First scrimmage provides valuable live reps for a Colorado State team still learning to play together

Colorado State held its first scrimmage on Wednesday and according to head coach Jay Norvell, the level of execution was about what was expected for the first true live reps of fall camp. 

Norvell explained that practice is a much different pace and in a faster setting there tends to be more mistakes early on. That was definitely the case for the starting offense on Wednesday as the unit as a whole showed that they are still a work in progress. 

“We’ve got a lot of things to clean up,” Norvell said. 

The first-year CSU head coach continued, explaining that it was the first time that the team worked with officials and it was evident by the amount of penalties his team was flagged for. 

Fortunately, it’s still early in the process, so there’s time to work on the little things the team was penalized for. And the reps that the Rams gained today — Norvell said they ran about 30 more plays than anticipated — will ultimately help identify which guys are the most ready to see the field this season. 

“A lot of what we did was not necessarily to have good plays offensively, defensively, it was to see how certain players would react,” Norvell said. “We have a lot of personnel decisions to make here in the next two weeks. And a lot of these players we’ve never had before, so we don’t really know what they are until we get them into a live situation.

“So I thought it was good… we needed a good old fashioned scrimmage today,” Norvell continued. “I think we got a bunch of stuff on tape to learn from.”

One of the scenarios that the coaching staff used to test the offense was having the ones start their first drive backed up deep inside their own territory, as if the opposing team had dropped a punt just a few yards outside of the end zone. In those particular reps the defensive line was able to stand out by generating pressure up the gut and disrupting the timing on a couple of different run and pass plays. One was even ruled a safety, though nobody actually tackled QB Clay Millen.

Although there were moments where the offense was able to make a play here and there, senior WR Ty McCullouch broke loose for a long catch down the field and freshman wide receiver Justus Ross-Simmons made a one-handed highlight grab in the end zone, for the most part the defense pretty much did its job in containing them. But again, as Norvell made it clear, while the offensive execution was not particularly sharp, we can’t get too carried away with hot takes regarding the state of either unit. 

More than anything, Wednesday was about testing individuals. It was a chance for both sides to experience true contact. And it was a day where some of the guys on the fringe were able to try and show they deserve more looks. For example, the team’s No. 1 wide receiver Tory Horton did not even participate. Instead, true freshman Louis Brown was on the field for the opening series. 

“Today was tough for the offense but it was really nice to see the defense come out and execute what they’ve been working on,” Ty McCullouch told reporters after the scrimmage. “The D-line, for sure, they came out and got in our O-line today. So we need to keep elevating as an offense and they need to keep elevating as a defense.”

“I believe we executed at a high level today,” senior safety Tywan Francis added. “The ones, twos, threes and fours, we all played at our level today and we piggyback off each other.” 

After an off day on Thursday, CSU will return to the practice field on Friday and Saturday this week. Their next scrimmage will take place on Wednesday, Aug. 17. And the “mock game” will mark the conclusion of fall camp on Aug. 27.