Colorado State University Athletics
What We Saw: Rams Are Not Matching Up
11/24/2019 12:00:00 PM | Football
Jackson moving up receiving lists
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – As has been the case much of the year, the sides aren't pairing up.
As Colorado State's defense extended the current run of strong outings to six games, the offense hit a roadblock for a second consecutive game. The Rams produced just one offensive touchdown, coming in the second quarter, blanked the other three frames.
It hasn't happened often under head coach Mike Bobo – eight occurrences in his five years -- where the Rams have scored just one touchdown or less in a game. For much of the season, CSU has been averaging 30 points or more, but not after the recent downturn.
Instead of the two sides of the ball feeding off of each other, they are running counter.
"If we take advantage when we get a turnover or a touchdown, we have to keep that energy going," defensive lineman Ellison Hubbard said. "We're going to work on that in practice, but I think we're getting there."
The Rams haven't allowed 400 yards of total offense in the past six games, and against Wyoming, they didn't allow 300 yards. On the first play of the game, defensive end Jan-Phillip Bombek went down with an injury, and before the first half was completed, Jalen Bates was ejected for targeting. With Manny Jones on one side, Rushton Roberts and Damien Dickens rotated on the other side. No excuses, just effort.
What the team isn't doing as a whole, Hubbard said the defense is doing internally.
"Every time somebody makes a play, it's like, OK, this is my turn to go step up for my brother," he said. "The D-line, we were kind of low, and every time Manny made a play, I wanted to go make a play. He's working his butt off, so I have to. Devin Phillips same way, Damion Dickens, same way. We're all feeding off each other."
Running on Empty
For a second week in a row, the Rams didn't hit 50 yards rushing, though this time it wasn't because of seven sacks allowed against Air Force. Bobo said the Rams knew it would be hard to generate a running attack against Wyoming, but they didn't expect 1.6 yards per carry.
"We didn't do a very good job blocking, we didn't do a very good job play calling," Bobo said. "I wouldn't say it was the running backs fault, but we obviously didn't break any tackles, either."
Jaylen Thomas had a career-best 14 carries, but just 23 yards. Marcus McElroy finished with 13 yards on six carries, but had zero yards after his first three attempts.
Near midfield and looking to create a spark, the Rams back-to-back quarterback sneaks with Patrick O'Brien, needing 1 yard on third and fourth down. Both plays were stuffed, and Wyoming responded with a scoring drive for a 14-7 lead.
"The most disappointing thing that hurts is the little things," offensive lineman Barry Wesley said. "If we'd done this one little thing right, it would have worked. This one little thing and a 4- or 5-yard gain might be 10 or 15. It's looking at the little things that add up over time. Those things eventually cost us the game."
Moving Up
Without a running game the past two games, Warren Jackson still provides a glimmer of hope for the Rams every time they have the ball, and the junior joined an elite group of Colorado State receivers over the weekend.
With his six catches for 95 yards and a touchdown, he became the ninth receiver in program history to have a 1,000-yard season, 1,035 with one more game to play. It is the 14th 1,000-yard season by a CSU target, three of them produced by Greg Primus.
Here's a look at where Jackson's season currently ranks:
Catches
5. M. Gallup 76
6. R. Higgins 75
7. D. Anderson 72
8. K. McGregor 69
8. W. Jackson 69
Yardage
7. W. Miller 1,193
8. R. Greer 1,114
9. G. Primus 1.081
10. R. Higgins 1,062
11. W. Jackson 1,035
Touchdowns
7. 4 tied with 9
11. 2 tied with 8
12. W. Jackson 7
The junior was distraught after the game, but he guaranteed there would be no let down by the Rams with Boise State coming in for the final game of the season and the last for the seniors on the team.
"We're a different team than last year. I'd say we're a lot tougher than last year's team," he said. "We're not going to quit. We're going to give it everything we've got until the clock hits 0:00. Last year, we would just get blown out, no hope. I can see it, I can see it with this team. Just little mistakes and tiny errors are just hurting us. I can see it almost coming together, but just not yet. That's the tough part."
As Colorado State's defense extended the current run of strong outings to six games, the offense hit a roadblock for a second consecutive game. The Rams produced just one offensive touchdown, coming in the second quarter, blanked the other three frames.
It hasn't happened often under head coach Mike Bobo – eight occurrences in his five years -- where the Rams have scored just one touchdown or less in a game. For much of the season, CSU has been averaging 30 points or more, but not after the recent downturn.
Instead of the two sides of the ball feeding off of each other, they are running counter.
"If we take advantage when we get a turnover or a touchdown, we have to keep that energy going," defensive lineman Ellison Hubbard said. "We're going to work on that in practice, but I think we're getting there."
The Rams haven't allowed 400 yards of total offense in the past six games, and against Wyoming, they didn't allow 300 yards. On the first play of the game, defensive end Jan-Phillip Bombek went down with an injury, and before the first half was completed, Jalen Bates was ejected for targeting. With Manny Jones on one side, Rushton Roberts and Damien Dickens rotated on the other side. No excuses, just effort.
What the team isn't doing as a whole, Hubbard said the defense is doing internally.
"Every time somebody makes a play, it's like, OK, this is my turn to go step up for my brother," he said. "The D-line, we were kind of low, and every time Manny made a play, I wanted to go make a play. He's working his butt off, so I have to. Devin Phillips same way, Damion Dickens, same way. We're all feeding off each other."
Running on Empty
For a second week in a row, the Rams didn't hit 50 yards rushing, though this time it wasn't because of seven sacks allowed against Air Force. Bobo said the Rams knew it would be hard to generate a running attack against Wyoming, but they didn't expect 1.6 yards per carry.
"We didn't do a very good job blocking, we didn't do a very good job play calling," Bobo said. "I wouldn't say it was the running backs fault, but we obviously didn't break any tackles, either."
Jaylen Thomas had a career-best 14 carries, but just 23 yards. Marcus McElroy finished with 13 yards on six carries, but had zero yards after his first three attempts.
Near midfield and looking to create a spark, the Rams back-to-back quarterback sneaks with Patrick O'Brien, needing 1 yard on third and fourth down. Both plays were stuffed, and Wyoming responded with a scoring drive for a 14-7 lead.
"The most disappointing thing that hurts is the little things," offensive lineman Barry Wesley said. "If we'd done this one little thing right, it would have worked. This one little thing and a 4- or 5-yard gain might be 10 or 15. It's looking at the little things that add up over time. Those things eventually cost us the game."
Moving Up
Without a running game the past two games, Warren Jackson still provides a glimmer of hope for the Rams every time they have the ball, and the junior joined an elite group of Colorado State receivers over the weekend.
With his six catches for 95 yards and a touchdown, he became the ninth receiver in program history to have a 1,000-yard season, 1,035 with one more game to play. It is the 14th 1,000-yard season by a CSU target, three of them produced by Greg Primus.
Here's a look at where Jackson's season currently ranks:
Catches
5. M. Gallup 76
6. R. Higgins 75
7. D. Anderson 72
8. K. McGregor 69
8. W. Jackson 69
Yardage
7. W. Miller 1,193
8. R. Greer 1,114
9. G. Primus 1.081
10. R. Higgins 1,062
11. W. Jackson 1,035
Touchdowns
7. 4 tied with 9
11. 2 tied with 8
12. W. Jackson 7
The junior was distraught after the game, but he guaranteed there would be no let down by the Rams with Boise State coming in for the final game of the season and the last for the seniors on the team.
"We're a different team than last year. I'd say we're a lot tougher than last year's team," he said. "We're not going to quit. We're going to give it everything we've got until the clock hits 0:00. Last year, we would just get blown out, no hope. I can see it, I can see it with this team. Just little mistakes and tiny errors are just hurting us. I can see it almost coming together, but just not yet. That's the tough part."
Players Mentioned
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