Setting the Stage: Defense Opts to Build off Positives

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The phrase is in the coaching handbook, regardless of sport. Little things matter. They add up.

They did for Colorado State's defense in the opener. The thing about the little things is they don't have to be major issues, and Mukendi Wa-Kalonji knows they're easier to fix than complete breakdowns.

There's the target for Saturday's game with Northern Colorado (5 p.m.)

"We watched film on Monday. Watched the good and watched the bad. Then we scrubbed it," Wa-Kalonji said. "Then we took all the good things we did at Texas, take that film and use it for the next week. Tackling was definitely a weakness for our defense; wish we could have done better.

"Coach was telling us as we were watching the film, it was a lot of little mental mistakes. There wasn't anything huge that made us play that way. It was literally small things. If we fix it this week, it should be great."

Texas has the type of athletes who can make defenders miss, but the Rams know the number of missed tackles they had must go down. Assignment errors here and there are going to happen, but the Rams need to lessen those as the season progresses.

For a unit with seven returning starters, plugging in gaps was the first step, but creating depth was high on the list. To some extent, the coaches learned some things about that part of the depth chart in the game as multiple newcomers were given plays.

A team is going to need depth through a season. Answering some questions early was a plus.

"To me, there's a lot of positives. The younger guys played amazingly when they went out there, played really aggressive and physical," Wa-Kalonji said. "There were more positives than negatives, honestly, when we were watching the film. There were good things, but obviously Texas is a great team. Seeing the young guys understand what they were doing was amazing."

Familiar Face

Northern Colorado's lone touchdown came off a long run against Incarnate Word, and the Rams have seen that before.

The guy toting the ball was none other than CSU's leading rusher from a season ago, Vann Schield. Schield transferred after the season, and the move paid off as he cemented the lead back job with the Bears.

"We've talked about it. Everybody knows what type of runner Vann is," CSU defensive lineman Cam Bariteau said. "He's a great running back and a great person overall. Me and him met a few times in the hole in practice, and we'd always talk about it in the locker room. It will be fun going up against him Saturday."

Giving them another chance to possibly talk some more.

Here and There

The Rams will host Northern Colorado again in 2025, marking the first time since 1921-32 the programs have played in consecutive seasons. … There are three former Rams on the UNC roster, with Payton Poulson and Liam Huber joining Schield. … Colorado State has dropped its past three home openers but did have a winning record at Canvas in 2023 for the first time since the facility opened. That's a trend he wants to expand upon. "It's always our goal to play well at home. We made some strides last year, and this is the start of making those strides again this year."

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