Colorado State University Athletics
Rams Forced to Pivot Without Horton
10/15/2024 2:32:00 PM | Football
Younger receivers understand the ask
Chad Savage had to play both roles as a coach.
Immediately, he was saddened to get the news Monday afternoon about Tory Horton, a player he's seen grow, starting at Nevada and continuing in Fort Collins. He witnessed the rise as the kid out of Fresno, Calif., became one of the top targets in Mountain West history.
That's undeniable, as Horton's 3,615 career yards fell just 35 shy of breaking the conference record, held by Colorado State's Rashard Higgins. He had just moved into second in the conference record book for career catches with 265; nine more and that record was his.
But Savage, the Colorado State receivers coach, also carries responsibility to his room, namely the people who are going to have to combine to replace the numbers, fill the role. It was the crossroads for the coach where heartbreak and reality collided.
"Number one, I just feel for Tory in so many ways. I know he's hurting," Savage said. "It's unfortunate with him. He said no to a lot of things last year to come back for this last and final year, and it's unfortunate he can't finish the season.
"I know he's going to continue to be the ultimate teammate. We can't dwell on it. It's next man up. I believe in everybody in that room. Now it's just an opportunity for guys, do they want to rise up and be the next Tory Horton? It's coming sooner than you know."
Even with the Rams not throwing as much this year, Horton was still the guy. He led the team with 26 catches for 353 yards and a touchdown. Behind him is a group of youngsters.
Jamari Person has 17 catches for 160 yards. Armani Winfield had 15 for 179. Caleb Goodie has nine for 108, with Winfield and Goodie leading the team with two scoring receptions each. All have had their flashes. The Ram will just need more of them.
The positive is they are all approaching the opportunity from a position of confidence.
"It's next man up. (Savage) recruited all of us here, and he believes we can be great players. It's our time to show," Person said. "It's our time to be confident. Tory was a vital piece of our offense, but we were recruited to be dawgs just like him. It's not a drop off, we just have to show it to everybody else."
The Rams have a pair of 100-yard receiving games this year. The first was by Horton against Oregon State when he hauled in nine catches for 158 yards and a score. Horton looked to be well on his way to a second in the conference opener with San Jose State – seven catches, 75 yards -- when he went down with the injury which cut his season short.
That's when Winfield stepped in, aided by a 62-yard scoring catch which essentially put the Rams' win on ice, finishing with six receptions for 108 yards. The yardage surpassed what he had done in the previous five games.
Savage says they've all had trial by fire to this point, so they should be ready for a bigger role.
"They've already gotten their feet wet this season and they've had a taste of success," he said. "Caleb has two touchdown receptions and Armani has two touchdown receptions, so those guys have a taste of success and are starting to play more confident every single week, and they're preparing different every single week. That allows us to just do more with them. It just builds confidence when Coach is calling plays too."
Additionally, they've all shown they can create explosive plays. Each of them has at least one reception covering more than 30 yards, not bad in an offense 191.5 yards per game. They can be explosive in ways other than just running a fly route.
Goodie showed a burst for a touchdown against the Beavers, taking a crossing route and beating everyone to the edge for a score. He's also run by the secondary for a 40-yarder, and they are willing to use him in the run game.
He's ready for any of it if it aids the overall good.
"I just have to pick up where I left off to help the team. I'll do what's best for me and do what Tory would want from us," Goodie said. "He would want us to ball for him, so we'll do the best for him. This is the time when one of the young bucks has to step up and be a leader in this time. I feel like I'm ready to step up. They're starting to really use me in different ways, and that's what I like."
Tuesday, Horton was at practice, out on the field or roaming the sidelines. He received a ton of condolences from teammates and staff, but he was also there to support the team. That, Savage said, is who Horton is as a person, a teammate and a captain.
That, Person said, is the guy who will continue to inspire the room.
"Like I said, he's still going to be the ultimate teammate and help us out. He just got the heartbreaking news, but he still won't hesitate to make it to practice," Person said. "That's who he is. He's going to give us tips so we can be great like he was.
"I feel like he always gave us his all, and when he was able to play, he was a great leader. We know what he expects of us, and we expect from ourselves a high standard. I feel it's really going to be in our hearts to make it up to him. We still want to go to a bowl game for him, have a great season for him, so that's going to be a little more out of our whole receiver core."
Immediately, he was saddened to get the news Monday afternoon about Tory Horton, a player he's seen grow, starting at Nevada and continuing in Fort Collins. He witnessed the rise as the kid out of Fresno, Calif., became one of the top targets in Mountain West history.
That's undeniable, as Horton's 3,615 career yards fell just 35 shy of breaking the conference record, held by Colorado State's Rashard Higgins. He had just moved into second in the conference record book for career catches with 265; nine more and that record was his.
But Savage, the Colorado State receivers coach, also carries responsibility to his room, namely the people who are going to have to combine to replace the numbers, fill the role. It was the crossroads for the coach where heartbreak and reality collided.
"Number one, I just feel for Tory in so many ways. I know he's hurting," Savage said. "It's unfortunate with him. He said no to a lot of things last year to come back for this last and final year, and it's unfortunate he can't finish the season.
"I know he's going to continue to be the ultimate teammate. We can't dwell on it. It's next man up. I believe in everybody in that room. Now it's just an opportunity for guys, do they want to rise up and be the next Tory Horton? It's coming sooner than you know."
Even with the Rams not throwing as much this year, Horton was still the guy. He led the team with 26 catches for 353 yards and a touchdown. Behind him is a group of youngsters.
Jamari Person has 17 catches for 160 yards. Armani Winfield had 15 for 179. Caleb Goodie has nine for 108, with Winfield and Goodie leading the team with two scoring receptions each. All have had their flashes. The Ram will just need more of them.
The positive is they are all approaching the opportunity from a position of confidence.
"It's next man up. (Savage) recruited all of us here, and he believes we can be great players. It's our time to show," Person said. "It's our time to be confident. Tory was a vital piece of our offense, but we were recruited to be dawgs just like him. It's not a drop off, we just have to show it to everybody else."
The Rams have a pair of 100-yard receiving games this year. The first was by Horton against Oregon State when he hauled in nine catches for 158 yards and a score. Horton looked to be well on his way to a second in the conference opener with San Jose State – seven catches, 75 yards -- when he went down with the injury which cut his season short.
That's when Winfield stepped in, aided by a 62-yard scoring catch which essentially put the Rams' win on ice, finishing with six receptions for 108 yards. The yardage surpassed what he had done in the previous five games.
Savage says they've all had trial by fire to this point, so they should be ready for a bigger role.
"They've already gotten their feet wet this season and they've had a taste of success," he said. "Caleb has two touchdown receptions and Armani has two touchdown receptions, so those guys have a taste of success and are starting to play more confident every single week, and they're preparing different every single week. That allows us to just do more with them. It just builds confidence when Coach is calling plays too."
Additionally, they've all shown they can create explosive plays. Each of them has at least one reception covering more than 30 yards, not bad in an offense 191.5 yards per game. They can be explosive in ways other than just running a fly route.
Goodie showed a burst for a touchdown against the Beavers, taking a crossing route and beating everyone to the edge for a score. He's also run by the secondary for a 40-yarder, and they are willing to use him in the run game.
He's ready for any of it if it aids the overall good.
"I just have to pick up where I left off to help the team. I'll do what's best for me and do what Tory would want from us," Goodie said. "He would want us to ball for him, so we'll do the best for him. This is the time when one of the young bucks has to step up and be a leader in this time. I feel like I'm ready to step up. They're starting to really use me in different ways, and that's what I like."
Tuesday, Horton was at practice, out on the field or roaming the sidelines. He received a ton of condolences from teammates and staff, but he was also there to support the team. That, Savage said, is who Horton is as a person, a teammate and a captain.
That, Person said, is the guy who will continue to inspire the room.
"Like I said, he's still going to be the ultimate teammate and help us out. He just got the heartbreaking news, but he still won't hesitate to make it to practice," Person said. "That's who he is. He's going to give us tips so we can be great like he was.
"I feel like he always gave us his all, and when he was able to play, he was a great leader. We know what he expects of us, and we expect from ourselves a high standard. I feel it's really going to be in our hearts to make it up to him. We still want to go to a bowl game for him, have a great season for him, so that's going to be a little more out of our whole receiver core."
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