Colorado State University Athletics
Pick Six: Six takeaways from CSU's 51-21 win at Hawai'i
10/1/2017 4:17:00 PM | Football
The Colorado State Rams opened Mountain West play with a convincing 51-21 victory at Hawaii on Saturday.
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It was a historic night for CSU's offense, but the stalwart Rams defense set the team up for success by forcing three consecutive 3-and-outs to begin the game.
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The game was also one of many "firsts" for CSU – its first conference win in its first MW game of the season; the first win for CSU in a MW opener since 2011 in its first trip to Hawaii since 2013.
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The Rams were able to rack up yards quickly with several big plays. Nick Stevens hooked up with Michael Gallup for a 76-yard gain late in the second quarter – CSU's longest play from scrimmage this season and the longest play of either players' career.
Running back Izzy Matthews added a 66-yard TD run in the fourth quarter, which became CSU's second longest play of the season and the longest run of the junior's career.
CSU's first two scores were on 36- and 38-yard TD connections from Stevens to Detrich Clark in the first quarter.
Coming into Saturday, CSU had not posted a play from scrimmage longer than 50 yards all year.
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The Rams allowed only 15 yards of total offense to the Rainbow Warriors in the first quarter, giving CSU a 175-15 advantage in that category after one frame.
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The Rams put up 175 yards of total offense in the first quarter and started the game 6-for-6 on third downs.
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Stevens completed 18-of-22 pass attempts for 351 yards and four touchdowns. He moved into sole possession of second on CSU's career passing TDs list (53), passing Rams legend Moses Moreno (51). He also leapt from eighth to sixth on the Rams' career passing yards list (now 6,334), jumping over both Bradlee Van Pelt (6,271) and current CSU Director of Player Development, Anthoney Hill (6,309).
Gallup hauled in eight of Stevens' passes for 212 yards, his highest total of the year and second-most of his career. The 212 yards are the seventh-most in a single game in program history. He has now reached the 100-yard plateau three times this season and nine times in his CSU career, which has spanned just 18 games.
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Dawkins posted CSU's first 100-yard day on the ground of 2017, notching 130 yards on 17 carries (7.6 average). It was the 10th time Dawkins has reached the 100-yard marker in his CSU career.
Matthews added 95 yards on the evening, most of which came on a 66-yard TD scamper in the fourth quarter. Matthews had two rushing scores for CSU, while Dawkins added one.
Overall, CSU posted 259 yards rushing on Saturday, the second-largest total of the season.
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CSU was 3-for-3 on third downs in its dominant opening quarter, and converted each of its first six attempts.
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It was a historic night for CSU's offense, but the stalwart Rams defense set the team up for success by forcing three consecutive 3-and-outs to begin the game.
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The game was also one of many "firsts" for CSU – its first conference win in its first MW game of the season; the first win for CSU in a MW opener since 2011 in its first trip to Hawaii since 2013.
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BIG PLAYS DEFINE NIGHT
CSU registered 610 yards of total offense on just 59 plays, averaging 10.3 yards per play. That yards-per-play average was the third-highest in program history.The Rams were able to rack up yards quickly with several big plays. Nick Stevens hooked up with Michael Gallup for a 76-yard gain late in the second quarter – CSU's longest play from scrimmage this season and the longest play of either players' career.
Running back Izzy Matthews added a 66-yard TD run in the fourth quarter, which became CSU's second longest play of the season and the longest run of the junior's career.
CSU's first two scores were on 36- and 38-yard TD connections from Stevens to Detrich Clark in the first quarter.
Coming into Saturday, CSU had not posted a play from scrimmage longer than 50 yards all year.
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DEFENSE SETS THE TONE
The CSU defense started the game by forcing Hawaii to go 3-and-out on its first three drives. It marked the first time the Rams had accomplished that feat since Nov. 5, 2016 versus Fresno State. The three quick defensive series allowed the Rams offense to keep rolling and ultimately build a 21-0 advantage in the first quarter.The Rams allowed only 15 yards of total offense to the Rainbow Warriors in the first quarter, giving CSU a 175-15 advantage in that category after one frame.
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FAST START OFFENSIVELY
CSU scored touchdowns on its first three offensive possessions and put up points on its first five drives of the game. The last time CSU scored on each of its first five possessions was at New Mexico on Nov. 16, 2013.The Rams put up 175 yards of total offense in the first quarter and started the game 6-for-6 on third downs.
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STEVENS-GALLUP CONNECTION STRONG AS EVER
Quarterback Nick Stevens and wide receiver Michael Gallup had dominant performances on Saturday, with both having record-book caliber days.Stevens completed 18-of-22 pass attempts for 351 yards and four touchdowns. He moved into sole possession of second on CSU's career passing TDs list (53), passing Rams legend Moses Moreno (51). He also leapt from eighth to sixth on the Rams' career passing yards list (now 6,334), jumping over both Bradlee Van Pelt (6,271) and current CSU Director of Player Development, Anthoney Hill (6,309).
Gallup hauled in eight of Stevens' passes for 212 yards, his highest total of the year and second-most of his career. The 212 yards are the seventh-most in a single game in program history. He has now reached the 100-yard plateau three times this season and nine times in his CSU career, which has spanned just 18 games.
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RUN GAME RULES
The duo of Dalyn Dawkins and Izzy Matthews was too much for the Rainbow Warriors defense to handle on Saturday.Dawkins posted CSU's first 100-yard day on the ground of 2017, notching 130 yards on 17 carries (7.6 average). It was the 10th time Dawkins has reached the 100-yard marker in his CSU career.
Matthews added 95 yards on the evening, most of which came on a 66-yard TD scamper in the fourth quarter. Matthews had two rushing scores for CSU, while Dawkins added one.
Overall, CSU posted 259 yards rushing on Saturday, the second-largest total of the season.
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THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM
CSU went 8-of-11 on third down opportunities on Saturday. The Rams have converted at least 50 percent of their third downs in every game this season, and now rank second in the NCAA in third down conversion percentage (57.1 percent).CSU was 3-for-3 on third downs in its dominant opening quarter, and converted each of its first six attempts.
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Players Mentioned
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