Colorado State University Athletics
Saturday, November 2
Reno, NV
6:00 PM
Colorado State
6-3 , 4-0
38
at
21
Nevada
3-7 , 0-4
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Colorado St.
14
3
11
10
38
Nevada
0
0
7
14
21
Rams Bowl Over Wolf Pack
11/2/2024 10:40:00 PM | Football
Noyes nails 60-yard field goal as team becomes postseason eligible
RENO, Nev. -- Colorado State was early to turn back the clock.
Not just an hour but nearly a decade. Back to 2017, the last time the Rams won four consecutive Mountain West football games. And more importantly, the last time the program was bowl eligible.
After a trio of tight games, the Rams rolled past coach Jay Norvell's former team to a 38-21 victory Saturday night, scoring early in conventional fashion, then later in rather inconceivable ways.
But a quick start set it in night a motion where players up and down the roster made key contributions.
"We talked about it all the time. We talked about it this afternoon we needed to start fast," Norvell said. "That was huge. We needed to do that. It was good for us to score on the first drive, and then we got up by 14. It just changed the game when the other team has to play from behind. We've been able to do that the last few weeks, so we'll continue to press for that."
The Rams scored on their first two drives of the game, using big passing plays to set up rushing scores. It started with a diving 45-yard catch by Dane Olson on a third-down play, the drive capped by Avery Morrow's 7-yard run.
On the next drive, it was a 55-yard connection to Caleb Goodie, who fumbled on the play, but the drive was saved when Olson recovered the ball. They ended the drive with an 8-yard run by Justin Marshall for a 14-0 lead.
It could have been a larger margin, but a penalty wiped out a 41-yard scoring play to Vince Brown II, and then a drive later Jordon Ross dropped a sure touchdown on a deep post.
Enter unconventional.
After the two missed opportunities, kicker Jordon Noyes continued his outstanding season by shocking the Mackay Stadium crowd with a 60-yard field goal, a kick which was right down the center and had room to spare. The kick stands as the second longest in program and Mountain West history, and the stadium record. It is tied for the second longest field goal made this season in FBS.
It felt no different than the other two shorter kicks he made later.
"(Special teams) coach Tommy Perry has a big emphasis on one kick, one club in the bag, and that's where we're at with my kicking. It should be the same kick whether it's a PAT or a 60-yarder," Noyes said. "So no is the answer. To be honest, as soon as it came off my foot, I knew it was going in, so it was a great feeling. I said to someone, I think I could have gone back 5 or 6 yards more. That's the beauty of Coach Norvell, he would have trusted me to go farther back if we're in that situation."
Noyes would add a 21-yard kick to open the second-half scoring, extending the lead to 20-0, then on the ensuing kickoff, Nevada failed to do the most basic of tasks – catch the ball.
It bounced between two players, and as they retreated for it, Goodie beat them to the ball as it squirmed into the end zone where Jace Bellah pounced on it for a touchdown. A two-point conversion pushed the lead to 28-0.
Combine that with Noyes' long kick, one of the happiest guys on the plane home was Perry.
"I was telling everyone on the sideline I've never done two kickoff reps in a row in my life," Ayden Hector said. "That was the craziest thing I've ever seen. We'll take it. Good play by us.
"You know Coach Perry is happy after that. He said it was his first one like that, and I was like, that was probably anybody's first one. I think he's just having the time of his life. He has his shirt off in the locker room just twirling it around. I think he's just happy about everything."
Through it all, Colorado State's resurgent defense was doing it's part, getting off the field on third down with regularity, forcing turnovers and producing goal-line stands.
Nevada went scoreless until the third quarter as the Rams stopped the Wolf Pack on fourth-and-two with 36 seconds until halftime. Hector forced a fumble which Gabe Kirschke recovered on Nevada's first drive of the second half, setting up Noyes for a 21-yard field goal.
"It's nothing we haven't seen before. We just have to do our job every single down," said Hector, a normal nickel who started at safety in place of Jack Howell. "We just have to play until the last whistle, and I'm very proud of what our team did on all fronts, in all phases of the game. We really came out and deserved that game tonight."
Nevada didn't break the ice until quarterback Brendon Lewis scored on a 3-yard run midway into the third. His second scoring run of 3 yards cut the lead in half at the start of the fourth as he surpassed 100 yards in rushing, most of it coming in the second half.
Nothing to fret. Colorado State answered in kind as a rushing attack which had been mostly pedestrian in the first half turned a short field off a pooch kick into a second score by Morrow. It took six plays – all runs – to cover the 59 yards, sparked by a 24-yard run by Marshall to start it, Morrow going 15 up the gut to end it as the two alternated carries.
Nevada answered with a long drive and a 13-yard scoring pass from Lewis to Jaden Smith, leaving 4:22 remaining in the game. The Rams ran their four-minute offense to near perfection – having a fumble call overturned – picking up a key fourth down with a short throw. It led to Noyes' third field goal of the game, good from 35 yards to ice the game with 1:11 remaining.
From that point, the team and its coach were just anxious to start celebrating the accomplishments, still with an eye on what could still be.
What hit Norvell most was the number of players who contributed.
"I think it goes to preparation. I think our kids are prepared to make a difference," he said. "We had a lot of different kids who were ready to make a difference. I'm very proud of he effort of so many guys, guys like Dane Olson and Caleb Goodie on special teams. The kicking of Jordon Noyes and Trevyn Heil; I'm so proud of him. Jacob gets hurt, Trevyn comes in and he really played well.
"I'm just very excited for so many guys."
It's the latter part which takes precedence now.
"I think all of us our biggest goal is to go to the Mountain West (championship)," Noyes said. "Although we're all taking this as a sweet goal, we still have bigger work to do to go to the Mountain West championship and win that."
Do that, the program will really take a step back in time.
Not just an hour but nearly a decade. Back to 2017, the last time the Rams won four consecutive Mountain West football games. And more importantly, the last time the program was bowl eligible.
After a trio of tight games, the Rams rolled past coach Jay Norvell's former team to a 38-21 victory Saturday night, scoring early in conventional fashion, then later in rather inconceivable ways.
But a quick start set it in night a motion where players up and down the roster made key contributions.
"We talked about it all the time. We talked about it this afternoon we needed to start fast," Norvell said. "That was huge. We needed to do that. It was good for us to score on the first drive, and then we got up by 14. It just changed the game when the other team has to play from behind. We've been able to do that the last few weeks, so we'll continue to press for that."
The Rams scored on their first two drives of the game, using big passing plays to set up rushing scores. It started with a diving 45-yard catch by Dane Olson on a third-down play, the drive capped by Avery Morrow's 7-yard run.
On the next drive, it was a 55-yard connection to Caleb Goodie, who fumbled on the play, but the drive was saved when Olson recovered the ball. They ended the drive with an 8-yard run by Justin Marshall for a 14-0 lead.
It could have been a larger margin, but a penalty wiped out a 41-yard scoring play to Vince Brown II, and then a drive later Jordon Ross dropped a sure touchdown on a deep post.
Enter unconventional.
After the two missed opportunities, kicker Jordon Noyes continued his outstanding season by shocking the Mackay Stadium crowd with a 60-yard field goal, a kick which was right down the center and had room to spare. The kick stands as the second longest in program and Mountain West history, and the stadium record. It is tied for the second longest field goal made this season in FBS.
It felt no different than the other two shorter kicks he made later.
"(Special teams) coach Tommy Perry has a big emphasis on one kick, one club in the bag, and that's where we're at with my kicking. It should be the same kick whether it's a PAT or a 60-yarder," Noyes said. "So no is the answer. To be honest, as soon as it came off my foot, I knew it was going in, so it was a great feeling. I said to someone, I think I could have gone back 5 or 6 yards more. That's the beauty of Coach Norvell, he would have trusted me to go farther back if we're in that situation."
60, yes 𝟔𝟎 yarder from @jordannoyes23 🤯
— Colorado State Football (@CSUFootball) November 3, 2024
Tied for the second-longest FG in program history!
📺 CBS Sports#Stalwart x #RamGrit🐏 https://t.co/Kt8xgPiAzR pic.twitter.com/Ezap2FnHEk
Noyes would add a 21-yard kick to open the second-half scoring, extending the lead to 20-0, then on the ensuing kickoff, Nevada failed to do the most basic of tasks – catch the ball.
It bounced between two players, and as they retreated for it, Goodie beat them to the ball as it squirmed into the end zone where Jace Bellah pounced on it for a touchdown. A two-point conversion pushed the lead to 28-0.
Combine that with Noyes' long kick, one of the happiest guys on the plane home was Perry.
"I was telling everyone on the sideline I've never done two kickoff reps in a row in my life," Ayden Hector said. "That was the craziest thing I've ever seen. We'll take it. Good play by us.
"You know Coach Perry is happy after that. He said it was his first one like that, and I was like, that was probably anybody's first one. I think he's just having the time of his life. He has his shirt off in the locker room just twirling it around. I think he's just happy about everything."
Through it all, Colorado State's resurgent defense was doing it's part, getting off the field on third down with regularity, forcing turnovers and producing goal-line stands.
Nevada went scoreless until the third quarter as the Rams stopped the Wolf Pack on fourth-and-two with 36 seconds until halftime. Hector forced a fumble which Gabe Kirschke recovered on Nevada's first drive of the second half, setting up Noyes for a 21-yard field goal.
"It's nothing we haven't seen before. We just have to do our job every single down," said Hector, a normal nickel who started at safety in place of Jack Howell. "We just have to play until the last whistle, and I'm very proud of what our team did on all fronts, in all phases of the game. We really came out and deserved that game tonight."
Nevada didn't break the ice until quarterback Brendon Lewis scored on a 3-yard run midway into the third. His second scoring run of 3 yards cut the lead in half at the start of the fourth as he surpassed 100 yards in rushing, most of it coming in the second half.
Nothing to fret. Colorado State answered in kind as a rushing attack which had been mostly pedestrian in the first half turned a short field off a pooch kick into a second score by Morrow. It took six plays – all runs – to cover the 59 yards, sparked by a 24-yard run by Marshall to start it, Morrow going 15 up the gut to end it as the two alternated carries.
Nevada answered with a long drive and a 13-yard scoring pass from Lewis to Jaden Smith, leaving 4:22 remaining in the game. The Rams ran their four-minute offense to near perfection – having a fumble call overturned – picking up a key fourth down with a short throw. It led to Noyes' third field goal of the game, good from 35 yards to ice the game with 1:11 remaining.
From that point, the team and its coach were just anxious to start celebrating the accomplishments, still with an eye on what could still be.
What hit Norvell most was the number of players who contributed.
"I think it goes to preparation. I think our kids are prepared to make a difference," he said. "We had a lot of different kids who were ready to make a difference. I'm very proud of he effort of so many guys, guys like Dane Olson and Caleb Goodie on special teams. The kicking of Jordon Noyes and Trevyn Heil; I'm so proud of him. Jacob gets hurt, Trevyn comes in and he really played well.
"I'm just very excited for so many guys."
It's the latter part which takes precedence now.
"I think all of us our biggest goal is to go to the Mountain West (championship)," Noyes said. "Although we're all taking this as a sweet goal, we still have bigger work to do to go to the Mountain West championship and win that."
Do that, the program will really take a step back in time.
Team Stats
CSU
NEV
Total Yards
327
441
Pass Yards
157
252
Rushing Yards
170
189
Penalty Yards
40
37
1st Downs
15
22
3rd Downs
6
3
4th Downs
1
3
TOP
28:58
28:53
1st Quarter
CSU 7, NEV 0
CSU - Morrow,Avery 7 yd run (Noyes,Jordan kick), 7 plays, 67 yards, TOP 04:14
CSU 14, NEV 0
CSU - Marshall,Justin 8 yd run (Noyes,Jordan kick), 7 plays, 80 yards, TOP 04:27
2nd Quarter
CSU 17, NEV 0
CSU - Noyes,Jordan 60 yd field goal 4 plays, -2 yards, TOP 01:40
3rd Quarter
CSU 20, NEV 0
CSU - Noyes,Jordan 21 yd field goal 8 plays, 28 yards, TOP 03:16
CSU 28, NEV 0
CSU - Bellah,Jace 0 yd fumble recovery (Person,Jamari pass)
CSU 28, NEV 7
NEV - Lewis,Brendon 3 yd run (Afrookhteh,Kian kick), 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:34
4th Quarter
CSU 28, NEV 14
NEV - Lewis,Brendon 3 yd run (Afrookhteh,Kian kick), 12 plays, 95 yards, TOP 06:07
CSU 35, NEV 14
CSU - Morrow,Avery 15 yd run (Noyes,Jordan kick), 6 plays, 59 yards, TOP 03:34
CSU 35, NEV 21
NEV - Smith,Jaden 13 yd pass from Lewis,Brendon (Afrookhteh,Kian kick) 15 plays, 77 yards, TOP 04:15
CSU 38, NEV 21
CSU - Noyes,Jordan 35 yd field goal 8 plays, 26 yards, TOP 03:11
Game Leaders
CMP
9
TD
0
YDS
157
INT
0
CMP
0
TD
0
YDS
0
INT
0
Players Mentioned
DB
/ Football
TE
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DB
/ Football
OL
/ Football
DB
/ Football
DL
/ Football
RB
/ Football
RB
/ FootballWR
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