Monday Presser: Utah State Next Challenge for Rams

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FORT COLLINS, Colo. –- The effort was the best of the season so far, and it came at a good time with the start of Mountain West play.

This week, Colorado State's defensive unit will try to build off the performance against Nevada and do it facing a quarterback who gives Utah State some options.

"They have a unique offense with their spread. They spread out the field a ton, their receivers line up almost on the sideline it seems like," CSU safety Henry Blackburn said. "We played this same offense last year, but the quarterback is different this year, and that's just another challenge. That's something we look forward to, just seeing another challenge of being able to tackle the quarterback.

"I like when quarterbacks run because I like to hit quarterbacks. I look at it as a good thing and something our defense can take advantage of."

The Aggies went into the season expecting to lean on the arm of Logan Bonner, but with him injured, Cooper Legas has given them a signal caller who can make plays with his legs.

Legas has hit 44-of-71 passes for 443 yards in four games in relief of Bonner, throwing four touchdowns and just as many interceptions. He has started the past two contests, putting up a career-high in rushing yards in the win over Air Force with 76, including a 32-yard scoring run to help ice the game.

In each of his two starts, he's thrown two touchdown passes and rushed for another. He hasn't thrown for big yards, but he was part of the reason the Aggies broke a four-game slide with a win over Air Force.

Colorado State coach Jay Norvell said the key this week is the basics.

"Just discipline. I think that's one of the things we've been pressing for is discipline and execution," he said Monday at his weekly press conference. "The game is about technique and fundamentals, and we just keep practicing the same things over and over and over again, but it's the execution that allows you to win games. All the other stuff is smoke and mirrors. You have to block people and you have to tackle."

Moving to the Front

There have been signs of life, and this past week, the return of two big components.

Colorado State has allowed just three sacks in the past two weeks, and Norvell noted two of them were the fault of the quarterback, not the offensive line. For the fifth consecutive week, the Rams started a different combination up front, but the youth factor was way down with the reinsertion of two experienced players.

"It was huge. I just think the physicality Dontae Keys and Dante Bivens play with, and their experience, it was so helpful," Norvell said. "I think we did a nice job of controlling the line that game and they kind of took over the game in the running game."

He said they felt they would have a good offensive line this week, but injuries right out of the chutes led to a constant flux of change. It's been the standard operating procedure for the entire team through five games, but against Nevada, it produced a ground game.

Colorado State rushed for 177 yards, 167 by Avery Morrow. It's a positive step forward, but with many more to come for an offense averaging just 12 points per game. The only offensive points last week came from the game-winning field goal by Michael Boyle with no time remaining.

Here and There

The Rams have won six of their past seven homecoming games. … The Rams have a few players leading the Mountain West in stat categories. Tory Horton leads the Mountain West averaging 9.0 receptions and 98.2 yards per game; Jack Howell in tackles per game at 11.3; Mohamed Kamara in tackles for loss per game (1.9) with 9.5 overall and sacks per game (.80) with four total. … Colorado State has been flagged a lot. So has Utah State, which is last in the league with 55 overall, averaging 82.8 yards per game.

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