What We Saw: Rams Don't Get Lost in Negative

Improvement

When a team loses, it can get overly focused on what went wrong.

While aware of the factors, Colorado State coach Steve Addazio said the fixes started with what he and his staff felt the Rams did well in the season opening loss to Fresno State. The end result was an end to a four-game Border War slide with a 34-24 win over Wyoming at Canvas Stadium.

The team didn't ignore anything, but they didn't get bogged down in the negative.

"The fact of the matter was last week on defense it was about third downs; we gave up five big third-and-long plays. That was the sum total of what happened on defense, and that occurred because of some blown coverage and blown assignments," Addazio said. "On offense, we really had amassed quite a bit of offense in the small amount of time we had the ball, we had an opportunity on three catches that we would have scored in the 30s. We felt there were a lot of really good things on our film from last week.

"Even though the score wasn't good, meaning we lost the game, when you watch the tape, I really felt – and so did a lot of people – that there was really a lot of good there that got covered up. We got focused in on third down on both sides of the ball."

The Rams were by no means perfect, but they were much better, especially in crucial moments. Defensively, they created chaos and were opportunistic. Offensively, they cashed in more often and performed in the clutch.

Numbers will never tell the whole story, as the first two weeks will suggest. Colorado State yielded more yards to Wyoming on Thursday night than to Fresno State the week before (465-432), but allowed 14 fewer points.

The Rams generated more yards in the opener than in the Border War (372-342) but scored 17 more points. The difference being Colorado State rose up to certain challenges and did a better job of avoiding self-inflicted wounds in the first win of the Addazio era.

While CSU converted just 4-of-13 on third down, the catch by Dante Wright in the fourth quarter to extend what became a clinching 48-yard field goal from Robert LIss was crucial. It was made in traffic, and the sophomore secured the ball despite immediate contact when he was in the air.

On the other end, Wyoming was just 4-of-15 on third down, and definitely didn't convert in a confidence-crushing fashion as the Bulldogs did the week prior.

Turnovers were absent the first game; they came in succession early, three overall. The defense not only set up the offense to score, but took care of business themselves with Marshaun Cameron's 30-yard pick-six. In an instant, turnovers forced on Wyoming's first two possessions led to a quick 14-0 lead.

Big plays were made in all three phases. Colorado State's football team looked like a much different unit against a rival than the week prior when it dropped the season opener at Fresno State, and there was no shortage of highlight moments when a defense produces six sacks and 14 tackles for loss. It takes the efforts of a veteran like Manny Jones, who had a pair of sacks and four tackles for loss. And it takes new blood, like Liss, to come up big with the game still in the balance.

"That's huge. I mean, that's a big moment, honestly, as a true freshman, asking that of him," quarterback Patrick O'Brien said. "He came in there and nailed it, and that really sealed the deal for us. I'm proud of him. I think he's only going to get better from here, so I'm excited to see what the future holds."

And just as they did the week before, the Rams will not get lost in the final result with a road trip to Boise State on tap.

"I'm sure we're going to watch that tape and there's a lot of things we feel like we could have done a whole lot better, but that's usually the case," Addazio said. "We're still a new program, we're still developing. I'd like to think we can continue to improve. I think we made a lot of strides. I thought the level of intensity and physicality and passion that we played with really said a lot."

Emotional Play

Playing a rival should bring the blood to a boil. Especially one you haven't beaten in four years, and earlier in the week, Addazio said senior defensive lineman Toby McBride really wore his emotions on his sleeve for his team.

"This is an unbelievably passionate rivalry," Addazio said. "Toby McBride spoke to the team on Wednesday evening and showed a little video of past, the last time they won that Boot. It really was meaningful. For a rival to hold that kind of passion, even in a time when there's nobody in the stands speaks to the intensity of that rivalry."

McBride is in the fifth year of a career which has been hampered by injuries from the start. As a true freshman, he led the team in sacks, but he also had to sit a year with a back injury. He came back, partially to play one more year with his brother, Trey, but also to finish what he started.

The staff has been cautious with him, limiting practice wear-and-tear to maximize his game performance. Thursday, it paid off with five tackles, two resulting in 14 yards of losses and a forced fumble on the punt return team.

To those who know him, Wednesday's impassioned speech was no surprise. And nobody knows him better than Trey.

"He's been here a long time, and I know this game means a lot to him because he hasn't won the
Boot," Trey said. "I know what this game means to him. Just seeing him, the passion he has, the love he has for this game, I mean I know that was one of the big reasons he came back because he didn't want to be a loser his whole life knowing that's he's never beat a rival.

"He came back, and I'm glad we got that win. I'm more happy for him."

A Slight Glimpse

Addazio has made it no secret – his teams are to play physical. They are to display extreme toughness. Nowhere in the game of football does that show up more than in a 4-minute drill.

Wyoming scored a touchdown with 8:18 remaining in the game to cap of an eight-play, 56-yard drive, making it a 31-24 edge. To beat a rival, the Rams needed the correct response, which it produced by taking 5:32 off the clock as Liss' field goal sailed through the uprights.

It only covered 46 yards, but it took 11 plays. It wasn't picture perfect, because ideally, Addazio wants his team to be able to complete that drive and do it by running the ball even though the defense knows a handoff is coming.

Six of those plays were runs, and they generated just seven yards. But on two third-down plays, O'Brien was able to connect with Wright for clutch conversions, accounting for 30 yards. And of Wright's 10 catches for 107 yards, his final one for 16 was the most important of the night.

"The situation in the game, those type of drives, you really have to rely on your offensive line, really maul them, get those first downs and keep the clock rolling," O'Brien said. "Credit to them. They knew what they were up against and they delivered."

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