Rams Open With Loss to No. 4 Texas

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AUSTIN, Texas – Considered a tall task heading into the game, the point was driven home in the second 15-minute set.

No. 4 Texas scored 24 points in a decisive second frame as Colorado State opened the 2024 season with a 52-0 loss at DKR Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon. It was the second time in coach Jay Norvell's tenure he had taken his team on the road to a top-five team. The Rams, more experienced now than they were two years ago at Michigan, still had issues in all three phases of the game.

While Quinn Ewers was directing the offense through the air, Texas' defense was shutting down Colorado State's offense, a nasty combination. To amplify the difference, the Longhorns had a pair of nice returns on special teams and also stuffed Paddy Turner on a fake, a play where CSU coach Jay Norvell said Turner has a green light if he sees the right coverage. He did, but Texas closed the gap.

"You have to go out and make plays and do the things you need to do, and we didn't do that in the first half," Norvell said. "We had some drops on third down, we couldn't stop them a couple of times and we turned the ball over. We had the punt and the long interception. Those are things you have to play clean.

"We were very clear about what we had to do to win this game, and we weren't able to do it. It's a good football team. I think we have some good, young players. I think we're a work in progress in the preseason, and I think we'll get better every week."

Not technically a turnover, the punt faux pas helped fuel Texas' offense in an explosive second quarter, where Ewers threw three touchdown passes – two to Matthew Golden – as a 7-0 lead after one ballooned quickly. Ewers was intercepted in the first when he moved up to avoid pressure and James Mitchell connected with his arm and linebacker Chase Wilson hauled in the deflection for his first career pick. The only other pressure he felt was on Gabe Kirschke's first career sack.

By halftime, Ewers had thrown for 248 yards, also connecting with Isaiah Bond for a short score. One of them was set up by a Colorado State turnover when Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi tried to go deep to an open Tory Horton down the middle, his throw off the back foot falling short and cut off by Jahde Barron.

By the time Ewers' day was done, he had guided five consecutive scoring drives, throwing for 260 yards on 20-of-27 passing.

Once Texas started to roll, it didn't stop, scoring on seven consecutive drives, the final six all touchdown, the final two engineered by Arch Manning.
"I think any offense that gets in a rhythm is going to gain some confidence," Wilson said. "I think that's purely on us not executing and making mistakes on our end."

While the Longhorns had 309 yards of offense at half, the Rams generated just 78, 48 of which came from running back Justin Marshall, who broke off a pair of 10-plus-yard runs.

Not the performance the Rams expected to put on display. The next step now becomes vital. Can the team take the lessons from Saturday at become that team?

"It's not a doubt in my mind. We're a battle-tested team," Wilson said. "We've been through a lot, and this is not something that's going to faze us. That's a great football team right there, and they're going to go on and win a lot of games this year, and we're going to do the same."

Colorado State's offense expected to be more dynamic but stalled against a stout Texas defense throughout the day. Fowler-Nicolosi was 10-of-18 passing for 59 yards and the lone interception. After a strong performance in 2023, it was just the second time in his career he had thrown for less than 100 yards in a game, dating back to his first start as a true freshman against Nevada in 2022. Marshall stood as the lone bright spot, rushing for 106 yards on 25 carries against a unit which ranked third in he country in stopping the run a season prior.

"Confidence is an all-time high, I'm not gonna lie," he said. "I wish I could have scored. I wish I could have broken one, made the safety miss."

Colorado State returns home next week to start a run of there consecutive games at Canvas Stadium. First up is Northern Colorado on Ag Day and when the athletic department will honor Lt. Col. John Mosley with the retirement of his No. 14 across all sports.

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Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi

Jackson Brousseau

Players Mentioned

Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi

Tory Horton

Gabe Kirschke

Justin Marshall

James Mitchell

Paddy Turner

Chase Wilson

Players Mentioned

Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi

Tory Horton

Gabe Kirschke

Justin Marshall

James Mitchell

Paddy Turner

Chase Wilson

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