Setting the Stage: Wyoming

The scoring is more to their liking. At 27.7 points per game this year, Colorado State's offense has more than doubled last season's disappointing 13.1 per outing. The passing yardage is up to the standards of an Air Raid offense, and the 400-plus yards a contest are much improved from the 285 of a season ago.

That's on average. Week to week, it's been a bit hit and miss. Even within a game, from half to half.

"Sometimes it's a little frustrating. When you're out there, you just have to play, you can't be thinking about it too much, you just have to move on to the next play," tight end Dallin Holker said. "We'll get there. We've only played a few games together, but we'll get there. We know the type of offense we need to be."

Overall, CSU head coach Jay Norvell is encouraged by what he's seen, taking in the bigger picture of who has been available from week to week.

The running back room has been hit hard by the injury bug all season. Last year's leading rusher, Avery Morrow, has appeared in just five games, including last week when it was just two plays. Kobe Johnson is out for the season. Vann Schield has been solid stepping in, especially when it comes to pass protection.

Norvell lauded the fact leading receiver Tory Horton even played against Air Force, though he was out the second half.

"I think we are taking a leap offensively. I think we're dealing with some injuries that are affecting us at some positions like most teams," he said. "I think we're ahead in many ways than we were when we at Nevada offensively. We've got to continue to grow. We've got a lot of young players we want to involve in our offense. We've been banged up at the running back position and we've been dealing with that for the last month. We're going to continue to try to develop play makers and infuse more players in our offense."

Last season, the Rams started a young quarterback in Clay Millen, and after one game this season, they replaced him with an even younger one in Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi. He's on the verge of jumping into multiple season top-10 lists with his performance, but he's still learning on the fly.

Week by week, he's seeing certain defensive looks for the first time. Last game, he played in the snow for the first time. He's had some stellar outings – he's thrown for better than 300 yards in four of his starts, including 462 against Utah Tech – and some hard days. He's thrown 16 touchdowns, but also 11 interceptions, though he's been trending upward in that regard by not throwing one the past two weeks.

"I'm proud of Brayden. I think he's improved every week," Norvell said. "We obviously trust him to be able to put the ball in his hands as many times as he has. He's on schedule to continue to improve."

Holker said all the pieces are there. Not just to be explosive, but also to be consistent. The transfer said they all see it and they all believe it will come.

His view is that could happen at any time. He firmly believes that to be true.

"You just have to trust the process and trust we'll be put in situations to make plays and do those types of things. I think every day, everybody coming to work … Sunday's we have our lifts that are voluntary, and everybody comes to work on those days," Holker said. "At practice, everybody wants to get better. Nobody is out here slugging around. We come to work, we work hard, and I love seeing that."

Grind It Out

Wyoming is very much a team which is the sum of its parts. Under Coach Craig Bohl, the formula has been to play solid defense, control field position and take advantage of opportunities on offense. It has made the Cowboys consistently successful under him.

You won't find a Wyoming offensive player in the top 10 of anything, not even rushing, where the Cowboys try most to earn their keep. In that regard, it's a game CSU safety Henry Blackburn really looks forward to playing, among other reasons.

"Hey, these are my type of games. I think this is what our defense is made for and our team," Blackburn said. "This is the type of game we love. This is Colorado State, that's what we do, we play tough-ass football. That's what we pride ourselves to be a tough-ass team, and that's what we want to do. These are the type of games we love, the type of games we train for, that we dream about as a kid."

Wyoming's defense, led by linebacker Easton Gibbs, the preseason pick for defender of the year, has been stout, ranking third in passing efficiency and points allowed, fourth in yards per game.

Field Position

It will always play a role in a game like this, and while the special teams units have had some dips this season, punter Paddy Turner had had a much stronger campaign in his second year as the Rams' punter.

Nearly a third of his 37 attempts – 12 in all – have been placed inside the 20-yard line, one shy of what he did all of last season. He's only had one touchback (which came last week, a memory which made him wince) and he's had seven punts of 50 yards or longer – matching what he did a year ago.

Overall, his average of 43.1 is an improvement of four yards, and the Rams' net punting of 40.6 is an improvement of three yards.

Turner credits those who surround him.
"We just have really invested and bought into the punt team, and that makes my job a lot easier," Turner said. "I have a lot of trust and faith and those guys, and so does Coach Norvell and Coach (Tommy) Perry. When you have trust in the 10 guys in front of you, it makes your job a lot easier."

Turner spent Tuesday after practice in competition with freshman quarterback Jackson Brousseau, each trying to hit the crossbar from the 30 – Brousseau throwing, Turner punting. Turner won, hitting it twice, though Brousseau was quick to dispute one. However, Judge Holker called it good.

The improved numbers show the work Turner put into his craft in the offseason, but he credited a good amount of his turnaround to those who have encouraged him, namely the two coaches. He said there were days the two of them believed in him more than he did, which kept him up.

Staying level mentally, Turner said, has been the key to his second season.

"As specialists, we try not to ride that wave. I'll be the first to say I've had a couple of bad performances myself, but I've had a couple which have exceeded my expectations," he said. "I try not to get down on the downs or up on the ups. It's satisfying to see things come together, especially after such a poor season last year and a rigorous offseason."

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