Colorado State blanks Fresno State in penultimate game at Hughes Stadium

FORT COLLINS – For the second straight game, the Rams put forth a dominant effort on both sides of the ball. Colorado State left no doubt Saturday afternoon as they beat lowly Fresno State by a final score of 37-0.

The first half almost mirrored two weeks prior, when the Rams jumped out to a 35-0 halftime lead over UNLV. CSU took advantage of a lifeless Bulldogs team in the first half, outgaining them 337-68 in yardage.

Wyatt Bryan got the scoring started with a 33-yard field goal late in the first quarter. Minutes later, Nick Stevens connected with Robert Ruiz for 44 yards. Marvin Kinsey then rushed for a 5-yard touchdown to extend CSU’s lead to 10-0.

The Rams’ defense once again pitched a shutout in a half, limiting the Bulldogs to two first downs in the first 30 minutes of game action. It allowed Stevens to continue his rhythm with Michael Gallup, who notched seven catches for 106 yards and a touchdown.

Stevens flipped a screen pass out to Gallup, who sped down the sideline and leapt over the pylon for an 18-yard touchdown to make the score 16-0.

Fresno State really got a punch to the gut on CSU’s next possession, when the Rams went 84 yards on 15 plays for their third touchdown of the half. An Izzy Matthews 1-yard score punctuated a drive that ate 8:29 of clock.

The Rams led 23-0 at halftime. Stevens did little wrong, going 14-of-17 for 199 yards to go with the touchdown pass to Gallup.

And unlike prior games this season, CSU got some quality production in the third quarter. The Rams’ quarterback lobbed a beautifully thrown pass to the corner of the end zone, hitting Anthony Hawkins for a 14-yard touchdown to increase the lead to 30-0.

But the green and gold weren’t done, as Matthews rumbled in from one yard out a second time, making it 37-0 for CSU.

The Rams’ defense didn’t let up in the second half and kept the Bulldogs off the board. The shutout marked the first for CSU since October 4, 1997, when they kept Hawaii scoreless in a 63-0 blowout.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Michael Gallup just keeps opening eyes. The Rams’ number one receiver hauled in nine catches for 126 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Go way back to the first quarter when the Rams were ahead just 3-0. On 3rd-and-3, CSU’s Deshon Mayes made a great tackle on Kyle Riddering, who would have had a first down and maybe given the Bulldogs life on offense. Instead, it was a three-and-out for Fresno State and led to the first touchdown for the Rams.

QUOTE OF THE GAME

“In today’s time of football, it’s hard to shut people out. As much as people do offensively with RPO’s, and that’s a team that’s got some weapons on offense. And I know they’ve had some struggles, but they’ve been able to score some points. The way that our guys played today – they challenged for four quarters. I can’t say enough about that effort.” – head coach Mike Bobo

TURNING POINT

It’s got to be the 1-yard touchdown run by Matthews that capped a 15-play, 84-yard scoring drive that took 8:29 off the clock. It was a demoralizing point for Fresno State.

BY THE NUMBERS

10 – Ball carriers for the Rams, who totaled 257 yards on the ground

225 – The number of games passed since the last shutout pitched by the CSU defense

2 – First downs for the Bulldogs at halftime

LASTING IMPACT

This CSU team just keeps improving. Fresno State may be a disaster right now, but the progress the Rams have made from week 1 to now is pretty amazing.

WHAT’S NEXT

The Rams head south on the interstate to play Air Force next Saturday. With a win, CSU would be bowl-eligible. Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m.