Colorado State University Athletics
Monday Presser: Opening with Experience Under Center
8/25/2025 12:38:00 PM | Football
Washington set to trot out a new defense
Two seasons ago, Colorado State's offense clicked by throwing the ball. Last season, the Air Raid to a backseat to a more run-heavy approach, with Avery Morrow (Seattle, Wash./Garfield) becoming CSU coach Jay Norvell's first 1,000-yard rusher in a season.
But as the year came to a close and he met with the press following the bowl game, Colorado State's leader said he wasn't as locked into a system as he was to what his team could perform successfully.
So, what does this season have in store as the Rams head to Washington for Saturday's season opener?
I think we have a lot of playmakers, which is really exciting offensively, Norvell said at his weekly presser on Monday. I think we have a quarterback that's had to learn different styles. You know, he's been in a strictly Air Raid system, and then last year we were a little bit more pro-style.
Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi (Aledo, Texas/Aledo) has run different sets under the same staff while a Ram, making him a signal-calling chameleon. He was thrown to the wolves as a true freshman in 2022. He took over as the starter in 2023 early in the season, throwing for 3,460 yards with 22 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. In 2025, he learned how to get the offense in and out of good plays – particularly in the run game --, while throwing for 2,796 yards, 14 scores and nine picks.
His head coach believes he's seen it all, and he's been asked to run it all, and that's a good thing for the Rams facing a Washington team which will be altered defensively.
It's very helpful. I spent six years in pro football, Norvell said. One of the things when you're in pro football is you have experienced guys. When you want to adjust and play different schemes, they can adjust because they have a background in football knowledge. Brayden's getting to be one of those guys now. And not every college player is.
We've done a lot with Brayden. You know, we give him a lot of freedom to change plays, probably more than most people in college football do. And that was from my history with Tom Moore and the Indianapolis Colts and Peyton (Manning) and how we did things there. We do a lot of things similar to that, and so we're not afraid of that. And Braydon has learned through a lot of those situations.
Change of the Guard
Washington also has a new man in charge of the defense, Ryan Walters. He was Purdue's head coach the past two seasons after spending stints at Illinois and Missouri as a defensive coordinator. He took over a unit at Illinois which ranked at the bottom of the sport, transitioning it to a top-10 unit.
Norvell and his staff will take a gander at everything in trying to gain an appreciation for what the Rams will face this Saturday.
You look at all of it, really, and there's no guarantee that they're going to line up and play like they did last year or at Illinois, Norvell said. So just look at his history and look what he's had success with. There'll be some things I'm sure that they'll do that he's done, and I'm sure there'll be some new things that they do.
He's got a great track record as a defensive coach, and we're excited for the challenge.
Here and There
Washington was 6-7 last season, but the Huskies were a perfect 6-0 at Husky Stadium. … This will be the first meeting between the two programs. As Norvell noted, he never grew up a Big 10 fan expecting to live in Colorado and have to travel west for a Big 10 opponent. … When Norvell said he feels the two teams are similar he's spot on in terms of scoring numbers from 2024: CSU averaged 24.4 on offense, allowing 25.8 per game; UW scored at a 23.4 clip, allowing 23.8
