CSU Rams Gameday: Football at Air Force, Nov. 28

Nov. 27, 2014

The Rams (10-1, 6-1 MW), who are coming off their ninth consecutive victory with a win over New Mexico, will travel south to take on Air Force (8-3, 4-3 MW). Colorado State is looking for its first front range sweep since 2002. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. MT on Friday, Nov. 28.

WATCHING THE GAME
Colorado State football fans can catch the game on CBS Sports Network. Jason Knapp (play-by-play), Randy Cross (analyst) are on the call with Melanie Collins on the sideline. The game is set to kick off at 1:30 p.m. MT.

LINKS: Roster | Media Guide | Schedule | Game Notes | Gameday Fan Guide

COLORADO STATE (10-1, 6-1 MW) vs. AIR FORCE (8-3, 4-3 MW)
KICKOFF: 1:30 p.m. MT
TV: CBS Sports Network (Jason Knapp, Randy Cross and Melanie Collins)
RADIO: CSU Flagship: KJAC 105.5 FM or on KREL AM 1580 (Colorado Springs), KNZZ AM 1100 (Grand Junction)| Air Force Flagship: KVOR AM 740 | 104.3 The Fan
LIVE STATS: Gametracker
TWITTER: @CSUFootball | @CSURamsGameday | @CoachMcElwain | #CSURams  #TheClimb

THIS WEEK'S CSU FOOTBALL HEADLINES
Nov. 25 -- CSU's Higgins named finalist for prestigious Biletnikoff Award
Nov. 24 -- Higgins named semifinalist for Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award
Nov. 24 -- Hart named Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week

NEWEST VIDEO CONTENT
INSTANT REACTION: Higgins named Biletnikoff Award finalist
Higgins 2014 Highlights as of Nov. 22
Heisman Aspirant Profile -- Garrett Grayson

NOTES IN 140

#TEAM

The Rams have rattled off 9 consecutive victories, the longest win streak CSU has put together in a single season since 1997. That year CSU also won 9 consecutive games
CSU has the 3rd-longest active winning streak nationally, behind Florida State (27) and Marshall (12)
The Rams are one of seven FBS teams with at least 10 wins, tied for third-most in the nation
At Hughes Stadium the Rams have won 8 consecutive games and 13 of their last 15, dating back to the 2012 season
This is the best period of success at home for the Rams since winning 15-of-17 stretching across the 1997-2001 seasons
The Rams are 16-3 in their last 19 games, and started 10-1 this year for the first time since 1994
This is only the second time the Rams have jumped out to a 10-1 record (1994)
The Rams finished undefeated at home (6-0) for the first time since 2000 (5-0), and fourth time overall since 1955.
Head coach @CoachMcElwain is a semifinalist for the Maxwell Football Club Coach of the Year Award
CSU has won 6 of its last 8 true road games dating back to last season...including neutral site games, CSU has won 8 of its last 10 games outside Fort Collins
CSU finished non-conference play undefeated (4-0) for the first time since 1994
The Rams have secured their first back-to-back winning seasons since 2002-03, when CSU went 10-2 and 7-6, respectively
The Rams have rattled off three consecutive wins (Washington St., 2013; CU, 2014; Boston College, 2014) over teams from the Power 5 conferences
CSU is 1 of only 4 teams from the non-Power 5 conferences that has at least 1 win over a team from the Power 5 conferences in each of the past three seasons (BYU (9)UL-Monroe, N. Illinois)
BYU leads the nation with a victory over a Power 5 opponent in each of the last nine seasons
In his career, @CoachMcElwain is 4-2 against teams from Power 5 conference (wins - Colorado (2), Washington State and Boston College)
.@CoachMcElwain is sevem games above .500 (22-15) for the first time as a head coach
Under @CoachMcElwain & off. coord. @CoachBaldwinTD, the Rams have eclipsed 500 yds. of total offense 14 times & scored at least 40 points in 11 games
Also under McElwain and Baldwin, the Rams have logged five of CSU’s top-7 single-game total offensive productions
The Rams’ 31 points vs. Colorado (8/29) were the most scored in a season-opener by CSU since 2003, when they scored 35 points in a loss to the Buffs

#OFFENSE

The Rams averaged 10.3 yards per play vs. Wyoming (10/25), the third-most in a game in CSU history. In the past 2 yrs, CSU has recorded 3 of the top 4 spots (UTEP in ‘13 - 9.4, UC Davis - 10.1, Wyo - 10.3).
CSU has successfully converted 52.3% of its third-down opportunities (6th FBS), which would stand as the best by a Rams team. Previous best: 46.3% in 1985
The Rams’ offense is averaging 500.2 yards of total offense through 11 games, which is on pace to crush the school record of 470.8 set last season in 2013.
Senior OL Ty Sambrailo has graded out above 90% and recorded 50 knockdown blocks since returning from injury at Boston College (9/27)
Senior QB Garrett Grayson is Colorado State’s all-time leading passer (8,597). The record was previously held by Kelly Stouffer (7,142; 1984-86)
Grayson is the first CSU QB to toss back-to-back 400-yard games (at Boise St., vs. UC Davis) since Terry Nugent in 1983
Grayson has thrown 61 touchdowns in his career, to break the school record (51, Moses Moreno)
Before Grayson’s career-best 434 passing yards at Boise State, the last CSU QB to accomplish this feat was Justin Holland (419) vs. Wyoming in 2005
The Rams’ senior QB has 19 career victories, tied for the fouth-most by a CSU signal-caller since 1993 (BVP - 23, Moreno - 21, Newton - 19)
Grayson has six fourth-quarter game-winning drives in his career, tied for the 3rd-most among active FBS quarterbacks
On third down this season Grayson has completed 55-of-82 (67%) passes for 742 yards and picked up 45 first downs
WRs Rashard Higgins and Joe Hansley both had 100-yd receiving days at Boise State, the first time since 2005 the Rams have accomplished this feat
Higgins, a @biletnikoffawrd semifinalist, has 1,280 receiving yards (2nd FBS), and averages 142.2 receiving yards/gm (1st FBS)
The 1,447 receiving yds are the most in a single season by a CSU pass-catcher. David Anderson held the record w/ 1,293 yds in 2003
His 95.2 receiving yards per game in his career are the fourth-most nationally among active receivers
Higgins has 8 100-yd receiving games this season, including six consecutive games w/ at least 100 receiving yds. He is the first CSU receiver to accomplish this feat.
The eight 100-yard receiving games are a single-season CSU record, and tied for the most among all FBS pass-catchers in 2014
Higgins was the 1st FBS pass-catcher since Michael Crabtree in 2007 to record at least 175 receiving yds in 3 straight games (178 - Tulsa, 194 - Nevada, 187 - USU)
Higgins’ 559 receiving yards vs. Tulsa, UNR and Utah State are the most by a CSU pass-catcher in a 3-game stretch
Higgins has set the Colorado State single-season receiving touchdown record (15)
Higgins’ 15 receiving touchdowns average 34.9 yards in length, and he has four TDs of at least 50 yards, which is tied for most nationally
His 21 career receiving touchdowns ties for most in school history
Higgins became CSU’s quickest receiver to record 100 receptions (19 career games) in CSU’s 42-17 win over Tulsa (10/4)
Against Tulsa (10/4), Higgins scored four receiving touchdowns, tied for most touchdowns in a single game among all FBS pass-catchers
Dee Hart tied Ron Harris (9/14/74) for the most rushing yards (139) by a CSU running back in his debut vs. CU (8/29)
Hart’s 139 rushing yards were the most by a Rams RB in a season-opener since Cecil Sapp’s 178 at Virginia (8/22/02)
Hart tied a school record with six total touchdowns vs. New Mexico (10/22), second-most scores in @MountainWest history, to go along with 272 total yds (230 rush, 42 rec.)
In CSU’s season opener the Rams had two rushers gain at least 100 yards in the same game for the first time since 2002
1st time in school history, CSU had back-to-back games w/ two receivers recording 100-yard receiving games (Higgins, Hansley at Boise St.; Higgins, Masters Jr. vs. UC Davis)
CSU’s opening play vs. USU (10/18), a 69-yard pitch-and-catch from Grayson to Higgins, was the longest play the Aggies defense has allowed since 2011

#DEFENSE

Junior linebacker Cory James has recorded 21 career sacks, 5th-most among CSU defenders
In terms of career sacks, James ranks 10th among active FBS defenders with 21 sacks
Senior LB Aaron Davis has 331 career tackles, 13th-most among active FBS defenders and 8th-most in CSU history
Senior LB Max Morgan has 328 career tackles, which is ninth-most in CSU history and 15th-most among active FBS defenders
Morgan recorded his 3rd career INT when he picked off a Utah State pass (10/18). Morgan has 1 interception in each of the last 3 seasons
Sophomore CB Tyree Simmons picked off 2 UNM passes (10/22), becoming the first CSU defender to pick off 2 passes in a game since DeAndre Elliott (vs. Hawai’i in 2012)
Junior defensive lineman Joe Kawulok recorded 3.5 sacks vs. Tulsa (10.4), tying for the 4th-most in a single game by a CSU defender
Junior DB Trent Matthews has 8 career interceptions, the most by a CSU defender since Erik Olson’s 12 from 1996-99
USU RB Joe Hill busted off a 59-yard TD run vs. CSU (10/18), but the defense held him to 5 yds on his other 8 att., including 5 2nd-half carries for a net of 0 yds
Boston College boasted the nation’s No. 4 rank for rushing differential entering Sept. 27, at 238 yards/gm, but managed just a 77-yd margin vs. CSU, 161 below its average
In 2nd half at BC (9/27), CSU held Eagles to just 27 plays & 133 yds after 40-275 in 1st half. 4th quarter BC gained just 61 yards, CSU 141
In the second half of the Sept. 27 win at Boston College, CSU outgained BC 279-133 & held possession 17:58 to 12:02
After allowing 24 plays & 152 yds. (6.3) in the 1st qtr vs. CU (8/29), the Rams allowed just 49 for 223 yds (4.6) in qtrs. 2-4
Linebacker Bryan Ohene-Gyeni registered his first career sack Sept. 6 at Boise State
Defensive end Martavius Foster recorded his first career interception vs. Hawai’i (Nov. 8)...This is the first INT by a CSU DL since Dec. 20, 2008 (Tommie Hill).

#SPECIALTEAMS

Senior kicker Jared Roberts connected on 111 consecutive extra points, a @MountainWest and school record, before missing vs. New Mexico (10/22)
DB Trent Matthews is one of 22 FBS players with at least 2 blocked kicks this season, and as a team the Rams’ 4 blocks rank eighth nationally
CSU is 1 of 5 @MountainWest schools to block at least one PAT (at BS, 9/6), field goal (vs. UC Davis, 9/13) and punt (at UNR, 10/11) in 2014
Roberts has made 3-of-4 fGs of 50 yds or longer this season, including a 53-yarder at SJSU (11/1), the second-longest of his career
Roberts ranks first on CSU’s career field goal percentage list after connecting on 40-of-50 (.800) field goals
Freshman Deionte Gaines ranks first in the @MountainWest, and 10th nationally, with a 26.9 kickoff return average

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