Three Phases: A Week of Navigating Change

When it came to the week, so much of what happened on the field in the 28-0 loss to Wyoming centered on what occurred away from it during the buildup. The Rams – players, coaches and support staff alike -- were all subject to dealing with the changes swirling around the program.

The real three phases likely began with a layer of shock, the confusion of navigating what comes next and the reality of the changes taking place. The plan may have been to generate a jolt on the field, but the one which came was watching the Cowboys regain the Bronze Boot.

Interim coach Tyson Summers had a pretty clear idea of where to start after the game was finished.

"The obvious thing's there. You know what I mean? I'm not trying to be rude or disrespectful, but it's challenging. We're having a tough year. We were 2-5 going into the game. We fired our head coach on Sunday. Monday, they had to regroup. Tuesday, here we are. Wednesday … But we're going to have to keep working. I wish it were more competitive, and I do think in the second half we played a lot better, and I'm going to be as proud of that as I can be."

When Saturday's game kicked off, the Rams took the field with Summers at the helm and a third source calling plays on offense, Grant Chesnut. The Sunday prior, Jay Novell was let go, and Summers gave the team and Norvell the opportunity to be together and work through the news.

Monday, Summers met with every person he could get in front of and on Tuesday, they collectively got to work. By all accounts, when practice was being held, there was focus, but there were also alterations to how it was run. The same was true on the other days of preparation. Even deep down, there were emotions being dealt with, and that showed on the field.

A Colorado State offense which has looked to gain traction all season never really did against Wyoming. The Rams had done a good job of protecting the ball in the weeks prior, but three interceptions in the game helped turn the tide. The defense gave up some chunk plays early and struggled once again to win third down. That all led to Wyoming building a 21-0 lead at halftime, converting two of the turnovers into touchdown, and it was a 28-0 margin after the Cowboys' first drive of the second half.

It wasn't a performance the players felt they'd worked toward, either.

"I feel like we stuck together good this week, but we just came up short today," linebacker Jaseim Mitchell said. "We're just gonna regroup. I feel we've got the chemistry still."

As coaches of a 2-6 team, they look for signs. On one side, execution has to be cleaned up on both offense and defense. More one-on-one battles have to be won. And while the noise from outside the building may have checked out, Summers didn't see it from his team, and he doesn't expect he ever will.

The offense put together a few promising drives when Darius Curry came in at quarter, though the Rams could never finish them. On the doorstep of avoiding a shutout at the end, a mistimed snap ended the final hope. A Wyoming offense which was 4-of-6 on third down to start, was blanked on its final five chances.

The Rams will start with a bye week, which will include the initial look at UNLV and the advance work required for the Air Force attack. Throw in rest and recovery, not just isolated to the physical kind.

"I'm very appreciative of everyone who's here. I'm very appreciative of our players and (them) really trying to buy in and do what we're supposed to," Summers said. "I'm very appreciative of our staff and our coaches. I'm appreciative of our administration. But I really haven't had a chance to talk to my family all week.

"I would like to thank my wife, Beth. My wife's been with me for almost 20 years and 15 moves, so I think she's pretty tough. My oldest son, Jake, who texts me every day. My 15-year-old who says, 'Dad, do you think we can talk tomorrow?' My 12-year-old who cried on his way to school on Wednesday because he hadn't heard from me since Sunday. So, I thank all of them. It's hard. It's hard. But I'm going to continue to work hard to help our kids, and I'm going to continue to love on our family and be appreciative of them for the things they've got."

What the Rams have ahead of them is four games in five weeks. Two of those contests are at home, starting with UNLV on Nov. 8. Two of the three teams are already bowl-eligible, and New Mexico is one victory shy.

There are players on the roster determined to find ways to win games and an interim coach intent to help them find the path. Summers is frustrated with the way the season has gone. So are the players. His goal is for all of them to keep swinging, referencing Jacob Riss and the lessons of the stonecutter. One hit will not split the rock, and no one knows which one ever will.

So, keep on swinging.

"It's a frustrating deal, but it doesn't mean you get to take a bad attitude. I'm not going to let them do that, I promise," Summers said. "We're going to have a good attitude. We're going to try to continue to figure out what to do and work.

"But, no, we're not going to hang our head in the room. I talk a lot about, through the week, just hitting the reset button, trying to, again, play with the relentless energy. We talk about having standards and not letting circumstances affect it, so this is a good example of that. We'll keep hitting it as many times as we can."

To work through every phase of emotions the Rams felt this past week over the course of the next two and find a way to improve the trio which determine the outcomes of games on Saturdays.

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