Colorado State University Athletics
Late Bowl Date Welcomed by Rams
12/12/2024 2:00:00 PM | Football
A handful of players have a healthy outlook for Arizona
His name was announced as he walked onto the turf at Canvas Stadium. He posed for pictures with coach Jay Norvell and his family. But there was a void Cam Bariteau felt on senior day as Colorado State mounted a 29-point outburst in the fourth quarter to beat Utah State 42-37.
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He was on the sidelines. In street clothes.
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"Definitely. I didn't get to play senior day. I was on the sidelines cheering everybody on, but I definitely felt a type of way not being able to play," Bariteau said. "Having these weeks to get healthy and be able to play in a bowl game – my first one at Colorado State and the first one in a while – feels great. My family is going to go and watch me play in my last game."
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A four-week span between contests will be beneficial to a host of Rams, some who have missed time, some who were on the field fighting through some degree of pain or discomfort down the stretch. The Dec. 28 date for the Arizona Bowl was definitely welcomed.
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Starting with the coach.
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"It's huge. We have a lot of good players who have not been 100 percent down the stretch – Jack Howell, Cam Bariteau, Avery Morrow, Paddy Turner … Brayden (Fowler-Nicolosi) has been banged up the past few weeks," Norvell said. "It's really big to get guys back healthy. I think it's big, and I'm excited to get those guys back healthy. They've been playing at less than 100 percent for the last month. This three weeks will give us a good chance to heal up."
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Howell and Jacob Gardner played the final two games, neither one of them at full strength. Same with Morrow, who still found a way to carry the ball 21 times against the Aggies. Turner had just come back, too.
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The running back room could be as close to healthy as it's been in a while. The rest will be good for Justin Marshall, and freshman Jalen Dupree, who missed the season finale, could be back in the rotation.
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Playing at less-than-full strength is admirable, but the players will tell you it comes with some drawbacks for them. Gardner, named a first-team All-American this week by Action Network, said playing hurt comes with some limitations he hopes will be removed in the bowl.
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There are times his brain tells him to perform an action, but his body doesn't always follow the instruction to the letter, simply because it cannot.
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"The time off, when you get back into it, it's easier to play – not more instinctually – but you can play that way because your body can keep up," he said. "It gives us some time to take a step back on the season and say, what are some things we did well, some we did bad and fix assignment expectation from each other."
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This first week of practice has focused on younger players and those a notch or two down on the depth chart, allowing more rest for some veterans while providing extra reps for those who may get more during the game.
Â
The next week will focus on the game plan for Miami (Ohio) while still allowing players who are coming back from injury to ease back into the flow. The time has given them hope to not just play, but to feel good doing so.
Â
"I can't remember when I was fresh in the season. This whole season I've been banged up, playing through it," Bariteau said. "I have a good feeling after these next couple of weeks I'll feel pretty good to play. I'm definitely going to play. I'll be as healthy as ever – or as I can be – rather than playing in an earlier bowl game.
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"We're all going to be as healthy as we can be for that game. It will be fun to see guys like Jacob and Avery feeling better. We all get to play that last game being healthy, having fun and getting after it."
Â
Colorado State went 6-1 in Mountain West play, including a five-game win streak. While the Rams were playing well, the wins and performances looked a bit different from week to week, a lot of it depending on who was available and to what level those on the field could still perform.
Â
With a bit of rest, Gardner is expecting the team can get back to the point where they can show their best in the season finale.
Â
"Everybody has a new sense of refreshment when we get out of practice. There's a lot of energy and it feels good," he said. "Having everybody back except for Tory (Horton), everybody feels good. Hey, this is what it's supposed to look like. We just have to play that way when the game comes."
Â
And for some, just the chance to play.
Â
Bariteau's senior day wasn't what he hoped for standing on the sidelines. The Arizona Bowl gives him the ending he wants, being on the field, affecting the outcome in his last collegiate game.
Â
"It was fun, I'll look back on it, but it was definitely upsetting not getting to play the last game, with a big comeback and a memorable game in my last home game," he said. "I get to be on the field playing, just having fun with my guys one last time. And some nice weather."
Â
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He was on the sidelines. In street clothes.
Â
"Definitely. I didn't get to play senior day. I was on the sidelines cheering everybody on, but I definitely felt a type of way not being able to play," Bariteau said. "Having these weeks to get healthy and be able to play in a bowl game – my first one at Colorado State and the first one in a while – feels great. My family is going to go and watch me play in my last game."
Â
A four-week span between contests will be beneficial to a host of Rams, some who have missed time, some who were on the field fighting through some degree of pain or discomfort down the stretch. The Dec. 28 date for the Arizona Bowl was definitely welcomed.
Â
Starting with the coach.
Â
"It's huge. We have a lot of good players who have not been 100 percent down the stretch – Jack Howell, Cam Bariteau, Avery Morrow, Paddy Turner … Brayden (Fowler-Nicolosi) has been banged up the past few weeks," Norvell said. "It's really big to get guys back healthy. I think it's big, and I'm excited to get those guys back healthy. They've been playing at less than 100 percent for the last month. This three weeks will give us a good chance to heal up."
Â
Howell and Jacob Gardner played the final two games, neither one of them at full strength. Same with Morrow, who still found a way to carry the ball 21 times against the Aggies. Turner had just come back, too.
Â
The running back room could be as close to healthy as it's been in a while. The rest will be good for Justin Marshall, and freshman Jalen Dupree, who missed the season finale, could be back in the rotation.
Â
Playing at less-than-full strength is admirable, but the players will tell you it comes with some drawbacks for them. Gardner, named a first-team All-American this week by Action Network, said playing hurt comes with some limitations he hopes will be removed in the bowl.
Â
There are times his brain tells him to perform an action, but his body doesn't always follow the instruction to the letter, simply because it cannot.
Â
"The time off, when you get back into it, it's easier to play – not more instinctually – but you can play that way because your body can keep up," he said. "It gives us some time to take a step back on the season and say, what are some things we did well, some we did bad and fix assignment expectation from each other."
Â
This first week of practice has focused on younger players and those a notch or two down on the depth chart, allowing more rest for some veterans while providing extra reps for those who may get more during the game.
Â
The next week will focus on the game plan for Miami (Ohio) while still allowing players who are coming back from injury to ease back into the flow. The time has given them hope to not just play, but to feel good doing so.
Â
"I can't remember when I was fresh in the season. This whole season I've been banged up, playing through it," Bariteau said. "I have a good feeling after these next couple of weeks I'll feel pretty good to play. I'm definitely going to play. I'll be as healthy as ever – or as I can be – rather than playing in an earlier bowl game.
Â
"We're all going to be as healthy as we can be for that game. It will be fun to see guys like Jacob and Avery feeling better. We all get to play that last game being healthy, having fun and getting after it."
Â
Colorado State went 6-1 in Mountain West play, including a five-game win streak. While the Rams were playing well, the wins and performances looked a bit different from week to week, a lot of it depending on who was available and to what level those on the field could still perform.
Â
With a bit of rest, Gardner is expecting the team can get back to the point where they can show their best in the season finale.
Â
"Everybody has a new sense of refreshment when we get out of practice. There's a lot of energy and it feels good," he said. "Having everybody back except for Tory (Horton), everybody feels good. Hey, this is what it's supposed to look like. We just have to play that way when the game comes."
Â
And for some, just the chance to play.
Â
Bariteau's senior day wasn't what he hoped for standing on the sidelines. The Arizona Bowl gives him the ending he wants, being on the field, affecting the outcome in his last collegiate game.
Â
"It was fun, I'll look back on it, but it was definitely upsetting not getting to play the last game, with a big comeback and a memorable game in my last home game," he said. "I get to be on the field playing, just having fun with my guys one last time. And some nice weather."
Â
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