What We Saw: Noyes Has a Convincing Argument

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Jay Norvell was going to punt. Then the team asked him to reconsider.

"That 61-yarder, he made the first one then we bobbled the snap on the second one," safety Jack Howell said, referring to a kick at the end of the first half. "We were going to punt it, and we hear, 'punt team alert, punt team alert' and we're going out there, 'no, Jordon (Noyes) can make this. Send in the field goal unit.'

"That's what everyone was saying, and sure enough he went out there and if we wouldn't have bobbled it, he would have got it, and then he went out there and got the 50-yarder."

It was 58 yards, to be exact, tying the fourth-longest kick in school history. It was his career best, beating the 55-yarder he hit at UNLV last season. CSU coach Jay Norvell is also impressed with the kick Noyes made in the snow against Air Force.

Give him a reason, Norvell said he's open to suggestions. Moreso with a strong resume.

"He's got a lot of confidence, and I was really proud he made that kick," Norvell said. "Some kids, when you're around them long enough and you really trust them if they have conviction, and he did. I'm glad I trusted him."

Noyes is now 6-of-8 on the season.

Biding His Time

Jalen Dupree hadn't played in a game all year. Then in the third quarter, the redshirt freshman was needed. The fact he was called upon says a lot about the true freshman from Benton, Ark., has been using his practice time with purpose.

He finished the game with six carries for 50 yards (an 8.3 average) while Avery Morrow was getting his breath back after taking a shot in the gut on a third-quarter run. In his place, Dupree broke off a few runs, one a burst around the right side for a gain of 20.

"I actually told him during fall camp, he was running the ball exactly like he ran today, I don't know when, but sometime during the season your number is going to get called and take advantage of the opportunity," receiver Armani Winfield said. "That's exactly what he did."

It's a big ask of a young player who started the season fifth on the depth chart to stay ready, to use practice like he might eventually play. As the weeks extend, the idea seems far-fetched.

Then as injuries start to mount and his play improved, there is a glimmer of hope. Just no guarantee.

"It's tough. It's no joke," quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi said. "You go from standing on the sideline one play to the next play you hear your number called. It's almost like, this is the time. Understanding how to be prepared for that is really hard when you've never done it before, so it speaks volumes to our coaches' level of preparation and getting everybody in the room involved during the week and prepared so that when their number is called, just like Jalen, he was able to go out there and be effective like he was."

Making His Move

Armani Winfield had some rough spots early in the season, but recently he's showing they didn't set him back forever, just temporarily.

His 62-yard touchdown reception, with him covering most of the ground, essentially sealed Saturday's win, taking a short pass and finding green grass and a blaze of speed he didn't know he had.

His description was his legs were running faster than ever. But the entirety of his game – six catches for 108 yards – are a testament

For him to have his first 100-yard game today was important. Tory had a hot start, and then he got hurt," Norvell said. "For Armani picked up the slack in the second half was huge."

Horton was having a strong game until he took a blow to the knee late in the first half. His seven catches moved him to 265 in his career, ranking second in conference history behind Ryan Wolfe of UNLV (283). The 75 yards he gained put him at 3,615 in his career, ranking him fourth on the MW ledger, passing Tolver and Thomas Sperbeck of Boise State.

Then he wasn't an option, and they needed Winfield to be strong. It didn't hurt his teammates never gave up hope. They kept telling him they believed in him. Fowler-Nicolosi promised to continue to target him.

"It's been a rollercoaster. There's been ups and downs, but I think personally, I needed (Saturday)," Winfield said. "Moving forward with Mountain West play, I'm just hoping that carries on to Air Force and etcetera, etcetera."

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