Setting the Stage: Vanderbilt

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Colorado State (0-1) vs. Vanderbilt (0-1)
Canvas Stadium | Fort Collins, Colo.
Saturday, Sept. 11, 8 p.m.

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Rams Aim for Bounce-Back Performance

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – For Colorado State to rebound from the season-opening loss, the changes had to start long before kickoff. Head coach Steve Addazio was gauging the energy of the team throughout practice during the week, and Wednesday's session was up to his standards.

"We had a great day today, got better today, really took a step forward," Addazio said after Wednesday's practice in preparation for Saturday's game with Vanderbilt. "We learned how to take on adversity and learned how to attack it, because that's what it takes. We came out here and got better today."

Addazio said in his Monday press conference his team was not prepared for the opener, and he put the blame squarely on his veteran shoulders. He wasn't about to take chances this week, targeting issues from the loss. Sitting atop the list were to address the mistakes which took place along both fronts, but he also felt the team needed a definitive uptick in energy in their approach and mindset.

To him, it's the way they come out in practice and not just grind through the work, but battle in each drill. As he touched on before, it's all part of learning how to win, and Colorado State has not had a winning season since 2017. That foundation has to be set sooner than later.

There wasn't anything new added to practice, just the goal of doing it all better and with more intensity. The last step is making the process something the players take on themselves, and while it hasn't completely taken place, the players are taking more of the directive.

"I thought today the coaches had to get the energy going, but I thought the players took it and they ran with it," he said. "That's what I was excited about. It was player-driven at the end."

Offensive Balance

Addazio's offenses through the years have been very run oriented, and he's still a firm believer in the approach. Last week, CSU quarterback Todd Centeio threw for 304 yards, matching the most passing yards in a game for an Addazio quarterback. South Dakota State loaded the box to stop the run game, so the Rams threw a bit more to counter the approach.

The coach knows he's been criticized in the past for not throwing the ball more, but then again, he noted his teams weren't always actually efficient at the practice. And because the Rams had very little of a run game, he entered this week of practice putting a lot more emphasis on curing what ails the rushing attack. But with the way they passed, is Addazio willing to break away from his normally run-heavy approach down the line this season.

"That's a valid question," he said. "I'd say somewhere between 50-50 and 60-40 run-to-throw is probably what I would think. Because it's hard if you're running the ball 40 percent of the time to be that efficient running the ball. It's difficult."

He felt he went away from the run game a bit because of the South Dakota State defense, more so than he should have, adding he could have made adjustments to how they ran the ball to give it a better chance at success. He's also still in the camp that a good run game will gain steam, especially as it starts to wear down a defense.

Quarterbacks are quarterbacks, and they like to throw. Centeio heads into the game more confident too, but whatever his coach calls is just fine with him, as long as the Rams are singing the fight song postgame.

"I just want to win. If I went out there and threw 15 passes and won the game, I'd be happy," said Centeio, who threw 42 and completed 29 with a touchdown. "I'd rather that have been the case than what it was. I just want to win and lead these guys on the field and win the game."

Here and There

Addazio hopes to have both defensive tackle Toby McBride and safety Logan Stewart available in the game. McBride missed all of last week, while Stewart saw time late. Both are returning starters. … Heading into the game, Colorado State has received the opening kickoff in 11 consecutive games. The past five times have resulted in a punt on the first drive, six times in the past seven, while the other five occasions – including the first four dating back to 2019, resulted in touchdowns. Five times the Rams have won the coin toss, six times they have lost it. … This is the first meeting between the two schools. The game was originally scheduled as a home-and-home, with CSU scheduled to head to Nashville in 2020, a game erased by the pandemic. … The Commodores will be just the third SEC team to visit Fort Collins, joining Arkansas (2018) and Mississippi State (1981). The program is 3-14 against current SEC teams; the Rams are 1-1 against Missouri back when the Tigers were in another conference. … Addazio's first hire as offensive coordinator at Colorado State, Joey Lynch, is now the offensive coordinator for Vanderbilt for first-year coach Clark Lea.

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Todd Centeio

Toby McBride

Logan Stewart

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