RamWire: Hanie, Rams on target in 2006 victory

This season marks the final time for the Rocky Mountain Showdown in Denver. Over the next five weeks, we take a look back at some of the best Mile High moments for Colorado State in the rivalry.

When he woke up Sunday, something didn't feel right.

The morning after a game, it was never a case of just popping out of bed and getting the day started, but Caleb Hanie was finding it even a bit more difficult.

He was scrambling for yards in a win over Weber State the day before, trying to get those extra few "like a dummy." That's when he was hit and twisted his back. It was tight the next morning, he was in pain, and truth be told, he wasn't sure he'd be ready to go for the next game.

Against Colorado.

As days passed during the week of preparation, his back started to feel a little bit better, but Hanie still wasn't convinced walking through the tunnel to the field on Saturday.

"On game day, I put a stretchy heat adhesive on there, and it loosened up, and it felt great," Hanie said. "I remember that, because it was my first game to start against CU, and walking into the stadium I was nervous. But I was focused on my back, making sure it would loosen up. Maybe that helped the nerves a little bit."

If he was tense it didn't show, as he produced one of the best passing performances in school history in terms of hitting his targets. He threw 23 time in the game, completing 20. Two of his incompletions were throwaways, as he was constantly under pressure by a Buffaloes defense which would sack him six times.

Those completions accounted for 233 yards, including a 5-yard strike to tight end Kory Sperry which would vault the Rams in front 14-10, a score with 4:07 remaining in the first half which stood as the contest's final points.

He knew his quarterback was sharp that day, but head coach Sonny Lubick admitted he didn't realize just how sharp until he was given the final numbers after the win. The 87 percent completion percentage still stands as the best single-game performance in Rams' history.

Add in the fact it came on a day when Colorado State only had 15 rushing yards on 34 carries – Hanie's sacks accounted for 41 yards in losses – the performance was so much more impressive to his coach.

"I think it is. It's very hard. You have to be able to stand in there, and you give the coach a little credit for calling stuff you think is going to get open," Lubick said. "But heck, I didn't know those stats until the end.

"Keeping the ball, hitting an 8-yard pass, another first down, another first down. That all changes field position, and that helps like heck."

So does having a solid defensive plan, because the Rams only allowed nine first downs to the Buffs that day, and most of their offensive total came on the first drive, a 65-yard march culminating in a Bernard Jackson 3-yard run off a naked bootleg.

It was a tactic Lubick and his defensive staff prepared to face.

"He wasn't a passer, but he could run. I remember on the first drive, they had it third-and-long, and (defensive coordinator) Steve Stanard called a prevent (defense), and the kid ran it for 20. I told him, we're going to play him like a running back. If he beats us throwing, that's on us. They couldn't beat us throwing the football."

Jackson would throw for 70 yards, and he rushed for 30, thanks to four sacks by the CSU defense.

Hanie answered with a 3-yard scoring run of his own at the end of the first, and Colorado's other score was a 40-yard field goal by Mason Crosby early in the second quarter.

All the while, Hanie kept moving the sticks, finding Johnny Walker 10 times for 158 yards. The only problem in the second half was the Rams couldn't finish a drive, making for a scoreless final 30 minutes.

"It felt like we were dominating the game more than we were," Hanie said. "We did a few screens to Johnny Walker, and we had a third-and-6 near the end of the game, we threw to Johnny to secure the win. He was awesome

"That last play on third down, Coach Lubick called that. He didn't call the play, but he said, 'let's throw it deep.' I guess he kinda knew what they were going to be doing on defense. Hammer (offensive coordinator Dan Hammerschmidt) was like, let's do it. We called go routes on both sides, but I chose to throw to Johnny. He and I had a good connection that day."

Being roommates on the road didn't hurt, either.

For Hanie, the game was easy to remember, calling it the most special moment he had at CSU. It was a big win for Lubick – the last of his four against the Buffs – and assistant coach Marc Lubick had just finished treatment for a rare form of curable cancer. He's now on the Buffalo Bills staff as an assistant coach.

Hanie may have been hurting, but he was on target. To him, all the Rams were.

"It takes a team effort," he said. "Your receivers have to run the right route, and the linemen have to block. There are a lot of reasons quarterbacks miss throws."

Hanie couldn't summon up many that day, however.

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