Homecoming takeaways: CSU falls to SDSU, extends losing streak to FBS opponents to double digits

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — The struggle continues.

Colorado State football (1-5, 0-2) has been competitive in just about every game this season but the Rams simply cannot find a way to get the job done. After losing to Utah State in the league opener, CSU fell to San Diego State at Canvas Stadium Saturday night. The 24-10 loss to the Aztecs extends CSU’s losing streak against FBS opponents to nine games.

Here are three takeaways from the double-digit loss to SDSU (4-1, 1-1).

Rocky Long wins Round 3

All throughout the week leading up to Saturday night’s matchup, Mike Bobo was extremely complimentary of Rocky Long. On multiple occasions, Bobo credited Long’s ability to keep things fresh on defense and really confuse opposing offenses with a wide variety of schemes.

Saturday night, it was easy to see why Bobo was so worried about Long’s defense. The longtime head coach of the Aztecs seemingly had an answer for anything and everything that the Rams tried to run on offense.

In the first half, SDSU held CSU to just 142 total yards of offense and even that’s somewhat misleading because 95 of those came on a drive that ended at the one-yard line after the Rams were stuffed on three consecutive run plays.

Things didn’t go any smoother for CSU in the second half. The Rams turned the football over on five different possessions, including three interceptions, one fumble and one turnover on downs.

In total, CSU finished with just 228 yards of offense in the loss. The Rams were 4-of-12 on third down and 0-of-2 on fourth down.

Red zone woes bite the Rams in the butt

Over the last month, CSU has really struggled to finish drives in the end zone and that continued against the Aztecs.

On two different occasions in the first half, the Rams drove 50+ yards, only to stall out in plus territory. With how tight the game ended up being, the failure to cap off successful drives with touchdowns really costed the Rams in this one.

On CSU’s first scoring drive, the Rams went 52 yards in seven plays before Cayden Camper was able to make a 37-yard field goal. All things considered, the drive was technically a success as it allowed CSU to tie the game at 3-3.

However, when also factoring in Dante Wright’s 57-yard reception, the end result didn’t exactly inspire confidence. Directly following Wright’s monster play, CSU rushed the football for no gain and then lost five yards on a false start. The Rams were able to get those five yards back with a draw play on second down but an incompletion on third down meant that CSU had to settle for three.

Later in the second quarter, CSU put together an impressive 17-play drive that lasted 7:36 in length. Unfortunately, the series ended at the one-yard line because after allowing the Rams to go 95 yards down the field, Long’s defense refused to give another inch and forced a turnover on downs. Instead of tying the game at 10 apiece right before the break, CSU carried a seven point deficit into the second half, and things only got worse for the offense from there.

No Hill, no chance

Patrick O’Brien is not responsible for CSU’s poor season. The unfortunate truth is that CSU’s goals essentially went out the window when Collin Hill tore his ACL at Arkansas — so pinning this loss or any of the others on O’Brien would not be fair.

That being said, it’s extremely clear that the offense has not been the same since Hill went down and something needs to change. O’Brien has looked uncomfortable in the pocket and the transfer quarterback from Nebraska has been wildly inconsistent with his accuracy. The biggest concern, though, has been CSU’s inability to put points on the board.

In defense of the staff, it’s not like they have any better options at quarterback. In the two drives that Justice McCoy ran the offense, the Rams totaled two plays and two interceptions. Not to mention that Marvin Kinsey’s fumbles in the backfield have been problematic and the other running backs have failed to step up. But at this point, Bobo needs to find a way to shape the offense to the skills of his players.

The current status quo hasn’t been getting the job done — it’s time to try something else.

Final Stats:

CSU: 236 total yards (217 passing | 19 rushing)

SDSU: 238 total yards (147 passing | 91 rushing)

QB Patrick O’Brien: 19-of-29 for 217 yards, one touchdown, one interception.

QB: Justice McCoy: 0-of-2 for 0 yards, two interceptions.

WR: Dante Wright: 7 receptions for 80 yards.

WR: Nate Craig-Myers: 3 receptions for 68 yards, one touchdown.

Safety: Jamal Hicks: 15 total tackles (8 solo).