Monday Presser: Addazio Looks to Keep Rams Focused Forward

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Nov 15

1:00 PM

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at New Mexico

Nov 22

6-Days

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at Boise State

Nov 28

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vs Air Force

Dec 5

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The jump was evident.

From the season opener to the second game, Colorado State's football team made major gains across the board. It led to the toppling of a rival, and head coach Steve Addazio wants to see it continue as the Rams head off to face Boise State on Thursday.

That's not something he will leave to chance, as was evidenced by the team in Monday's practice. A normal Addazio schedule would have had the Rams out of pads, but because he wasn't sold on Sunday's efforts, the team hit the field in shoulder pads.

As he put it, the goal is to make sure the team is prepared, and if not, you don't risk falling behind.

"I can tell you we had a pretty good Saturday. I wasn't really fired up about (Sunday)," he said during his weekly Monday press conference. "I thought today we did a hell of a job; the kids really practiced hard. Yes, I see improvement, obviously. We hope to show more improvement again this week. We did show good improvement from week one to two. Kids are getting more comfortable, with A, the systems, and B, just the attention to detail we believe is so critically important to improve as a football team. The mental strain, learning how to mentally strain, is something that we're really stressing.

"I really appreciated the kids today. I told them we had two hard days, and we'd be in spiders today, but I didn't feel like we got enough done yesterday, so we went back in shoulder pads again today. I tell you what, their attitude and attention to detail was great. I'm hoping we're going to improve again."

He sees the mental approach playing as big a factor as the physical work. Both are required, but if a team gets caught up in a wave of emotions, the boat can capsize. Addazio, over and over, will tell his team, steady in the boat.

Last week produced an uplifting victory in the Border War, and this week provides a chance to beat a Boise State team the Rams have not felled in nine chances.

"I think I've you're going to be a bonafide program, you've got to learn how to take each week one at a time and you can't ride the rollercoaster," Addazio said. "You play a rival game early, and if you win it, it's a great high, and if you lose it, it's a real low, but here comes the next week, and you're playing now an elite team in the league and you've got to get ready to go.

"We'll find out. How do we respond? Obviously we're all coaching and practicing and working really hard. All that does is put you in position, it doesn't mean it's going to happen. I'm anxious to see our team, see how we do respond coming off a big win and how we get ready to play an elite opponent."

Offensive Flow

Much changed in terms of offensive production for the Rams, and it wasn't just the change at quarterback. It's a unit still looking to gain a consistent flow, but quarterback Patrick O'Brien sees the building blocks the group needs.

"I was pretty excited about how the offense played. I think it's a good stepping stone, and I think we can put up more yards, be more efficient on third down and score when we are in the red zone," he said. "Just from my first start, I think it was pretty good from a base of where we're at. I think there's always room for improvement, and I think we can get there."

Addazio has said after each week the offensive line has played well, but can play even better. In pursuit of a downhill rushing attack, the Rams are still experiencing missteps. The passing game has been able to rely on tight end Trey McBride – who is fourth in the league in receptions in just two games – and the addition of Dante Wright most definitely added a speed component.

They can see it, but they also admit there's plenty of room for improvement. Situationally, especially. The Rams, who actually gained more yards against Fresno State, need to rev up production on third down (29 percent conversion rate) and in the red zone (five of eight on scores, but just three touchdowns).

"I think the sky's the limit for us," Wright said. "We were a little shaky the first week, but the second week coming back, we showed a lot more of how open our offense can be, how versatile it is and I think there's a lot more we can do with it."

Reboot with Boise State

Two years ago, Steve Addazio had a Boston College team prepared to play Boise State in the First Responders Bowl, and the Eagles jumped out to a 7-0 lead. But due to lightning strikes in the area, the game never went any further.

It became the first FBS bowl game to be shut down by lightning, leaving both teams with an empty feeling to the conclusion of the 2018 season. But in the process, Addazio learned what it's like to prepare for Boise State.

"I always love it when you play the elite teams, and we have a chance to play truly the elite team in our league," he said. "I have a tremendous amount of respect for their whole program, their coaching staff. Having prepared for them before, I'm well aware of how good they are and the job they've done there and will continue to do. This is a great challenge for us, and you just look forward as a player and a coach to playing the best teams. This is clearly one of them."

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