Colorado State University Athletics
11/2/2026 2:34:00 PM | Football
Rams to face a second ranked team at home
With Mel Brown, one of Colorado State's most productive players this season, out of the lineup, the Rams went young on special teams to replace the returner.
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Jayden Fox, a late arrival to the team this summer, was the deep man on kickoff return. He is just the third returner the team has used – Cedric Ross has one on the year.  Ross, a fellow freshman, has also been used in the backfield and as a receiving target, including his 21-yard scoring catch late in the loss to Utah State.
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Both freshmen are listed as running backs, each using their first season to earn chances, not just sit back and learn.
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"I like their mindset, first of all. They're both tough kids," CSU coach Jim Mora said Monday at his weekly press conference. "They're not overwhelmed by the enormity of being freshmen and playing at this level. We've watched Jay since he came in here, which was a little bit late, really develop. He does a tremendous job on the scout team. He just shows toughness, a great attitude, quickness, burst, all this physical thing, but really it's his personality.
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"We've worked him into our offense the last couple of weeks just for a few plays, and with Mel down, just getting him the chance to touch it as a kick returner and seeing the fearlessness with which he did it impressed me as a good football player. We've seen what Ced can do, but we need to get Mel back."
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Fox had five kickoff returns, the longest going for 46 yards as he averaged 25 per return. Not a bad debut as the team hopes Brown can return soon.
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He has a 94-yard kick return for a score, as well as an 80-yard rushing play. All season, he's proven to be one of the most explosive players the Rams have on offense, and Colorado State is a team which needs all hands on deck with No. 15 Boise State visiting Canvas Stadium on Saturday.
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"We need to get John Holthaus back. John sucked it up. John played 15 plays, which was pretty amazing, and then we had to pull him out, but we need our marquee players to play to beat a good team," Mora said. "That's why guys are starters and guys are backups. RJ Vick will be back at a healthier level this week than he was last week. He makes some good plays, certainly, but he didn't necessarily have the speed and burst and acceleration that he normally had. We expect him to be a lot better this week."
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Mora called Brown's availability "touch and go."
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On the Run
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Improving as a run-stopping defense remains the goal for Colorado State, which still ranks last in the country allowing 261.1 yards per game. Boise State's run game features Dylan Riley, who ranks second in the country by averaging 131.1 yards an outing.
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The Rams have veterans up front, but Mora reiterated it takes an entire defense working together to make it a successful venture.
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"Stopping the run is an 11-man proposition. It always has been and it always will be in football," Mora said. "It depends on everybody doing their job at a consistent level so that the man behind him that's responsible for a gap can be aggressive in his gap and not guess. When people pop a gap and you find you're a linebacker and you expect them to be somewhere and then they're not, it slows you down. What could be a no-gain turns into a 3- or 4-yard gain. It's not just Jack (Moran) and Robbie (Harrison). It's certainly Jack and Robbie, but it's also corners on crack replays. It's safety's fitting in the right place. It's linebackers trusting the guys in permanence so they can hit their gap. It's safety's trusting linebackers so they can hit their gap."
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A First in Fort Collins
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Colorado State has faced ranked teams in Fort Collins in the past, but never twice in the same season. That ends Saturday with No. 20 Boise State coming to Canvas Stadium. Earlier this season, the Rams hosted BYU, which was ranked No. 11 at the time and now sits at No. 7.
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CSU is 13-41 against ranked teams, the last victory coming in 2002 in Denver against Colorado. That's a string of 28 consecutive losses to teams in the national polls, and this will be the sixth time facing a ranked Broncos' squad. The 2011 contest was the highest-ranked Boise State squad the Rams have faced, coming in at No. 5.
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Jayden Fox, a late arrival to the team this summer, was the deep man on kickoff return. He is just the third returner the team has used – Cedric Ross has one on the year.  Ross, a fellow freshman, has also been used in the backfield and as a receiving target, including his 21-yard scoring catch late in the loss to Utah State.
Â
Both freshmen are listed as running backs, each using their first season to earn chances, not just sit back and learn.
Â
"I like their mindset, first of all. They're both tough kids," CSU coach Jim Mora said Monday at his weekly press conference. "They're not overwhelmed by the enormity of being freshmen and playing at this level. We've watched Jay since he came in here, which was a little bit late, really develop. He does a tremendous job on the scout team. He just shows toughness, a great attitude, quickness, burst, all this physical thing, but really it's his personality.
Â
"We've worked him into our offense the last couple of weeks just for a few plays, and with Mel down, just getting him the chance to touch it as a kick returner and seeing the fearlessness with which he did it impressed me as a good football player. We've seen what Ced can do, but we need to get Mel back."
Â
Fox had five kickoff returns, the longest going for 46 yards as he averaged 25 per return. Not a bad debut as the team hopes Brown can return soon.
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He has a 94-yard kick return for a score, as well as an 80-yard rushing play. All season, he's proven to be one of the most explosive players the Rams have on offense, and Colorado State is a team which needs all hands on deck with No. 15 Boise State visiting Canvas Stadium on Saturday.
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"We need to get John Holthaus back. John sucked it up. John played 15 plays, which was pretty amazing, and then we had to pull him out, but we need our marquee players to play to beat a good team," Mora said. "That's why guys are starters and guys are backups. RJ Vick will be back at a healthier level this week than he was last week. He makes some good plays, certainly, but he didn't necessarily have the speed and burst and acceleration that he normally had. We expect him to be a lot better this week."
Â
Mora called Brown's availability "touch and go."
Â
On the Run
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Improving as a run-stopping defense remains the goal for Colorado State, which still ranks last in the country allowing 261.1 yards per game. Boise State's run game features Dylan Riley, who ranks second in the country by averaging 131.1 yards an outing.
Â
The Rams have veterans up front, but Mora reiterated it takes an entire defense working together to make it a successful venture.
Â
"Stopping the run is an 11-man proposition. It always has been and it always will be in football," Mora said. "It depends on everybody doing their job at a consistent level so that the man behind him that's responsible for a gap can be aggressive in his gap and not guess. When people pop a gap and you find you're a linebacker and you expect them to be somewhere and then they're not, it slows you down. What could be a no-gain turns into a 3- or 4-yard gain. It's not just Jack (Moran) and Robbie (Harrison). It's certainly Jack and Robbie, but it's also corners on crack replays. It's safety's fitting in the right place. It's linebackers trusting the guys in permanence so they can hit their gap. It's safety's trusting linebackers so they can hit their gap."
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A First in Fort Collins
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Colorado State has faced ranked teams in Fort Collins in the past, but never twice in the same season. That ends Saturday with No. 20 Boise State coming to Canvas Stadium. Earlier this season, the Rams hosted BYU, which was ranked No. 11 at the time and now sits at No. 7.
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CSU is 13-41 against ranked teams, the last victory coming in 2002 in Denver against Colorado. That's a string of 28 consecutive losses to teams in the national polls, and this will be the sixth time facing a ranked Broncos' squad. The 2011 contest was the highest-ranked Boise State squad the Rams have faced, coming in at No. 5.
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