Colorado State University Athletics
Running Backs Out to Earn Their Keep
11/13/2019 6:00:00 PM | Football
Rams run up against a defense allowing fewerr than 100 yards per contest
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Being average might not be enough this week.
While Air Force is certainly aware of what Colorado State wideout Warren Jackson is capable of, the Rams are very intent on bringing a balanced attack to Saturday's game at Canvas Stadium (5 p.m.; ESPN2). To do so, the running attack which is averaging just shy of 160 yards a game is looking to amp up the production, and do so against a run-stopping unit ranked ninth in the country by allowing fewer than 100 yards a game to opponents.
The particulars of doing so are rather straight forward for CSU head coach Mike Bobo.
"We have to get a hat on a hat. We have to identify what they're doing, and we have to break some one-on-one tackles," Bobo said. "When we get into some of our heavy looks … We're going to have to make guys miss at the line of scrimmage. Last week Marcus McElroy made a safety miss on the first touchdown, and then Jaylen Thomas made a corner miss.
"You've got to make those guys miss in open space and get positive yards. You're not going to block everybody, especially you're not going to block everybody against Air Force, because they're going to have an extra hat down there. Those safeties trigger, and that's where you've got to earn your scholarship at running back."
McElroy, who posted the first 100-yard outing of his career two games ago when stepping back into a starting role, sets the goal every week. The Falcons do not alter his outlook, noting they are rather stout when it comes to defending the run.
The Rams were not great running the ball in the middle of the year, producing less than 100 yards on the ground in losses to Utah State and San Diego State. Since then, they have picked up the pace, especially the past two victories.
It's an upward trend they feel they need to continue, especially this week.
"Honestly, I feel confident going into any game," McElroy said. "When you go into a game, you can't have any type of fears or doubts going into it. I have total, full-on confidence that our offensive line will get the job done and create holes. With Adam Prentice backing things up and our tight ends -- all of them are stepping up to take on bigger roles -- I feel they have a big chance to show we're a good offense that can do a lot of things."
McElroy knows a persistent and consistent threat running the ball opens up opportunities throughout the offense, yet it also allows the Rams to chew up some clock, with Bobo saying they have to be able to move the chains on the ground. He said the trick as a play caller is to stick with the plan, even when times are tough.
Against Air .Force, that can be expected, but the Rams also plan on having success.
"We're just coming at it like another game, just working hard throughout the week and focused on what we've got to do," said Thomas, who spent a year at the Air Force prep school. "We've just got to do our job, read our keys and do what we have to do as athletes, what we've been taught throughout the year.
"It all starts up front with our O-line. They've been developing through each week, and as a running back group as a whole, we've been growing and getting better. You have to be an athlete at the end of the day, but you've got to do what you do behind the line of scrimmage."
The Rams are averaging 4.5 yards per carry on the year, a number bolstered by some early big games. Getting back to that – even exceeding it Saturday – is the key to promoting a balanced attack in a key game of their season.
To do so, McElroy agrees he needs to earn his keep this week, as does Thomas. He believes doing so consistently creates a feeding frenzy the offense craves.
"I mean, I feel like that every game. The way you earn your scholarship by showing you cannot only break the first tackle, but break tackles throughout the entire game and keep that energy going," McElroy said. "I feel a lot of things feed off what happens in the run game."
While Air Force is certainly aware of what Colorado State wideout Warren Jackson is capable of, the Rams are very intent on bringing a balanced attack to Saturday's game at Canvas Stadium (5 p.m.; ESPN2). To do so, the running attack which is averaging just shy of 160 yards a game is looking to amp up the production, and do so against a run-stopping unit ranked ninth in the country by allowing fewer than 100 yards a game to opponents.
The particulars of doing so are rather straight forward for CSU head coach Mike Bobo.
"We have to get a hat on a hat. We have to identify what they're doing, and we have to break some one-on-one tackles," Bobo said. "When we get into some of our heavy looks … We're going to have to make guys miss at the line of scrimmage. Last week Marcus McElroy made a safety miss on the first touchdown, and then Jaylen Thomas made a corner miss.
"You've got to make those guys miss in open space and get positive yards. You're not going to block everybody, especially you're not going to block everybody against Air Force, because they're going to have an extra hat down there. Those safeties trigger, and that's where you've got to earn your scholarship at running back."
McElroy, who posted the first 100-yard outing of his career two games ago when stepping back into a starting role, sets the goal every week. The Falcons do not alter his outlook, noting they are rather stout when it comes to defending the run.
The Rams were not great running the ball in the middle of the year, producing less than 100 yards on the ground in losses to Utah State and San Diego State. Since then, they have picked up the pace, especially the past two victories.
It's an upward trend they feel they need to continue, especially this week.
"Honestly, I feel confident going into any game," McElroy said. "When you go into a game, you can't have any type of fears or doubts going into it. I have total, full-on confidence that our offensive line will get the job done and create holes. With Adam Prentice backing things up and our tight ends -- all of them are stepping up to take on bigger roles -- I feel they have a big chance to show we're a good offense that can do a lot of things."
McElroy knows a persistent and consistent threat running the ball opens up opportunities throughout the offense, yet it also allows the Rams to chew up some clock, with Bobo saying they have to be able to move the chains on the ground. He said the trick as a play caller is to stick with the plan, even when times are tough.
Against Air .Force, that can be expected, but the Rams also plan on having success.
"We're just coming at it like another game, just working hard throughout the week and focused on what we've got to do," said Thomas, who spent a year at the Air Force prep school. "We've just got to do our job, read our keys and do what we have to do as athletes, what we've been taught throughout the year.
"It all starts up front with our O-line. They've been developing through each week, and as a running back group as a whole, we've been growing and getting better. You have to be an athlete at the end of the day, but you've got to do what you do behind the line of scrimmage."
The Rams are averaging 4.5 yards per carry on the year, a number bolstered by some early big games. Getting back to that – even exceeding it Saturday – is the key to promoting a balanced attack in a key game of their season.
To do so, McElroy agrees he needs to earn his keep this week, as does Thomas. He believes doing so consistently creates a feeding frenzy the offense craves.
"I mean, I feel like that every game. The way you earn your scholarship by showing you cannot only break the first tackle, but break tackles throughout the entire game and keep that energy going," McElroy said. "I feel a lot of things feed off what happens in the run game."
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