DENVER — September has come to an end and Rams fans have already been put through the wringer.

Colorado State (1-3) started 2021 off with two disappointing losses to South Dakota State and Vanderbilt, but Saturday’s near upset of No. 5 Iowa was a different kind of pain.

CSU was able to hang tough with the Hawkeyes as they took a 14-7 lead into the second half but would ultimately fall short as Iowa’s talent and coaching would take over.

The late, great Chester Bennington once sang, “I tried so hard and got so far. But in the end, it doesn’t even matter.” While many Rams fans may share that same sentiment, there are still plenty of positives we can take away from last Saturday’s upset bid.

Trey McBride Remains CSU’s Best Player

McBride went up against the best defense he was going to face all season and it was apparent that the Iowa coaches drilled home that they would let anyone but McBride beat them. It was McBride’s first game of 2021 where he failed to hit 100 yards receiving. Despite that, McBride showed why he remains a first-round hopeful for April’s NFL Draft.

This was McBride’s third catch of the afternoon but it was easily the most impactful to that point. The route is crisp and clean; McBride snaps his head around coming out of his break and seamlessly transitions the catch into an all-out attempt at gaining the first down. This would prove to be huge for the Rams as they would go on to score later on in the drive.

McBride would deliver another impactful play that would lead to a Rams’ touchdown as the first half wound down. Flashing natural hands and his ability to run after the catch, McBride nearly scored on this rollout and throw from Todd Centeio.

The most impressive play on the day from McBride would come late in the third quarter.

Again, the Rams are facing a third down and Centeio targets McBride. There are many things that make McBride a special player, but his ability to catch the football without much separation is beyond impressive.

All six of McBride’s receptions came on third down. CSU’s best player was at his best when they needed him most. McBride’s list of positive attributes is lengthy but after Saturday we can add in Sharpie that McBride has the “clutch gene”.

CSU’s Front Seven is a Problem for Opposing Offenses

Last week in the Rams Film Room, we focused on the front seven and how they dominated Toledo to lead the Rams to an upset of the Rockets. While this week’s performance wasn’t quite as impressive, it was still a great showing from the Rams front seven as they made life difficult for Iowa in multiple facets of the game.

The Rams held Toledo to less than one yard-per-carry on the ground last week and found similar success defending the run against Iowa holding the Hawkeyes to 54 yards on 32 carries.

The Hawkeyes are running wide zone away from Scott Patchan and are attempting to reach block him with a tight end. As the running back makes his cut towards the hole, Patchan uses his 6-foot-6 frame and length to make a great tackle and save a potential first down and big play.

The Rams’ pass-rush had their work cut out for them this week as they faced one of the best offensive lines in the country. They showed up in a big way and produced three sacks in some big moments to give the ball back to Centeio and the Rams’ offense.

We focused quite a bit on defensive coordinator Chuck Heater and how he schemes up pressure in last week’s film room. Iowa was more prepared for Coach Heater’s blitzes and sim pressures but he was still able to create pressure and should be credited with this sack from Dequan Jackson early in the third quarter.

Pay attention to Hawkeyes’ quarterback, Spencer Patras, before the snap here. Patras points towards the boundary-side linebacker. After the snap, the Hawkeyes’ offensive line slides left but the blitz comes from the field side. The running back is unable to pick up Jackson as he gets through untouched for the sack. The drive would end in a three-and-out for Iowa.

The most impressive sack of the day would come midway through the fourth quarter.

Through four games in 2021, senior defensive tackle Devin Phillips has already achieved a  career-best 2.5 sacks. None more impressive than this rep against, Hawkeyes center Tyler Linderbaum. Linderbaum is a potential first-round player and is one of if not the best overall offensive lineman in the country. Phillips shows off some very impressive movement skills for a 6-foot-2, 305-pound man. Phillips straight-up beats Linderbaum off the ball, gives the center a shake and chases down Patras for the sack.

Game-changing Turnovers

There were only two turnovers, one from each team, but each play carried a huge amount of weight that shifted momentum for both teams.

The first was made by a walk-on true freshman and was the reason why CSU was in this game for as long as they were.

Robert Floyd plays this about as well as you possibly can. The Hawkeyes are trying to deceive Floyd by having the receiver fake an outside release before turning back inside for the screen. Floyd reads it from the getgo and remains attached to the receiver like white on rice. With only one free hand, Floyd is able to fight off the receiver and win the battle for the ball.

The Rams would end up scoring after the interception and earn a 14-7 lead going into the locker room at the half. Unfortunately for CSU, a turnover of their own would drastically hurt their chances of pulling off the upset.

A holding penalty on a Todd Centeio first down run pinned the Rams back near their own goal line. The Rams are running a draw when there’s an issue on the exchange and A’Jon Vivens ends up putting the ball on the ground. The Hawkeyes were given an extremely short field and would turn the turnover in for a touchdown just one play later. 

Room for Improvement

The Hawkeyes proved to be a tough early-season test for the Rams and while CSU lived up to and surpassed expectations in many categories, there’s a few areas where the team must improve as they head into conference play.

The one glaring weakness that has reared its head in every game so far is the Rams’ tendency to give up some huge chunk plays through the air. While they have been dealing with injuries and inexperience in the secondary, if CSU does not solidify their back end on defense this could be their downfall in 2021.

The first points of the game came from a simple deep shot where Iowa receiver Keagan Johnson just beats CSU cornerback Marshaun Cameron over the top. Johnson is able to out-muscle Cameron and keep the defensive back from disrupting the route and from there uses speed to get behind the defender.

This time, it’s Robert Floyd who gets beat over the top. Floyd shoots his inside hand in an attempt to jam Johnson but the receiver uses a slick release to get right by the Rams defensive back. Despite being beat on the play, Floyd is able to recover to make the tackle and would ultimately rectify his mistake with his field-flipping interception.

The final big pass play allowed would be the straw the broke the camel’s back as Iowa mounted a drive and a broken coverage would see CSU surrender the lead.

This is a well-designed play that was pulled out at the perfect time by the Hawkeyes. Iowa fakes the smokescreen to the field side and is able to draw in nearly every Ram defensive player on the field. PLAYER??? is the field side safety and should be unconcerned with the screen action but he gets sucked in and gives up the touchdown.

Closing Thoughts

As Justin and I talked about on the post-game show Saturday night, the frustration is warranted and understandable but hopefully, by this point, CSU fans have been able to gain perspective and release just how good of an effort the Rams put forth against Iowa.

Despite the general outcry after the game, I think Todd Centeio played a decent game and was far from the problem in this one. While he needs to be more accurate overall and hit open receivers, he has shown the ability to make good throws and take off and make a play with his legs when needed.

It’s also worth noting that the injuries to starting running back David Bailey and wide receiver Dante Wright cannot be understated for this team. Without those two players, the majority of the load is going to land of the defense to carry the Rams to wins.

The Rams find themselves with a well-timed bye week as we head into October and Mountain West conference play.