3 Takeaways: Colorado State outclassed in blowout loss at Boise State

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Colorado State had an opportunity to prove that the program was truly different under head coach Steve Addazio. The Rams did the opposite, however, falling 52-21 to Boise State on the infamous blue turf. 

The loss to the Broncos is CSU’s 10th in a row since Boise State joined the Mountain West back in 2011. The blowout treatment is nothing new for a first-year coach at CSU, though. Addazio joins Steve Fairchild (63-13), Jim McElwain (42-14), and Mike Bobo (41-10) on the list of CSU coaches that have gotten obliterated by the Broncos on their first try.

While losing to Boise State is nothing out of the ordinary for CSU — coming off of an exciting win over Wyoming, Thursday night’s poor showing was particularly deflating for the Ram faithful — especially considering it’s essentially been a decade of the same thing. 

Moving forward, if the Rams ever truly want to be considered one of the league’s elite programs, CSU has to find a way to overcome their kryptonite. 

Here are the final takeaways from the blowout loss.

Special Teams Disaster

It was a nightmare of a night for the Rams on special teams. CSU had two punts and one field goal attempt blocked — all were returned for touchdowns by the Broncos. On another instance a low snap dang near resulted in a fumble as well.

Quite honestly, with how poorly CSU played in this phase of the game, they never really had a chance to win. Not only were the returns deflating from an emotional standpoint, but they actually allowed Boise State to take a five-score lead into halftime, despite only having four offensive possessions in the opening two quarters. 

“I’ve been in special teams a long time and I’ve never seen anything like that. It’s totally unacceptable,” Addazio said.

As of right now, Addazio doesn’t officially have a special teams coach on staff. Jon Goodman is listed as a quality control assistant for special teams but it’s more of a group effort when it comes to coaching the unit as a whole. After how poorly the Rams played against the Broncos Thursday night, though, CSU is definitely going to have to change something. Whether it’s altering someone’s role, adding different drills in practice, or finding different personnel on the field, the Rams will have to shake some things up after that awful showing on special teams.

Secondary Struggles

Coming into Thursday night defensive coordinator Chuck Heater told the media that he had been pleased with what he had seen from the defensive front-seven through the first two games of the season. In particular, he was pleased with what he had gotten from the defensive line. Where he wanted to see the Rams improve this week, was in the secondary, who according to the veteran coach have allowed way too many explosive plays this season. 

Unfortunately, for Heater, and for fans of the green and gold, the secondary struggled once again against the Broncos. It’s not that Boise State torched CSU — the Rams only allowed 202 passing yards and a single score through the air. But whenever there was a play to be made, the secondary just wasn’t able to get it done. 

Far too frequently, Boise State’s receivers were wide open downfield. And where it really came back to bite the Rams was on third-and-long, as CSU couldn’t seem to get off the field.

QB Carousel Keeps On Spinning 

Most assumed that Patrick O’Brien had more or less locked up the starting quarterback role after leading the Rams to victory over Wyoming — and logically, why wouldn’t they? O’Brien was brilliant in the upset over the Pokes and opened up the passing offense late in the loss to Fresno State as well. 

O’Brien got the start against the Broncos and went 9-of-20 for 140 yards in two quarters of action. But after getting replaced by Todd Centeio in the third quarter, O’Brien never saw the field again.

Addazio has said on multiple occasions that he expects players to compete at every single position. That said, it’s tough not to wonder if flipping back and forth is ultimately bad for the stability of the offense. The switch definitely provided the Rams with a temporary spark — but it’s hard for quarterbacks to stay in rhythm when they are constantly being jerked around. And it’s even tougher on them mentally if they have to look over their shoulder after every little mistake.

How the Rams manage the QB snaps for the rest of the season will certainly be something to keep an eye on.