Confident Amid Feeling the Growing Pains

Part of what makes Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi dangerous to a defense is what also makes him dangerous for Colorado State's offense.

He believes in his arm talent and the passes he complete. He's passed for 300 yards in a game four times, missing a fifth by 3 yards. In one, he tossed for 462, the third most in a game by a Ram. But too often, those passes have been intercepted by the other team – 13 times in all, the most for a CSU quarterback since Pete Thomas hit the number in 2010.

He was definitely frustrated after the loss to Wyoming, his two third-quarter interceptions leading to Wyoming touchdowns which broke open a tight game. They came after a stretch of two weeks where he didn't throw a pick.

"I think it just comes down to little mental errors during the game. The preparation was solid," he said. "It didn't have anything to do with how I prepared, it was little in-game things that kind of confused me a bit and got to me. They showed me a couple of different things I didn't recognize, and then just knowing when to check out of plays. Some plays just aren't great, some looks, and it's knowing what looks.

"I think I need to come to an understanding I don't have to do it all. Maturing is learning I don't need to make a big play every play. Understanding those run checks aren't always a bad thing rather than trying to take a shot and making mistakes like that."

Having a young quarterback is understanding living through some trials and tribulations as a coach. His position mentor, Matt Mumme, and coach and play caller Jay Norvell have spent the past eight weeks riding the waves. Fowler-Nicolosi has completed 234-of-372 passes for 2,696 yards and 18 scores.

Only one quarterback in the Mountain West has thrown for more yards – Hawaii's Brayden Schager, and he's played one more game. Schager and Fresno State's Mikey Keene are the only two with more touchdown passes (18 and 20, respectively), but only Schager has thrown more than 10 picks, with 12. The ratio is a big reason why seven quarterbacks in the league have higher pass efficiency ratings.

At some point, Mumme said a coach wants to see some it stay in the rearview mirror. Of the two interceptions he threw Friday, both should have been plays checked to a run. It was what Wyoming showed on defense. And of the 13 interceptions, Mumme said 12 are on Fowler-Nicolosi, a handful of them calls which should have been checked out of in the first place.

"He was making (mistakes) early in the season, now he's still making them. You wish he would get over that and get through it," Mumme said. "That's a big piece this week. He's got to not turn it over for us to be in this game and have a chance to do what we want to do the rest of the season.

"It's reiterating how you're supposed to play as our quarterback. You're supposed to use your head, you're supposed to get us in good calls, check us into the right plays. If he starts doing that, we're going to see the offense take off more. Right now, we flirt with people, and we sputter. We play good for a few minutes then we play bad for a few minutes. The problem is when we play bad it's detrimental."

Some of it is what a lot of young quarterbacks go through. Throws they could muscle threw in high school are no longer available. They look the same, but on the other side are players who have experience, coaches who understand how to scheme against an offense. Show one hand, play another.

The flip side is the aggressiveness Fowler-Nicolosi plays with is part of what's made him special in certain games. It's a fine line to not dowse the flame which lights the fire.

"He's a confident guy, and he's had success because of that confidence. You don't want to take that away from him," Norvell said. "At the same time, he's got to learn from the mistakes he's had, and a lot of that is preparation for a young quarterback."

Nobody has worn the interceptions as much as Fowler-Nicolosi. He takes full responsibility for all of them, and he's definitely not brushing them aside as no big deal. He understands the cause and effect, the consequences the whole team feels.

Through it all, that confidence has remained, and it's what he believes will lead him to making better decisions down the road.

"I think losing your confidence can be detrimental. You don't want to do that," he said. "I know the player I am, and I know what I'm capable of, so I'm never going to lose that confidence. There's definitely frustration stemming from knowing I could have played better, made better plays and better checks throughout a whole game.

"The mentality we talked about in the team meeting is we are in the playoffs right now. It's win or go home. I think it's important to know we don't have to play that much differently. We have so much talent, so many dudes who can do great things. It's understanding how to get the ball to athletes in space in good situations – in smart situations – and understanding when I don't need to. It's understanding not needing to take unnecessary shots."

Fowler-Nicolosi is taking all the guidance he can from Mumme and Norvell. When he needs an outside voice away from it all, he leans on Chris Jones, CSU's collegiate director at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

There's always pressure on a quarterback, and for the Rams to reach a goal, it's there for the entire team. It can feel magnified for a youngster, and while Fowler-Nicolosi feels it, he's not shying away from it.

He doesn't believe any of them should.

"I don't think it's possible to not feel the pressure. I think we need to embrace it," he said. "I think we have to love it. All year, we've had several games that were under crazy pressure, and we were performing, and I think it's important to look back at those times. You see Boise, that's just ridiculous. Then CU, the lead up and how we played. Stemming back to whatever we did those weeks and understanding we're so capable of getting the job done and going to a bowl game. I think embracing that is crucial.

"I always love the pressure. It's part of the game. We all grew up with it. I think it's one of the best parts of the game, you get to be under pressure and learn how to perform."

A lesson Fowler-Nicolosi is still very much trying to master.

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