Colorado State University Athletics
Setting the Stage: Hawaii
11/24/2023 2:00:00 PM | Football
Passing attacks take center stage
Only three teams in the Mountain West have thrown the ball at least 400 times this season, and the two which drop back the most will meet Saturday in Honolulu.
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The Rainbow Warriors have thrown the ball 492 times through 12 games to lead the conference, while Colorado State's 463 attempts in 11 contests sit second. The Rams lead the league by averaging 305.5 yards per game through the air, while the Rainbow Warriors are third at 270.6
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For Colorado State's defense, the mindset will take a 180 turn from the past few games against offenses which were more run oriented.
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"This is going to be a fun game. These types of games, I just like playing ball," said safety Henry Blackburn, who leads the team with three interceptions. "The DBs, it's going to be a good game for us. They're going to put the ball in the air. It's going to be a good challenge for us. Their offense is similar to our offense, and they like to throw the ball down field. I think it will be good for us. I think our DBs have been waiting for a game like this. Air Force, Wyoming, all these games where we're up the box, and now we get to match up with some good receivers. They have a good receiving group, a good quarterback, good offense."
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Hawaii quarterback Brayden Schager is 302-of-428 passing this season for 3,222 yards, throwing for 25 touchdowns against 14 interceptions. Pofele Ashlock is averaging 62.5 yards per game on his 76 catches, while Steven McBride is averaging 78.5 with his 57. Combined, they account for 17 of Schlager's scoring passes.
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That Being True …
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Protecting the quarterback will be key for both teams, but Colorado State has done a much better job this season. The Rams have also done a better job of getting to the quarterback.
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Hawaii has allowed 38 sacks, an average of 3.18 per game, which ranks 113th in the country. It's front will face a CSU pass rush which has collected 32 sacks, ranking 12th nationally at 2.91 per game.
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The Rams' improvement in the area has had a noticeable affect on the offensive numbers.
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"I think our offensive line probably hasn't gotten enough credit this year for the improvement they've made. I think we're leading the conference in giving up the least amount of sacks, and actually we're one of the better teams in the country when we were one of the worst the year ago," Norvell said. "I think the improvement we've made in the offensive line has also been a big improvement in our team."
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Norvell's numbers are a bit off. Air Force leads the conference in sacks allowed for obvious reasons. The Rams actually sit third in the league (Boise State has allowed one fewer), but the team does rank 15th nationally at 1.18 allowed per with 13 total.
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A grand improvement nonetheless for a unit that allowed the most sacks in the country a season ago. It's an upgrade a revamped group takes pride in, one which will face a Hawaii team which has 22 sacks on the season.
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"I have to give all the credit to my guys, and Brayden (Fowler-Nicolosi) as well," center Jacob Gardner said. "It's a pretty number, but there's a lot of work in the summer that me and the guys had to go through to get that done, and I think Brayden has done a phenomenal job to tell when to get rid of the ball. He's helped us out a lot. I'm proud of the guys. We just have to focus on this week. We can talk about stats and numbers at the end of the year. There's still a job to do."
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Here and There
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Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi needs to throw two passes to pass Terry Nugent for third in pass attempts in a season, 28 to pass Nick Stevens for second. With five completions, he moves past Garrett Grayson for fourth in a season, 10 to pass Terry Nugent for third and 19 to pass Stevens for second. He can move up in touchdowns too, needing three to tied Grayson and Justin Holland for third most in a season. … With one catch, Dallin Holker will rank third in a season for a tight end, and with a touchdown, he would break the school record for a season at the position with seven. … Tory Horton needs 20 receiving yards to rank ninth in a career. Sitting tied for 10th in career TD receptions, two more would move him into a tie for eighth. … Jordan Noyes needs one field goal to be tied for 10th most in a season at 15, two more would move him into a five-way tie for sixth. His 28 extra points have him tied for 10th in a season with four others. He'd need at least four to move up a spot.
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The Rainbow Warriors have thrown the ball 492 times through 12 games to lead the conference, while Colorado State's 463 attempts in 11 contests sit second. The Rams lead the league by averaging 305.5 yards per game through the air, while the Rainbow Warriors are third at 270.6
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For Colorado State's defense, the mindset will take a 180 turn from the past few games against offenses which were more run oriented.
Â
"This is going to be a fun game. These types of games, I just like playing ball," said safety Henry Blackburn, who leads the team with three interceptions. "The DBs, it's going to be a good game for us. They're going to put the ball in the air. It's going to be a good challenge for us. Their offense is similar to our offense, and they like to throw the ball down field. I think it will be good for us. I think our DBs have been waiting for a game like this. Air Force, Wyoming, all these games where we're up the box, and now we get to match up with some good receivers. They have a good receiving group, a good quarterback, good offense."
Â
Hawaii quarterback Brayden Schager is 302-of-428 passing this season for 3,222 yards, throwing for 25 touchdowns against 14 interceptions. Pofele Ashlock is averaging 62.5 yards per game on his 76 catches, while Steven McBride is averaging 78.5 with his 57. Combined, they account for 17 of Schlager's scoring passes.
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That Being True …
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Protecting the quarterback will be key for both teams, but Colorado State has done a much better job this season. The Rams have also done a better job of getting to the quarterback.
Â
Hawaii has allowed 38 sacks, an average of 3.18 per game, which ranks 113th in the country. It's front will face a CSU pass rush which has collected 32 sacks, ranking 12th nationally at 2.91 per game.
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The Rams' improvement in the area has had a noticeable affect on the offensive numbers.
Â
"I think our offensive line probably hasn't gotten enough credit this year for the improvement they've made. I think we're leading the conference in giving up the least amount of sacks, and actually we're one of the better teams in the country when we were one of the worst the year ago," Norvell said. "I think the improvement we've made in the offensive line has also been a big improvement in our team."
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Norvell's numbers are a bit off. Air Force leads the conference in sacks allowed for obvious reasons. The Rams actually sit third in the league (Boise State has allowed one fewer), but the team does rank 15th nationally at 1.18 allowed per with 13 total.
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A grand improvement nonetheless for a unit that allowed the most sacks in the country a season ago. It's an upgrade a revamped group takes pride in, one which will face a Hawaii team which has 22 sacks on the season.
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"I have to give all the credit to my guys, and Brayden (Fowler-Nicolosi) as well," center Jacob Gardner said. "It's a pretty number, but there's a lot of work in the summer that me and the guys had to go through to get that done, and I think Brayden has done a phenomenal job to tell when to get rid of the ball. He's helped us out a lot. I'm proud of the guys. We just have to focus on this week. We can talk about stats and numbers at the end of the year. There's still a job to do."
Â
Here and There
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Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi needs to throw two passes to pass Terry Nugent for third in pass attempts in a season, 28 to pass Nick Stevens for second. With five completions, he moves past Garrett Grayson for fourth in a season, 10 to pass Terry Nugent for third and 19 to pass Stevens for second. He can move up in touchdowns too, needing three to tied Grayson and Justin Holland for third most in a season. … With one catch, Dallin Holker will rank third in a season for a tight end, and with a touchdown, he would break the school record for a season at the position with seven. … Tory Horton needs 20 receiving yards to rank ninth in a career. Sitting tied for 10th in career TD receptions, two more would move him into a tie for eighth. … Jordan Noyes needs one field goal to be tied for 10th most in a season at 15, two more would move him into a five-way tie for sixth. His 28 extra points have him tied for 10th in a season with four others. He'd need at least four to move up a spot.
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Players Mentioned
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