Monday Presser: Rams Ready To Start New Chapter

Colorado State (0-0) at No. 6 Michigan (0-0)
Michigan Stadium | Ann Arbor, Mich.
Saturday, Sept. 3, 10 a.m.

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Approach Can Help Shrink the Big House

FORT COLLINS, Colo . – Jay Norvell showed his program the floor.

They were numbers from the past five years, covering the final six games of the season. They weren't pretty. Just 8-21 overall, and 5-7 at home. When the Rams trailed at half, they were likely to lose (1-16). He tossed in a few extra nuggets: Six times the team trailed by more than two touchdowns at half, and they were a combined 0-9 against Boise State and Air Force in that span.

This is what he was hired into. This is what he was hired to change as the 2022 season opener approaches at No. 6 Michigan on Saturday.

"I wanted to start with that because I think that's where we are," the CSU football coach said at his Monday press conference. "Every game where we go from here, we have to have a common understanding of how we do things and how we go about our business. That's all we've been trying to do with this team the past few months is make them accountable, get them in great shape and great condition, have them really understand how important it is to care about one another and go out and give their best effort in all they do.

"I think that's the floor that we start on right now, and I'm really, really excited about getting into our game week. We're going to find out about our football team as we start playing games."

It just so happens the first chapter of this campaign will be written on some pretty historic grounds in the college football landscape, against a team overflowing with tradition and success. It is a destination game for fans, but the take-off point for Norvell's tenure.

Norvell is new to it all, but for captain Dequan Jackson, the numbers Norvell read off represented most of the career of the fifth-year linebacker. He's not hung up on them, however.

"The past is the past. That's what we were," Jackson said. "We have to start with what we are. As of right now, that's what we were, this is who we are. This is a great opportunity to go out there and prove all the work we've put to come out and have a whole different result. I don't linger on all that stuff. These past seasons, I've been here, I've been through it all. I've been through the changes; I've been through all the things we speak about. But I'm bought into the new system, I've bought into the new culture, and I think that's going to be the best thing going forward."

The past is just that. What happens this year is a fresh start. A chance to alter a course.

Norvell let them know the chance is there for all of them to seize, but they can't just want it, they have to be willing to make it happen. Michigan is just the start to the telling of a story.

"We have an opportunity. That's the special thing about what we do, right?" Norvell said. "Football, we get a brand new year, the slate's wiped clean. So, what we do and the choices we make every day are going to determine our success. This game is challenging. You don't have to be perfect. You have to find your way through the problems and the issues. We've had the experience of being in tough situations. We understand the storm's coming. How we handle that is important, and we've talked a lot about that as a team. Most teams, you have three major events during a year of adversity that you have to withstand. We're preparing for that. This team hasn't handled that well in the past. A lot of injuries, a lot of guys have missed games and practices. Your attitude has to overcome those types of things and it has to put you back on course, and your leadership has to model the right behavior.

"We have found out as much about this team that we can without playing games. Now we've got to go play, and we've got to find out how people are going to react in adverse situations, and we have to learn from the things that happen to us along the way."

Shrinking the Big House

The stadium is big. The crowd, expected to approach the normal 110,000 strong, will be the largest Colorado State has ever seen in program history. The noise level will be impressive. The foe is ranked and coming off a run to the College Football Playoff. Big Blue is a college football blue blood.

But it's just a game, just a stadium and the Wolverines are just another team. Easier said than done, but it has to be the approach. Dequan Jackson, one of the team captains, remembered his emotions from playing at Florida (his home state) as a freshman.

"I've been telling the guys, yeah, Michigan has earned their respect. They're Michigan," he said. "But we're Colorado State. Focus on us and we execute like we're supposed to, we'll be in the game. It's not one of those things where I feel like we're going in and we just don't have a shot. We're not looking at it like that. Be prepared, and we're going to strap up and see what team comes out victorious.

"I've just been preaching to the young guys, don't go in there wide-eyed. Go in there focusing on what you need to do, your job and at the end of the game, I think they'll feel exactly what I'm talking about. You always have a shot when you go in there and focus on the right things."

Still, he knows they will be anxious, especially those who haven't played yet. He was.

Much has been made of this being quarterback Clay Millen's first start, but he's far from the Lone Ranger in this regard. His blindside will be protected by Brian Crespo-Jaquez, Paddy Turner will be punting and Drew Kulick is expected to start at linebacker. Throw in Angel King playing safety for the first time and Jacob Gardner snapping as a starting center

In the past week, there has been some crowd noise pumped into practice, as well as the Michigan fight song. It will feel different on Saturday, but it doesn't have to carry shock value.

"It's exciting. Absolutely," Turner said. "It's my first game, so treat it like the Super Bowl in a sense, I've been told by a few of my mates. I'm very excited, and it's such a great place in college football to start at as well in Michigan. They've earned the right to be a big name in football itself, so I'm very excited and very privileged to be out there to do that.

"It all comes back to us and what we want to focus on. We can be like a deer in the headlights and focus on the crowd and the noise, but I think we're strong enough to be within ourselves and play our game and represent Colorado State with pride."

Here and There

This will be Colorado State's second meeting with the Wolverines, the first coming in the 1994 Holiday Bowl, a 24-14 loss … The program is 2-17 since 1993 against teams in the top 10, and 13-36 against ranked foes overall. The last win over a ranked team came in 2002, against No. 6/7 Colorado in Denver … Norvell has history against his counterpart, Jim Harbaugh. They faced each other as players, were teammates for a brief stint with the Chicago Bears and coached together in Oakland. … Dating back to Sonny Lubick, the past five CSU coaches are 2-3 in their debut, with both Jim McElwain and Mike Bobo posting wins.

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