Colorado State University Athletics
Rams ready for Homecoming matchup against Nevada
10/10/2017 12:26:00 PM | Football
CSU set for first on-campus Homecoming game since 1967
By Grant Larson
Athletics Communications
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The Colorado State Rams (4-2, 2-0 Mountain West) have opened Mountain West play with a pair of impressive road wins, beating Hawai'i and Utah State by a combined margin of 78-35. After the senior duo of Nick Stevens and Michael Gallup carried the Rams in the Aloha State, the defense had their best outing of the season, posting seven sacks and 13 tackles for loss against the Aggies. Now, back home for the first time in five weeks, the Rams will look to stymie a motivated Nevada team (1-5, 1-1 Mountain West) that's coming off its first win under first-year head coach Jay Norvell.
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Behind 262 all-purpose yards and a touchdown from Mountain West Player of the Week, running back Kelton Moore, the Wolf Pack knocked off the Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors 35-21 in Reno. Quarterback Ty Gangi completed 78.1 percent of his passes (25-of-32) for 278 yards and four touchdowns with one interception, while wide receiver Wyatt Demps pulled in seven catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns. Â
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"They were clicking on offense and were able to run and throw the ball," CSU Head Coach Mike Bobo observed. "I thought they had some great play calls offensively to put their players in opportunities to have success. It's a new coaching staff and new scheme and things take time, but the thing that impresses me on tape when you watch these guys in their games is they play extremely hard. They play with effort and that's a credit to their coaching staff."
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Saturday's matchup will feature one of the best offensive lines in the country going against one of the top defensive fronts. Allowing just 0.33 sacks and 4.17 tackles for less per game, the Rams rank fourth and 15th in the country in those categories, respectively. They'll be blocking a Wolf Pack defense that ranks sixth in the country with 8.3 tackles for loss per game and is averaging 2.0 sacks per game. One of the top defensive players in the conference, Nevada senior linebacker Austin Paulhus leads the league and ranks 12th in the country with 1.7 tackles for loss per game.
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"Defensively, they have two defensive ends, [Malik Reed] and [Patrick Choudja] that can rush the passer," Bobo said. "They have tremendous get-off. Malik is not the biggest guy at 6'1, 250, but he's got great strength in his lower body and a tremendous get-off… They don't have a lot of sacks but they pressure the quarterback constantly."
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The Rams are 11-3 all-time against Nevada, including a perfect 7-0 record in Fort Collins. In 2013, the last time the Wolf Pack came to Fort Collins, running back Kapri Bibbs rushed for a school-record 312 yards and four touchdowns on 30 carries. Senior safety Jake Schlager is the only current Ram to have played in that game, recording six tackles.
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The two teams most recently met in the 2015 Arizona Bowl, where the Wolf Pack came away with a 28-23 win. In the game, quarterback Nick Stevens passed for 310 yards, and wide receiver Rashard Higgins pulled in nine catches for 129 yards in what would be his final game at Colorado State. Jake Bennett, Dalyn Dawkins, Zack Golditch, Trae Moxley, Tre Thomas and Stevens are the Rams' returning starters from the matchup.
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A large crowd is expected for Saturday, the first night game in the new on-campus stadium, and the team recognizes that a Rams win is the only proper way to celebrate CSU Homecoming.
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"I'm excited for our guys to play at home," Bobo said. "That 2-0 start does not guarantee anything this week. We've got to do it again for a new defense, a new offense and new special teams. I know that if we don't prepare and work the way we should week in and week out, then we've got a good chance at getting beat on Saturday. It's a sellout and we need a true, home-field edge. It's a great opportunity for our team and our fans."
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Athletics Communications
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The Colorado State Rams (4-2, 2-0 Mountain West) have opened Mountain West play with a pair of impressive road wins, beating Hawai'i and Utah State by a combined margin of 78-35. After the senior duo of Nick Stevens and Michael Gallup carried the Rams in the Aloha State, the defense had their best outing of the season, posting seven sacks and 13 tackles for loss against the Aggies. Now, back home for the first time in five weeks, the Rams will look to stymie a motivated Nevada team (1-5, 1-1 Mountain West) that's coming off its first win under first-year head coach Jay Norvell.
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Behind 262 all-purpose yards and a touchdown from Mountain West Player of the Week, running back Kelton Moore, the Wolf Pack knocked off the Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors 35-21 in Reno. Quarterback Ty Gangi completed 78.1 percent of his passes (25-of-32) for 278 yards and four touchdowns with one interception, while wide receiver Wyatt Demps pulled in seven catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns. Â
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"They were clicking on offense and were able to run and throw the ball," CSU Head Coach Mike Bobo observed. "I thought they had some great play calls offensively to put their players in opportunities to have success. It's a new coaching staff and new scheme and things take time, but the thing that impresses me on tape when you watch these guys in their games is they play extremely hard. They play with effort and that's a credit to their coaching staff."
Â
Saturday's matchup will feature one of the best offensive lines in the country going against one of the top defensive fronts. Allowing just 0.33 sacks and 4.17 tackles for less per game, the Rams rank fourth and 15th in the country in those categories, respectively. They'll be blocking a Wolf Pack defense that ranks sixth in the country with 8.3 tackles for loss per game and is averaging 2.0 sacks per game. One of the top defensive players in the conference, Nevada senior linebacker Austin Paulhus leads the league and ranks 12th in the country with 1.7 tackles for loss per game.
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"Defensively, they have two defensive ends, [Malik Reed] and [Patrick Choudja] that can rush the passer," Bobo said. "They have tremendous get-off. Malik is not the biggest guy at 6'1, 250, but he's got great strength in his lower body and a tremendous get-off… They don't have a lot of sacks but they pressure the quarterback constantly."
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The Rams are 11-3 all-time against Nevada, including a perfect 7-0 record in Fort Collins. In 2013, the last time the Wolf Pack came to Fort Collins, running back Kapri Bibbs rushed for a school-record 312 yards and four touchdowns on 30 carries. Senior safety Jake Schlager is the only current Ram to have played in that game, recording six tackles.
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The two teams most recently met in the 2015 Arizona Bowl, where the Wolf Pack came away with a 28-23 win. In the game, quarterback Nick Stevens passed for 310 yards, and wide receiver Rashard Higgins pulled in nine catches for 129 yards in what would be his final game at Colorado State. Jake Bennett, Dalyn Dawkins, Zack Golditch, Trae Moxley, Tre Thomas and Stevens are the Rams' returning starters from the matchup.
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A large crowd is expected for Saturday, the first night game in the new on-campus stadium, and the team recognizes that a Rams win is the only proper way to celebrate CSU Homecoming.
Â
"I'm excited for our guys to play at home," Bobo said. "That 2-0 start does not guarantee anything this week. We've got to do it again for a new defense, a new offense and new special teams. I know that if we don't prepare and work the way we should week in and week out, then we've got a good chance at getting beat on Saturday. It's a sellout and we need a true, home-field edge. It's a great opportunity for our team and our fans."
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