years as a CSU assistant (1993-2000) and head coach (2008-10) entering this year, the Rams are 10-1 in Fort Collins openers with Steve Fairchild on their staff. The Rams’ only loss during that span was the first game of the Sonny Lubick era, Fairchild’s first home contest as a Rams assistant, a 23-9 loss to the Oregon Ducks, in 1993. Fairchild has won 10 straight as a CSU coach.
Finally home: CSU, the only team in the nation without a home date over its first three games, finally returned to Fort Collins to kick off its Hughes slate. Meanwhile, Ohio State and Oklahoma State are in the midst of four straight home games to open their seasons.
Home-opening crowd: The Rams drew their largest crowd in a home opener, 23,925, since 2007, when they had 27,805 against No. 10 Cal in a near-upset.
- At the 29th annual Ag Day, the Rams wore orange uniforms as a tribute to their past. The last time the institution’s football team wore orange in a game was 1958 (pants); the last time the team’s jersey was orange was 1945.
Experienced competition: The Rams continued a challenging four-week stretch in which they face three of the six most experienced quarterbacks in the nation: Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick (38 career starts, including today) on Sept. 11, Idaho’s Nathan Enderle (37) and TCU’s Andy Dalton (41).
INDIVIDUAL NOTES:
- Raymond Carter became the first CSU player since Lawrence “The Clutch” McCutcheon 40 years ago to top both 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same game. A future NFL star, McCutcheon did it on Oct. 31, 1970, in a 20-13 win over Utah State at Hughes Stadium (104 rushing yards, 117 receiving).
- Carter joined McCutcheon (twice in 1970, also at Wyoming), as one of only two running backs in CSU history to eclipse 100 yards receiving.
- Carter’s 72-yard reception from Pete Thomas that gave the Rams a 27-24 lead late in the third quarter was the longest CSU play from scrimmage since Gartrell’s 77-yard touchdown run in the 2008 New Mexico Bowl vs. Fresno State, Dec. 20, 2008, at University Stadium in Albuquerque.
- RB Raymond Carter ripped off a career-long run on the Rams’ first drive, 37 yards. It was the longest carry by a CSU player since John Mosure had a 39-yard carry at New Mexico, Nov. 21, 2009.
- Carter also scored his second career touchdown to put CSU on the board late in the first half. It was his first overall touchdown (second career) since Sept. 1, 2008, his first college game as a redshirt freshman with UCLA, against Tennessee at the Rose Bowl.
- QB Pete Thomas’ 386 passing yards were the most by a CSU QB since Justin Holland had 419 in a 39-31 win over Wyoming in Fort Collins, Oct. 22, 2005.
- Thomas, who earned his first win as a collegiate QB, became the first player to string together consecutive 300-yard passing games since Holland threw for 405 vs. Wyoming (Oct. 22, 2005) and 312 at New Mexico (Oct. 28, 2005), a 35-25 win. He was sacked more times in the first half (3) than he had incompletions (2).
- Joe Caprioglio, who made his first career start, began at guard, then shifted to tackle when Mark Starr (concussion-like symptoms) left the contest in the first half. He also caught an official pass, a shovel toss from Pete Thomas on CSU’s initial drive of the second half, even though he was flagged for an illegal touching. Because the play was a third-and-34 and lost 2 yards, Idaho declined it and preserved the lineman’s reception.
- Chris Gipson, moved to fullback from linebacker this week, didn’t take long to wear his new uniform number in a game. He wore No. 24 on the opening kickoff. His former number was 3.
- Guy Miller on Idaho’s first drive sacked Nathan Enderle, the tackle’s third career sack, his first since Sept. 12, 2009, vs. Weber State. Miller then doubled his career total entering the game with his second sack of the afternoon, forcing a critical fumble recovered by Broderick Sargent. The Rams cashed in the takeaway for seven points to take the lead just before halftime.
- C.J. James, who injured his knee on the eve of fall practice and underwent arthroscopic knee surgery, made his 2010 debut on the first series of the game. James returned to practice this week.
- Ben DeLine’s first field-goal attempt, on the Rams’ first drive, was a career-long attempt, 51 yards. Entering today, his longest try was 50 yards, a miss at Idaho, Oct. 3, 2009.
- DeLine’s game-winning field goal was the second of his career, his first since Sept. 6, 2008, his second career game as a true freshman, when he booted a game-ending field goal to beat Sacramento State, 23-20, and give Steve Fairchild his first win as CSU coach.
- DeLine had two more touchbacks, giving him six in 14 kickoffs on the year.
- Broderick Sargent halted the Vandals’ second drive with a third-down sack, forcing Idaho to settle for a field goal. Sargent, who moved to defensive end this past spring, also had a sack last week at Miami.
- Zac Pauga had a career-long, 42-yard reception to pick up key yards in the third quarter. It was the longest reception of his career, surpassing his previous best, 40 yards, vs. San Diego State, Oct. 24, 2009. The play also marked the longest pass of Pete Thomas’ early career, surpassing his 40-yard pass last week to Byron Steele at Miami, until Thomas’ 72-yard touchdown pass to Carter.
