Colorado State University Athletics
This Week in History: 1994 Team Caps Amazing Run
11/14/2019 1:00:00 PM | Football
Rams finished regular season ranked No. 10
November 12, 1994 – The miracle season of 1994 was coming to a close as Senior Day at Hughes Stadium signified the last home game of the amazing year. The Rams sat at 8-1 on the season, the lone loss to Utah had them tied with the Utes atop the Western Athletic Conference. Utah, with a loss to New Mexico the previous week, faced off against the Air Force Falcons in Colorado Springs while the Rams had a non-conference game at Hughes Stadium against Arkansas State.
A small crowd of just more than 23,000 showed up at Hughes Stadium, and all eyes were not on the Rams that day because a Utah loss would put CSU ahead in their drive toward the first WAC title in school history. While fans and players watched the scores come in from Colorado Springs, the game on the field was an absolute blowout.
On Arkansas State's first drive, they tried a quick-kick on third-and-10 but did not surprise the CSU defense as lineman Steve Hodge blocked the punt and returned the ball to the 4-yard line. Rams running back Leonice Brown scored from there, and with less than three minutes off the clock the Rams were ahead 7-0. A pass from Anthoney Hill to Justin Shull for a touchdown on the Rams' first offensive drive put CSU up 14-0, where it stood until the end of the first quarter.
After Arkansas State kicked a field goal in the second quarter, CSU retaliated with 34 unanswered points over the next three quarters of play. By the fourth, when Renard Carn scored a touchdown from the 11 to put the Rams up 41-3, the crowd -- down to only an estimated 12,000 faithful fans -- is not even paying attention to the action at Hughes Stadium.
As the fourth quarter began, the fans and players are listening to the score from the Air Force and Utah game some 125 miles away. The Falcons had beat Utah 40-33! Rams fans begin chanting, "Holiday Bowl, Holiday Bowl!"
The players began celebrating, and the last touchdown of the game is meaningless as the Rams are now in control of their destiny. They have one more game to play in Fresno against the Bulldogs and the championship belongs to CSU if they can win.
November 19, 1994 in Fresno would go down as the final battle of the championship season as the Rams fought tooth and nail against Fresno State. It did not matter what Utah did that day, the Rams had to beat the Bulldogs to win their first championship in 39 years. Behind the tough defense and hard running of EJ Watson, the Rams came out on top 44-42 and finished the impossible 1994 season ranked 10th in the nation and champions of the Western Athletic Conference. It remains the highest ranking of any CSU football team in school history to end the regular season.
CSU faced No. 20 Michigan in the Holiday Bowl, but lost in a tough battle against the Wolverines. They would finish No. 16 in the country after the bowl game, which remains the second-highest final ranking of any CSU football team behind the 2000 Liberty Bowl champion Rams. It is only fitting that 25 years later, the 1994 Rams have been inducted into the CSU Athletic Hall of Fame as one of the greatest football teams in school history.
A small crowd of just more than 23,000 showed up at Hughes Stadium, and all eyes were not on the Rams that day because a Utah loss would put CSU ahead in their drive toward the first WAC title in school history. While fans and players watched the scores come in from Colorado Springs, the game on the field was an absolute blowout.
On Arkansas State's first drive, they tried a quick-kick on third-and-10 but did not surprise the CSU defense as lineman Steve Hodge blocked the punt and returned the ball to the 4-yard line. Rams running back Leonice Brown scored from there, and with less than three minutes off the clock the Rams were ahead 7-0. A pass from Anthoney Hill to Justin Shull for a touchdown on the Rams' first offensive drive put CSU up 14-0, where it stood until the end of the first quarter.
After Arkansas State kicked a field goal in the second quarter, CSU retaliated with 34 unanswered points over the next three quarters of play. By the fourth, when Renard Carn scored a touchdown from the 11 to put the Rams up 41-3, the crowd -- down to only an estimated 12,000 faithful fans -- is not even paying attention to the action at Hughes Stadium.
As the fourth quarter began, the fans and players are listening to the score from the Air Force and Utah game some 125 miles away. The Falcons had beat Utah 40-33! Rams fans begin chanting, "Holiday Bowl, Holiday Bowl!"
The players began celebrating, and the last touchdown of the game is meaningless as the Rams are now in control of their destiny. They have one more game to play in Fresno against the Bulldogs and the championship belongs to CSU if they can win.
November 19, 1994 in Fresno would go down as the final battle of the championship season as the Rams fought tooth and nail against Fresno State. It did not matter what Utah did that day, the Rams had to beat the Bulldogs to win their first championship in 39 years. Behind the tough defense and hard running of EJ Watson, the Rams came out on top 44-42 and finished the impossible 1994 season ranked 10th in the nation and champions of the Western Athletic Conference. It remains the highest ranking of any CSU football team in school history to end the regular season.
CSU faced No. 20 Michigan in the Holiday Bowl, but lost in a tough battle against the Wolverines. They would finish No. 16 in the country after the bowl game, which remains the second-highest final ranking of any CSU football team behind the 2000 Liberty Bowl champion Rams. It is only fitting that 25 years later, the 1994 Rams have been inducted into the CSU Athletic Hall of Fame as one of the greatest football teams in school history.
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