Colorado State University Athletics
What We Saw: Horton Back and Productive
10/6/2024 2:01:00 PM | Football
Avoiding issues -- and overcoming them -- remain a work in progress
Probably goes without saying, but here it goes: Welcome back Tory Horton.
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The All-Mountain West wideout missed the game with UTEP due to an injury he sustained in the second half of the Northern Colorado game. He tried to come back against Colorado and was eventually pulled as he really wasn't ready.
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Saturday night, he showed up once again and produced like the Horton of old. He finished with nine catches for 158 yards and a touchdown. He also added a 2-point conversion on a reverse, one where he split a pair of defenders to reach the end zone.
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He now has 10 100-yard receiving games as a Ram.
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"You all saw how explosive he is," quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi said. "Everyone knows he's Tory, but having him back, having that assurance and just knowing he's on the field, his presence is pretty nice."
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The performance continued his pursuit of the record book, not jus at the school but within the Mountain West. He passed Jeff Champine for fourth in career CSU receptions, now with 186. His scoring grab was the 17th of his career, tying him with Mark R. Bell and Greg Primus for eighth on the program list.
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Adding his time from Nevada, he improved his rank on the conference leaderboard. With 258 career catches, he passed Wyoming's Jovon Bouknight for third in conference catches. He now stands four catches and 32 yards shy of passing J.R. Tolver of San Diego State in a pair of lists.
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Raising the Flag of Concern
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This season, the Rams have been good and bad when it comes to penalties. The Oregon State game was in the latter category.
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They had trouble with the play clock winding down, either drawing infractions or having to use timeouts to avoid them. The crowd was active – Fowler-Nicolosi calling it among the loudest he's played in front of in his career. He shouldered some blame, but also pointed out some necessary adjustments.
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"I think it exposed a couple of communication things we need to get cleaned up, but also it was really good for us to get those reps in that type of environment in a close game," he said. "I think at the end of the day we battled through it pretty well. There were a couple of penalties that I take full responsibility for. The play clock is my responsibility. I need to be more on top of those in those high-pressure situations."
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The Rams were flagged 13 times for 82 yards, and it wasn't just offensive issues. A pair of defensive holding calls coming in succession aided Oregon State on a scoring drive.
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Conference Awaits
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Colorado State will finally join Mountain West action, the final team to do so, and the first game comes at home against the current leader, San Jose State. The Spartans are off to a 2-0 start after beating Nevada this week and previously beating Air Force.
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Boise State, Wyoming, UNLV and San Diego State are all 1-0. The Rams aren't thrilled with being 2-3 at this point of the season, but with seven consecutive conference games awaiting, a lot of what the team wanted to achieve is still on the table.
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"The mission is the same. That game was very telling going into conference play," linebacker Chase Wilson said. "I think it's hard to take, it stings right now. I think we're going to have a lot to learn from this, a lot to grow from this, and we've got to grow until we're back to the team we can be.
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"We have a 24-hour rule. We put so much work into these weeks, it's hard to not let it sting for a little bit and turn the page right after. Everything we want, our goals are right in front of us."
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The All-Mountain West wideout missed the game with UTEP due to an injury he sustained in the second half of the Northern Colorado game. He tried to come back against Colorado and was eventually pulled as he really wasn't ready.
Â
Saturday night, he showed up once again and produced like the Horton of old. He finished with nine catches for 158 yards and a touchdown. He also added a 2-point conversion on a reverse, one where he split a pair of defenders to reach the end zone.
Â
He now has 10 100-yard receiving games as a Ram.
Â
"You all saw how explosive he is," quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi said. "Everyone knows he's Tory, but having him back, having that assurance and just knowing he's on the field, his presence is pretty nice."
Â
The performance continued his pursuit of the record book, not jus at the school but within the Mountain West. He passed Jeff Champine for fourth in career CSU receptions, now with 186. His scoring grab was the 17th of his career, tying him with Mark R. Bell and Greg Primus for eighth on the program list.
Â
Adding his time from Nevada, he improved his rank on the conference leaderboard. With 258 career catches, he passed Wyoming's Jovon Bouknight for third in conference catches. He now stands four catches and 32 yards shy of passing J.R. Tolver of San Diego State in a pair of lists.
Â
Raising the Flag of Concern
Â
This season, the Rams have been good and bad when it comes to penalties. The Oregon State game was in the latter category.
Â
They had trouble with the play clock winding down, either drawing infractions or having to use timeouts to avoid them. The crowd was active – Fowler-Nicolosi calling it among the loudest he's played in front of in his career. He shouldered some blame, but also pointed out some necessary adjustments.
Â
"I think it exposed a couple of communication things we need to get cleaned up, but also it was really good for us to get those reps in that type of environment in a close game," he said. "I think at the end of the day we battled through it pretty well. There were a couple of penalties that I take full responsibility for. The play clock is my responsibility. I need to be more on top of those in those high-pressure situations."
Â
The Rams were flagged 13 times for 82 yards, and it wasn't just offensive issues. A pair of defensive holding calls coming in succession aided Oregon State on a scoring drive.
Â
Conference Awaits
Â
Colorado State will finally join Mountain West action, the final team to do so, and the first game comes at home against the current leader, San Jose State. The Spartans are off to a 2-0 start after beating Nevada this week and previously beating Air Force.
Â
Boise State, Wyoming, UNLV and San Diego State are all 1-0. The Rams aren't thrilled with being 2-3 at this point of the season, but with seven consecutive conference games awaiting, a lot of what the team wanted to achieve is still on the table.
Â
"The mission is the same. That game was very telling going into conference play," linebacker Chase Wilson said. "I think it's hard to take, it stings right now. I think we're going to have a lot to learn from this, a lot to grow from this, and we've got to grow until we're back to the team we can be.
Â
"We have a 24-hour rule. We put so much work into these weeks, it's hard to not let it sting for a little bit and turn the page right after. Everything we want, our goals are right in front of us."
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