Jay Norvell gives update on QB situation for Colorado State — how Clay Millen can benefit from missed time

Clay Millen is still dealing with a shoulder injury and is expected to miss another week. 

During his weekly press conference on Monday afternoon, head coach Jay Norvell said that the hope is for the Rams to have their starting quarterback back for the Hawaii game. Unfortunately though, it’s looking like the sprained AC Joint that Millen suffered against Sacramento State will cause him to miss at least four more quarters. 

Adding to Colorado State’s bad luck, Norvell also said that Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi got banged up in the win over the Wolf Pack, leaving even more questions about the position. Norvell did not say how serious the true freshman’s injury is, however, he did say there is a good chance that we see multiple quarterbacks play in the Homecoming game against Utah State on Saturday and that the team is preparing Giles Pooler and Jackson Stratton to play. 

“We’re probably going to play a couple of quarterbacks this week,” Norvell said. “So we’re getting both those guys ready to play.”

While it’s a bit of an odd situation for the Green & Gold, who very likely will be starting their third different quarterback of 2022 this weekend, Norvell is not freaking out about the situation. He’s said on a couple of different occasions that the staff thought this might be a season in which multiple guys get to see the field at some point. So ultimately this is just going to have to be another obstacle for this young team to try and overcome. 

As Norvell sees it, CSU showed on Friday that their best recipe for success is playing great defense and being advantageous on offense. If the Rams can run the ball for 5.4 yards per carry like they did against the Wolf Pack, control possession and play field position, while eliminating some of the things that held the Rams back like penalties and untimely turnovers, there’s going to be a good chance for success. 

Norvell pointed out that the Rams were really driving with an opportunity to step on the UNR’s throat before Avery Morrow’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalty killed their momentum. The same goes for his fumble, which came after ripping off multiple runs of 10+ yards. Those are just a few examples of drives that were killed by CSU’s own miscues — there were plenty of others — but if CSU scores touchdowns on even a few of those drives, the Rams win by multiple scores and Nevada isn’t even in the ball game. 

It’s the little things that ultimately can help the Rams have more success this season than they did in the non-conference slate. Ultimately though, no matter which young quarterback is under center, the hope is to just continue to grow together.

“We’ve got a lot of freshmen starting on offense right now,” Norvell said. “They’re learning. And we’re trying to build off of that. We’ve got to eliminate the penalties. The penalties absolutely killed us this last game. If we split our penalties in half, that game is not even close.” 

Seeing the game differently

Just because Millen is unable to suit up and run the offense right now, does not mean that these are wasted weeks for the former four-star recruit.

Norvell said that Millen was extremely involved with the coaches during the game and talking things through with them on the sidelines. Then after the game, the coaches rewatched the matchup with Millen to break everything down and get another chance to see everything. 

All things considered, Millen was playing pretty well behind some struggling offensive line combinations in the first month. Getting to see everything from the sideline allows you to get a different perspective on the game though. And while there is no substitute for live reps, sometimes it can be beneficial for a younger QB to gain experience, then take a step back, before ultimately going back in with an even better understanding of what the offense is trying to accomplish.

The offensive line has fortunately played better in pass protection situations in the six quarters since Millen was injured against the Hornets. The Rams finally were able to get something established in the run game too. If CSU can build on some of these things in the coming weeks, there is a chance that Millen comes back to an offense around him that is much more functional than what we’ve seen at any point this fall. 

“I think he could see the pieces of the puzzle coming together. You know, we’ve got to keep bringing the young receivers around and getting the tight ends involved. But we’ve got some pieces that we can build on.

“When Clay got hurt, he was throwing for the highest percentage in the league,” Norvell continued. “We had some passing success with Clay in there. And so we really need him back… We’re hoping to get him back for the Hawaii game, but I think that he’ll be better for this.”

Business decisions

Finally, regardless of who is playing QB for his team, Norvell wants to see the quarterbacks start thinking long-term with their decision making. 

“It’s a long season. A lot of the decisions that the quarterbacks makes, he’s got to make for the long haul, not just for one play,” Norvell said. “I think (Clay) will understand the value of throwing the ball away a little bit better when he comes back.”

While he appreciates their competitiveness, two of the three sacks that CSU has allowed over the past two games have been the result of holding on to the ball too long. There have been plenty of other unnecessary hits taken by the young gunslingers over the opening month as well. 

Norvell emphasized that while most quarterbacks may be able to run around and improvise in high school, at the collegiate level the guys on defense are simply far too athletic for you to get away with it consistently. It’s something that he has been drilling home to his group of young quarterbacks.

“We’ve gotten caught in the last few weeks with our guys thinking that they’re athletic and they’re faster than they are,” Norvell said. “I had to tell them you’re not that that fast, so throw the ball away. They’re just lessons that until they experience them, it really doesn’t matter what you say to them. And unfortunately, sometimes bad things have to happen to a kid before he learns. But they will learn.”