Colorado State University Athletics
Setting the Stage: UTEP
9/20/2024 2:00:00 PM | Football
Rams’ offense filling in the holes
The goal was to build depth in the room, through development and the transfer portal. Saturday, Colorado State's offense is going to find out how far the wide receiver room has come.
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Tory Horton is likely to sit out the UTEP game with an injury, and with a bye the following week, the All-Mountain West performer should be good to go at Oregon State and the upcoming conference slate. In his absence, production is going to be needed not just from one, but from all.
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"I'm really proud of Jamari Person, Caleb Goodie and Armani Winfield. He's still a relatively young player," CSU coach Jay Norvell said. "It's an important week for those guys. Those guys can really show tremendous improvement in the next few weeks, and it's an important game this week since Tory is probably not going to play. They're going to carry the load in the passing game. We've got to get those numbers up. It's important they practice very well."
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Horton leads the team with 10 catches for 120 yards. Person is tied in receptions with 10, good for 71 yards. Goodie has five catches for 76 yards, most coming on a 40-yard scoring catch against UNC. Both of them are in their second year with the program.
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Winfield, a transfer out of Baylor, has four catches for 25 yards and is ready to show he's caught up and ready to take flight.
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"The first couple of weeks I was trying to find my way, but now in week four, I'm a lot more comfortable with the offense," Winfield said. "To have a good game, you have to have a good practice, so I'm trying to stack good practices on top of each other so I can have confidence and certainty going into the game and perform my best."
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Winfield had single catches in each of the first two weeks, a pair a week ago. At 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, the Rams see him as somebody who can generate big plays. Like him, the staff is waiting for the first one to appear.
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Winfield feels it coming, and being comfortable is a positive step forward.
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"I feel what's best is how comfortable I am in the offense. I feel Coach has really got my back. Having a staff that believe in your ability, it boosts your confidence, and confidence is key when you go out there."
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Up-Front Change
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With Alex Foster out of the lineup this week, redshirt-freshman Tanner Morley moves into the starting role at guard. Morley replaced Foster during the Colorado game, giving offensive line coach Bill Best what he expected.
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"He did a good job. He made some young-guy mistakes, but he didn't have any busts, no mental errors," Best said. "There were just some technique things in real-game speed. It's the second time he's played; he played a bit at Texas. For a critical situation, he did a good job."
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Morley, a local product out of Valor Christian, has been impressive with his development since his arrival, Best figuring his time as a starter was going to come sooner rather than later. The same can be said for Aitor Urionabarrenechea. Best isn't worried about the group staying tied together with a new face in the lineup, praising the group's work in film sessions, either calling him in for aid or doing the study on their own and as a unit.
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Morley isn't just a stop-gap to Best, he's someone who has earned his chance.
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"The thing about it, the group, the older guys, they trust him. If I didn't trust him, I wouldn't play him, and he does need to play," Best said. "It's unfortunate with Alex, because Alex played a really good game, his best game so far. This is why we recruit guys like Tanner and Big A. It's time to step up. We expect him to, and I know he will."
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Must-Win Feeling
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The 1-2 record plays a role, but more importantly, it's been the play. Inconsistent and lacking punch. This game carries a pivotal feeling for the season ahead.
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"Everybody has played a couple of games, and I think this opponent is pretty indicative of the teams we're going to play as far as their talent and their athletes. We need to execute," Norvell said. "I reminded our guys of what our goals are, and your work every day has to reflect what your goals are. We had a really good practice (Tuesday and Wednesday). I'm really pleased with the way we worked, but we have a great opportunity to really step it up in some areas we want to improve in."
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Add to it a bye week follows. There is nothing less the Rams would enjoy than heading into the bye on a two-game losing streak, then carrying that into the final non-conference game at Oregon State.
UTEP is very much in the same boat, having dropped its first three games of the season.
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Tory Horton is likely to sit out the UTEP game with an injury, and with a bye the following week, the All-Mountain West performer should be good to go at Oregon State and the upcoming conference slate. In his absence, production is going to be needed not just from one, but from all.
Â
"I'm really proud of Jamari Person, Caleb Goodie and Armani Winfield. He's still a relatively young player," CSU coach Jay Norvell said. "It's an important week for those guys. Those guys can really show tremendous improvement in the next few weeks, and it's an important game this week since Tory is probably not going to play. They're going to carry the load in the passing game. We've got to get those numbers up. It's important they practice very well."
Â
Horton leads the team with 10 catches for 120 yards. Person is tied in receptions with 10, good for 71 yards. Goodie has five catches for 76 yards, most coming on a 40-yard scoring catch against UNC. Both of them are in their second year with the program.
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Winfield, a transfer out of Baylor, has four catches for 25 yards and is ready to show he's caught up and ready to take flight.
Â
"The first couple of weeks I was trying to find my way, but now in week four, I'm a lot more comfortable with the offense," Winfield said. "To have a good game, you have to have a good practice, so I'm trying to stack good practices on top of each other so I can have confidence and certainty going into the game and perform my best."
Â
Winfield had single catches in each of the first two weeks, a pair a week ago. At 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, the Rams see him as somebody who can generate big plays. Like him, the staff is waiting for the first one to appear.
Â
Winfield feels it coming, and being comfortable is a positive step forward.
Â
"I feel what's best is how comfortable I am in the offense. I feel Coach has really got my back. Having a staff that believe in your ability, it boosts your confidence, and confidence is key when you go out there."
Â
Up-Front Change
Â
With Alex Foster out of the lineup this week, redshirt-freshman Tanner Morley moves into the starting role at guard. Morley replaced Foster during the Colorado game, giving offensive line coach Bill Best what he expected.
Â
"He did a good job. He made some young-guy mistakes, but he didn't have any busts, no mental errors," Best said. "There were just some technique things in real-game speed. It's the second time he's played; he played a bit at Texas. For a critical situation, he did a good job."
Â
Morley, a local product out of Valor Christian, has been impressive with his development since his arrival, Best figuring his time as a starter was going to come sooner rather than later. The same can be said for Aitor Urionabarrenechea. Best isn't worried about the group staying tied together with a new face in the lineup, praising the group's work in film sessions, either calling him in for aid or doing the study on their own and as a unit.
Â
Morley isn't just a stop-gap to Best, he's someone who has earned his chance.
Â
"The thing about it, the group, the older guys, they trust him. If I didn't trust him, I wouldn't play him, and he does need to play," Best said. "It's unfortunate with Alex, because Alex played a really good game, his best game so far. This is why we recruit guys like Tanner and Big A. It's time to step up. We expect him to, and I know he will."
Â
Must-Win Feeling
Â
The 1-2 record plays a role, but more importantly, it's been the play. Inconsistent and lacking punch. This game carries a pivotal feeling for the season ahead.
Â
"Everybody has played a couple of games, and I think this opponent is pretty indicative of the teams we're going to play as far as their talent and their athletes. We need to execute," Norvell said. "I reminded our guys of what our goals are, and your work every day has to reflect what your goals are. We had a really good practice (Tuesday and Wednesday). I'm really pleased with the way we worked, but we have a great opportunity to really step it up in some areas we want to improve in."
Â
Add to it a bye week follows. There is nothing less the Rams would enjoy than heading into the bye on a two-game losing streak, then carrying that into the final non-conference game at Oregon State.
UTEP is very much in the same boat, having dropped its first three games of the season.
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Players Mentioned
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