Rams Regroup in the Second Half to Pull Away

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FORT COLLINS – Counting on anything at this point is a fool's game.

Playing an FCS team in Utah Tech on Ag Day, one would have hoped Colorado State's football team would come out and roll. Not that the Rams have done well against those schools (2-3 in the past five), but the Trailblazers haven't been exactly, well … blazing trails.

So, the Rams came out quick and explosive, and put 14 on the board in short order. Before half of the first quarter was finished, receiver Tory Horton already had posted great game numbers with more than 100 yards in receiving and quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi had completed his first seven passes, two of them for scores to Horton.

Just what any fan or coach would hope for at the start. The idea being there would be a continuation.

There was not. Fowler-Nicolosi's next pass was intercepted, leading to a field goal. The next drive, he was sacked from behind, fumbled and Utah Tech recovered and threw a touchdown pass the next play.

Then the two teams exchanged scoring drives. It was 21-17 at half, complete with a pair of lengthy weather delays, one coming with just 1:15 showing on the clock until halftime. Unexpected as it all was, the final result was what was craved, a 41-20 Rams victory, putting their nonconference mark at 2-2 with Mountain West play beginning next week at Utah State.

There were missed opportunities throughout the first half, be they on offense or missing tackles on defense.

The second half was a much different story, leading to the final outcome.

"I thought we were playing hard, I thought we were playing aggressively. We just didn't play consistently enough," CSU head coach Jay Norvell said. "I was proud of the third quarter, some of the things we did offensively. We just have some players who are special, and when they get their hands on the ball, good things happen. We've just got to continue to put the ball in their hands and let them make plays."

Colorado State ended up running away with the game as the offensive numbers started to pile up. Fowler-Nicolosi threw for 462 yards, the third-best output in a single game and the third consecutive game he's thrown for more than 300 yards. Horton had a trio of touchdown catches to become just the third CSU wideout to have multiple three-scores games, joining two Biletnikoff finalists, Michael Gallup and Rashard Higgins. Horton finished with 10 catches for 227 yards, the seventh-best output in a game.

Vann Schield had his first touchdown run in his first career start, and Dallin Holker continued to score touchdowns – his fifth of the season – on a 42-yard catch and run to pay dirt.

Fowler-Nicolosi turned the ball over three times, but he bounced back to have a stellar performance overall. It's part of the growth process, and it shows his age and defies it with his ability to forget and move forward.

"He's a confident quarterback and he told us he's going to fix that mistake, we'll go back out there and execute, go back to our roots and go out there and score," Horton said. "That's something that's a huge jump for him since he's a young quarterback. A lot of the offensive players really see that, and we like that mentality he brings to the offense."

Three weeks ago, Norvell made the directive to be more aggressive and it showed in the ability to make big plays. The Rams had eight explosive passing plays – covering 20 yards or more – double what they'd had in any game previously this season.

The receivers made people miss with 281 yards after the catch, led by 136 by Horton. The Rams are showing they have players who can make big plays. Norvell said it's his job to allow them to do so often.

"I think I'm foolish if we don't call his number and get him the ball," Norvell said of Horton. "To me that's what coaching is, when you have good players, you have to put them in position to do what they do well. Same with Dallin Holker; Dallin's a special tight end."

Fowler-Nicolosi accounted for five touchdowns, four throwing and one rushing. The 41 points on the board were the most scored at home since 2017. Horton had 10 catches total as eight different Rams caught passes.

At half, Utah Tech had 127 rushing yards. The Trailblazers finished with 164 and were just 1-of-7 when it came to converting on third down the final two quarters.

That switch had to happen for it to be a complete effort, and the second half was as Utah Tech added just three points in the final 30 minutes as adjustments were made.

"I think we came out a little bit slow. The rain delays, it was adversity we had to deal with, but I think it did give us a moment to kind of regroup through those, come back together and play our style of football," said linebacker Chase Wilson, who registered 16 tackles. "We didn't feel like ourselves in the first half. We came out and said all we have to do is our job and execute and we'll be just fine."

The unit finished with 7.0 tackles for loss, including 3.0 sacks, half by Mohamed Kamara who is now fourth in career sacks with 24.0 (tied with Cory James) and his 36.5 tackles for loss now rank sixth.

The start may have left questions, but the final result hit the mark.

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