Fowler-Nicolosi Sees Assignment as Old Hat

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FORT COLLINS – The assignment isn't new for Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi. He started a game on the road for Colorado State and did so in a stadium which was filled with a bit of disdain about the Rams' arrival.

The task isn't new for the offense which he will guide against Colorado this Saturday, which is to be explosive and a constant threat.

"I think we have a style of football we want to play, and we have to keep pushing until we get it," CSU coach Jay Norvell said. "In spurts it looks like it's supposed to, but it's not there yet."

One of those spurts came late in the opening loss to Washington State, when Fowler-Nicolosi threw a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes against the Cougars. The outside world may view those plays as something which just made the final score look better, but they made an impression on the coaching staff and in the development of the young quarterback.

Those plays, and last season's start at Nevada, will help as he takes snaps in the Rocky Mountain Showdown at Folsom Field.

"I think the in-game reps were crucial. It's always great as a quarterback to get those reps against live defenses in live games," he said. "Hopefully that can translate into this year."

Colorado State, which averaged less than 14 points per game in 2022, didn't have a touchdown on the board until the final frame, a third coming off a kickoff return by Kobe Johnson. Norvell said in this age of college football, a team has to be able to score to be good, and the Air Raid system he brought in just hasn't lived up to the traditional production.

That has to change. With the new clock rules, Norvell said teams are getting about 13 possessions a game and the reality is they need to score on at least half of them with a heavy reliance on touchdowns.

He's made the switch at quarterback, but Norvell isn't suggesting Fowler-Nicolosi is the answer, rather he hopes he's part of the solution. Which is the way the redshirt freshman is viewing this chance.

"I think it's important to know all my teammates have my back and that I don't have to do it myself, so I'm not just relying on myself throughout this game," Fowler-Nicolosi said. "Hopefully, I'm able to use my arms and my legs throughout the game and go get the job done.

"I think I have great players surrounding me in this offense, so I don't have to do anything incredible to go down and get the job done against these guys."

Tory Horton, a transfer from Nevada where the offense was potent, has seen the same things. Clicks, as he calls them, moments when the CSU offense is what he knows it can be. The problem is the consistency factor. There hasn't been one.

The 24 points the Rams scored the first week were a high point since the coaching change. Horton knows an offense where that output would be a down day. The Rams' top receiver feels it's the job of the rest of the unit to help Fowler-Nicolosi create explosiveness via his strengths.

"I just think it all comes down to trust. We tell Brayden, at the end of the day it's football," Horton said. "Of course, it's going to be a little faster and the reads are going to have to be a little more quick. The arm talent that he has is incredible. When he goes out there and he lets the ball fly, he can do great things. It's just getting more information at practice boosts his confidence up, and I feel he will be in great shape for this game."

So does Fowler-Nicolosi. Playing a game isn't new. Neither is starting. And while he's officially been preparing the past two weeks to open the game behind center, he's been doing so in his mind on the weeks he was the backup.

He did say the extra reps will help. The past experiences will help. When he wakes up Saturday morning, he's certain he will do so feeling prepared. He's still young, but he's a year ahead of the last time, and upstairs is where he's experienced the most growth.

"I'd say mentally, really," Fowler-Nicolosi said. "I think maturing as a person and a football player, understanding I don't have to go out there and do it all, understanding that I just need to do my part and I have great players around me that will help me out."

Which is why, with so much appearing to be so new, he can approach it as any other week.

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