Colorado State's leaders on offense remain focused on contending for a Mountain West Championship

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — When the time comes for Colorado State football to return to the field, starting quarterback Patrick O’Brien and superstar wide receiver Warren Jackson will be ready.

In a virtual conference call with the local media on Wednesday, a confident O’Brien said that he has been training three days per week in California with some friends that play for the University of Arizona. As O’Brien explained, the group works out with a performance trainer and has access to the weights needed to stay ready for football season.

“I’ve been lifting pretty hard in that type of way — just trying to stay in shape and throwing as much as possible,” O’Brien said.

“Whatever you can do to stay healthy and not catch the virus but also stay in shape, is the mentality that I have right now. I think I’ve been doing a pretty good job at it.”

Jackson, on the other hand, has been training right here in Fort Collins with some of his teammates, and according to him the results have been great. When asked how long it would take for the Rams to be game ready for the 2020 season, Jackson said he believes they could play right now.

“If we had to play tomorrow, I think we could do it,” Jackson said.

“Just stay ready. I’m preaching that to a lot of the guys in my (position) room. I’m supposed to be a leader. I’m supposed to take people with me along the way. So we work out every day, we lift weights, we run routes and we do everything right. We go over the playbook.  I’m confident that these guys are ready right now.” 

O’Brien was not quite as bold, telling reporters that with a few weeks of practice, he thinks that he and the receivers would be able to work through any rust that may be caused by the current situation. Even if O’Brien was a little more realistic with his statement, though, he still made it clear that he is very confident in the rapport he has already established with guys like Jackson, Nate Craig-Myers, E.J. Scott and Dante Wright.

“I don’t know if that would be too big of an issue,” O’Brien said in response to a question about whether the current situation could impact the timing he has previously established with his receivers. “We already all understand how we work amongst each other.”

Jackson matched O’Brien’s confidence, stating that he is not really worried about potential chemistry issues either. The senior wideout explained that O’Brien will be back in town soon, which still gives them months to work together and shake off any dust that that may have settled. In his mind, they still have more than enough time to work things out.

“I’m confident that once he gets back, we’ll be able to get back to what we’ve been able to do,” Jackson said. 

“I think just coming from the spring and building off of what we had in the season — he had over 1,000 yards receiving and I threw for almost 3,000 yards — so I think me and him as a combo can really make a splash this season,” O’Brien said of his relationship with Jackson. 

“He knows what I want him to do and he expects me to put the ball in certain spots so I think there’s a good connection between the both of us.”

Despite not being able to throw with his teammates over the last couple of months, the projected starter under center has continued to stay connected, especially with his No. 1 wide receiver. In fact, Jackson even said that he and O’Brien talk about four times per week.

“It’s not always about football,” Jackson said. “It’s just, ya know, seeing how you’re doing and how’s the family? How’s the friends? Just trying to make sure he’s safe because obviously during this time it’s difficult for everybody. So I just don’t want to make it all about football. I want to check in on him, and make sure he’s doing fine, and all of his loved ones too.”

Ram fans obviously hope to see their favorite dynamic duo working together in person soon. If their relationship off the field is any in indication of how well they will mesh together on the gridiron this fall, though, the seniors could be in for a monster season.

“I want to win a Mountain West Championship with this team and I think we can do it,” Jackson said. “We have the coaches, we have the strength staff, (and) we have everybody in line to do it — so that’s something that I see us doing.”