Setting the Stage: Utah State

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Now they remember what it feels like, Colorado State would like to do it again.

The victory over Nevada snapped a 10-game streak, one which had bridged seasons and head coaches. The program had been in a bowl drought, but it hadn't suffered through a run like that since 2009-10, a 12-game slide which started with nine losses to end the 2009 campaign.

"I think we needed that game. I think we needed that game as a team," CSU head coach Jay Norvell said. "We needed the challenge. We needed to be on the road in a hostile environment, and we needed to respond to the adversity where we had to rely on each other. That was all we had was each other. I think that was a real growing moment for our team. Just like we needed that game last week, I think we need this game this week. This game, this is a very scrappy, competitive team. They're very well coached, and you're going to have to fight and execute to win the game. We need to show ourselves we're capable of doing this consistently."

In Logan, Utah State is feeling much the same way. A team which entered the season highly regarded after winning the Mountain West championship in 2021, had hit a rut itself, losing four consecutive weeks before picking up a huge jolt of confidence after knocking off Air Force. The Aggies are once again starting to feel like the team they envisioned.

Norvell presented the challenge to his team to look at conference play as a chance to get better every week, no matter the lineup. Last week, they won with a freshman quarterback on the road making his first start. This week, they'll try again, just with a different freshman quarterback – Giles Pooler – making his first start at home.

The defense played great, scoring twice, and the special teams improved. While the run game produced yardage, the offense as a whole could not finish drives, and it didn't help matters when the passing game produced less than 100 yards.

"We need to get all of our phases going. We're running the ball pretty well last week, we're playing very good defense, we had a good special teams game," Norvell said. "We've got to get our passing game going. If we can show more production in the passing game and play well in those other areas, we're going to be a tough team to beat down the stretch."

Not Good. Not the Worst

Colorado State was flagged 14 times in the win over Nevada, which stands as a school record – one a team doesn't want. The most flags thrown against the Rams prior had been 12, three times, the last being 2018 against Hawaii. The 136 yards, yep, those were a record, too, surpassing the 129 against UNLV in 2019.

Some of them were definitely heat-of-the-moment in a game where tensions run high. Norvell understood the basis, he just wants a better response. Actually, none at all.

"It was an emotional game, and we have to do a better job obviously of eliminating penalties in that situation," he said. "Sometimes when you get all wound up you get a bad body position, you make a bad decision. We have to do a better job of that."

On the bright side, the Rams are not leading the charge in college football. Alabama, Maryland and Virginia Tech – twice – have each drawn 15 penalties. And the Rams aren't the only team to have drawn 14 – UMass, Old Dominion, South Alabama and Oregon have done it, too.

So far this season, nine teams have drawn 14 or more flags. Surprisingly, five of them have won. Some flags hurt worse – think time, field position and situation – than others, but there are some, such as false starts, which will always drive a coach nuts. Jacob Gardner knows firsthand.

"I had an illegal chop block, a miscommunication. I definitely got that fixed," he said. "In terms of false starts, I know there were a couple of older guys who had them, and I think they were a little antsy. With the younger guys, it just comes with reps. I remember my freshman or sophomore year, I false started two plays in a row at Boise. It's the worst feeling, and it's something everybody wants to get fixed."

Both Sides of the Coin

Having to play some young players has been part of the issue this season, but Norvell knows eventually it will be part of the solution.

A lot of younger players are seeing more time than previously expected due to injuries and players departing, some maybe a bit before they're fully ready. Some have been part of the regular rotation and are making consistent gains with each week. Norvell has been pleased with the play of the defensive line and feels the secondary is getting better.

And the biggest defensive plays came from newcomers.

"Two of the biggest plays of the game are from guys who haven't been starting," Norvell said. "Ayden Hector hadn't been a starter until Saturday, then Mukendi Wa-Kalonji makes an incredible play off the bench. That's what we're capable of. I love our young D-linemen. Mukendi and Grady Kelly and the young guys who come in the game, they really give us a shot in the arm. Those guys are going to be our future here. Those guys made a great contribution. Ayden, we're going to keep pressing him in practice to be better. It just shows what he's capable of when he does what he's supposed to do."

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Jacob Gardner

Ayden Hector

Grady Kelly

Giles Pooler

Mukendi Wa-Kalonji

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