Down, but not out.
“I already talked about it. I talked about it in the locker room,” Colorado State head coach Mike Bobo said Saturday night of the upcoming Air Force game. “I said, ‘We’re in this situation. Nobody expected to be in this situation but we’re here. As Rams and as men, we’ve got an in-state rival coming in here Saturday before we go on our bye week. We need to do whatever we can to try to get a win in that ball game. That means regroup and show up and be ready to work.’ I fully expect them to do that.”
Colorado State Rams football is in a position they didn’t expect, sitting at 2-4 (0-2 MW) at the mid-way point in their 2015 season. And it’s not just that the Rams lost last Saturday to Mountain West foe Boise State, but that CSU was handily beaten all over the field which made it even more difficult to deal with.
“It’s a tough pill to swallow when you get beat handily like that in all three phases,” Bobo said after the 10-41 loss to the Broncos Saturday night. “But, we’ve got an in-state opponent next week that we’ve got to come back and go to work for.”
While a college football season looks long and grueling – stretching from fall camp in August through December with a bowl game – the amount of time for teams to prepare for one another, six days, is quite short. Especially when the next opponent is unlike nearly any team in the country offensively.
“Playing an option team; we’ve got to be disciplined, we’ve got to eliminate explosive plays, we’ve got to generate explosive plays on offense and then we’ve got to figure out how to get some momentum in special teams,” Bobo explained of preparing for the Air Force Academy Falcons this week. “And right now we’re struggling in all three areas. But, there’s a lot of season left to play.”
The Falcons’ option has continually been a thorn in the side of the Rams and playing with discipline has been one of Colorado State’s downfalls defensively this year. Last season, Air Force ran for 242 yards with three touchdowns by three different players to end the Jim McElwain Era with a 24-27 loss in Colorado Springs. 2013 was the last time CSU beat AFA – a 58-13 blowout in Fort Collins – with the Falcons winning the previous seven straight seasons (2006-2012).
“You’ve got to play assignment football when you play somebody that runs the option,” Bobo explained of what he expects out of the defense this week. “You’ve got to do your job. If not, the fullback will spin or the quarterback will spin out, or the pitch to the tailback. So we’ve got to be assignment oriented.”
Assignment, alignment and attitude; the three “As” of defense for Bobo have remained the same all season long. Now the Rams must put them to use.
Against the UTSA Roadrunners, over-pursuit by linebackers and safeties led to massive runs and touchdown scores, allowing the opponent to hang in the game until the end. Last week, poor technique – letting the receiver go over the top by a safety, a linebacker getting turned around while trying to cover a speedy wideout – resulted in the three explosive touchdowns which gave Boise State the advantage.
Colorado State’s defense has been devastating against opponents on third downs, allowing a 10th-best in the nation 26.8 percent conversion rate; forcing the Falcons into long third downs will improve the Rams chances of winning this week.
On offense, CSU simply has to finish drives with touchdowns, not punts or even field goals.
“Our possessions will be limited offensively when you play a team like Air Force,” Bobo explained. “So, we’ve got to take advantage of our limited possessions. And then we’ve got to create some momentum in the special teams.”
One way to maximize those possessions would be getting the ball to Rashard “Hollywood” Higgins at every opportunity. In Weeks 3-6, the superstar wide receiver averaged eight receptions for 114 yards per game. Last Saturday he was limited to a mere three catches for 43 yards and was frustrated in himself as well as for losing in back-to-back weeks.
Air Force won’t make it easy to attack aerially, they only allow 168 yards per game passing; so CSU will have their work cut out for them. But, one or two big plays by Higgins could throw that stat out the window.
The Rams will have to attack on the ground as well, pounding the ball with Jasen Oden between the tackles. Oden will be needed for those key first downs – which he’s been coming through on all year long – as part of long, methodical drives. Efficiency is the name of the game when possessions are limited; scoring whenever possible is key.
The Falcons allow 133 yards per game on the ground, meaning we’ll likely see another solid day from Oden as well as productivity out of Dalyn Dawkins and Izzy Matthews.
Colorado State wants to win this game for two reasons: They need a victory in conference play heading into the bye week, and they want to bring the Ram-Falcon trophy back to Fort Collins.
Oh, and it’s Homecoming, too.
Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium will almost certainly be sold out this weekend as the school released 1,000 standing room only tickets last week after the demand for tickets was so high. CSU – Air Force is scheduled to kickoff Saturday at 1:30 p.m. MDT.
