Monday Presser: Fowler-Nicolosi to Start Showdown

FORT COLLINS – He talked about the rivalry, the meaning, even the chaos of national eyes on the game. Colorado State coach Jay Norvell heaped praise on the Colorado's start to land the Buffs in the national rankings.

Then a few minutes later – by the way – his Rams will have a different quarterback behind center for Saturday's road date.

"After our first game, we made a decision that we're going to give Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi an opportunity to play for us," Norvell said at his Monday press conference. "He's going to start for us. Clay Millen's a tremendous player for us; he's going to be an important player for us the rest of the season, but we just felt it was an opportunity for Brayden to play.

"The bottom line is we have to score touchdowns and we have to score points offensively. When you play against good football teams, you have to sustain drives and you have to make plays. We're going to give Brayden an opportunity."

Millen was injured in the third quarter of the opening-week loss, and Fowler-Nicolosi entered and threw a pair of touchdown passes in relief, one a 75-yard connection with Justus Ross-Simmons. He had appeared in three games in 2022, starting the game at Nevada. It was a win for the Rams, with the then true freshman engineering a drive for a game-winning field goal.

Overall, Fowler-Nicolosi finished the season 17-of-37 passing for 194 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Against the Cougars, he hit 13-of-20 passes for 210 yards, the two scores and one interception.

Norvell said by no means was he blaming Millen for the opening loss, but he felt it was time to make the switch. He likes his skillset, and the rest of the offense has confidence in what he brings to the unit.

"Brayden is a very talented quarterback. He's a young guy, has a great arm and has the capability to move the pocket around could be a help to the offense," receiver Tory Horton said. "We just want to support him, have his back throughout the game and make sure he's comfortable with us out there. Through practice, we give him small details which makes our connections on point. We just want to guide him in the right way to go out and perform."

Words From the Past

Norvell met former CSU quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt this summer, and there may not be a player in the history of the Rams who represents the fire the Showdown brings out of the Rams than the former two-time Mountain West offensive player of the year.

It has something to do with Van Pelt bouncing a ball off the helmet of a CU player when scoring a touchdown and a certain quote he gave after knocking off a top-10 CSU squad in Denver. But it was what Van Pelt told him about the game which resonated with the current coach.

"I've gotten a chance to meet a bunch of our alumni, a bunch of guys who played here in the late 90s and early 2000s, and obviously Coach (Sonny) Lubick," Norvell said. "The history of this series is respect. To quote Bradlee Van Pelt, this game is about our players earning respect. So that's what we have to go do – we have to play, and we have to play well."

The passion for the game still lingers, despite the fact the matchup has not been played since 2019, and the two teams will meet at Canvas Stadium in 2024. The two won't play again until 2029, again in Fort Collins.

For the Colorado kids – and the Rams have 29 on roster – they understand the perception and hear the talk between the fan bases. Van Pelt wasn't from the state, but he embraced everything about the rivalry. This current CSU roster is out to do the same.

"It's just because I grew up watching the game, but I think our team as a whole is really invested in this game and invested in this team to the point where we're all taking this as a big game," linebacker Chase Wilson said. "There's a lot of history behind this game. It's bigger than our team, it's bigger than an individual. It's been played for awhile."

Here and There

Norvell opened up by recognizing Sept. 11, saying he came to work to find area first responders running the stairs of the stadium, thanking the group of professionals nationally for serving the country. … Norvell said while others have taken some shots at CU coach Deion Sanders, he really respects him – all head coaches, really – understanding the path they all had to take to reach the position. CSU's leader also took pride the Showdown will have a national spotlight on a game where both team's have Black head coaches. … The game will be played in Boulder for the first time since 2009, a game the Rams won 23-17. … In the past five meetings where one of the team's is ranked, the ranked team lost. … The early bye had CSU coaches on the road early, which Norvell saw a plus, giving his program a chance to make a good, early first impression.

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