Colorado State University Athletics
Defense Knows Next Step it Has to Take
10/6/2021 12:17:00 PM | Football
Creating turnovers remains an emphasis for unit
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Playing good defense is a start. Playing great defense, which is the goal for Colorado State, is going to require a little bit more.
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The Rams rank 53rd in total defense, with their run-stopping ability (23rd overall) leading the charge. The three sacks per game they register is strong, as are the seven tackles for loss per game, helping to keep opposing offenses behind the chains.
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What they need, however, is what the offense has, and that's the ball. Colorado State's turnovers margin ranks 98th in the country, and it's not because CSU is turnover prone. Only three teams in the Mountain West have turned it over less, but the Rams haven't been overly strong at creating them, just three overall on the season.
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That's a separator between good and great.
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"Absolutely. We're getting anxious," cornerback Marshaun Cameron said. "We're getting real hungry. We can see a lot more turnovers happening in practice, which is a good sign. Hopefully we can just keep going at it and it's going to result in turnovers in the game."
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There is no secret drill other teams are doing which make them more adept at thievery. Practice drills have been handed down through generations, and while there are some variances, the basics are the same. Defenders have been taught to strip at the ball for years, then pounce on it.
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The drills will never stop, and Colorado State is putting a focus on it during practice. As long as defensive coordinator Chuck Heater has been around defenses, he sees a correlation between defenses who create them and those who do not.
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"That's part of good defense is turnovers. We've played good defense, but we haven't created a lot of turnovers," he said. "We definitely would like to get that done, because it helps you win ball games.
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"I do believe you get what you emphasize, but at times, it just kind of happens because you have guys who can make plays. That being said, you have to coach it, have to emphasize it and get some result for it. Sometimes you have guys that just do it."
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Scott Patchan has recovered two fumbles this year, which places him among the nation's leaders, an outlier from the overall production by the unit. So it can be done, and the Rams feel they have developing playmakers on the field.
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Playmakers, Heater said, are generally the guys who understand the defense, know their role and can instinctively read out plays as they unfold, putting them in the right position to make something happen. The more you have, the better a defense performs.
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"The whole point from the coaches, we have to have our great players play great, and we have to have the other players come along and play well. That's the key," said Mohamed Kamara, whose 4.5 sacks lead the team. "For some people, it does come natural. Then you have people who make plays and it's, wow. If you're doing it in practice, it's not confusing.
Â
"It's reading plays, reading the quarterback. It's how the running back runs with the ball, watch the quarterback, how he runs with the ball, how he pitches it and gives it off. We're great at tackle for losses and keeping yards down, but for us to be a great defense, we need to create turnovers. That's' the next step for us."
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Saturday's Homecoming affair with San Jose State would be a good place to start. The Spartans have been prone to turnovers this year, tied for the conference lead with 10 – an even split between fumbles and interceptions. The Rams have just one pick this year, which came in the past game with Iowa when true freshman corner Robert Floyd produced a play which set up a Colorado State touchdown.
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Those are the plays which can turn around momentum or allow teams to put in the final dagger. Those are the plays Cameron sees the defense creating more and more in practice, but the next step is to do it more often in a game.
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"You just do your job and get to the ball when you see it. When you know what you're doing, you can play easier, play faster and react to what you see," he said. "And when you see it, make the play. There are less missed assignments, and we're getting turnovers in practice. When the ball is on the ground, everybody is running to it. It's little things. Running to the ball, even just being there when the play is away from you is important.
Â
"We know if we handle defense and special teams, you have a chance to win. That's our emphasis."
Â
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The Rams rank 53rd in total defense, with their run-stopping ability (23rd overall) leading the charge. The three sacks per game they register is strong, as are the seven tackles for loss per game, helping to keep opposing offenses behind the chains.
Â
What they need, however, is what the offense has, and that's the ball. Colorado State's turnovers margin ranks 98th in the country, and it's not because CSU is turnover prone. Only three teams in the Mountain West have turned it over less, but the Rams haven't been overly strong at creating them, just three overall on the season.
Â
That's a separator between good and great.
Â
"Absolutely. We're getting anxious," cornerback Marshaun Cameron said. "We're getting real hungry. We can see a lot more turnovers happening in practice, which is a good sign. Hopefully we can just keep going at it and it's going to result in turnovers in the game."
Â
There is no secret drill other teams are doing which make them more adept at thievery. Practice drills have been handed down through generations, and while there are some variances, the basics are the same. Defenders have been taught to strip at the ball for years, then pounce on it.
Â
The drills will never stop, and Colorado State is putting a focus on it during practice. As long as defensive coordinator Chuck Heater has been around defenses, he sees a correlation between defenses who create them and those who do not.
Â
"That's part of good defense is turnovers. We've played good defense, but we haven't created a lot of turnovers," he said. "We definitely would like to get that done, because it helps you win ball games.
Â
"I do believe you get what you emphasize, but at times, it just kind of happens because you have guys who can make plays. That being said, you have to coach it, have to emphasize it and get some result for it. Sometimes you have guys that just do it."
Â
Scott Patchan has recovered two fumbles this year, which places him among the nation's leaders, an outlier from the overall production by the unit. So it can be done, and the Rams feel they have developing playmakers on the field.
Â
Playmakers, Heater said, are generally the guys who understand the defense, know their role and can instinctively read out plays as they unfold, putting them in the right position to make something happen. The more you have, the better a defense performs.
Â
"The whole point from the coaches, we have to have our great players play great, and we have to have the other players come along and play well. That's the key," said Mohamed Kamara, whose 4.5 sacks lead the team. "For some people, it does come natural. Then you have people who make plays and it's, wow. If you're doing it in practice, it's not confusing.
Â
"It's reading plays, reading the quarterback. It's how the running back runs with the ball, watch the quarterback, how he runs with the ball, how he pitches it and gives it off. We're great at tackle for losses and keeping yards down, but for us to be a great defense, we need to create turnovers. That's' the next step for us."
Â
Saturday's Homecoming affair with San Jose State would be a good place to start. The Spartans have been prone to turnovers this year, tied for the conference lead with 10 – an even split between fumbles and interceptions. The Rams have just one pick this year, which came in the past game with Iowa when true freshman corner Robert Floyd produced a play which set up a Colorado State touchdown.
Â
Those are the plays which can turn around momentum or allow teams to put in the final dagger. Those are the plays Cameron sees the defense creating more and more in practice, but the next step is to do it more often in a game.
Â
"You just do your job and get to the ball when you see it. When you know what you're doing, you can play easier, play faster and react to what you see," he said. "And when you see it, make the play. There are less missed assignments, and we're getting turnovers in practice. When the ball is on the ground, everybody is running to it. It's little things. Running to the ball, even just being there when the play is away from you is important.
Â
"We know if we handle defense and special teams, you have a chance to win. That's our emphasis."
Â
Players Mentioned
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