Pick Six: Six takeaways from CSU's 27-24 win at New Mexico

The Colorado State Rams picked up a 27-24 win at New Mexico late Friday night to remain unbeaten in Mountain West play. CSU is first in the Mountain Division with a 4-0 record (6-2 overall).

The Rams are 4-0 in MW play for the first time since starting 6-0 in 2002, on their way to their last league title. It's also the first time since 2002 that the Rams have won their first three road conference games.

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FACKRELL FINDING THE END ZONE
Senior tight end Dalton Fackrell finished the game with three receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown.

The Snow College product tied his season high in receptions (also had three against Nevada), but more importantly – he reached the end zone for the fourth consecutive game. That also means he has scored in every league game, helping place the Rams atop the Mountain Division standings.

Fackrell's score tied the game at 7-7 in the second quarter. He also made an #SCTop10-caliber catch earlier on that drive:

This @DFAC9 circus catch kicked off a scoring drive that ended with a ... @DFAC TD!

7-7 is the score! pic.twitter.com/J2toXIZSlj
— CSU Rams Football (@CSUFootball) October 21, 2017

MATTHEWS RUNS OVER LOBOS
Junior running back Izzy Matthews ran for a season-high 116 yards on 21 carries (5.5 per rush). He also scored with 0:57 to go in the first half to put the Rams up 21-10. The TD capped a CSU drive that saw the Rams rumble for 75 yards in just 0:59.

Rumbling is what Matthews did all day, choosing on more than one occasion to try to run through a New Mexico defender rather than run around him.

"That is 100 percent a conscious decision. It's about sending a message to defenders," Matthews told Kevin Lytle of the Coloradoan after the game. "If I have 4 yards to the sideline or 4 yards through you, I'm going to choose through you. Because the next time I have that open field run, he's not going to be there, I promise that."

Matthews is absolutely sending a message to MW defenders – the Redding, Calif., native has scored in 11 consecutive league games dating back to Oct. 8 of last year.

Finding the end zone is nothing new for Matthews. He is now one of the all-time leaders in touchdowns at CSU. In fact…

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RAMS CHASING RECORDS
Matthews is one of several current Rams who are climbing into the CSU record books. Matthews is now tied for seventh in career rushing touchdowns with 24, tied with Gartrell Johnson, Damon Washington and Oscar Reed.

Senior QB Nick Stevens had a pair of passing touchdowns on Friday, putting him three away from tying Garrett Grayson's career total of 64 for first place in Rams history. Stevens also moved into second place on the career passing yards list, with 7,237 to date (Grayson holds that record, too – 9,191).

Senior WR Michael Gallup had 6 receptions for 58 yards, bumping him to sixth in career receiving yards (passing Johnny Walker). Gallup has 2,278 yards in just 21 games at the FBS level, equating to a 108.5 career average (tops among all active NCAA players).

Another senior, RB Dalyn Dawkins, moved up on a career list. Dawkins' 71 yards on Friday moved him into ninth in the category at CSU (2,541), passing Alvin Lewis.

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BOWL ELIGIBLE FOR THE FIFTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR
CSU improved to 6-2 with its win at New Mexico, making the Rams bowl eligible for the fifth season in a row.

The streak includes all three seasons of Head Coach Mike Bobo's tenure. It's also the second time in program history that the Rams have been bowl eligible five years in a row (1999-2003).

All-time, CSU has played in 16 bowl games, including 15 since 1990, in addition to the 1949 Raisin Bowl.

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TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS ON ROAD TRIPS
CSU is 3-0 against MW opponents on the road this season. The Rams have won their last four road conference games dating back to last season, and five of their last six.

The Rams' 3-0 start on the road in the MW is the first time they've done so since 2002 – the school's last conference-championship winning season.

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PLENTY OF WORK LEFT TO DO
CSU is first in the Mountain Division and controls its destiny to reach the MW title game on Dec. 2. That being said, there are certainly many challenges ahead for the Rams.

Air Force visits Fort Collins on Saturday as the two programs battle for the Ram-Falcon Trophy. The home team has won the last five outings, giving the Rams a two-game win streak at home against their rival. Air Force is coming off a comeback victory against Nevada on Friday night, sealing the win with a field goal as time expired.

CSU then faces the Nos. 2 and 3 teams in the division in consecutive weeks. The Rams have to travel to Laramie to face another rival, Wyoming, on Nov. 4. CSU then hosts Boise State, which defeated the Cowboys on Saturday, on Nov. 11.

The Rams finish their regular season against San Jose State on Nov. 18 at home. If the Rams continue their winning ways, that game could seal a berth in the MW title game. The Rams know there's plenty of work left to do before then, however.

"Your ultimate goal is you want to compete for championships on a consistent basis, and we're on track to do that," Bobo told Mike Brohard of the Loveland Reporter-Herald postgame on Friday. "We're 4-0 in conference, we've won three road games in conference, but that doesn't mean anything yet. We still have a lot of work to do; we have four tough games left. The good news is three of them are at home."

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