Monday Presser: Rams Set to Face No. 5 Iowa

Colorado State (1-2) at No. 5 Iowa (3-0)
Kinnick Stadium | Iowa City, Iowa
Saturday, Sept. 25, 1:30 p.m.

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Rams Set to Face Sixth Top-Five Opponent in Program History

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Colorado State fans look at this as a destination game, and they snatched up tickets for the game in short order.

For head coach Steve Addazio, Saturday's game at No. 5 Iowa represents a challenge and an opportunity, and his squad needs to embrace both as they head to Kinnick Stadium.

"I think our team is excited. We're looking forward to this challenge," he said at his weekly press conference on Monday. "We're not naïve. We know how good this football team is. It's pretty evident. They're the No. 5 team in the country and they should be. But, in the same breath, we've got to focus on us. We've got to get better again this week. Each week we want to get incrementally better, and we're going up against, obviously up against an incredible challenge that will be another bench mark for our program. We're looking forward to the excitement level of a big-time game and the preparation that goes into it."

A challenge because the Hawkeyes are really good. They are also considered one of the more physical and stout programs year after year under coach Kirk Ferentz, a reputation which has been well earned through the years. There is not a lot fancy about the way they do things, but they do get them done, year in and year out.

The Rams are coming off their first win of the year, doing so as a heavy underdog on the road. That fits perfectly in line with what Addazio is trying to do, which is build a program step by step. To do so, he constantly cites the importance of getting better each and every week. Doing so against Iowa will not be easy, and the nature of the opponent has to be taken into consideration; not all things are equal.

Regardless, Addazio expects his team to continue down that path, No. 5 or No. 50.

"I don't know what steps back equate to. What I'm going to look for is we play a physical football game both sides of the ball up front, we play a clean game; I don't want to see a lot of mistakes, I don't want to see a lot of penalties," he said. "I want to make sure we put ourselves in position to compete, and I think you need to play a clean game on the road. There's going to be a real crowd-noise deal here; that's something we have not had yet. I think we have to play a clean, consistent game, and I want to see that. And I want to see our physicality against what many would say would be one of the most physical football teams in all of America."

Tough Sledding

Addazio sat at the table and read the numbers into the microphone – No. 4 in scoring defense, No. 21 in total defense, No. 19 in rush defense, No. 13 in pass efficiency defense.

The Cliffs Notes: Iowa is really good on defense, a primary reason the Hawkeyes are viewed so favorably in the polls. They have skilled players, and with those players, the defensive unit has produced points for the team in each of the three victories this season. There were two pick-sixes the first game, a fumble recovery for a score the following week and a safety this past win over Kent State.

"Phil Parker (Iowa defensive coordinator) has been there a long time, we've played against this team before; a really super-sound defense," Addazio said. "They're a really strong defense, and they have some great players. Their defensive end, their Mike backer and corner are elite players."

The turnovers the Hawkeyes create not only lead directly to points by the unit, but also for the offense. There's a reason they average 30.3 points per game despite averaging less than 300 yards of total offense, and that's because the defense is setting up the offense with short fields to work with, in large part due to ranking fifth national with eight takeaways.

Ball security is important every week, but opportunistic teams such as Iowa make it imperative.

"We call it football heaven and football hell, the way you hold the ball," Addazio said. "We had a cut-up from last week's game stressing ball security. This is a team that's had a bunch of defensive touchdowns – I want to say maybe three. They are a really consistent defense, which is why I said we have to play a really clean game. You've got to give yourself a chance to win."

Here and There

Placekicker Cayden Camper and safety Jack Howell were both honored by the Mountain West on Monday as the special teams and freshman players of the week. ... Colorado State has faced a team in the Associated Press Top 5 six times in program history – three times against No. 5, three times against No. 1. The Rams have lost all six of those games. The last opponent to be ranked fifth was Boise State back in 2011. The others were TCU (2010) and Colorado (1996). The Rams faced top-ranked Alabama twice (2017, 2013) and USC (2004). … Addazio hopes to get safety Tywan Francis back, calling him probable. Wide receiver Dante Wright is considered possible.

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