Colorado State defense dominates in upset win at Toledo

DENVER — Never apologize for a win.

With their backs against the wall, Colorado State was able to go on the road as 14.5 point underdogs and upset Toledo 22-6 on Saturday night. 

CSU’s passing offense struggled mightily in this one — quarterback Todd Centeio was just 11-of-27 for 110 yards and 109 of them were recorded by tight end Trey McBride — but the defense was so dominant that it didn’t matter that the Rams failed to score a touchdown with their offense. And just two years after allowing the Rockets to score 41 points and run for 436 rushing yards on 9.5 yards per carry in Canvas Stadium, the Rams held the Rockets to just 284 total yards, including an underwhelming 14 yards on 28 carries this time around. Along with keeping the Rockets out of the end zone, CSU’s defense produced 10 tackles for loss and six sacks. Simply put, it was an absolutely dominant defensive showing for the Green & Gold. 

“I thought it was a gritty win. I thought it was a program win,” head coach Steve Addazio said postgame. “Our kids played with great resiliency.” 

The front seven was definitely what stood out the most for CSU on Saturday. Mike linebacker Dequan Jackson led the unit with 13 total tackles (8 solo) — none of which were bigger than a tackle for loss on fourth down early in the second quarter. He was far from the only standout though. Scott Patchan had five total tackles and a forced fumble, Toby McBride recorded four tackles, as did Cam’Ron Carter who also recorded a sack, and Mohamed Kamara was an absolute menace in the trenches with 2.5 sacks as well as 3.5 tackles for loss. 

“I thought our defense played lights out,” Addazio said. “We had a great pass rush.”

Alongside the defense, kicker Cayden Camper was terrific for the Rams in the victory. After a rough start in which he missed three of his first four field goal attempts in the first two games, Camper was a perfect 5-of-5 at Toledo. The sophomore kicker converted from 31, 42, 29, 47 and 23 yards. He also made his lone extra point attempt.

“Cayden did a great job. I’m very happy for him,” Addazio said. “A lot of people were asking, will you still try to kick field goals? And I said yes, of course we will. He has a great leg. He was great during training camp. He just lacks game experience. And this will be a great boost for him.”

While CSU’s offense failed to score a touchdown that stood, special teams were able to produce all 22 points. 16 were from Camper but Thomas Pannunzio’s 70-yard punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter was really what flipped the game. It put the Rams up a touchdown for the first time, it also seemed to give CSU’s defense a second wind though. The electric touchdown was exactly what the Rams needed in one of the biggest moments of the game. 

“They gave me about five yards of space, so you know, I was like I can make a play out of this and then there were a couple of holes and I just hit it,” Pannunzio said. “And then I had deja vu from last year at San Diego State when I got tackled by the kicker, so I had to start high stepping at the last dude.” 

After watching true freshman wide receiver Gerrick Robinson muff a punt earlier in the game, Pannunzio said that he did feel pressure to make a play for CSU. “It’s for sure going through my mind, because it’s really hard back there, ya know?” Once he did, though, the sideline energy was completely recharged. 

“The sideline was crazy. Everyone was over there dapping me up and giving me hugs,” Pannunzio said. “But yeah, I was dying. I was pretty tired so I was just trying to sit down, but everyone else was hyping me so I had to be hyped for them.”

Outside of special teams and a third consecutive 100 yard performance from McBride, running back David Bailey was CSU’s other standout offensively. The former Boston College starter had 30 carries for 132 yards (4.4 AVG) as CSU’s bellcow back on Saturday. 

“It all starts up front,” Bailey said of first 100 yard performance as a CSU Ram. 

After topping the Rockets in Week 3, the Rams will have to put the high of a big win in the rearview and focus on a brutal matchup at Iowa next weekend. Considering how challenging the schedule is, though, a big-time road upset might be just what CSU needed as the squad prepares to begin conference play.

They’ll obviously need to be more diverse offensively, but momentum goes a long way in college football. And the type of defensive dominance that CSU has displayed in the trenches should at least give Ram Nation reason for some optimism moving forward. Having a couple of McBride brothers on the roster doesn’t hurt the cause either. 

Next up: Iowa.