Mike Bobo: It was good to see us respond

Riders on the storm.

Or, runners from the storm. On Thursday afternoon, the Rams took refuge inside their Indoor Practice Facility as dark clouds moved in and set off the lightning alarms. That move, it turns out, reinvigorated Mike Bobo’s football team, as he said they got a burst of energy from going inside.

Overall, he was pleased with the way the team responded the last two days, following that Tuesday practice which left Bobo disappointed in Colorado State’s intensity.

“Yesterday was a good day. It was our first day of two-a-days, I thought we practiced very hard, we got better,” the head coach said of Wednesday’s practices. “They were good both sides of the ball. Thought the defense started slow last night but we got in the third down drill, the one-minute drill and they did an outstanding job of bowing their neck and stopping the offense. So, that was good to see.

“Coach Summers’ message to the defense was ‘We’re going to have bad play, a bad quarter maybe. We can’t have a bad game and basically, we can’t have a bad practice,” Bobo continued.

“I think we’re learning everything’s not going to be perfect all the time, we’ve just got to keep practicing and make sure that we’re trying to get better throughout the practice,” he said. “So, it was good to see us respond. Today was a good day. But you could tell it was after a two-a-day. You could see there was some soreness. We were moving a little slower at the start. I think coming inside probably helped and rejuvenated us.”

Special Teams:

Bobo said he’s told first-teamers to expect to play on special teams, and while not every starter will play special teams, many will.

“Coach Summers and Coach Friend have told the offense and defense, ‘Don’t think if you’re a starter you don’t have to play special teams,’” Bobo said. “Everybody’s got to play special teams. We’re going to put our best players on the field and guys that are going to make a difference.”

Running back blocking:

On Tuesday, Brett Smaller asked whether or not the Rams running backs have what it takes to block in the passing game.

Over the last few practices, the backs have been blocking quite well, actually. Even despite Dalyn Dawkins and Treyous Jarells smaller size.

As you can see in the videos and photos, all three backs do well in this blocking drill. First, it’s Dawkins, staying in front of the defender but he was hesitant to create contact, losing at the point of attack. Jarrells doesn’t wait, he pops linebacker Josh Watson with a furious force. Then, there’s Jasen Oden Jr., pushing Deonte Clyburn to the ground. In the photos, we see Oden getting physical with linebacker Evan Colorito and protecting the quarterback.

SteveO Michael back:

After five days off due to a personal matter, senior linebacker SteveO Michael returned to practice Thursday.

“There’s no question when you miss five days, it hurts,” Bobo explained. “Especially when it’s through the whole install. But he’s a senior. He’s going to be given his opportunity to show what he can do.” Coach even said the rest may help Michael.

Here’s a pic Brett snapped of him today:

Watch the entire post-practice interview with Mike Bobo here: