Colorado State University Athletics
Saturday, September 18
Toledo, OH
2:00 PM
Colorado State
1-2 , 0-0
22
at
6
Toledo
1-2 , 0-0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Colorado St.
3
0
10
9
22
Toledo
0
3
3
0
6
Rams Pick Up Special Road Win at Toledo
9/18/2021 6:59:00 PM | Football
Pannunzio return, Camper's leg lead to first win of 2021
TOLEDO, Ohio – What the offense couldn't do, special teams did.
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Colorado State had not returned a punt for a touchdown in five seasons, but the timing was perfect for returner Thomas Pannunzio's first trip to the end zone as his 70-yard return aided a day of offensive frustration and capped a stellar defensive effort in a 22-6 road victory at Toledo.
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After struggling on special teams in 2020, Colorado State coach Steve Addazio said the units would be "electric" this season, and Pannunzio – who has played receiver and is the team's starting nickelback – most certainly was Saturday at the Glass Bowl.
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"That was good. We needed a pick-me-up," tight end Trey McBride said. "Thomas came through really in a point of the game where we needed something, and I'm happy he was able to do that. I was thankful that he made a play, because we needed something to get going."
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The Rams most definitely did.
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With Dante Wright out with an injury, Gerick Robinson became the Rams' punt returner at the start of the game, but after the true freshman mishandled a pair of attempts, the team turned to Pannunzio, who was one of the Mountain West's top kickoff return men a season ago.
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He didn't disappoint as he fielded his first punt of the day in the middle of the field, made a few broke a few arm tackles and moved to his right, bursting down the right sideline for a 70-yard touchdown.
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"Man, I've been waiting a whole year to get another shot at it, so it feels good," Pannunzio said. "They gave me about 5 yards of space, so I was like I can make a play out of this. There were a couple of holes, and I just hit it. I had déjà vu from last year at San Diego State when I got tackled by the kicker, so I had to high step the last dude and go on from there."
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Pannunzio's return came with 3:03 remaining in the third quarter, and it was the only time in the game either team reached the end zone.
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The defense put forth the best effort of the season, limiting Toledo to 284 yards of total offense, and just 22 on the ground. Colorado State last held to a team to less than 50 yards rushing back in 2018, when San Jose State finished with 48.
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The unit produced six sacks and 10 tackles for loss, with Mohamed Kamara leading the charge with 2.5 sacks. Linebacker Dequan Jackson led the team with 13 tackles, and true freshman Jack Howell, making his first career start, had nine in the game.
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It was an aggressive unit, one which attacked from the beginning, featuring a heavy blitz package which put pressure on the quarterback and clogged holes in the run game.
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"I think we just bought in. We had a great week of practice, preparation," Jackson said after a 13-tackle day. "We kind of knew what they were doing, and I think guys were studying extra, we had extra meetings as a defense. We came out and played lights out. I can't be more proud of those guys. Guys played physical, played fast and kept believing."
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The group stood tall even in tough moments. When Robinson's second bobble granted Toledo the ball on the CSU 25 in the second, the Rams were able to hold the damage to a field goal. Like CSU, the Rockets lost a touchdown to a penalty, as the first play after the turnover they took a shot into the end zone for a score which was negated by a holding call.
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The effort was crucial as the offense struggled all day, despite getting some strong individual performances. For the third time this season, Trey McBride had a 100-yard receiving game. Running back David Bailey produced his first 100-yard rushing game in a CSU uniform, going for 132 yards on the ground. But quarterback Todd Centeio was off target most of the day, completing just 11-of-27 passes for 108 yards, though he did rush for 62.
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Bailey broke loose for a 23-yard scoring run, but it was taken off the board by a penalty. Down the stretch, the Rams hit Toledo with a heavy dose of the big back, grinding out the win. The Rams again struggled to convert on third down, hitting on just 4-of-14, and the majority of them fell in the medium-range category.
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Frustrating, but again, McBride pointed the team effort required to snap a five-game skid for the program.
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"Honestly, I'm just happy we won," he said. "I think that's stuff we'll figure out, we'll get that fixed this week. Ultimately we won the game. We needed a win. Whether we win by one point or a hundred points, a win's a win. I was happy this team came through, and were able to get to the red zone and Cayden Camper had a great game. He went five-for-five in field goals, so I was happy that he was able to do that as well."
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The unit couldn't produce a touchdown on the afternoon, but Camper had a big day of redemption. After missing his past three field goal attempts, he drilled a career-best five in the game, good from 31, 42, 29, 47 and 23 yards. The last Ram to make five field goals in a game was Jeff Babcock back in 2002 on the road at Virginia.
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All of it, even the struggles, felt great as they boarded the plane with their first victory of the season. No matter how much the outside world doubted them, the team stuck with the plan and produced a victory.
Â
"We've got things we've got to correct, but it was great for the kids to feel," Addazio said. "Be resilient, tough and hang in there and find a way to win, those are all big building blocks on the road. Those are good things to have happen."
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Colorado State had not returned a punt for a touchdown in five seasons, but the timing was perfect for returner Thomas Pannunzio's first trip to the end zone as his 70-yard return aided a day of offensive frustration and capped a stellar defensive effort in a 22-6 road victory at Toledo.
Â
After struggling on special teams in 2020, Colorado State coach Steve Addazio said the units would be "electric" this season, and Pannunzio – who has played receiver and is the team's starting nickelback – most certainly was Saturday at the Glass Bowl.
Â
"That was good. We needed a pick-me-up," tight end Trey McBride said. "Thomas came through really in a point of the game where we needed something, and I'm happy he was able to do that. I was thankful that he made a play, because we needed something to get going."
Â
The Rams most definitely did.
Â
With Dante Wright out with an injury, Gerick Robinson became the Rams' punt returner at the start of the game, but after the true freshman mishandled a pair of attempts, the team turned to Pannunzio, who was one of the Mountain West's top kickoff return men a season ago.
Â
He didn't disappoint as he fielded his first punt of the day in the middle of the field, made a few broke a few arm tackles and moved to his right, bursting down the right sideline for a 70-yard touchdown.
Â
"Man, I've been waiting a whole year to get another shot at it, so it feels good," Pannunzio said. "They gave me about 5 yards of space, so I was like I can make a play out of this. There were a couple of holes, and I just hit it. I had déjà vu from last year at San Diego State when I got tackled by the kicker, so I had to high step the last dude and go on from there."
Â
Pannunzio's return came with 3:03 remaining in the third quarter, and it was the only time in the game either team reached the end zone.
Â
The defense put forth the best effort of the season, limiting Toledo to 284 yards of total offense, and just 22 on the ground. Colorado State last held to a team to less than 50 yards rushing back in 2018, when San Jose State finished with 48.
Â
The unit produced six sacks and 10 tackles for loss, with Mohamed Kamara leading the charge with 2.5 sacks. Linebacker Dequan Jackson led the team with 13 tackles, and true freshman Jack Howell, making his first career start, had nine in the game.
Â
It was an aggressive unit, one which attacked from the beginning, featuring a heavy blitz package which put pressure on the quarterback and clogged holes in the run game.
Â
"I think we just bought in. We had a great week of practice, preparation," Jackson said after a 13-tackle day. "We kind of knew what they were doing, and I think guys were studying extra, we had extra meetings as a defense. We came out and played lights out. I can't be more proud of those guys. Guys played physical, played fast and kept believing."
Â
The group stood tall even in tough moments. When Robinson's second bobble granted Toledo the ball on the CSU 25 in the second, the Rams were able to hold the damage to a field goal. Like CSU, the Rockets lost a touchdown to a penalty, as the first play after the turnover they took a shot into the end zone for a score which was negated by a holding call.
Â
The effort was crucial as the offense struggled all day, despite getting some strong individual performances. For the third time this season, Trey McBride had a 100-yard receiving game. Running back David Bailey produced his first 100-yard rushing game in a CSU uniform, going for 132 yards on the ground. But quarterback Todd Centeio was off target most of the day, completing just 11-of-27 passes for 108 yards, though he did rush for 62.
Â
Bailey broke loose for a 23-yard scoring run, but it was taken off the board by a penalty. Down the stretch, the Rams hit Toledo with a heavy dose of the big back, grinding out the win. The Rams again struggled to convert on third down, hitting on just 4-of-14, and the majority of them fell in the medium-range category.
Â
Frustrating, but again, McBride pointed the team effort required to snap a five-game skid for the program.
Â
"Honestly, I'm just happy we won," he said. "I think that's stuff we'll figure out, we'll get that fixed this week. Ultimately we won the game. We needed a win. Whether we win by one point or a hundred points, a win's a win. I was happy this team came through, and were able to get to the red zone and Cayden Camper had a great game. He went five-for-five in field goals, so I was happy that he was able to do that as well."
Â
The unit couldn't produce a touchdown on the afternoon, but Camper had a big day of redemption. After missing his past three field goal attempts, he drilled a career-best five in the game, good from 31, 42, 29, 47 and 23 yards. The last Ram to make five field goals in a game was Jeff Babcock back in 2002 on the road at Virginia.
Â
All of it, even the struggles, felt great as they boarded the plane with their first victory of the season. No matter how much the outside world doubted them, the team stuck with the plan and produced a victory.
Â
"We've got things we've got to correct, but it was great for the kids to feel," Addazio said. "Be resilient, tough and hang in there and find a way to win, those are all big building blocks on the road. Those are good things to have happen."
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Team Stats
CSU
TOL
Total Yards
319
283
Pass Yards
110
270
Rushing Yards
209
13
Penalty Yards
60
89
1st Downs
18
11
3rd Downs
4
4
4th Downs
1
1
TOP
31:00
29:00
1st Quarter
CSU 3, TOL 0
CSU - Camper,Cayden 31 yd field goal 15 plays, 70 yards, TOP 05:21
2nd Quarter
CSU 3, TOL 3
TOL - Cluckey,Thomas 43 yd field goal 4 plays, yards, TOP 01:45
3rd Quarter
CSU 6, TOL 3
CSU - Camper,Cayden 42 yd field goal 9 plays, 39 yards, TOP 03:25
CSU 6, TOL 6
TOL - Cluckey,Thomas 38 yd field goal 7 plays, 50 yards, TOP 02:18
CSU 13, TOL 6
CSU - Pannunzio,Thomas 70 yd punt return (Camper,Cayden kick)
4th Quarter
CSU 16, TOL 6
CSU - Camper,Cayden 29 yd field goal 9 plays, 26 yards, TOP 03:13
CSU 19, TOL 6
CSU - Camper,Cayden 47 yd field goal 4 plays, 5 yards, TOP 01:30
CSU 22, TOL 6
CSU - Camper,Cayden 23 yd field goal 8 plays, 46 yards, TOP 03:23
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
11
TD
0
YDS
110
INT
0
CMP
0
TD
0
YDS
0
INT
0
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
K
/ FootballQB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
TE
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
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