Setting the Stage: Western Illinois

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Colorado State (0-1) vs. Western Illinois (0-1)
Canvas Stadium, Fort Collins
Saturday, Sept. 7, 2 p.m.

GAME LINKS

Rams host Leathernecks in 2019 home opener

Still Confident

Despite the loss Friday in the Rocky Mountain Showdown, coach Mike Bobo says he's still seeing a confident team moving into the home opener. That's not always the case, and players suggested the game would have played out differently a year prior.

The Rams are firm in their belief they had a chance to win the game, but they're also sure to credit Colorado for doing what they didn't to finish it out. Namely, four turnovers put a stamp on the outcome. It wasn't just Colorado State making mistakes, but Colorado making plays.

Still, they are moving into the second week with a firm resolve.

"I think they're a confident group. I think they see the film and see some opportunities that we missed, some things we've got to do better," Bobo said. "Obviously is taking care of the football, then opportunities to create some turnovers. Confidence, usually when you lose, it's not a good thing, but I see a confident group that knows that they had opportunities to win that game. They're obviously disappointed they didn't get it done. I don't want to sit here and say we gave the game away; you have to give Colorado credit. They made the plays that they had to make to win that game. There were some special plays that they made. We made some special plays, but we didn't make enough of them."

In the fourth quarter, despite three earlier turnovers, the Rams had a chance at a comeback. What's different, quarterback Collin Hill said, is the team still had the fight to try.

"We didn't lay down. I think last year, some of those things happen to us, we're probably going to lay down and get beat pretty good," he said. "It was a 21-point game, but when you really look at, we're down two scores with the ball with 5 minutes left in the game. We're in it. We just continued to fight."

Cleaning Up

Colorado State's defense allowed 45 points and 475 yards, not the outcome the Rams wanted coming out of the gates. Watching film, they came away with a clearer vision of what went wrong and how they can correct the mistakes.

Some were rather visible. Two penalties helped extend Colorado drives, leading to the Buffs' first 10 points. The Rams missed a chance at two interceptions, one a possible pick-six. In allowing 243 rushing yards, gaps were left uncovered.

"Those were mistakes that can easily be corrected," cornerback Rashad Ajayi said. "It wasn't anything too major, just little stuff. If we fix those, we'll be way better. We'll be way better than we were last Friday."

Also noticeable was the increased activity of the unit. There were more bodies surrounding ball carriers, better efforts up and down the field, and they did hold CU to just 3-of-9 on third down.

Ajayi said when they are making mistakes, the difference is the group is in an attack mode missing from a season ago. There were plays to be made, and Bobo wants to see them made from here on out. He noted they work on creating turnovers in practice all the time, and starting Monday, there were three circuits planned and a number set for how many the defense was to create during scout periods.

Quiet Contributor

True freshman Dante Wright made a splash in his first collegiate game, with his first catch resulting in a 39-yard touchdown pass. He would later add a 41-yard run on a fourth-and-2 play for a touchdown, finishing the contest with 150 all-purpose yards.

Not that you would have known it was a big deal. Wright was as ho-hum about his performance as one could be. That was the least surprising part of his debut to his teammates.

"When you hang out with him, he's just pretty quiet, keeps to himself. If he wouldn't have done anything and not played at all, he would have been the same as if he did what he did," quarterback Collin Hill said. "That's just kind of the guy he is. He's just even-keeled. After the game, you'd have no idea he went for (150 all-purpose yards). He's super humble."

What should Ram fans expect from Wright now?

Nothing more, said Hill, adding Wright had nothing to prove to anybody, least of all himself. The only expectation the quarterback said should be placed on the freshman is that he continues to improve.

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Rashad Ajayi

Collin Hill

Dante Wright

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