Setting the Stage: Spreading the Love

There are only 13 teams in the country which have at least three receivers with 15 catches or more through four games. Two of them – Eastern Washington and Sacramento State – have four.

Colorado State is one of them. Not necessarily by design, but by roster. After going through spring and fall camp, it's pretty much what Colorado State offensive coordinator Pryce Tracy expected.

"I didn't see one standout, just a star player type of guy," Tracy said. "I just see a collective of a bunch of guys who have a bunch of different skill sets that can do really good things in the ball game."

RJ Vick leads the team with 19 receptions and 268 yards. Jackson Harper has 16 catches (177), and Terrence Smith Jr. has added 15 for 221 yards. Just on the outskirts in number, running back Mel Brown has 12 receptions, and Cedric Ross has turned his seven into 178 yards.

The Rams as a collective have made the passing game work, as 16 different players have at least one catch.

While Tracy was sure, Smith was not. He just knew they had numbers.

"To be real, I didn't know how it was gonna work out because we got a lot of dogs on the team and like I said, it could be anybody day, any given game," he said. "That's just a good feeling to have to know like you got a lot of weapons on the team, and everybody can go out there and do their job.

"It's fun. I just love to see the guys eat, man, and they love to see me eat. When you've got that type of mindset, everything goes good for you."

None of them are tied to a certain position or route, so the playbook is somewhat open, and Tracy is free to put them in different places and formations and use motion to fit various needs. He said it helps him to be creative with a group which he doesn't believe gives him any restrictions or handcuffs him in any way.

As the schedule played out, two of the other teams which slot into the category, the Rams saw one last week in UTSA and will see another Saturday in Oregon State.

Applying Pressure

Oregon State is fifth in the nation in passing attempts, so it makes some sense there is only one team in the country which has tried fewer rushing attempts.

Putting pressure on Braden Atkinson, who has hit 106 of his 163 passes for 1,421 yards and 11 scores is imperative. It's also not that easy.

An offense which plays with tempo and doesn't substitute makes it harder for a team to have all of its pass-rush tools on the field when needed, CSU coach Jim Mora said. It means defensive lines need depth, and sometimes the right personnel isn't always on the field.

Colorado State has registered six sacks on the season with 20 quarterback pressures. Mora then addressed the other aspects which make it hard to answer the question if the Rams' pass rush has been sufficient and effective.

"You've got to find a way to get through that down. It would be ideal if every time it was third-and-3 or more you could get your four best pass rushers out there, but that's not the reality of college football, and that's one of the challenges that makes it kind of fun," Mora said. "Here's part of the problem we're having is we're not getting anyone in third longer, and then when we are, through these first four games, we've become extremely predictable, and we're playing man defense, and that's why you saw pick routes for touchdowns the other day, because things we were going to do, and you don't want that."

As for Atkinson, Mora said he's a player who plays unaffected by a pass rush and shows courage in the pocket to deliver passes in tight windows. It's a confidence the coach is sure stems from Atkinson's faith in his arm as well as his receivers.

Confident About the Room

For the second consecutive week, Mora will head toward game day with his starting quarterback, Hauss Hejny, a game-time decision. He'll do so this week with less questions and far fewer concerns after the way K'saan Farrar played against UTSA.

Farrar completed 29-of-46 passes for 344 yards, two touchdowns and a late interception. Colorado State is one of two teams in the country – Baylor is the other – to have two quarterbacks who have notched 300-yard passing games just four games into the year.

"I do, and you combine what he did the week that he had to go in early and then you combine the fact that Darius (Curry) went in and played well against BYU, you take that you carry it over to what K'saan did in pretty difficult circumstances," Mora said. "You think about it first of all on the road against a good defense but then playing from behind much of the game. We got out to a good start and then I think they had like 35 unanswered point, you're putting him in a situation where you know they are pretty sure you're gonna try to throw the ball and they can cut it loose in their pass rush, and they're playing coverages, and yet he stayed composed. He took some hits, got back up, kept competing. He made some really difficult throws on fourth down."

Mora reflected back on his career in college, and he's been pretty fortunate in his quarterback room. At UCLA, he had Jerry Neuheisel behind Brett Hundley, and though he couldn't recall immediately, he also had a solid backup behind Josh Rosen. Then his first year at UConn, he lost his starter the second series of the season and a freshman helped guide them to a 6-6 mark.

A lot of it, he said, reflects the culture of the entire team.

"It was because the team was much like this team in terms of just their mindset and their willingness to pull apart rather than point fingers," Mora said. "I don't pay as much attention to that as who the quarterback is as much as you guys do. For us, it's 'hey, this is the guy, let's get him ready to play and let's send him out there as fully prepared as we can make sure that he is and let him go.'"

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Mel Brown

K'saan Farrar

Jackson Harper

Hauss Hejny

Cedric Ross

Terrence Smith Jr.

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