Four takeaways from an up-and-down game at Arkansas

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — For a second consecutive year, Colorado State football gave the Arkansas Razorbacks all they could handle.

Heading into the third quarter, the game was tied (34-34) but after losing Collin Hill on an incredibly questionable hit in the third quarter, the Rams were at a severe disadvantage in the fourth quarter.

In the end, Arkansas was able to move to 2-1 on the year with a 55-34 victory over CSU. The Rams are 1-2 and will look to get to .500 against Toledo next week.

Here are the takeaways from Saturday’s game.

Rams continue to strike early

In all three games so far this season, CSU has been able to find the end zone on their first offensive series. What’s been particularly impressive about the scoring drives has been the way that the Rams have attacked their opponents, though.

Against Colorado in Week 1, quarterback Collin Hill was able to connect with wide receiver Dante Wright for a 39-yard touchdown on the sixth play of the season. The duo followed it up by scoring on the first play against Western Illinois — Hill hit Wright on a post and the speedy freshman took it 75 yards to the house.

On Saturday, the Rams switched things up and senior running back Marvin Kinsey broke free for a 75-yard touchdown run on just the second play of the game.

The way the offense has looked in the opening possessions is a testament to Mike Bobo’s game plan. The first drive of the game is traditionally scripted or at least close to it. Three weeks into the 2019 season, it’s evident that Bobo has a firm understanding of the strengths of his unit and he’s doing a solid job of playing to them.

The problem of course has been that while the offense has looked stellar in the first quarter, in three games, the defense has not been able to force a three-and-out on their first series of the game.

The Marvin Kinsey experience

Marvin Kinsey is a stud in the open field — in a one-on-situation there might not be anyone better on the team.

On the second play of the game, Marvin Kinsey was able break through the first line of defenders and use his speed to take the rock 75 yards to the house. In the first half alone, Kinsey rushed for 148 yards on 13.5 yards per carry.

However, Kinsey also was stripped on the first play of the second quarter, resulting in his second lost fumble this season. In the fourth quarter, Kinsey would lose his third fumble on a play that ended in with a defensive defensive touchdown for Arkansas.

Along with disciplinary issues, ball security has been an issue throughout Kinsey’s career. It’s obvious that the talent is there but if he continues to put the ball on the ground, it’s going to be tough to keep him on the field. After the loss to Colorado, Bobo had high praise for Kinsey’s efforts but was honest about how he needs to step up.

“He’s got something to prove to his team — that he can be a dependable guy,” Bobo said.

“The talent is there, it’s always been about being dependable — that’s still up to Marvin. We can’t lay the ball on the ground — if we lay the ball on the ground, you’re going to be standing next to me on the sidelines.”

If Kinsey can eliminate the fumbles, the senior running back could be in for a monster year. Through three games, Kinsey leads the team in rushing and even with the turnovers, the veteran really did have a strong game with a career-high 181 total rush yards against the Hogs.

But at some point, the mistakes will be too much too overlook. Nothing kills a team’s momentum like turnovers and an average of one fumble per game is not something the staff will be comfortable with.

“Turnovers lose games and I had two of them so I put that on me,” Kinsey said on the team’s postgame radio broadcast.

Not good enough

The defense dominated an FCS opponent in Week 2 but the Rams really struggled on the defensive side for much of the game on Saturday.

Much like the 2018 game, Arkansas ran the football down CSU’s throat — the running back duo of Rakeem Boyd (122 yards ) and Devwah Whaley (81 yards) gave the CSU defense fits all game. And CSU didn’t really have an answer for Nick Starkel in the passing game either.

Making his first career start, the Texas A&M transfer converted on a variety of big throws downfield and appeared to be comfortable in his new role. In all, Starkel completed 20-of-35 attempts for 305 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Although the defense did improve in the second half, the unit as a whole must improve moving forward. The Rams are getting torched for big plays way too frequently and it’s a big reason why CSU has lost two-of-three.

“Just too many big plays defensively,” Bobo said on the team’s postgame radio broadcast.

Patrick O’Brien underwhelms in relief of Collin Hill

The biggest takeaway from the game is that CSU may be without their leader moving forward. After losing Hill in the third, CSU was able to momentarily rally and find a way to keep the game competitive. Patrick O’Brien, after seeing brief action against WIU, came in and was able to make a big play.

On his second series, O’Brien was able to buy time his legs before hitting Dante Wright on the sidelines — No. 22 did the rest, keeping his feet inbounds and then out-running the entire Arkansas defense for a 75-yard score. The touchdown tied the game at 34 apiece and was a huge momentum swing after the offense lost their leader.

Unfortunately, reality settled in during the fourth quarter and the Razorbacks were able to tee off on O’Brien, who looked overwhelmed in a tough spot.

With all due respect to the Nebraska transfer and all the other quarterbacks on the roster, none come close to Hill. The veteran is not just a superior arm talent, he’s the heart of the offense.

If his injury is serious, CSU will be in big trouble.