2 weeks Ago
FORT COLLINS — Lately, it’s been a dominant rushing attack that’s paved the way for wins for Jay Norvell’s team. This week, it was a dominant defensive effort and one big special teams play. Colorado State keeps finding different ways to win in the Mountain West — and none of them are the high-flying ‘Air Raid’ offense everyone expected to see when Norvell was hired.
But the Rams don’t care how pretty it looks. After a not-always-pretty 17-6 win over New Mexico that moves CSU to 5-3 on the season and 3-0 in conference play, that’s especially the case. “We’re not really worried about style points, to be honest with you,” Norvell said.
“We want to do the things we have to do to win. That’s what we’re finding out how to do.” On a beautiful Saturday afternoon at Canvas Stadium, that was holding a Lobos offense that had scored 50 points or more in three straight games to just a pair of field goals.
It didn’t matter that UNM racked up over 450 yards of offense and had eight drives end in CSU territory, the Rams defense didn’t budge. The Lobos threatened to make it a one-score game on the opening drive of the second half, but CSU forced a fumble inside its own 5-yard line in what was one of four turnovers in the game. “That goal line stand was really big.
Our guys just kept playing,” Norvell said. “There’s been times in the past where we get a negative play or a team drives the ball down and you can feel the momentum switch. We’ve tried to stress with our guys that momentum is just attitude.
It’s just attitude. To get it back is focus on the next play, focus on techniques and fundamentals you’ve got to do and we can get it right back. We have plenty of capable players.
We’ve got plenty of guys who have the ability to make big plays.” That goes for the other two aspects of the game, too. Sophomore wide receiver Caleb Goodie continues to emerge as a budding star with a 46-yard touchdown catch that got the Rams on the board for the first time, while veteran running back Kobe Johnson broke free for an 82-yard punt return for a score that encapsulated just how far the program has come this season.
Johnson, a sixth-year senior in his second year at CSU after transferring from FCS powerhouse North Dakota State, has been passed on the depth chart by younger running backs. But he hasn’t quit on his teammates and is finding ways to get involved. Last week, he threw a touchdown pass on a trick play at Air Force and this week it was as a punt returner, a role he’s taken on recently in the wake of Tory Horton’s season-ending injury.
“I’m just happy to do whatever I can to help the team win,” Johnson said. “Putting ego aside, putting pride aside and things like that. It just means a lot to be put in these situations.
” The Rams seemingly have a roster built on players like Johnson, who have bought into the culture Norvell has set — even if their role isn’t what they imagined. It’s led to an unbeaten start to Mountain West play and a real path to the conference title game. Colorado State senior safety Jack Howell (17) smiles before a game against New Mexico on Saturday, Oct.
26, 2024 at Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins. “If you want to win, you have to take a hard road,” Norvell said. “It’s not easy and it’s not for the faint of heart and it’s not for the weak.
The weak get forgotten. We talk about that all the time. We have to make the choice to do hard things to help us be in a position to win on Saturday’s.
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