Colorado State rallies behind Kennedy McDowell injury: "We just said it's personal now"

Saturday’s thrilling comeback over Boise State was a night that Ram fans won’t soon forget. 

After 12 straight losses in the series and a whole bunch of bad memories along the way, Colorado State’s win over the Broncos was truly a moment of joy for anyone associated with the program.

The game was filled with big-time plays, an incredible “Hail Mary” from Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi to Dallin Holker and it ended with the first field storm in Fort Collins in a half-decade — a celebration that carried over into the locker room and was highlighted by Jay Norvell dancing in the middle of it all with a smile from ear to ear. 

While all of these moments were special and will stand out for years to come, perhaps the most significant aspect of the night was the way the Rams valiantly rallied for the win after Kennedy McDowell was injured on a blindside block by Boise State at the beginning of the third quarter. It was a really scary incident that resulted in McDowell being carted off the field and eventually taken to Poudre Valley Hospital. 

We received word during the second half that McDowell was responsive and had movement in his extremities. And on Sunday afternoon, the school announced that after being evaluated overnight, the true freshman had been released from the hospital and is in “excellent spirits”.

In addition to the statements from CSU, McDowell’s mother also posted an update via his Twitter account, stating that the MRI and CT scans were all clear, and that her son was ultimately released with a concussion. 

As of right now, the timeframe for his recovery is uncertain. Head injuries can be really tricky and the situation will have to be monitored closely. But considering how things looked on the field, the fact that McDowell was able to be released from the hospital in less than 24 hours is definitely an encouraging sign. It most certainly has to be a relief to his coaches and teammates, especially seeing the way everyone responded to the hit.

During the excitement of the postgame locker room festivities, it was extremely clear how much it meant to the team to win the game for McDowell. After Jay Norvell announced one of the four game balls was for the young defensive end, the room exploded with cheers. And the team followed it up by praying for him together as a unit.

“I’m so proud of our team and our leadership for the way they rallied around Kennedy,” Norvell said in the locker room. 

@CoachJayNorvell giving out tonight’s game balls pic.twitter.com/wSUWlGFSer

— DNVR Rams (@DNVR_Rams) October 15, 2023

During the ensuing press conferences, an emotional Norvell praised God and complimented his team for how much they care for one another. He talked about the fight they showed in the face of adversity and the way that they inspired him throughout the entire process. 

“As a coach I’m always trying to encourage my kids to believe but I was motivated by them to be honest with you,” Norvell said. “They just would not fold. And I’m so proud of them.”

When asked if McDowell was a source of inspiration for the Rams to come together, Norvell said there’s no question. 

“It was a physical game and there’s a lot of things that went on during the game,” Norvell said. “But there’s no question that our team was fighting hard for each other and rallying behind Kennedy, and in some of our other guys. There’s no question that that was one of the rallying points tonight.” 

Junior safety Jack Howell echoed Norvell’s sentiment, telling reporters how proud of the team he was. “I can’t even explain how much I love these dudes,” he said. 

Howell explained how he told the team at halftime that they had put together the worst half of football they could have played, and that they needed to come out and play together. 

“We play through my Lord and savior Jesus Christ and we just keep going together no matter what. And we’ll win this football game. I said, we’ll find a way to win this football game. And you could feel something switch. You could feel guys start to believe. And you know, everyone made one mistake tonight — they doubted the Rams and we didn’t.” 

Similarly to Howell, Tory Horton emphasized how proud of his teammates he was and said that the victory was dedicated to Kennedy McDowell. 

“Of course we’ve got our prayers up for Kennedy,” Horton said. “He’s like a brother to us and we can’t wait to see how he’s doing because he is family. We dedicated that game to him. And we told the guys that you’ve got to pick up your brother, and that’s what we did.” 

“We just said it’s personal now,” Howell later added.

“Look at what they did to one of your brothers. And you know, with the love we have on this team, no one’s going to get away with something like that. That was a mistake because it really motivated us on defense, especially. Prayers for Kennedy. That’s some really scary stuff. And we’re still going to be thinking about him all night long.

“I think that’s a testimony though. When you mess with one of our boys, we’re gonna rally back and we’re going to protect each other every single time.”

The Rams accomplished something historic with the comeback win over Boise State. It’s the largest deficit CSU has overcome in any win this century. And obviously it snapped a 12-game losing streak to the Broncos that went back to 2011. 

More than the signature win for Norvell or what it means for CSU’s postseason hopes in 2023, though, it was a testament to the program being built in Fort Collins right now. We’re about a year removed from multiple veterans leaving the team in disarray mid-season after things did not go well for the Rams out of the gate. The group donning the Green & Gold right now does not resemble them in the slightest. 

This is a team that lays it all out on the line. They fight like hell and they play their tails off for each other. 

Ram Nation should be damn proud. This one’s for Kennedy.