Ramifications: A CSU Football Blog

REBELS WITHOUT A CAUSE

2012-11-08T10:05:00.001-07:00

Vegas Baby, Vegas!!!! UNLV brings the bright lights, glitz and glamor to the ashtray where fans will either feel like they hit the jackpot on the Wheel of Fortune penny slots, or wake up hungover realizing that they just lost all their cash, and their girl, to Abgar the Armenian black jack dealer at Caesar's Palace. I hate you Abgar. Colorado State has an intriguing home game this week against the Running Rebels of Nevada-Las Vegas. This will be an interesting match up because UNLV is not very good. The have won only two conference games this year, but interestingly enough are the only squad to beat the Air Force Academy outside of being a ranked team or military institution. They also have played many a close game. Boise State is the only team to have completely dominated them. Looking at record alone would indicate that this is a winnable game, but again we are Colorado State and many of UNLV's strengths match up well with Colorado State's weaknesses.

UNLV can throw the ball- Freshman Nick Sherry is fifth in passing yards, and although he has a lot of turnovers, he also has a lot of touchdowns. He has stellar receivers at his disposal such as Sophomores Devante Davis and Marcus Sullivan. Not only are they young but they also can make big time plays. I don't know if Colorado State's secondary can cover them no matter who they throw back there, and history shows that they can't.
UNLV can run the ball. While our Rams will be desperate to stop the pass, they still can't sleep on UNLV's run game. Tim Cornett has over 1,000 yards already and Junior Bradley Randle has half a grand. Both have good vision and can get in the end zone. Colorado State won't have the option of stuffing the box either.
Colorado State cannot pass the ball efficiently. Connor Smith will have to really show some consistency with his throws because UNLV's pass defense is not very good and that is how teams are able to score so much on them. Unfortunately, the Rams cannot get in a shootout with the Runnin' Rebs because they can't score enough.
UNLV can slow down the run. Colorado State relies on it's run game to set up the pass, and UNLV can contain the run enough to make teams have to pass.
UNLV has a kicker who can actually kick. Special teams could be a factor and UNLV has a pretty accurate kicker with a strong leg. Pete Kontodiakos is a superior punter, but the Rams need to see less of hi on the field.

Colorado State needs to win the turnover battle to win this one. Sherry will give the Rams opportunities and they need to be able to capitalize on them. Connor Smith will have opportunities to make plays and needs to capitalize on them when UNLV presents them. CSU has been lacking big plays all year, and now would be a good time to start creating some. The run game would be nice to see and I want to see Colorado State's offensive line pushing some guys around. Who's gonna be the big winner on Saturday? For what it's worth I'm putting my money on the Rams, and I'm doubling down.

CSU v WYO POKES

2012-10-31T10:29:00.002-06:00

Break out the Pokey helmet!

Bronze Boot time!

These two teams seem to be mirroring each other this season and this contest looks to be a tight match up. Here are some things I want to be carried over from our Aggie win against the Warriors.

Create turnovers: One stat that jumps out and worries me about the Cowboys is their passing yards. They average 236 yards per game (which isn't much but...) judging how horrific our dbs have played this season, Brett Smith can easily reach the 300 yard mark. We need to contain Chris McNeill. The dude has over 500 yards receiving so far this season and needs to be doubled up. We also need create some turnovers like we did against Hawaii to tally a win. Those pick 6's are fun to watch.

Run all over: The Wyo defense is nothing to be worried about. They flat out suck. If we can limit our butterfingers and have a dominant running game, we should be able to blow up War Memorial stadium. I'm enjoying the Nwoke/Morris combo. Both power backs with a little speed. Maybe throw Skelton in on the goal line again.

No on-side kicks when we have a 14 point lead: I get the nail in the coffin thing but I don't think we're quite there yet. Hawaii was right back into the game after this mistake took place but we pulled it out in the end.

Smith is the man: There is something about Conner Smith. He looks like he's supposed to be the directing this offense. Besides, he's got a cannon. Start him and we will make swiss cheese out of the Cowboy d.

Technically we are still in the race for a bowl birth. Realistically we have to win out to do so and I don't see us pulling off the upset of the century against Boise State. Let's stack up some wins. Let's get the Boot back to Fort Collins.

Go Rams.

ALL WE SAW WAS ORANGE, AND A WIN

2012-10-29T13:52:00.002-06:00

My first impression while watching the CSU- Hawaii game, was the renewed spark on both sides of the football for the Rams. Also, the orange horned helmets weren't bad either.

With this season essentially in the toilet, Coach Mac has turned to younger players such as freshmen Joe Hansley, Conner Smith, Tommey Morris and DeAndre Elliot to make big plays and gain experience for the future. Of course, proven stalwarts like Shaq Bell and Chris Nwoke showed they still gas in the tank and enough Ram pride to put the hurt on the Warriors.

I love me some Conner Smith. The freshman looked composed as he showed off his rocket launcher of an arm. I think the coaches have a serious QB battle going into next season against Garrett Grayson. Nwoke showed his versatility by running and catching a TD. The Rams still have no WR’s with the exception of Charles Lovett, who doesn’t start but leads the team in receiving.

We need some improvement on ball handling. Too many turnovers. Good thing our defense showed up to shut down any opportunity Hawaii was given.

Let’s hope the Rams can keep their momentum next week against Wyoming. The Rams are going to have to do despite injuries to Kevin Davis and Ty Sambrailo.

RAMS v RAINBOWS

2012-10-25T11:32:00.000-06:00

“Warriors...Come out and plaaaayyy!!!

CSU faces off against the Hawaii Warriors this Saturday at “The Ashtray,” my new favorite name for Hughes Stadium. I am excited for a couple reasons:

The Rams have had 2 weeks to prepare.
Hawaii is pretty bad.
I have a 3 day weekend.

It seems like just yesterday that Hawaii, led by former head coach June Jones (now with SMU), featured a deadly passing attack with QBs like Timmy Chang and Colt Brennan lighting up the college ranks and completely sucking in the NFL. Those days appear gone however, because in six games the former Rainbow Warriors have averaged only 21 points per game. That is including a 54-2 shellacking of Lamar, who apparently have a very crappy football team. Subtract that game and they average a measly 14 points per contest.

Warriors QB Sean Schroeder isn't very accurate and can't make any big plays. He is as much a threat to run as Tim Tebow is a threat to hit it with your sister. They have a couple receivers that Colorado State should at least try to cover in Billy Ray Stutzmann and Jeremiah Ostrowski, as well as little used Scott Harding. CSU should be able pressure the QB, but I'm still not convinced that the Rams cover their food in the microwave, let alone a WR.

The Warriors are led by Compton’s own RB Will Gregory. I heard somewhere that a famous rapper or five came “straight outta” there. Gregory averages 5 yards per tote, and might want to see if gangsta rapping is more his thing, because he is fairly unimpressive.

The Warrior defense also is devoid of talent. Taking away the Lamar game, the Warriors give up 50 points a game. Here's hoping Conner “Rocket Arm” Smith gets in a groove and we see some fireworks. The Rams need to throw up at least 30 to keep me satisfied and not scoring against this defense would really be an embarrassment. If I was a Hawaii’s coach I might be inclined to force them all to wear their throwback powder green unis and rainbow helmets. They could earn the “mean greens” back when they hold a team under 25. The Warriors are led by LB Paipai Falemalu who has 24 tackles and almost as many vowels. He does have 3 sacks so he gets the nod as best player.

Let’s support our Rams and fill the Ashtray with our butts. We are actually favored, so that’s a reason for optimism. If you can't be at the game, head over to The Ginn Mill to catch some of the action.

Go Rams!

THE RISE OF CONNOR SMITH

2012-10-15T08:34:00.002-06:00

The game started as we all expected with San Diego scoring and moving the ball at will on the Ram defense. The Rams could do very little to get any sort of pressure from the guys up front and could do equally as little to prevent the Aztec RBs from gutting us for long runs. SD Aztecs put up 218 yards of rushing but it's the 5.7 average per that's the shocker. The constant runs straight up the gut became frustrating to watch. I know ideally we want to load up the box but of course we know how bad our db's have been getting scorched this year. I will say in regard to Elliot, who I deservedly slammed last week, he got a tough pass interference call on him. Looked like great coverage. I hate the whole hand on the back automatic pass interference call.

Well on to the interesting part of the game. When McPeek lined up on his final play of the game I think we all could see that the blitz was coming. He failed to see it, and Fely the Aztec Moctezuma came full force to rip out McPeek's heart from the blind side and then presented his sacrifice to the sun. To cut away to another game last night, Joe Girardi in his New York Yankess post game conference said of Derek Jeter's injury, "one man's injury, is another man's opportunity" and so we see the redshirt of Connor Smith enter the game for CSU.

Smith went 10 for 10 on his first 10 passes, was consistently moving the offense and injected a spark. More interestingly was Smith's command of the offense. He was moving people around and had the most control of the offense by far from any Ram quarterback we've seen this year. Smith finished 18 of 22 for 165 yards and one pick. The pick thrown by Smith was occurred when he was trying to thread the needle and was something I haven't seen out of a Ram quarterback since the days of Moses Moreno (maybe Caleb Hanie). Smith has a rocket launcher on his arm. Even on his very first throw I was impressed. He threw a clean hard spiral while off balance and took a big hit. I can't let Smith get away without at least one negative. He has to have the clock in his head move a little faster and throw the ball away sometimes. That said in his first action he can be excused.

Our depth chart is totally counter intuitive, but somehow it seems our quarterback depth chart just keeps getting better as we move down. The question now... Is Smith the starting QB of the future? I like how McPeek plays but he's a fifth year senior. He's had his 'Rudy' moment and maybe it's time for us to look at the future of our team. Smith is too impressive to ignore. And it validates what I said at the beginning of the season, which is Grayson will not finish the year as the starter and one of the freshman backups will take over. Just sayin "I told you so" to the person who ripped me in the comments at the time. You know who you are.

In other great but awful offensive news. Nwoke seemed almost 100% and was again lowering the boom on defenders.... but then he got hurt again. Speculating here but it looked like the ankle again. Not sure if we have an update on that yet. This looks to be lost season for Nwoke at this point. Maybe he should try for a medical redshirt. I'm not sure on the requirement but this sucks for him.

And in Pink Helmet news. Weston Richburg picked up a chop block penalty and an unsportsmanlike penalty for unnecessary roughness (hitting the pile well after the whistle). Both penalties you could see Richburg was pretty vehemently opposed to, or f-ing pissed at.... and both were legit and awful penalties on Richburg, which were pretty detrimental to the movement of the offense at the time.

Coach Mac looked a bit more spirited this week. Especially when Smith got under center. I think Coach Mac knew Christmas just came early. I feel like he's getting a better effort now from most of the guys. We were tied 7-7 after the first quarter after all. And with Smith we were able to run a normal offense, no gimmicks, completing short and long passes while running ball. I'm really looking forward to next week where I think we actually have a shot at cough cough winning. Okay maybe I'm dreaming but I guarantee Smith and Coach Mac believe it.

SACRIFICIAL LAMBS

2012-10-11T21:00:00.000-06:00

Quick history lesson for ya. The ancient Aztecs used to play a sport called “the game” that required to players to get a rubber ball through a hoop without using their hands. The winners were treated like heroes and would celebrate by getting with a huge feast. The losers would have their hearts ripped out of their bodies while they were still alive, and their heads chopped off for religious sacrifice. This is no longer the case, and the Rams can rest comfortably on their flight back from San Diego knowing that, had they lost 2,000 years prior things could be worse. San Diego State looked solid last week against Hawaii, but haven't beaten anyone they weren't supposed to yet. So this week the Aztecs lose to someone they're supposed to beat.

San Diego State's offense is very one dimensional. They will try to run the ball all over Colorado State. Senior QB Ryan Katz has almost as many rushing attempts (60) as he does completions (80). Adam Muema and Walter Kazee have done a nice job of replacing current Denver Bronco Ronnie Hillman. Muema is their workhorse and already has 597 yards after 6 games. Muema and Kazee are not a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield so the Rams should be safe stuffing the box all game. SDSU’s only receiving threat is All-Mountain West TE Gavin Escobar. He has been less effective this year due to SDSU’s inability to pass. San Diego St. uses their receivers for blockers because they never touch the ball. The CSU’s corners might actually look decent this game. Shaquill Barrett, Cory James and James Skelton should be all over the field and Iexpects them to be VIP members of the Aztec backfield.

CSU’s offense should be able to move the ball against the Aztec defense. M.J. McPeek will finally be comfortable and should be able to direct the Rams to some scores. Hopefully CSU can score early for a change and get some early momentum, but don’t hold your breath. Safety Nat Berhe and CB Leon McFadden are the Aztecs leading tacklers, usually a sign of an ineffective front seven. McFadden is dangerous and throwing at him could be costly. McFadden has 3 picks so far this year and returned 2 to the house. I’d liketo see a heavy dose of Chris Nwoke this week. He looked rusty last week, and I think he will be able to make some plays this week if he gets more touches. Colorado State's O-line will have to step up and show that they aren't holding this offense back, and clear some lanes for Nwoke and Donnell Alexander. Look for Crockett Gillmore to have a big game and Charles Lovett and Lou Greenwood look to be catching some passes and some sneaky Wildcats and end arounds.

Coach Mac says he isn’t playing those with sub-par efforts, so lets see him walk the talk. This Rams team is improving and starting to gel offensively. So while the Rams no longer have to worry about getting their hearts ripped out, it’s the Ram faithful that should be wary.

GO RAMS!!!!!

BATTLE OF THE BLOGS 2: RAMS v AZTECS

2012-10-11T08:59:00.000-06:00

It's that time again where we go head-to-head, or blog-to-blog with Aztec Killing Him. In case you missed it last year, this is where we exchange 8 random questions to answer on each other's blog. This maybe the last time we ever do this with San Diego State site since they're ditching us for the Big East. Here is our 8 questions, and this is how they answered them.

1. Was moving to the Big East really a good idea or just an excuse to be a perennial bottom feeder in a different conference?

It's a good idea, but it has nothing to do with TV contracts or national prestige or any of that nonsense. It comes down to this: We have long yearned for the chance to secure a recruiting foothold in Storrs, Connecticut. Soon, my friend. Soon.

2. Math question: Calculate the time: A flight to play Rutgers, travel to and from airport, and getting in and out of any NYC area airport, finding hotel?

Let's see here, carry the five ... AHA — got it. The answer to your question is 0.75 trips to Laramie, Wyoming.

3. Ronnie Hillman is now a Bronco, coincidence that he came to Colorado? BTW he's moved up the depth chart quickly by throwing some wicked stiff arms at defenders.

It's funny, you should have seen the way the Aztecs-Chargers combo fans reacted when the Broncos selected Hillman. Heads literally — literally! — exploded when the realization set in that they'd have to pull for a guy in an orange jersey. As a 49ers fine this didn't really bother me. All that comes to mind when I think of the Broncos is 55-10.

4. Speaking of Ronnie Hillman, I started him at my flex position this past weekend and he scored a point and a half. Thanks. Do you have any reaction to this debacle?

I'm assuming you'll drop Hillman immediately as soon as some NFL team signs Gartrell Johnson, correct?

5. San Diego is not a state. What will it take for them to be part of the union?

We will never join so long as the FDA insists on sending inspectors to our taco shops. Everything is ship-shape back there, trust us.

6. Are the Aztecs suffering from a Brady Hoke screwing or do they even care about Michigan?

I certainly don't blame Brady's departure for this team failing to turn the corner. Hell, it's only because of him that we know where the corner even is. I don't care about Michigan, but I wish Brady well ... in the sense that I don't wish him any specific ill. That said, I think we all enjoy a good "Brady Hoke is fat" joke when we hear one. Because I'm not sure if you've noticed, but Brady Hoke is quite fat!

7. It’s a Denver weekend in SD with both the Broncos and Rams in town. Do you think anyone would notice if we subbed Manning for McPeek?

I think we'd figure out it was Manning as soon as the CSU quarterback starting incessantly hawking products. Well, that and moving the ball and scoring touchdowns — that would be a tip-off too.

8. CSU is getting a new $250 million stadium. Jealous?

I won't lie, having an on-campus stadium would be pretty sweet. Word of advice: Once you build this thing, make sure not to build a basketball arena in the middle of it. That will totally ruin it.

See how Ramifications answered Aztec Killing Him questions here.

Go Rams!

FRESNO STATE ROLLS

2012-10-08T09:26:00.002-06:00

Fresno State had a terrible game. The Bulldogs should have put up 40 on us quite easily and little bro Derek Carr definitely knows they missed some golden opportunities. Fresno had numerous penalties 10 for 112 which really helped out CSU.

The Rams meanwhile got jobbed by the refs on a completely bullshit call on Gillmore of a "crack back" block. That, my referee friend, was not a crack back but a perfectly legal block and a TD which changed the complexion of the entire first half. The score would have made it 14-7 and put the Rams in the game for the first time in 4 weeks. Once again the Rams couldn't move the ball. Nwoke is obviously nowhere near 100%. He appeared to be playing with a soft walking boot on and at one point I thought he should be running with crutches. McPeek had a terrible game missing some open receivers, failing to pick up on the corner blitzer who nearly murdered him causing a fumble and McPeek just wasn't able to pick up third downs. Maybe I'm being overly critical of McPeek as it's still early college football career, although he is in the his 5th year....

Coach Mac was prepared for the pathetic display on offense this week as he had some very unusual formations and plays ready, and CSU seemed to pull everyone of those sets out of the bag of tricks. Some were colossal failures, the one with 4 lineman and 6 slotted out to the left, where McPeek was once again the victim of a Fresno assault. But some other formations threw the Bulldogs off and did gain some positive yards. It's better to try and fail than to stick with what isn't working. In other bad news, Pete K nearly got his kicking leg torn off. He's okay, as he did punt several more times. I was worried for him as he does have a pro career in his future.

The Ram defense did come up with some stops but was on the field far too long once again. With the offense not moving the ball the Rams defense is getting almost double the playing time every week now. DeAndre Elliot got torched on the outside at his corner position. His flail in the end zone which was poorly timed, off target and had him looking at the scoreboard or the cheerleaders was possibly one of the worst defensive back plays I've seen in a college football game. Did I mention he gave up two scores? He also dropped a sure pick 6 that was right in his chest and proceeded to run around the field like he was suddenly a top draft pick from LSU. Mr Elliot, you are not the Honey Badger. That's the main reason I'm going so hard on him this week. I hate the cocky attitude from guys who are getting burned, then make a halfway play and celebrate with that kind of attitude. It doesn't resonate with me or the fans and I'm sure Coach Mac wanted to lock him out of the locker room.

Well I'm not sure I pulled any positives out of this weeks game. I know Coach Mac is pretty down about the team right now as are the fans. We all hoped for a better team by this point and we expected to win every game with our soft schedule. What I really like about Coach Mac is he staying positive with the players, isn't afraid to yank anyone out of the game for lack of effort or stupidity and is mixing up the offense, although unsuccessfully. I hope that Ram fans will continue to stay supportive of the Coach as sometimes he may need our support more than it appears. I am a believer that he'll get this turned in the right direction this year.

SO THAT STADIUM THING

2012-10-05T09:00:00.001-06:00

It’s kind of the thing to say you're from the "neighborhood" and oppose the stadium project. The simple fact is that nobody is really from the “neighborhood,” unless the 'neighborhood' is across Prospect down to Harmony. Because if you live near the proposed site; on Lake Street or in the environmental areas, parking lots or just live on the road, you're either a student, quasi-homeless or the “Lawnmower Man” on Whitcomb. Either way, you won't be there for very long.

I own a house literally right next to campus on the south side. How is it that Save Our Stadium has reported 10k worth of signatures and my house has never been contacted? Suspicious. Ten grand is a very round number. Nobody gets 10,000 signatures.... not on a weed ballot (unless you play for North Dakota St.), not on a congressional ballot, not on a girl scout cookie sales. It's way too round. If SOS said they got 17,000, I'd totally believe it, but 10,000.... seriously I call bulls*&%.

This Thursday, the CSU Board of Governors approved Prez Tony Frank's recommendation to go forward with the stadium. After I read the letter, dozed off, woke up and read through the remaining 5 paragraphs, I thought of two ways to go about this post. 1st was the cordial reporter way or 2nd the Ramifications way and decided for the latter. So here it goes.

To SOS Hughes - Suck it, you have no say, you never had a say, you'll never have a say. Move out of Fort Collins if you're not willing to support the University which is the economic engine that drives Fort Collins

Allen HIGH SCHOOL's new 18,000 seated stadium.

To the Be Bold Campaign - Enough already, we're bold now and we're 1-4 this season. And where is all that T-shirt money going?

To the supporters - All dwindling 15,000 or so by this point in our 1-4 season. See you on the 50 yard line in 2014.

To the fundraisers - Call me...,I'm not giving my number out on our website which is full of fanatic readers who would likely call me at 11 pm to see what I'm doing. And what I'm doing is tracking your IP seeing what you're reading.... psycho.

To the donors - Need another zero on that check. Everybody is looking at Pat Stryker. Hey, isn't Jack Graham loaded?

To the Professors - Keep teaching the finest college students in Colorado

To the Administrators - Push CSU to new heights

To the Students - Support the cause

To Tony Frank - I was 75/25 on the move and your outline made me 100/0. Well thought out, objective, and will likely be looked on 50 years from now as a defining moment in the reshaping of the community of CSU. George Washington status?

To the Alumni - Believe and Support the cause

To the Fans - Go Rams

FEELING THE FRESNO HATE

2012-10-04T08:21:00.000-06:00

The Rams return home in need of a major. After facing Cody Getz and the Falcons option running attack, the Rams now face another formidable running back in Fresno State’s Robbie Rouse; possibly the Mountain West's most complete back. He already has 587 yards rushing and an extra 158 receiving, and is practically giddy at the sight of CSU on the schedule. The Rams will stay true to form and won't be able to stack the box because of the Bulldog’s plethora of receiver. WR Davante Adams is only a freshman but is a boss on this Bulldog team. Isaiah Burse and Josh Harper also touch the rock with great confidence and productivity. Putting it simply: The Bulldogs can put up points in bunches. They put up 25 on Oregon's great defense, and scored 69 points on CU. Led by Derek Carr, (David’s little brother) has been playing a lot like David this year, Fresno State David, NOT Houston Texan David. Considering our suspect coverage, the Bulldogs will be able to attack the Rams however they see fit. I could see the Bulldogs having to play blindfolded after the half just to keep things fair.

The Fresno State defense can be scored on, and free safety Phillip Thomas catches as well as their receivers. He already has 5 picks and retuned 2 to the house. NT Andy Jennings and LB Tristan Okpalaugo have some pass rush ability. It still will be a challenge for Colorado State since the offense has been dormant for 4 games now, and M.J. McPeek will be looking to sling it. As bummed as I was for Grayson going down, McPeek is gigantic and really put some stink on the ball against AFA. M.J. will have his opportunities for big plays Chris Nwoke and Donnell Alexander remember to run away from defenders and get first downs. I’m looking at you O-line. I want to see more plays by Charles Lovett (let him throw it!), Marquise Law, Lou Greenwood, Kivon Cartwright and Crockett Gillmore this time around.

I want to be positive about the Ram running game, but if Colorado State is playing catch up the whole time, they might be non-existent. Fresno State Head Coach Tim DeRuyter will show no mercy and will have no problem waxing the Rams by halftime. Let's send the Bulldogs back home to the Valley, crying so hard their mascara runs , texting each other afterwards, “OMG Becky, did you see Derek Carr on his ass all game? LOL;)

Go Rams!

CHALK UP ANOTHER ONE IN THE L'S

2012-10-01T10:22:00.000-06:00

Have we become one of those fan groups that everyone
wants to be our friend because they feel sorry for us?
Come on Cam.

Another game, same result. When will the streak end? As usual, our defense started slow against the Flacons but finished adequate. Our offense started slow and finished with a new quarterback. I am so confused to where this team should be because in my mind and just looking at the schedule, we should be 3-2 at this point. But I'm delusional though. I think this team is thinking they are still in spring practice.

A couple of good things did come out of this contest. McPeek looked fairly solid for not having any play time for the past couple of years. He did throw a couple of interceptions but that's to be expected when you're down 21 points and you're forced to the throw the ball.

Pete Kontodiakos is a punting machine, crushing three 50+ yard punts. On the other hand, we are punting all the time so I hope he can boot it that far to give our defense a chance to stop something.

Speaking of defense, the Ram eleven gave up 460 yards rushing. 460 YARDS RUSHING. Air Force's Cody Getz averaged 8.9 yards a carry. Words can't even explain my disgust of this stat. You might as well put some inexperienced fans on the field to try and make a tackle. 3-4 defense? More like 0-0 defense. Terrible.

Where do we go from here? Do we win another game this season? I guess we've got New Mexico and UNLV towards the end of the year but even then, the Rebels don't look as bad as past years. Another other thought is what's this going to do for the stadium issue? Will this 1-4 start detour any chance of putting a stadium on campus?

I BELIEVE I CAN FLY

2012-09-27T10:40:00.000-06:00

On to conference play this week, where our Colorado State Rams play in state rivals, the Air Force Falcons. This Falcon team is the opposite of its military brethren in that they don't attack you from the air, but will use a fierce ground game to try and run you over. Their triple option offense is executed to perfection. Air Force is traditionally a very technical sound football team, so Colorado State will have to cut down on the mental errors to win. Falcons QB Conner Dietz is more of a threat to run than pass. Dietz will read the defensive end and will keep the ball if the DE decides to crash. If the DE stays at home, he hands it off to the fullback. Then Dietz reads the outside linebacker. If he crashes on the QB then he pitches it to stealthy Cody Getz. If the OLB stays at home, he cuts it up and runs it downfield. The Falcons will still show an occasional wishbone, but that formation hasn't been as prevalent for them as in years past. The Falcons use a lot of shifts and motions to cause confusion for the defense before the snap.

The Falcons have been quite effective at this this year as Getz has averaged 153.3 yards and is lightning in a bottle. The Falcons handled Idaho State as they should have, and then followed that up by almost upsetting Michigan in Ann Arbor. Denard Robinson was forced to sweat this one out as the Wolverines won 31-25. Air Force came back and lost to a UNLV team that lost the previous week to Northern Arizona. So will the Rams see the Air Force team that looked like world beaters against Michigan, or look like the cellar dwellers they appeared to be against UNLV? Let’s hope for the latter. The Rams will need to control the line of scrimmage and stay in their rushing lanes. Ty MacArthur is AFA’s leading receiver but only has 8 catches leading into this Saturday's game, so you know their will be very little passing. Air Force's line isn't big but they are athletic and quick, so CSU should be able to control them at the line. I can see the Falcons passing more than usual this game however, until the Rams secondary proves that they can cover somebody. I would have guys on Getz the whole game even when he doesn't have the ball. Calhoun is a great coach and will always have his guys prepared. McElwain will have his hands full trying to get the best out of his Rams.

The Falcons defense is undersized as well, and teams have proven that they can score on them. This could be a game where CSU finally shows us what they can do on offense. If not, then we should probably expect the offense to be stagnant the rest of the year. Austin Niklas is the best player on the Falcons D, and is tied for 3rd in the conference in tackles, but their isn't much there that should scare the Rams. The line should be expected to play better and give Grayson some time to make some downfield throws. I actually expect our receivers to contribute in this one. I also expect the Rams to be able to run the ball more effectively this game no matter who they have back there. It will be a close game, but the Rams will win this one. The only Falcon flying over Ft. Collins in this one is Falcon Heene in his helium weather balloon.

Enjoy this awesome rap video.

MONDAY AND FRUSTRATED

2012-09-24T09:17:00.001-06:00

Chuckie Keeton murdering us all over the field.

What's happening here? Weren't we supposed to be at least 3-1 at this point? Instead I see the same mistakes that have been made in every game dating back to the beginning of 2009.... um 2008... err, it's been happening for so long it's almost becoming tradition. I know we'll get some comments "it's gonna take time to build. Be patient." Honestly, I've been patient for about 6 years and my patience is running low.

Our special teams is atrocious. So many times we could have had them pinned inside the 10 yard line but our punt coverage team never turns around to find the ball. Instead they treat it like a kick-off and run into the endzone. You're killing me!

Grayson looks lost. He doesn't seem to put together a entire game. He's throwing short on third and long. He's running it when he has receivers open. He doesn't look like he has confidence to lead the team. Granted, I still think he is the better choice over Pete Thomas but somehow Garrett needs to get his game together.

The Pee Wee Football store called. They want their defense back. What is going on with these guys? There was so much promise but these teams are running all over us. I'm honestly scared when the opposition gets the ball because I'm wondering how they will score next. I have to give some props to Austin Gray on that blast he laid on that Utah State wideout. Which by the way was not a penalty.

We always seem to get it going too late in the game. We just need to figure out a way to start strong and finish on top.

Not impressed.

Overall another disappointing weekend. When will we pull this thing together? How long will this downward trend last? Bold new era? This wasn't the brand of football I was expecting this year.

UTAH STATE v CSU RAMS: CLASSIC MATCH-UP

2012-09-19T18:30:00.000-06:00

It's that classic matchup. Two historically agricultural schools square off and the winner gets bragging rights over who has better turf enhancement for grazing leaner and more fertile cows. And football bragging rights too.

Utah State is coming off a tough loss to Big Ten power Wisconsin, 16-14 on the road in Madison. They beat rival Utah 27-20 in overtime in week 2. USU has playmakers and are led by QB Chuckie Keeton. Keeton is a dual threat QB, the team’s second leading rusher with 164 yards and 701 yards passing. Chuckie's leadership for a sophomore isn't Child's Play. (Pun Intended). Keeton doesn't have a strong arm so all his big plays are roll outs and passes to crossing receivers. Their rushing attack was supposed to suffer when Michael Smith and Robert Turbin graduated, but senior Kerwynn Williams has been an effective, patient runner. Seniors Matt Austin and Chuck Jacobs are the teams leading WRs. Jacobs is more of the possession type of receiver while Austin is the big play guy. They also use a heavy dose of their tight end Kellen Bartlett.
Colorado State will need to contain Keeton to have any chance of winning. Shaq Barrett and Cory James will need to rush and the Rams also might benefit from having a player spy on Keeton. CSU will also have to wrap up and finish their tackles. There won't be any matadoring these Bulls. Everyone knows that to beat the Rams they have to attack them from the air. If they can put pressure on Keeton and keep him from creating plays by scrambling around they will look good. If not, the Rams secondary will be exposed and it will be high scoring affair for the Aggies.

Utah State's defense is led by LB Zach Vigil, and S McKade Brady. They lead the team in tackles and are all over the field. Bojay Filimoeatu is another linebacker that spends a lot of time in the opposition’s backfield. Overall, they don't have a ton of stand out guys, but are a solid unit that plays their lanes and stays in position. The Rams will want to run the ball and I believe they can. Chris Nwoke is back and Donnell Alexander should see more touches than at San Jose State. The Aggies safeties have a lot of tackles but sometimes a lot of tackles by your secondary means that their coverage skills are suspect, so Grayson will have to do some damage through the air. Cartwright should have a big game, but I'm still waiting for one of the Rams receivers to separate himself from the pack and try to be the guy. Vinson? Greenwood? Lovett? Somebody?

Utah State appears to have the edge here because they have a more explosive offense, but I'm looking for the Rams to make strides and play a complete game against a solid opponent. The winner of this matchup becomes stud in lush green pastures, while the loser is shipped to Greeley to be slaughtered by Conagra. Let's hope it isn't our beloved Rams.

SIDE NOTE:

The Allstate Tailgate Tour will be open from 2:00 p.m. – 5:10 p.m. MT on September 22.

WHAT: The Allstate Tailgate Tour, a unique and interactive fan experience visiting college football stadiums across the country, is heading to Fort Collins this week as the Colorado State Rams take on the Utah State Aggies on Saturday, September 22.

From creating signs in support of the Rams to participating in games for a chance to win tailgate items, fans can take part in a variety of family-friendly activities at the Allstate Tailgate Tour. Fans can also take commemorative pictures of themselves to share instantly on social media.

At the tour, fans will also be invited to enter the “Allstate 60 Seconds of Mayhem Sweepstakes,” where two finalists will compete in a field goal kick competition at the Allstate Sugar Bowl to win a VIP trip to the 2013 BCS National Championship in Miami.

WHEN: 2:00 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. MT

Saturday, September 22, 2012

WHERE: Ram Town, located southeast of Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium

IS THE CURSE BACK?

2012-09-16T19:47:00.002-06:00

Another game, another "is our defense going to show up?" Traveling to San Jose to play the Spartans was a perfecting "turn it around" game for the Rams, so I thought. After getting pounded by North Dakota State, SJSU was going to be a tough task but a winnable game, not so much. Having a week where coaches would get in the faces our Rams to focus back on the season at hand instead of basking in a week one win over a sorry CU Buffs team (who by the way got smoked by Fresno State 69-14), didn't happen. Instead, I am thrown back into my four year Steve Fairchild coma. I thought I was cured!

Not all was bad. Grayson looked pretty good throwing for 297 yards and 2 touchdowns while being mugged most of the game. He also spread the ball around too which is a nice sign of confidence. Kivon Cartwright has been a pleasant surprise pulling some nice grabs and a touchdown. Sir Charles Lovett looked excellent with 99 yards and a touch.

Now for the bad. What is the deal with our defense??? Damn. Against CU we looked unstoppable and lately I've been catching Momo having coffee at the local 'Bucks instead of covering some wide receivers. Our DBs need to start stepping it up. This is ridiculous. San Jose State was passing on us all day long. On the other hand, our running defense did look improved from last week but it's hard to tell anything when opponents are putting up 40 on you.

As you can tell, I wasn't to enthused about this game. That's why I was on the hunt for a new, inspiring fight song for CSU to reflect the times we're in now. I think I found it! 'I am the Ram' is repeated so it's easy to learn. And it's got the word 'BOLD' in it for all you 'BOLD' obsessed junkies that can't get enough of the word itself. Enjoy! The lyrics are listed below.

BORN TO BE BOLD I'M THE SIGN OF THE BRAVE
ONE HERO ALONE WITH A WHOLE WORLD TO SAVE
I AM THE STORY OF HONOR AND GLORY
I'LL STAND UP AND FIGHT WHEN I KNOW I AM RIGHT
I WILL NOT BE AFRAID
I WILL LEAD THE PARADE
I AM I AM I AM THE RAM I AM I AM THE RAM

Any nominees for the Helmet Awards this week?

This is Where We Stand, This is Where We Fight, This is Where We Die

2012-09-13T06:00:00.000-06:00

Looking at the Rams schedule in August, CSU had some historically weaker opponents at the beginning of the season. If they could make it past CU in the opener, 4-0 was not unrealistic. The Rams dominated the Buffs, NDSU smoked us at Hughes and now we travel to Sparta face a strong San Jose State team. To Victory!

This isn't your father's Spartan team and they are a lot more balanced than in years past. SJSU has always been a team that spreads it out and can score efficiently. The Spartans’ defense has improved allowing on 280 yards to Stanford in the opener before losing 20- 17. With CSU's offensive woes, the Rams defense has to step it up if they have any chance at a victory. San Jose State's game plan will be to run the ball behind RBs De'Leon Eskridge, a Minnesota transfer, and converted DB Tyler Ervin. The game-plan to run on Colorado State should work to the Rams advantage since the Rams have shown that they can win in the trenches. Shaq Barrett has been a beast this year, Max Morgan and James Skelton have been solid, and will have to make like the immortals and attack their lanes. QB David Fales has plenty of WR's as evidenced by 11 different players with receptions against Stanford. This will be a test for the Ram secondary.

The Rams will need to run better than they did last week and having Chris Nwoke back would be a huge help. Grayson also has to show big improvement and work the play action. Crockett Gilmore has been nearly invisible and the WR's couldn’t catch a cold. The lack of talent at WR has hurt the Rams ability to stretch the field and has narrowed the passing attack to the middle of the field or out of the backfield. The Spartans are 37th in the nation in points allowed so they can be beat. The Leonidas of San Jose’s defense is led by DE Travis Johnson, who last week had 6 tackles for a loss and 4 sacks. LB Vince Buhagiar and DT David Catalano have also been impressive this season. This should be a low scoring affair.

Coach Mac's is like our Xerxes… without the rhinos, elephants and naked women. SJSU Head Coach Mike MacIntyre has proven that he can get the Spartans to play any level of competition they face, and be effective at mixing the run and the pass. The game is in San Jose, which means CSU fans need to show up in mass (at the Ginn Mill, preferably) and give this Rams team our support. This will be an interesting match up and should be fun to watch the physicality displayed on the field. Let's make it feel like a Persian Army ready to overthrow Sparta

Go Rams.

BRINGING BACK SOME CRITICISM

2012-09-11T21:00:00.000-06:00

We’ve been relatively optimistic regarding the “Bold New Era” of Rams football and I for one, am sick of it. I know everyone is going to say, “It takes time” or “Temper your expectations,” but I’m not trying to hear that noise, son. We just got beat by an FCS team. And no, I don’t care that they were FCS Champs last year. There is a reason they have divisions in college football. CSU is supposed to be better, but we make the same stupid plays we’ve always made. Watching the Rams play against NDSU reminded me of past Ram teams, like the ones that went 9-27, and as a result gave me a mild drinking problem. Here’s a list of things that annoyed me the most in NDSU game.

I hope Coach Mac learned a lesson when he called a deep handoff play from inside his own end zone, which resulted in a safety. This isn’t Alabama and our players are not that good yet. CSU loves them some safeties.

A safety, by the way, is the most embarrassing play in all of sports. Think about it. You get crushed in your end zone and your opponent gets a measly, but meaningful 2 points. Then you have to punt it back to them. Even the refs’ hand signal is awkward. It’s the equivalent of a kick in the Jimmy. The Rams got kicked in the Jimmy.

We still, cannot get off the field on third down. NDSU demoralized us with 9 minute long scoring drives that tired our defense and broke our will. I’m not going to say anyone quit playing, but I quit paying attention. “Inglorious Bastards” was on TNT and I am a big Tarantino fan. We gave up 22 unanswered points and looked, and probably smelled, like garbage.

“Two steps forward and two steps back.” While I love Paula Abdul, what I don’t love is beating archrival CU, (no matter how awful they are), and then losing the very next week; and to a supposed “cupcake” like NDSU. I know, I know, NDSU is really good, but I don’t care. (See paragraph #1). It’s a lose-lose situation for CSU and the guy that scheduled this should be fired. Oh wait…

I read that some CSU players were still reveling in their Showdown victory. Well, from what we watched this week, CU is not good and should be swimming in the PAC-12 toilet for years to come. Beating them shouldn’t be a surprise. Sacramento State just stomped the Buffs at Folsom and NDSU embarrassed us at Hughes. Par for the course for our beloved Rams.

The Rams play next at San Jose St against a team than narrowly lost to Stanford two weeks ago and crushed Big Sky barnacle, UC Davis yesterday. (Yeah, that's Stanford. And don’t say, “Andrew Luck is gone so they’re not that good.”) Stanford is way better than CSU, so in theory, the Spartans should mount our horns in the town square. This remains to be seen, but if the Rams play like they did against NDSU, they should skip the trip and mail it in.

Go Rams.

RAMS GET RUN DOWN BY BISON

2012-09-09T12:07:00.000-06:00

The Bison certainly brought what we expected into Hughes Stadium on Saturday. A well coached team full of good athletes. CSU brought a calamity of errors and a disappointing loss was the result. The only upside of losing a game to an FCS opponent is that they happen to be the Champions of the FCS and much higher ranked than CSU. So the Bison did what they were expected to do which was beat us. The Rams didn't hold up their end of the deal which was to make it a close game.

Time of Possession - NDSU 39:52 CSU 20:08
CSU Penalties: 9 - 101 yards
CSU Third Down Conversions: 1-10
CSU Red Zone Chances: 0

Opening ceremony victory flag

The real story here. The defense actually played pretty well. Especially considering they were on the field twice as much as the offense. The Ram defense only gave up 3 points in the second half and with neither team really moving the ball or doing anything, the second half was a snooze fest. Shaq Barrett had a monster game and seemed to be everywhere on the field. He probably did more running than any player Ram or Bison on Saturday picking up 15 tackles. We need to get the shoe tracker put on that guy so we can actually measure the distance he covers in a game.

The herd of Bison fans. There was a ton there,

The entire offense was terrible. Third downs attempts were often hindered with third and long situation because of a number of penalties. Three and out was so regular I could time my bathroom breaks by the end of the first half. Ramifications noticed that NDSU was loading up the box and the inability of Grayson to stretch the defense became a problem. ...Okay well Ramifications didn't actually notice but the suggestion came from a very good eye and unnamed source. Thanks for that.

Of course third and 16 to go makes it pretty easy on any defense. Grayson also seemed reluctant to tuck it and ran as he had in previous starts. The interception being the key play I'm referring to there. I thought he could have picked up the first with his legs and at the last moment he made a very ill advised pass. I hope he's not turning into Pete Thomas v2.0 because sometimes you just need to take a shot down field.

The O-line was terrible. Pass protection had multiple breakdowns, run blocking had missed assignments and just generally got beat up. Case in point the safety where the entire right side got blown clear into Old Town. Our RBs didn't get great touches and YAC was missing with Nwoke out of the lineup. There's a noticeable difference between third and seven, and third and four, which is where Nwoke seems to help us out. Alexander had one nice run but was generally searching for holes in a color clash green and yellow mess up front.

The Ram truck that drove in the middle of the field before the game. New tradition?

Be sure to send over your nominations for the Green and Pink Helmet Awards. I expect to see way more Pink Helmets this week than last. And early front runner for the Green Helmet is Pete Kontodiakos who just keeps bombing punts even with awful protection. He played magician back on special teams helping us keep the game respectable.

And on another topic, I was rabidly engaged in a smack talk fest with some CU fans this week because of the CU Culture of Losing piece and just to finish that discussion up because we have lost a game now. I won't accept losing like we did with Coach Fairchild. This b.s. about it taking time to build a program is a completely misguided approach to winning in College Football. Several cases can be made on this such as Rich Rod in Arizona now at 2-0 to name one. The argument can be made that Fairchild recruited well so we should expect to win now. Having a culture of winning started last week with Coach Mac who really wasn't that praise worthy of any particular player. He knows that it's about consistency in practice and on the field. Losing one game or losing 11 games doesn't tell the story. It's the approach for me and so far I like what I see from the coaching staff. That's all I'll say about that topic so stop messaging me about losing CU fans. BTW CU is now 0-2, losing to Sacramento State. Ouch.

Be sure to nominate your players for the Helmet Awards this week.

ROCK THE VOTE NDSU

2012-09-06T08:49:00.000-06:00

Apparently North Dakota State is not only a good football team, but very influential in local elections. 8 NDSU football players including Aireal Boyd, Josh Colville, Demetrius Gray, Samuel Ojuri, Brendin Pierre, Antonio Rodgers, Bryan Shepherd and Marcus Williams were passionate about their right to vote and were accused of voter fraud tied to general election ballot measures. This is a misdemeanor. When the news first broke I didn't think this was a big deal. Who hasn't stuffed the ballot to have pizza on the school menu over cafeteria sloppy joe's? But after further examination it appears that this was a legitimate election. It answers my questions on how Mitt Romney became the GOP candidate.

Now it is becoming bigger news by the fact that the University and head coach Craig Bohl are not taking any discipline action. Bohl stated he wanted to let the legal proceedings play out before any action was taken. Now the media and some members of the community are in an uproar over the blatant message that football is more important than doling out the appropriate punishment. Some are even calling coach Bohl a hypocrite. Why is this? He just kicked off linebacker Brandon Jemison for a much lesser charge that was not described in detail. The difference between the two was that Jemison was an injured linebacker that wasn't going to contribute and 4 of the 8 involved in this incident are starters on it's current roster. It will be interesting to see if the backlash is so strong that the players do get suspended before this weeks game.

Ramifications has two thoughts about this. First, it would definitely help the Rams chances this week if they were to be suspended, but playing good teams at full strength lets us know what this Rams team is all about, and it would be nice to beat them with their best on the field. Second, if a rule or law was broken the standard should be the standard regardless of standing on the football team. It's only Thursday and things are getting a little interesting leading up to game time. It also has us wondering what else the Bison have rigged in the past year? Did they tamper the voting poll for their number 1 ranking in the Football Championship Subdivision polls? I had a feeling Phillip Phillips didn't win American Idol legitimately and now I have some questions on whether Barry Larkin really earned his election into the baseball Hall of Fame. The Bison influence could be far more universal than the state of North Dakota.

Watch the press conference HERE.

UPDATE 9.6.12: "The players, which were paid $9 per hour for collecting signatures, allegedly foraged some of them." - Examiner CLICK HERE to read more.

'It Takes Time' - A CU CULTURE OF LOSING

2012-09-05T16:24:00.001-06:00

I'm a regular reader of the Denver Post and it's message boards. Mainly because I have nothing better to do during the day and partly because CSU football is my addiction. I happen to come across an article from Terry Frei, sometimes good, most of the time a bit mindless but he's making the very same point for the John Embree - the CU Boulder Coach, that was made for Coach Fairchild. The attitude that it takes time to win and build a program is completely ridiculous to me. The fact is if you can't get your players to play well, you will suck indefinitely. And now CSU with Coach Mac has that 'Win Now' or Winning Attitude (or whatever you want to call it) and this culture of losing will no longer be tolerated.

Needless to say, I'm freaking loving the message board after this article. Here are a few quotes from Buffs fans and DP posters.

User: Buffs

These coaches are career assistants and will never even hold a coordinator spot at any level. Bad hire Bohn.

Frei needs to check himself and look at the big picture instead of taking the, "McCartney didn't win in his first four years" route. Times have changed and CSU has set the bar in this state for football(I'm a CU alum). They went out and hired the coach we whiffed on and I'll bet any money they sell 3x more tix than they did last year. I can only hope CU takes notice. Until we hire a real coach we will be the doormats of whatever BCS league we join.

User: Tramp

Embree is a bust; Anyone watching Saturday's game would agree that CSU dominated line play on both sides of the ball. Zone blocking requires great athletes and experience. After about 3 years, they'll "get it" IF they are smart and very athletic; neither is likely to occur. CSU was much quicker to react, a sure sign of superior coaching. But the biggest complaint has to be that McElwain has already shown the ability to motivate and teach, while Embree is still whining.

It isn't that hard to call CSU, "Colorado's" football team; Give them a 50,000 seat stadium, and a top 10 ranking for a few years, we can forget CU, where skiing is their shot at national championships.

User: The_KIMN_Chicken

Did the team look well coached yet under talented on Saturday? CSU did... CU, not so much.

User: glx1747

I wish CSU the best of luck in the future. It is about time we had something to look forward to with regards to football in this state again, whether it's CSU, AFA, CU or UNC.

User: buffball

I am sure Embree cares about CU, but he simply does not have the personality / skills to do this job. Here we go again, giving a coach that can't do the job more time. Should have hired Logan a long time ago and we would be good by now!

User: tom higley

One word to describe the CU coaches on Saturday: Amatuers.

User: jareal333

Good position coaches may not make good coordinators. CU needs better coordinators. Embree needs to recognize this if he wants to save the program from more years of embarrassment. CU is always out-coached on gameday.

User: es5280

As much as I can’t stand CSU, kudos to them for manning up and flat out beating CU.

User: colorado paul

Surely anyone who believes that CU had superior talent on the field is delusional. CSU has a well-seasoned line on both offense and defense. They are considerably larger in physical size than the Buffs, their linebackers are veterans and played aggressive and plain mean. They have big running backs which Colorado can't seem to get, no wonder we can't punch it in from the 6" line when you have a guy carrying the rock who is 5'7" and 185. It didn't happen on Saturday and it is going to be a problem throughout the season.

User: eggon

First of all congrats to CSU for showing up ready to play and displaying a tenacity to hang around and win this game. Especially with a brand new staff. But as a 30 year season ticket holder of the Buffs it was the "basic" coaching errors that causes me pause

See the article here.

You may find it useless. We find it hilarious.

BATTLE AGAINST THE BISON: GAME PREVIEW

2012-09-05T06:30:00.000-06:00

By now, your Showdown hangover has subsided and your resolution to “never drink again” is still intact. It’s Wednesday, people. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The NFL starts tonight and we’re already previewing the Rams home opener against North Dakota State, so you’ll be drinking again before you know it. You’re welcome.

Every team has a “trap” game each season that goes something like … “CSU beats CU, forgets NDSU is actually very good, loses, season in the toilet, no new stadium, blah, blah…" Not going to happen. Coach Mac didn’t come to Fort Collins just to beat CU. He came to beat everyone. The Bison are the defending FCS champs, with a 14-1 record in 2011. They are currently #1 in the polls after thumping Robert Morris 52-0. (Robert Morris is a university, not just one guy).

In the past six seasons, NDSU is 5-3 against D-1 opponents. The Bison are coached by Craig Bohl, a former Nebraska “Blackshirt,” and defense is his specialty. The Bison nearly shut out Kansas in Lawrence, escaping with a 6-3 win in 2010. The Bison are not going to be intimidated by CSU. Junior QB Brock Jensen is a pocket passer with poise and confidence. His receiving corps is very young, with no WR notching more than 10 receptions last year. WR Zach Vraa has a nice game last week and looks to be the go-to guy. RB Sam Ojuri is looking to make 2012 more impressive than the 1100 yards he gained last year. The Rams rush defense will be tested early and often. If the Bison are forced to pass, the CSU secondary will make some plays and force turnovers.

CSU’s defense brought multiple looks and created a lot of confusion for the Buffs last Saturday and that will be the plan for the rest of the season. With the emergence of Shaq Barrett and MWC Defensive Player of the Week Cory James, the Rams can rush the passer, confuse the O-line and drop into coverage. Largely ignored during the Fairchild era, Coach Mac has brought his SEC defensive style with him to Fort Collins. It’s weird, but I actually feel confident the D will make stops and get off the field.

Offensively, CSU will start with the run and hope to remain physical throughout the game. With Nwoke hampered by an ankle injury, Donnell Alexander could start and show his playmaking ability. If Nwoke is Thunder, then Alexander is Lightning. CSU will look for more from their passing game. Importantly, Grayson was safe with the ball, passing for a pedestrian 176 yards and 2 TDs against CU. The return of Thomas Coffman combined with Dominique Vinson’s improvement will help to balance out the gameplan. Look for TE Crockett Gillmore to get more involved this week after disappearing in the Showdown. The O-line will be solid again but needs to be patient.

Neither team is an offensive juggernaut, but if I had to choose one to erupt, it would be the Rams at Hughes after a big win. The Rams are feeling the juice of the Bold New Era and seem to be buying in to a winning mentality. And with so much confidence in MWC Special Teams Player of the Week K Jared Roberts, the Rams can take the field goals and get back on D. Rams win a close one.

Prediction

Rams 13 Bison 10

Week 1 Sidenotes:
Helmet Awards for week one have been updated. Thanks for submissions. Click here to take a look at the winners.

For those of you who tried to log onto our live game chat last week for the CU game, we have to apologize. We were having some technical difficulties. We've got it straightened out now. Sorry for the slip up. We'll try not to let it happen again.

THE CENTENNIAL TROPHY IS BACK IN FOCO

2012-09-02T12:14:00.000-06:00

Yes! What a way to start out the McElwain era. It definitely wasn't the prettiest game but I'll take it. There are so many things to take away from this win over the Buffs.

One: The confidence of this Ram team from last year to this year is completely different. Even when we were down 14-3, you just knew we weren't going to give up. You can just feel the energy from the entire team, even from the coaching staff. Coming out the second half, you could start to see some swagger.

Two: I was impressed on how many formations CSU threw at the Buffs defense. It kept CU guessing the entire game. Unlike past seasons, I couldn't predict what J-Mac and Dave Baldwin were going to do next. Well executed game plan.

Three: Young talent stepped it up making me even more confident in this team. Cory James, freshman, 3 sacks and is still sacking people today. Joe Hansley, freshman, 40 yards receiving and a touchdown. Kivon Cartwright, sophomore, 30 yards receiving. Garrett Grayson (of course), sophomore, 173 yards and 2 touchdowns. Donnell Alexander, freshman, work horse in the backfield with 66 yards and a 8.2 yard average. And thank god for Jared Roberts, sophomore, blasting home 3 field goals and helping the Rams to victory.

Four: I was really surprised how well our defense played. That was the only worry I had going into the contest but they looked very impressive. Though undersized up front, our defensive line really worked that CU rushing attack. And oh yeah, Max Morgan stepping up and making a crucial stop.

Five: Finally, some positive momentum going into the season. I really think North Dakota State will cause more problems for the Rams than the Buffs but at least we have some great momentum.

I know the Rams still have a lot of things to work on but this is a great start. They're only going to get better as the season progresses and I can't wait to see the outcome of this hard working team. It was a nice win for CSU, now we got to focus on the Bison (or "Bizon" according to one of our readers) of North Dakota State.

Be sure to submit a player's name for the Helmet Awards page. Click here

Go Rams.

THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN THROWDOWN: CSU RAMS vs CU BUFFS Part 2

2012-08-30T07:00:00.000-06:00

CSU offense versus CU defense

CSU will need to open some lanes for All-Conference RB Chris Nwoke, that’s obvious. A star in the making, Nwoke can break tackles and pick up the extra yards. Backing him up is the explosive freshman Donnell Alexander who crept up the depth chart throughout the spring. He’ll also be handling KR duties. If we can establish the run early it will be a long game for CU. Luckily, the bright spot for CSU’s offense is the O- line. Led by center Weston Richburg, this line has a chip on its shoulder and will dictate CSU's offensive identity. Given Coach Mac’s success with the run (see Ingram, Mark and Trophy, Heisman), the Rams will pound the rock early and often, keeping CU’s defense honest and giving athletic QB Garrett Grayson opportunities to make plays with his arm and legs.

CU‘s 4-3 base defense, features WillPericak and Chidera Uzo-Diribe who are tough to handle, and could give CSU fits. CSU should attack the secondary where Parker Orms roams like a moving target. Safety Ray Polk is solid along with CB’s Greg Henderson and Josh Mote.

CSU has struggled at the WR position for years and 2012 is no different. Lou Greenwood and Marquise Law have shown improvement but have disappeared in game situations. Thomas Coffman is injured and has allowed former DB Dominique Vinson to become starting Z receiver in his absence. Having a gigantic TE like Crockett Gilmore is truly a blessing for a young QB like Grayson. At 6’6 with freakish ability, Crockett is poised to have a great game if CSU can utilize him and he keeps his effort level up.

PREDICTION

CU is 61-20 all time and since the Rocky Mountain Showdown became an annual event in 1995, CSU is 5-7. The Showdown became so heated that Invesco quit selling alcohol and started serving tear gas? Games were rescheduled for morning start times in an effort to curb tailgating as the series really heated up in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. These teams hate each other, and regardless of the Buffs denial of CSU as a rival, Coloradoans care about this series and the outcome.

I’ve never been a huge fan of the Showdown in the first week of the season. Both teams are rusty and the game is just too important to be played right away. I’d love to see the game moved to November since the CU-Nebraska games has ended, but it’s unlikely given the fact that the game largely a lose-lose for CU athletically and financially. Unless, of course, CSU get a new stadium ;)

I’m excited to see the new attitude Coach Mac brings to the Rams. He is a two National Champ and knows how a winning program operates. Look for the Rams to be more focused than in years past. Hopefully, we’ll see less three and outs and screen passes and watch the Rams pound the ball, stretch the Buffs and make them pay. If the Rams can avoid giving up the big play and get off the field on 3rd downs, I think the Rams win a close one.

CSU- 24 CU-14

Go Rams.

THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN THROWDOWN: CSU RAMS vs CU BUFFS Part 1

2012-08-29T07:59:00.000-06:00

It's time to get serious. Let's focus. CU leads the series 61 to 20, but since the Rocky Mountain Showdown became an annual event in 1995 CU only holds a 12 to 5 advantage. Every Rams fan can remember Kevin McDougal running over CU defenders like Chevy's in the south running over possums on their way to the local tractor pull. Who can forget Bradlee Van Pelt scrambling around CU defenders before spiking it on Rod Sneed's head as he crossed the goalline? Games became so heated between these two teams that fights in the stands were common, they quit selling alcohol at games, and started playing them in the morning to keep fans from tailgating. There was also the epic game in 99ʼ where CSU trounced the Buffs 41-14, and CSU fans celebrated by showering in tear gas and pepper spray. After realizing that CSU was a formidable foe, CU leaders tried to intervene and moved all their home games back to Folsom Field. Now all games are at Sports Authority Field, and J-Mac can win the heart of Ft. Collins by winning his first Showdown against those nappy granolas to the south of us. They will be protesting world peace before the game, but will protest Ram domination of the state when this one is finished.

Breakdown

CSU defense versus CU offense

The big change here is the change to a 3-4 alignment from Larry Kerr’s preferred 4-3. And as I’ve learned, whatever Larry Kerr likes is wrong. This guy got fired by CSU twice and Duke once. Yeah, Duke has a football team. Regardless Coach Mac decided to make the most out of the players available to him this spring and he hasn’t looked back.

The depth chart lists the team’s leading tackler Shaq Barrett as starting RDE. Coach Mac has said that Barrett with play both standing and with his hand in the dirt. This alignment helps the Rams compensate for a lack of size and exploit speed which is a strength. Young players like freshman Cory James and Aaron Davis will work with experienced players like James Skelton to anchor the LB unit, essentially making more room for playmakers on defense.

If you search Jordan Webb’s name, the first video you’ll see is him laying a vicious block on a Georgia Tech defender. He showed a strong arm and good mobility at KU against good competition. His accuracy and decision making are questionable so if the Rams can pressure and confuse him with different defensive looks, we’ll be sitting pretty. But beware; Webb is more than capable of picking the Rams apart if they aren’t careful. (See Moschetti, Mike).

Apart from Webb, CU is fairly inexperienced with TE Nick Kasa the only senior slated to start. Coach Embree was a TE coach in the NFL so you know he loves him some TE. The Buffs will try to dominate the line of scrimmage and wear down CSU. They have a speedy RB in Tony Jones who is more speed than power and could give the Rams fits, if they can’t contain him. (See Stewart, Rodney)

CSU's secondary has been the weak link in showdowns past, giving up back breaking plays (see Bloom, Jeremy), but CSU has depth this year. Junior DB Shaq Bell has been replaced by speedy sophomore Bernard Blake with senior Momo Thomas on the other side. I think Momo must be a doctor by now, because he’s been at CSU since I was there and people referred to him by his government name, Gerard. Safeties like Trent Matthews and Austin Gray will look to lay some wood. To add to an already weak WR corps, the Buffs lost star WR Paul Richardson for the season due to a knee injury.

To be continued....

MASCOT v MASCOT

2012-08-28T10:16:00.001-06:00

Time for a season mascot showdown preview. If the mascots of each football team were to square off in a 3 round UFC style fight, here's who would win. Spoiler alert...this post was written by Ram fans.

CU Buffalo vs Ram

A classic match-up of one the weakest animals on the planet with one of the strongest. The Ram takes this one by quite a lengthy distance. Buffalo's were nearly extinct at one point. Why? Because they are so tasty. I've been eating buffalo all week to prepare myself for the game. 1st Round Mortal Combat Finishing Move straight to the grill performed on the Buffalo.

North Dakota State Bison vs Ram

A not so classic match up of Ram against Buffalo... I mean Bison. I really don't understand the difference between a Bison and a Buffalo. Both taste great on the BBQ and both fall to the mighty Ram quite easily. It could be a color war on the field with Green and Gold v Green and Yellow. The Bison goes down in round 1.

San Jose State Spartan vs Ram

The Spartan is a worthy opponent. But a Spartan would have little chance of defeating a Ram. Both wear very cool head gear. But the Spartan gear, cast in heavy metal will be their undoing. Simply to heavy to be agile enough to put up a decent fight. I give the Spartan until round 3 before becoming too exhausted to continue the fight.

Utah State Aggies (Big Blue, The Bull) vs Ram

The Aggies did their best with a really tough name to work with. We should know as former Aggies ourselves. Big Blue looks tough, sometimes has a ring through his nose and usually has an intimidating look to him, but it's pretty much all looks. If you have to call yourself 'Big' Blue, I'm pretty sure it's all talk. Big Blue takes a dive in the second round, crying like a baby against the Ram. It appeared to be tougher.

Air Force Falcon vs Ram

I was once at a game where the Air Force Falcon handler released the bird and it was supposed to fly down to his arm from the upper part of the stadium. Unfortunately the falcon decided to peace out and fly away. And the handler went running out of the stadium. So you can see a falcon won't engage in any fight and would rather cruise the skies for lady falcons. This fight goes to the Ram by way of a no show.

Fresno State Bulldog vs Ram

The Bulldog is a tricky one. It sounds ferocious but in actuality the Bulldog is a pretty lazy dog. They can't run very fast or at all for that matter. Their bodies are awkward and their heads are too heavy. One stomp from a Ram would end a Bulldog. But the fight wouldn't go that way. Ram Sorority Girls have agreed to take the Bulldog in and give it a good home because Fresno is no place for anyone. The Bulldog will be wearing a tutu for the rest of its life but it's a pretty sweet life in a Sorority house.

San Diego State Aztecs vs Ram

It's the mascot that I fear the most for a Ram. I'm worried the Aztec is either going to eat the Ram or sacrifice the Ram to save the earth. Either way things don't look good. Let's hope that infectious disease takes hold by round 3 and only the Ram is left standing. Thanks Mel Gibson for the education.

Hawaii Warrior vs Ram

Another daunting bout for the Ram. But luckily the only fighting the Warrior does now these days is for food at a Luau. There should be some awesome mid round fire dancing and an excellent buffet at the end of the bout. This one is a split decision going to the Ram. Nobody gets hurt and we all party afterward. Welcome back to the conference Hawaii.

Wyoming Cowboy vs Ram

'If it's brown flush it down' ....So classy. Wyoming has the ugliest uniforms in the country. There's no guns or other weapons (or ropes) allowed in this Wild West bout. The Cowboy is helpless without a gun or rope. The Ram takes it in 2 rounds with a decisive Ram horn to the bow legged area. It's an easy target.

UNLV Runnin' Rebel vs Ram

The Runnin' Rebel is really just a crazy old man with guns. The Rebel is easily defeated by his own madness as one of the fired bullets comes down from above and strikes the Rebel squarely in his 10 gallon hat. A sad ending, but we all knew it was coming. The Rebel should have had the safety engaged on that weapon.

Boise State Bronco vs Ram

The Bronco is a wild horse and wild horses are extremely afraid. This bout would likely be a tough one involving lots of kicking. The Ram using it's superior climbing ability will ultimately prevail by leaping from above and head Ramming the Bronco into submission. It's a tough 3 round fight.

New Mexico Lobo vs Ram

I can't ever be sure if a Lobo is a wolf or a Coyote. I've never seen or heard of Wolves in New Mexico so it makes me think the word Lobo actually means Coyote instead of Wolf. Well a Ram in a fight with a Wolf is a tough one. Any Ram would be lucky to see the end of the 1st round. But with some crafty footwork and a thick winter coat the Ram is able to hold off the Wolf for a no decision.

If this was the case, the Ram would be standing on top of a huge pile of carcasses, 11-0-1, king of the mascot world.