Holdovers Catching on to Old Times Quickly

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The feeling seems oddly familiar. Like an old glove which was forgotten in a coat pocket through the summer months.

It feels good putting it back on. Natural, even.

"A little bit," said Dante Wright. "We were throwing the ball a lot my freshman year, so I can see a little bit from that season."

Really, it wasn't that long ago when Wright, now a senior, was a breakout true freshman in a Colorado State offense, earning freshman All-American honors after catching 57 passes for 805 yards and tour scores, making big plays in both the passing and running game.

Really, it wasn't that long ago when Rashard Higgins was running routes in Fort Collins, becoming a Biletnikoff Award finalist as a sophomore and being drafted after his junior year of 2015. It's only been seven years since he started an impressive run of wideout play for Colorado State, followed by the likes of Bisi Johnson, Michael Gallup, Preston Williams and Warren Jackson – all on NFL rosters.

It just seems like ages with the passing offense basically serving a two-year timeout in a run-centric system. The Rams threw out of necessity last year, not because they really wanted to throw it, but because the run game never developed. Yet, like riding a bike, it's coming back to them pretty quick, guys such as E.J. Scott, Ty McCullouch, who played sparingly the last time the Rams threw the ball with a vision.

It comes back quicker when the ball is being thrown with purpose, and not only that, but down the field to create pressure on a defense. The feeling returns because, with spring camp run in two sessions per practice day, the reps are plentiful. Not just a dozen, but around 40.

"I think there's a renewed energy out there, and especially at the receiver position," CSU wide receivers coach Chad Savage said. "You want the rock. They do have a foundation of blocking, which is good, but now we've just got to get the reps running the quick game, drop back, our mesh game, all that stuff. But those guys are having fun out there. I tell them, as long as we're doing the right thing every day, we'll have fun."

That's become clear just through the first week of practice. There isn't a receiver on planet earth who wouldn't enjoy an offense which aims to throw 40-50 times a game. With the high volume of passes being thrown during a day, there are ample opportunities to make a difference and draw gasps from their teammates.

Which is what they seek to do. The first week of practice, newcomer Tory Horton ran a deep route down the sideline. There was tight coverage, but he hauled in the pass from Clay Millen one handed over his shoulder as he was sliding down in the front corner of the end zone.

It came at a point where the second group of the day was just getting on the field for their portion of practice, right in front of the offensive linemen. It drew oohs and aahs from the group, and a few utterances not to be repeated in front of children.

That kind of play.

Those plays, head coach Jay Norvell said, were commonplace throughout the week at Nevada, and he expects them in Fort Collins. Nobody may see them on a Tuesday or Wednesday, but they can't be made on a Saturday if they aren't during the week.

"I feel like every day we go out there and compete. Us working our craft and doing whatever we need to do to get the ball in our hands is something that just comes naturally," Horton said. "We all go out there, have fun and the DBs give us some competition, so some of those plays do look difficult, and that's why it seems a little fun when we make the circus catches, but we work on the fundamentals first. That's how we roll through practice.

"We work on all of that. We work on back shoulders, the difficult ones – the one hands, the hand fighting, we'll all work with that – then when we do it in practice and it's natural in a game. Those type of catches will pump all the other receivers up to go out there and do the same and make great plays."

An aspect not to be lost in the equation. As returning Rams get used to being targeted an awful lot in practice again, Horton and Melquan Stovall are out front encouraging this type of behavior.

When a catch like Horton's is made in practice – and he hasn't been the Lone Ranger in doing so – the first thing he'll do is remind the defensive back of what just happened. Then he returns to the offense, points to the next receiver in line and tell them it's their turn.

Having those two around has been helpful when it comes down learning the offense and the various routes they have to run, depending on what defensive alignment they see. There's a route in mind, but depending on the coverage, it will change, and they have to learn to be on the same page with the quarterbacks, that both are seeing it the exact same way.

The understanding makes the big plays possible.

"It's good to have their confidence with the guys that are coming in. It feels good," Wright said. "It feels like we're going to have big roles on the team, so it's exciting this spring.

"We all want to be better. If Tory makes a play, Melquan makes a play, it makes me want to make a play. Ty comes down with the ball, E.J., it makes me want to do the same. We're on the same team, so we all want to elevate ourselves and elevate the whole team."

Savage, who worked with wideouts at Nevada as a graduate assistant from 2018-19, is familiar with the requirements of the position in the Air Raid, as the tight ends he coached last year are simply an extension of the room.

However, before they run a route, there are pillars of the position he expects them to have locked down for them to be effective -- alignment, assignment, technique, effort, finish. If they can provide those, necessary he said for the average length of 5 seconds for a play, they're in good shape.

The Nevada transfers were a known commodity to the coaching staff, and the holdovers have quickly grown on the offensive staff. Wright's resume speaks for itself, and McCullouch came on strong at the end of the season. Scott, entering his fifth season, has opened their eyes, too.

Quarterbacks coach Matt Mumme said every former Ram has done exactly as asked and performed as expected. To that end, he anticipates they'll only get better the more they're in the system.

"The more plays each guy makes, the more the team elevates and the more the offense elevates," Mumme said. "The more guys we can get making plays like Tory, and even Ty right now – Ty's making a lot of plays – the other guys are going to rise behind them. That's what happens in a football season. Guys trying to take Tory out of the picture opens up other guys. Other guys get great opportunities, and we have to take advantage of that."

As Mumme said, at Nevada, they averaged 37.5 points per game a year ago and they're not aiming to take a step back. While practice looks different this spring, it's not as if it should seem like old times. It was just three years ago when Jackson was running wild for the Rams, following in the footsteps of those before him.

Heck, even Horton, remembers those days for CSU.

"I know a lot of those guys. Gallup went against my brother; he played at Boise State, so I most definitely watched that game," Horton said. "All of those people are outstanding receivers, so seeing them coming out here and compete and what they did in the games, we're just trying to imitate that and probably set some records."

Those are names remembered fondly by the CSU crowd, and Savage is confident there are a few players in his room Ram fans will know really well by the time this season and a few others are finished down the road.

Wide Receiver U, as Colorado State was becoming known as, it not really an oldie. But the intent of the current crowd is it definitely was good. And can be again, very soon.

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