Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Five things to watch

With Colorado State’s fourth consecutive bowl game less than 24 hours away, it’s time to dive into the five keys for the green and gold.

1. Will the Rams’ offense continue to light up the scoreboard?

In their last five games, CSU put up an average of 40 points, including a head-turning 63 at San Diego State. Keep in mind that 32 days will have passed from the time the Rams beat the Aztecs to the time of kickoff at Albertson’s Stadium. There will likely be some rust, but Nick Stevens and Michael Gallup will look to exploit a Vandals’ secondary that comes in toward the bottom of the FBS in pass defense.

2. Can Stevens continue his turnover-free play?

The junior quarterback threw 14 touchdowns and just one interception in the seven games he started after Collin Hill went down with an ACL injury. Bobo gushed over Stevens’ confidence throughout the second half of the season. But can the Rams’ quarterback avoid turning it over against an Idaho defense that features two players with five interceptions?

3. How well can the CSU defense control Matt Linehan?

CSU’s last three opponents featured run-heavy offenses in Air Force, New Mexico and San Diego State. It will be an adjustment to deal with a Vandals’ offense led by veteran Matt Linehan. The Idaho quarterback flirted with a 3,000-yard season and loves to let his big tight ends make plays down the field. This will definitely be a challenge for the Rams’ secondary.

4. Will the Rams stay disciplined from start to finish?

Due to financial reasons, Idaho will be dropping down to FCS starting next season. So this is easily the most important game for the Vandals in the foreseeable future. Paul Petrino will likely pull out all the stops in order to win, whether that means gadget plays, exotic defensive looks or fakes on special teams. CSU will clearly have the more talented and physical players on the field Thursday night, but can they play assignment football and avoid costly penalties?

5. Does the kicking game become a factor at all?

Idaho likely has the advantage when it comes to field goal kickers. Austin Rehkow converted on all 35 of his extra point attempts and finished close to 90 percent on field goals. Wyatt Bryan, on the other hand, had his troubles. The CSU kicker missed two of his extra point tries and made 11 out of 14 field goal tries (79 percent).

Coverage Info:

Kickoff from Albertson’s Stadium is slated for 5 p.m. on ESPN.