--- As we entered the second half of the 2022 season, it was back home for Homecoming Weekend and a visit from the Colorado State Rams. The slaughterhouse games continued as the Rams came in with average rankings on offense and defense. They had the #45 offense in the nation (418.0 yards/game), the #39 rushing offense (180.0 yards/game) and the #57 passing offense (238.0 yards/game). On defense, the Rams ranked #28 nationally in total defense (347.3 yards/game), #60 in rushing defense (160.9 yards/game) and #18 in pass defense (186.4 yards/game). Throw on top of that the #23 scoring offense (35.3 points/game) and a ranking of #40 nationally in turnover differential, standing at plus-2.
On the flip side, we limped into the contest ranked #113 nationally in total offense (338.8 yards/game), the #85 rushing offense (143.3 yards/game) and #107 passing offense (195.5 yards/game). Defensively, we still rated as one of the top defenses in the nation, sitting on top at #1 for total defense (278.2 yards/game), #12 in rushing defense (132.3 yards/game) and #3 in passing defense (145.8 yards/game). We ranked a pedestrian #89 in scoring offense (25.2 points/game) and sat #88 in turnover differential, standing at negative-3. In regards to the conference race, today was a must win as we sat in a tie for second place in the Mountain Division with Air Force, both teams sitting with a 2-1 conference record, one game behind New Mexico and their 3-0 conference mark. A loss today would effectively eliminate us from an outright division title. Colorado State won the coin toss and elected to kick.
A massive 57 yard kickoff return by Leonard Hart got us off to an incredible start to begin the game, giving our offense the ball at the Colorado State 49 yard line before we even took a single snap. Beginning the drive proper on the ground, Matt Leierer took the hand off on first down, but could only pick up two yards before being leveled by the middle linebacker. A second rush by Leierer did a little better, picking up four yards to leave us facing third and four. Going into the air on third down, a quick pass over the middle to tight end Cedric McKinney would keep our drive moving with an 18 yard reception and a first down at the 25 yard line. A blitz by the Colorado State defense again kept our run game in check, Leierer forced to spin away from a tackle in the backfield, allowing the rest of the defense to close and tackle him for just a two yard gain. Returning to the air on second and 8, Adam Powers lined up in the shotgun and rifled a pass to Max Rhodes, the pass completed for a gain of 16 yards, setting us up with first and goal from the Colorado State 7 yard line. A first down rush by Leierer resulted in a gain of 5 yards, leaving us with second and goal from the two. Tyson Taylor would come in on second down and finish the drive off on his first attempt, receiving the hand off from Powers, finding a hole outside the right guard and leaping up and over a defender and into the end zone for a two yard touchdown rush, giving us a 7-0 lead with 6:15 left in the first quarter.
A 20 yard kickoff return by Matt Schneider gave Colorado State the ball at their 21 yard line. The drive got off to a bit of a sour start as Ryan Buchanan dropped back to pass and threw up a bullet intended for Henry Watkins. The throw was off the mark however and landed well wide of Watkins, bringing up second down. Dropping back to pass again on second down, Buchanan was forced to hurry a pass to avoid a sack, the quick ball caught by Tyler Adams for a four yard gain to leave third and 6. Targeting Watkins a second time, Buchanan was able to complete the pass this time, as Watkins was able to pull in the ball for an 18 yard gain and a first down at the 43 yard line. Everything would quickly unravel for the Rams after that as they went no huddle on first down. Dropping back once more, the pass from Buchanan, intended for Sean Gray, was quickly jumped upon and intercepted by senior safety Charles Noble, who proceeded to race up the field untouched for a 45 yard interception returned for a touchdown, giving us a 14-0 lead with 5:38 left in the first quarter.
It would continue to go from bad to worse for the Rams. During the kickoff return, Schneider fielded the ball at the one yard line, returning it out to around the 17 yard line before being violently hit by middle linebacker Sean Edwards, the ball coming loose during the tackle. A mass of bodies, with multiple players from each team, dived and piled on top of the ball, with outside linebacker Derrick Perez coming out the victor to give our offense the ball at the Colorado State 18 yard line. The Rams however were not about to just hand possession back to us on their doorstep, as they proceeded to challenge the fumble on the play. Unfortunately they would win the challenge, as Schneider’s knee was ruled down before the ball came loose, resulting in the play being reversed and Colorado State holding on to possession of the ball at their 17 yard line. Coming out on first down, the Rams threw a screen pass to Schneider to start the drive, but our defense was able to quickly bring him down for just a one yard gain. That success wouldn’t last for long however as Colorado State instantly went into full blown no huddle offense, a second down pass to Ronald Phillips picking up 12 yards and a new set of downs at the 30 yard line. After an offside penalty called on outside linebacker Perry Johnson, Buchanan kept the ball on a designed QB keeper, rushing for 5 yards to leave second and inches. Continuing with the no huddle, Demetrius Newby would then make his presence known, taking a hand off from Buchanan, breaking FIVE different tackles, and rushing up the sideline for a 39 yard carry, giving Colorado State a first down at our 22 yard line. Another rush by Newby on first down resulted in a four yard gain, before a false start penalty pushed the Rams back 5 yards, leaving second and 11. Bringing the house on second down, we were able to force Buchanan to throw the ball away to avoid taking the sack, bringing up third down. Buchanan would fail to avoid the blitz a second time, as middle linebacker Justin Dunn was able to break through the line unblocked and proceeded to sack Buchanan for an 8 yard loss, leaving Colorado State with fourth and 19 from our 31 yard line. Shockingly, the Rams opted to not attempt the 48 yard field goal, instead punting from such a close distance. Proving that the football gods hate us, the very short field punt worked out in Colorado State’s favor, as Sean Roberson drilled a 29 yard punt out of bounds, forcing our offense to take over from our own one yard line.
Lining up just outside the goal line after the coffin corner punt by the Rams, Leierer had a tall task of gaining yards on the ground on first down. He would manage to do just that, finding a hole for a gain of 6 yards and getting our huddle out of the end zone, leaving second and four. Leierer would receive the handoff once more on second down, picking up another 6 yards and getting a first down at the 13 yard line. Catching the defense sleeping on first down as we lined up under center, McKinney was able to slip past the middle linebacker and get wide open up the middle of the field, hauling in a pass from Powers for a gain of 22 yards and a quick first down at the 35 yard line. Returning to our ground game, Leierer took the ball on first down for a gain of 5, before being tackled for no gain on a second down carry, leaving us with third and 5. Lining up in the shotgun on third down, Powers was able to connect with Dre Martin on a crossing route, the pass complete for an 11 yard gain and a new set of downs at the Colorado State 49 yard line. Leierer kept us moving on first down, as he found a hole outside the left tackle, rushing for a gain of 5 yards on the play, followed by a three yard rush to leave us facing third and two. Despite the short yardage, we opted to take a shot through the air on third down, as Powers launched a quick pass to Leierer, who initially was able to get his hands on it, before a hard hit by the safety knocked it loose and incomplete, leaving us punting on fourth down. The 41 yard punt by Freddie Arnold would land near the 7 yard line and bounce into the end zone for a touchback.
Taking over at their 20 yard line after the touchback, Colorado State came out passing on first down as Buchanan rifled a pass to Gray, complete for a gain of 9 yards to leave second and one. That would be the final play of the first quarter as the last three seconds ticked off the clock, our lead standing at 14-0.
Opening up the second quarter, the Rams came out passing on second down, but with our defense creating pressure and breathing down the neck of Buchanan, he was forced to make a rushed throw intended for the Gray, the poorly thrown ball spiking into the ground incomplete just 5 yards down the field. The Rams wouldn’t be denied on third down and one however, as Buchanan kept the ball on an option play to the right, breaking out of one tackle and rushing for a 7 yard gain, picking up a first down at the 35 yard line. Newby took over on first down, stiff arming one defender on his way to a 5 yard gain. Colorado State would end up going backwards however as our defense blitzed on second down, Buchanan finding himself under instant pressure as he dropped back to pass. Buchanan tried to scramble and roll out to his right, but he would end up rolling right into the arms of defensive end Caleb McBride, who sacked him for a loss of 6 yards to leave third and 11. The Rams went into a huddle on third down, but it would do them little good as our four man rush put pressure on Buchanan, collapsing the pocket in on him and forcing him to throw a bad pass down field intended for Watkins, cornerback Buck Castillo getting his arms up in front of Watkins to swat the ball away, forcing the Rams to punt the ball on fourth and 11. A 16 yard return by Eric McGuire on the 45 yard punt gave us the ball at our 37 yard line.
Starting a new drive with pretty decent field position, Leierer started us on the ground, finding a small hole along the left side that allowed him to gain three yards, leaving second and 7. Our drive would come screeching to an end on the next play as a pass attempt over the middle intended for McKinney was intercepted by middle linebacker Brandon Reed, returned three yards to give Colorado State the ball at our 48 yard line.
Taking over after the interception, the Rams came out passing the ball, as Buchanan dropped back and tried to fire a pass to Adams, the would-be first down ball thankfully broken up by Castillo to force second down. A blitz by our defense on second down forced Buchanan to throw the ball away, as our defense started to show signs of life and made it third and 10. In the end, our defense would win the ball right back for us as Buchanan hurled up a ball into coverage on third down, trying to reach his intended target of Brandon Powell near the 23 yard line. Instead, the under thrown ball would be cut off by Johnson, the interception returning possession of the ball to our offense at our 21 yard line.
Taking over at our 21 yard line after the interception, Leierer tried to get us moving on the ground, but could only manage a two yard gain, followed by a second two yard rush to leave us facing third and 6. Saying our prayers and taking a chance through the air, Powers would connect with Rhodes for a gain of 9 yards and a first down at the 35 yard line. Keeping the air game going, Powers, firing a pass from the shotgun, found McGuire over the middle for a 15 yard gain, giving us yet another fresh set of downs at midfield. Returning to the ground on first down, Leierer found a hole up the middle for a 9 yard gain, which was followed up with a 5 yard rush by Taylor to move the chains once more to the Colorado State 37 yard line. Continuing to pound the rock, Leierer returned to the backfield on first down, fighting for a gain of 6 yards, before a 5 yards rush to reset the downs once more, the ball laying at the 26 yard line. Hoping to catch the defense sleeping on first down, we came out running a play action pass on first down, Powers rolling out to his right to avoid the instant collapse of the pocket before firing a bullet to Martin for a 14 yard gain and a new first down at the 12 yard line. Leierer took a hand off on first down, but never had a chance as he was instantly leveled at the line of scrimmage, tackled for no gain to leave second down and long. Dropping back from under center, Powers slung a quick pass over the middle to Raymond Watson, who caught it near the 7 yard line and was able to juke past the nearest defender, fighting his way toward the goal line and turning a minor gain into a 10 yard play, setting us up with first and goal from the two yard line. Returning to the ground on first down, Leierer took the hand off, fighting forward for one yard, leaving second and goal at the one. Taylor would once again come in on second down and pilfer a score from Leierer’s stats, as Taylor dived up the middle for the one yard touchdown, giving us a 21-0 lead with 2:22 left in the second quarter.
A 24 yard kickoff return by Schneider gave Colorado State the ball at their 23 yard line. A failed interception attempt by Castro allowed Buchanan to complete a first down pass to Powell, good for a gain of 10 yards to move the chains to the 33 yard line. Keeping in the air on first down, Buchanan tried to connect with Tevita Wilson over the middle, but the play was broken up by Noble, forcing second and 10. A comeback pass to Adams on second down would pick up 6 yards for the Rams, setting up an important third and four play. Despite putting pressure on Buchanan with our pass rush, the Rams would still convert as a blown assignment by our secondary left Watkins wide open on the left side of the field, allowing him to pull in a pass for a 16 yard gain and a first down at our 45 yard line. It would all unravel from there however as we brought the blitz on first down, forcing Buchanan to try and scramble backwards to avoid a sack. He would fail in that attempt, five different defenders breaking through the pass blocking and collapsing on top of Buchanan. During the melee, Buchanan, trying to make one last ditch effort to avoid a sack, got hit in the back as he tried to spin away from a tackle, fumbling the ball in the process. For a few seconds of mayhem, no fewer than 11 different players gangpiled on top of the ball, but in the end it would be McBride coming up with the fumble for our defense to force the turnover and give us the ball at the Colorado State 42 yard line with 1:40 left in the half.
This time, the Rams were unable to challenge the obvious fumble, and we lined up on offense looking to sling the rock. It would be a poor start to the drive however as Powers tried to connect with Rhodes, only to have the pass dropped as Rhodes was hit from behind by the outside linebacker. Lining up on second down, Powers tried to connect with McGuire over the middle, but he would end up leading McGuire too much and throw the ball out of reach, resulting in third and 10. A second attempt to Rhodes would pay off this time, as he was able to pull in the ball from Powers and hold onto it this time, the pass good for a gain of 12 yards and a first down at the 30 yard line. Throwing from the shotgun on first down, Powers was able to find Martin over the middle, the pass good for a gain of 8 yards, but leaving the clock running. Hurrying to the line, we tried to audible to a run play, but it was quickly blown up as Powers failed to hand the ball off to Taylor while the defense brought the house, Powers just barely able to get back to the line of scrimmage to avoid a loss on the play. We called our first timeout of the half after the play, stopping the clock with 48 seconds left. Going into a hurry up offense, Powers handed the ball off to Leierer, who was able to fight ahead for a 6 yard rush to get a first down at the 15 yard line. Rushing to the line of scrimmage to take advantage of the stopped clock, we called a play action pass out of the same formation. The defense bit on the play action fake hook, line and sinker, allowing McGuire to slip past his man on a flag route while the linebacker who should have been defending him started moving up to try and stop the fictitious run. This allowed McGuire to cut outside in between the cornerback and the safety, pulling in the pass from Powers near the 5 yard line and trotting into the corner of the end zone untouched for a 15 yard touchdown pass, giving us a 28-0 lead with 39 seconds left until halftime.
A 24 yard kickoff return by Newby gave Colorado State the ball at their 26 yard line, just 35 seconds to go. A screen pass to Newby on first down resulted in Colorado State moving backwards, as Newby barely had enough time to catch the ball before being leveled by Castro, the tackle resulting in a 5 yard loss to leave second and 15. Sitting on their own 21 yard line with just 28 seconds left until halftime, the Rams pretty much just threw in the towel, huddling up after the play and not bothering to use any of their three uncalled timeouts. The Rams would let the clock run all the way down to just two seconds before snapping the ball. In the end, the Rams still almost pulled a rabbit out of the hat, as they ran another screen pass, this time getting a good pass off to an open Schneider. With plenty of blocking in front of him, Schneider was able to focus on running down field and breaking through five different tackle attempts for those players who were able to actually get close to him. While he was able to get down the field for a huge gain, it wouldn’t be enough as our defense would eventually force him out of bounds after a 42 yard gain, sending us into halftime with a, thankfully still, 28-0 lead.
Opening up the second half, a 27 yard kickoff return by Newby gave Colorado State the ball at their 26 yard line to start the third quarter. Colorado State’s drive would last all of one play, as Buchanan dropped back to pass on first down, managing to just avoid the blitz and heaving a deep pass 30 yards down the left sideline intended for Adams. Unfortunately for Adams, Buchanan and the Rams, the pass happened to be a hair under thrown and Castillo just happened to be trailing two yards behind Adams, leaving him in perfect position to jump up in front of Adams and intercept the ball, returning it 9 yards to the Colorado State 47 yard line.
Lining up at the Rams 47 after the interception, we let our ground game get the second half started for our offense, as Leierer took the hand off on first down, fighting through a pair of tackles on his way to a 6 yard gain, followed by a 7 yard rush to pick up a first down at the 34 yard line. Taylor took over on first down, but he was quickly spun down for a gain of just a single yard, leaving second and 9. That wouldn’t last for long as we ran a play action pass out of the same formation, once again fooling the defense with the fake hand off which allowed McGuire to get open on an out route, Powers connecting with McGuire for a big 18 yard gain and a first down at the 14 yard line. Trying to go through the air on first down, the defense was ready to play lock down D, resulting in all receivers being covered and Powers nearly being sacked, just able to dump the ball off as he was hit, resulting in an incomplete pass to bring up second down. Powers would not be denied however on second down, as he found Rhodes near the right hash along the 7 yard line, Rhodes managing to pull the ball in and then high-step his way out of a tackle attempt by the outside linebacker, trotting the rest of the way into the end zone untouched for a 14 yard touchdown reception, giving us a 35-0 lead with 7:20 left in the third quarter.
A 21 yard kickoff return by Schneider gave Colorado State the ball at their 20 yard line for their next drive. The nightmare of a game would continue for Buchanan as he dropped back to pass on first down. With the blitz collapsing the pocket and defensive tackle Ernest Sims having just beaten the tackle and having a clear path to Buchanan’s body, he chucked up a high rainbow prayer intended for Powell along the right sideline. Instead, it would be safety Sam Richwalski coming up from the side to cut off the play and jumping in front of the ball, intercepting it while in the air and getting one foot down along the sideline before his momentum carried him out of bounds for another forced turnover, giving us back the ball at the Colorado State 37 yard line.
Lining up after the interception with some of our best field position all game, we got the drive started on the ground, as Leierer took the hand off and tried to find some room, only to be brought down after a gain of just two yards. Lining up in the shotgun on second down, Powers took a HUGE gamble and slung a pass into the middle of triple coverage. Somehow, despite being in the very close quarters mass of three defenders, McGuire was able to somehow how pull down the threading the needle pass to avert a potential turnover and instead turn the play into a gain of 16 yards, giving us a first down at the 20 yard line. Continuing with our passing game on first down, tight end Jack Long pulled down a pass along the right sideline for a 9 yard gain, which was then followed by a 5 yard rush by Leierer, setting us up with first and goal from the 6 yard line. Taylor entered the backfield on first down, but was only able to pick up a single yard on the carry. Leierer tried his luck on second and goal, finding some room to run outside the right tackle, picking up four yards on the play to leave us facing third and goal at the one yard line. Taylor would once more swipe a touchdown from Leierer’s stats, as he took the rock on third down, punching it up the middle for a one yard touchdown to extend our lead to 42-0 with 4:15 left in the third quarter.
A 21 yard kickoff return by Schneider got Colorado State lined up at their 24 yard line. Having had four of their last five drives, and last two drives in a row, end on turnovers, specifically three interceptions and a fumble, the Rams were no doubt praying to every god ever mentioned in history to put together some sort of successful drive this time. Their prayers would seem to be answered as Buchanan was able to complete a pass to Powell down the right side of the field, good for a 19 yard gain and a first down at the 43 yard line. The success would be short lived however as the Rams attempted to run a screen pass on first down. However, due to our defense coming on an all out blitz, McBride was able to break through the line unblocked and dived at the ankles of Buchanan, tripping him up and sacking him for a 10 yard loss before he could try and release the ball, resulting in the Rams being left facing second and 20. Colorado State would go backwards yet again as defensive tackle Lance Nash came plowing through his blocker, sacking Buchanan from behind for a 7 yard loss, leaving third and 17 form the 26 yard line and putting the Rams back nearly where the drive originally started from. In probably the biggest failure by our defense all day, Buchanan would get off a pass on third down, complete underneath the coverage to Gray. The only problem would be that Gray would shake off the tackle attempt of the nearest defender. With Castillo locked up in a block down field near the first down marker, Gray was able to cover the yards needs before running into any more defenders, the total play going for a gain of 30 yards and giving the Rams a first down at our 44 yard line. Running no huddle on first down, Colorado State took advantage of our disorganized defense and was able to run a successful screen pass, Buchanan connecting with Newby for a 9 yard gain to leave second and short. Our defense would strike back however, as a blitz on the second down pass attempt left Buchanan scrambling, only to be tripped up and sacked for a 7 yard loss, leaving third and 7. Another screen pass attempt was quickly destroyed by our blitz, forcing Buchanan to keep dropping back to avoid a sack. Finally, after dropping back 15 yards to keep away from the defense, Buchanan threw the ball away, heaving it out of bounds to escape the sack. While the drive could technically be considered a success, as Colorado State actually managed to move the ball this time, getting as far as our 35 yard line, and all without committing a turnover, it was still officially a failure as the Rams continued to leave a big old goose egg up on the scoreboard. The 42 yard punt would sail long and into the end zone for a touchback, giving us the ball at our 20 yard line.
Starting our drive from our 20 yard line after the touchback, Leierer got us off and running once more, picking up three yards after a dash up the middle. Dropping back from under center on second down, a quick pass to McKinney resulted in an 8 yard gain and a first down at the 32 yard line. Dropping back into the shotgun on first down, Powers tried to connect with McGuire over the middle, but the pass was nearly intercepted by the middle linebacker, leaving second and 10. Powers tried to hit Long on second down, but the ball was likewise swatted away, this time by the outside linebacker, leaving us with third and long. A third down pass attempt, this time to Rhodes, would finally hit its target, the pass complete just beyond the outstretched arms of the cornerback, good for a gain of 19 yards and a first down at the Colorado State 49 yard line. Taylor got our ground game back in action on first down, rushing up the middle for a four yard gain, followed by a three yard rush by Leierer to leave third and three. The third down pass attempt, intended for Rhodes, was broken up near the line of scrimmage to leave us punting on fourth and three. That would end up being the final play of the third quarter as the clock ran out, our lead sitting at a commanding 42-0.
Opening up the fourth quarter, our punt team lined up on fourth and three from the Colorado State 42 yard line. A pooch punt from Arnold traveled 29 yards, upon which Schneider called for a fair catch in the face of two of our gunners. That fair catch would leave Colorado State beginning their new drive from their 12 yard line. Despite the blowout score, the Rams refused to give up as Buchanan came out passing on first down, slinging the ball into a tight spot between the arms of Richwalski and into the hands of Watkins, the pass good for a gain of 9 yards. Attempting to throw again on second and one, the Rams would only end up going backwards as our 5 man rush defeated Colorado State’s clearly outmatched offensive line, resulting in Buchanan being sacked yet again, this time for a 7 yard loss to leave third and 8. Huddling up this time, the Rams came out on third down surprisingly running the ball, but it wouldn’t be enough as Newby would be tackled just short of the first down line, gaining only 7 yards to force a punt on fourth and one. A 6 yard return by McGuire on the 44 yard punt left us starting from our 41 yard line.
Leierer would get our drive started, as usual, on the ground, rushing up the middle for a gain of 6 yards, followed by a 10 yard rush outside the right tackle, giving us a quick and easy first down at the Colorado State 44 yard line. Taylor would take over on first down, finding a hole for a 6 yard carry, followed by a gain of four yards to get another first down at the 34. A third straight rush by Taylor would result in a 7 yard gain, leaving us with second and three. Running no-huddle on second down, we called a play action pass, hoping to catch the defense off guard. It would do exactly that as McGuire was able to find a gap between the cornerback, outside linebacker and safety, pulling down the pass from Powers for a gain of 14 yards and a first down at the 13 yard line. Handing the reigns back over to the run game, a new face appeared in the backfield as Benjamin Silva took the hand off on first down, fighting his way to a 7 yard gain, followed by a one yard run by Taylor to leave third and two. Passing on third down, Powers was able to sneak a pass into the end zone behind the back of the outside linebacker and into the hands of Rhoads, resulting in a 5 yard touchdown pass to increase our lead to 49-0 with 4:06 left in the game.
A 26 yard kickoff return by Newby gave Colorado State the ball at their 29 yard line. Despite rushing only five men, the offensive line for the Rams still had trouble containing our pass rush, forcing Buchanan to throw the ball out of bounds to avoid the sack, leaving second down. It would get even worse on second down with just a four man pass rush, as McBride was able to shed his blocker and nearly sack Buchanan, forcing him to quickly throw up a pass intended for Wilson. This time the ball was right on target instead of the usual under thrown, however Wilson stopped short on running his route at the last second and squared up to catch the ball in anticipation of being clobbered from behind by Noble upon reception. Due to that sudden stop and square up, the ball traveled past Wilson’s position, enabling cornerback Mike Moses to come running up and intercept the ball, returning it 6 yards to the Colorado State 36 yard line, where Powell tackled him. It would proceed to get worse for the Rams, as Powell, trying to quickly bring down Moses, who was trying to stiff arm his way out of Powell’s tackle, proceeded to tackle Moses by his facemask, the 15 yard penalty assessed at the end of the play, resulting in our offense instead lining up on first down from the Colorado State 21 yard line.
Lining up on offense after yet another interception, Taylor got us moving forward on first down with a 7 yard rush up the middle, followed by a two yard carry to leave us facing third and one. Taylor would fail to convert the third down, tackled for no gain on the play to leave fourth down. Out of position for a field goal, sitting on the hash mark at a sharp angle and with a strong wind blowing across the goal post, we opted not to try the Mickey Mouse field goal attempt, instead letting Powers run a QB sneak on fourth and one in hopes of converting and running out the clock. It was not meant to be however as he was quickly brought down for no gain, forcing a turnover on downs at the 12 yard line.
Taking over at their own 12 yard line with just 2:11 left in the game, Colorado State refused to go quietly, as Buchanan kept slinging up passes. Our defense blitzed on first down, forcing Buchanan to throw the ball away. A simple four man rush somehow managed Buchanan to throw up another hurried, high rainbow throw. It would result in exactly the same end game as every single other high rainbow throw he had tossed up all game. The ball, intended for Watkins near the 25 yard line, was intercepted by a jumping Castillo, his momentum carrying him out of bounds to give us the ball at the Colorado State 22 yard line.
Lining up at Colorado State’s 22 yard line after the ungodly seventh forced turnover by our defense, we set about trying to kill off the final 2:02 on the clock and bring this game to a merciful end. Powers handed the ball off to Taylor on first down, but a blitz by the Rams defense quickly brought him down for no gain to leave second and 10. Taylor would manage to spin and fight his way to an 8 yard gain on the second down carry, setting up third and two, still over a minute on the clock. Instead of hoping Taylor could get the job done this time, we decided to try a conversion through the air. It wasn't meant to be, as the throw from Powers to a wide open Rhodes sailed long and incomplete, leaving fourth and two. This time, despite being on the 13 yard line, we sitting at a decent enough angle to attempt the 30 yard field goal. The kick by Doug Marcus somehow miraculously was good, the ball actually ricocheting off the right upright and somehow managing to inside and over the crossbar for a successful 30 yard field goal, giving us a 52-0 lead with 45 seconds left in the game.
A 22 yard kickoff return by Schneider gave the Rams the ball at their 23 yard line, just 40 seconds left in this lopsided contest. Still insisting on going down swinging, Colorado State and Buchanan came out passing once again, and once again, Buchanan threw up a very ill advised, high rainbow pass across the field to the left sideline, again targeting Watkins on an out route. And again, Castillo was there to jump the pass and intercept the ball for an even more ungodly eighth forced turnover of the game, giving us the ball at the Colorado State 35 yard line with 34 seconds left in the game.
Lining up at the Colorado State 35 yard line after the eighth forced turnover by our defense today, Powers would simply take a single knee to run out the final 34 seconds on the clock and bring our 52-0 drubbing of the Rams to an end.
With the win, we improve to 5-2, 3-1 in Mountain West action. With the loss, Colorado State drops to 4-4, 1-3 in Mountain West play. Up next, it’s back on the road yet again as we head to Boise State. The Broncos enter the game at 4-2, 1-1 in Mountain West action. Boise State opened their season with a 35-28 win over #21 Auburn and a 34-14 victory at BYU. They suffered their first defeat in week three, 38-17 at the hands of #24 Washington. The Broncos would recover with a 52-42 win at Virginia, but would then lose their second game, 34-28 at #17 San Diego State. Boise State would recover once again, beating UNLV 24-19 and defeating Fresno State 38-21 heading into our game.
Final Score
52,
0
Stat(s) of the Game:
Utah State Offense - Powers had an impressive day, going 19-28 with 253 yards and three touchdowns. Only sour note was one interception. Rushing, Leierer led the way with 117 yards on 28 carries. Taylor had 49 yards and three touchdowns on 16 rushes. Silva had 7 yards on one carry. Receiving, McGuire led all receivers with 77 yards, as well as having one touchdown on five receptions. Rhodes ended the day with 75 yards and two touchdowns on six catches. In total, six receivers caught a pass today, five of them ending with double digit yards. Rhodes and McGuire were the only ones to have a receiving touchdown, Leierer and Rhodes each had one drop.
Utah State Defense/Special Teams – By far the best defensive game I have ever witnessed. Just the fact that our defense forced 8 turnovers alone is just jaw dropping. To force 7 interceptions in ungodly, the forced fumble and fumble recovery were incredible. The 7 sacks were just the icing on the cake. Castillo set a new team single game record with three interceptions in the game. Richwalski, Noble, Johnson and Moses each had one interception. McBride had a forced fumble and fumble recovery. McBride also finished with three sacks, Dunn and Nash each had two.
If the defense can continue to play like this every single game the rest of this season, there is nothing that can stop us from achieving a Mountain West title. The question is, can they continue to play like this every single game the rest of the season?
Utah State Kicking – A perfect day for Marcus, going 1-1 in field goal with a 30 yard kick, and going 7-7 in PATs.
Scoring Summary
Team |
1st Quarter |
2nd Quarter |
3rd Quarter |
4th Quarter |
Final Score |
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
14 |
14 |
14 |
10 |
52 |
Time |
Team |
Result |
Play |
Score |
First Quarter |
6:15 |
|
Touchdown |
T. Taylor, 2 yard run (D. Marcus kick) |
7-0 |
5:38 |
|
Touchdown |
C. Noble, returned interception 45 yards (D. Marcus kick) |
14-0 |
|
Second Quarter |
2:22 |
|
Touchdown |
T. Taylor, 1 yard run (D. Marcus kick) |
21-0 |
0:39 |
|
Touchdown |
E. McGuire, 15 yard pass from A. Powers (D. Marcus kick) |
28-0 |
|
Third Quarter |
7:20 |
|
Touchdown |
M. Rhodes, 14 yard pass from A. Powers (D. Marcus kick) |
35-0 |
4:15 |
|
Touchdown |
T. Taylor, 1 yard run (D. Marcus kick) |
42-0 |
|
Fourth Quarter |
4:06 |
|
Touchdown |
M. Rhodes, 5 yard pass from A. Powers (D. Marcus kick) |
49-0 |
0:45 |
|
Touchdown |
D. Marcus, 30 yard field goal |
52-0 |
Game Stats
Colorado State |
Stat |
Utah State |
0 |
Score |
52 |
9 |
First Downs |
22 |
195 |
Total Offense |
424 |
13 - 14 - 0 |
Rushes - Yards - TD |
48 - 171 - 3 |
14 - 31 - 0 |
Comp - Att - TD |
19 - 28 - 3 |
181 |
Passing Yards |
253 |
7 |
Times Sacked |
0 |
4 - 9 (44%) |
3rd Down Conversion |
8 - 12 (66%) |
0 - 0 (0%) |
4th Down Conversion |
0 - 1 (0%) |
0 - 0 (0%) |
2-Point Conv |
0 - 0 (0%) |
1 - 0 - 0 (0%) |
Red Zone - TD - FG |
8 - 6 - 1 (87%) |
8 |
Turnovers |
1 |
1 |
Fumbles Lost |
0 |
7 |
Intercepted |
1 |
0 |
Punt Return Yards |
22 |
195 |
Kick Return Yards |
57 |
390 |
Total Yards |
503 |
4 – 40.0 |
Punts - Average |
2 - 35.0 |
2 - 20 |
Penalties |
1 - 5 |
12:26 |
Time of Possession |
26:58 |
Utah State Coach Goals
Goal |
XP Reward |
Completed |
Win a Game |
100 |
x1 |
Score a Touchdown |
25 |
x7 |
Defensive Touchdown |
50 |
x1 |
Force a Turnover |
25 |
x7 |
Pass for 250 Yards |
25 |
x1 |
Rush for 100 Yards |
25 |
x1 |
Kneel Last Minute Q4 While Ahead |
10 |
x1 |
3+ Sacks |
50 |
x1 |
Opponent Under 10 Points |
75 |
x1 |
Shutout Opponent |
100 |
x1 |
Opponent Under 150 Rush Yards |
50 |
x1 |
Opponent Under 300 Pass Yards |
50 |
x1 |
Pass Completion Over 50% |
30 |
x1 |
Score 21 or More Points |
50 |
x1 |
350+ Offensive Yards |
50 |
x1 |
10+ First Downs |
50 |
x1 |
4+ 3rd Down Conversions |
25 |
x1 |
Utah State Contract Goals Update
Goal |
Expectations |
Progress |
Target Wins Per Season |
7 |
5 |
Job Security Status
100%
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