Spring Practice Report, Day 13: Rams preparing for spring game
4/18/2018 7:47:00 PM | Football
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Q&A with senior linebacker Josh Watson
FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- The Colorado State football team is only three days away from the Green & Gold Spring Football Game, and the squad is looking forward to another chance to compete in front of a home crowd.
Head coach Mike Bobo is seeing his team continue to play with more energy in practices, and he is hoping it helps translate to a very productive spring game on Saturday.
"It was good to see everyone's juices flowing today and I hope it will be the same way on Saturday," head coach Mike Bobo said. "Saturday will probably be half a practice and half a scrimmage, similar to what we did in the second scrimmage when we got 40 to 50 plays in. We will have some live action and we will have some competition drills and special teams. It will be an opportunity to get better... in the drills and we have to take that to scrimmage situations so I am looking forward to Saturday and when there are people watching and people in the crowd, it tends to get their juices flowing a little bit more."
The play of the Rams quarterbacks has been a big story all spring, and Bobo commented on the opportunity that the current QBs in practice have to establish themselves before the summer.
"We have these guys that are practicing right now and these guys that we are focusing on right now and they have a job to do," Bobo said. "They need to get better everyday to put them into the position to compete in the spring. They have a head start on these valuable reps… but competition is a good thing and you have to have good quarterback play to be successful at any level."
As has become commonplace recently, another CSU legend was in attendance at practice. Former pass-rushing standout Brady Smith watched practice and toured the stadium.
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Saturday will be an eventful day for the Colorado State athletics department, with football's Green & Gold spring game, softball hosting San Jose State and the Ram Good Time Auction all taking place on campus. For more information on Saturday's festivities, click here.
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Senior linebacker Josh Watson
Q: What do you have to do this year as a senior leader?Â
A: Do what's right... do what's right on and off the field, set the standard we all have to meet and make sure you're the first one and make sure you're leading by example.
 Q: What has it been like working with the new defensive staff and what have you learned so far from it?
A: It's different, but this is [about] my third defensive staff here so I'm able to transition to it and adapt to different culture here for the defensive side of the ball; but, the staff has been great. Changes have been going on here, but it's for the best. A lot of guys are playing different positions, a lot of guys are doing and talking more than what they're used to but I think it's better for the defense that we are all on the same page on the field.
 Q: What would you say the best part about this change is compared to the past changes you've had with different coaches?
A: It's more vocal, more communicative. We're out there communicating more so I think that as long as we're all on the same page and we're all talking about what's coming and what's going on, we have a front and that's going to allow guys to play a lot faster.Â
 Q: What did it feel like when you played the game last year against Nevada when you broke up the pass and helped the team win?
A: Wow, it was all going in my head. I think the play was double-fire...and I saw the tackle, he slide stepped pretty deep and the running back was a max protector and I saw the quarterback drift a little bit too far past the back so I cut my edge a little bit shorter and I dipped my shoulder and put up my left hand and deflected the ball. It was amazing! It was like, "[We] just won the game!" Couldn't do it without my teammates, with my DBs covering downfield... was allowing the pressure of the guys up front to rush the passer to give quarterback more time to hold the ball. It was great; everyone was doing their job.Â
 Q: What are some of your personal goals heading into this season?
A: You want to win every game. You want to win the conference championship. It's more of a team thing for me. I want to make sure my teammates are in the best position as possible. I want to come up top first-team all-conference linebacker. I want to get recognition [as an] All-American. I have to do the little things outside of football, also. Make sure I'm doing my part off the field, as well. Â
 Q: Coach Bobo has been talking about taking things one day at a time, has that mentality been helping you reach those goals?
A: Absolutely. Once you take every day at a time, it's like you're able to just focus on the now instead of the future. You just take the present and you grind it out. Just get through what you need to get through, you just focus on what you need to focus on in the now.Â
 Q: Entering your final collegiate season, what kind of legacy do you want to leave at CSU?
A: Remember my name: Josh Watson, number 55.
 Q: What is your major and what you want to do with it?
A: I'm a communications major with a minor in Criminal Justice. It's been a long four years for me here at CSU, but it's running down to the last semester of my college career... A lot of thinking, a lot of contemplating on what I want to do after I graduate, but at this time now, I really want to get into high school football and coaching. My uncle is the superintendent over all the Houston, Texas schools and I want to get back in Texas and coach guys there, coach high school players there.
 Q: If you could travel anywhere, where would you want to go?
A: I would like to go to the Bahamas and Dubai. The pictures of Dubai [make it look like] a beautiful place to be. I'd like to take a trip out there, be in the sand and ride a camel or something. Seems like a pretty fun thing to do.
 Q: If you could make anything into an Olympic Sport, what would it be? Would you get gold?
A: That's a really good question... It seems like all my time is football, I guess I'll make football an Olympic sport.Â
 Q: What do you like to do in your free time?
A: Watch film. I really don't have a life outside of football, but other than that, it seems like I don't want to leave any regrets, so it's like the last few months have been dedicated to football.Â
 Q: What is your dream car?
A: My dream car is a Bentley truck. It has to be red and have peanut butter leather seats. Red is my favorite color! As a kid, almost all my toys were red and I just flipped to red, it's one of my best colors.
 Q: What gets you pumped up before a game?
A: Just knowing that it could be your last game. Do it for the people who you care about. I'm playing for my mom and I'm just trying to make sure that my mom is straight at the end of the day. Knowing that it could be your last game--somebody wishes could be in your shoes. Making sure you're giving it everything you've got, that next play and the play after that. That just get's me going, like "this is your last shot;" that really gets me pumped.
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