The feeling going into the 2023 season is that the Colorado State Rams are a much improved football team. 

Starting with Washington State on Saturday night, a squad that beat the breaks off of the Green & Gold in 2022, we’ll have an opportunity to see just how far CSU has come.

Here are the keys to victory for the Rams in Week 1. 

Protect the QB  

The trip to Wazzu was anything but a friendly homecoming for Clay Millen last season. The young quarterback was sacked seven times and it doesn’t take a genius to understand that’s not a recipe for success. 

If the Rams are going to have any chance of being the explosive offensive unit that we all envisioned when Jay Norvell came over from Nevada, keeping Millen upright this season is going to be a major key. 

He has no shortage of arm talent and the offensive weapons around him are some of the best in the Mountain West. But it’s pretty tough to stretch the field when you’re retreating for your life as soon as the ball is snapped. 

In his weekly press conference Monday afternoon, Norvell did spotlight the defensive ends as Washington State’s greatest defensive strength. So while it is encouraging that Daiyan Henley is no longer in the picture to wreak havoc at linebacker, it is a little bit unnerving going into this matchup. 

We’ll see if the starting five can hang in pass protection the same way they’ve been able to in scrimmages and various live situations over the last month. 

Establish the run and keep going forward 

Along with Millen taking a beating, another major struggle for the Rams in their last meeting against the Cougars was sustaining drives. When you finish 2 for 13 on third down and convert just one of five tries on fourth down, you’re not going to win very often. One of the ways the Rams can really improve here, though, is by establishing the run. 

“The rushing yardage was a big part of the game,” Norvell said earlier this week. “We didn’t rush the ball very well against them. I think we averaged 1.2 yards per rush, so that’s not going to get it done. You’re not going to win any games doing that.” 

The Rams are a lot deeper at running back than the last time these teams faced. Look for CSU to lean on Kobe Johnson and Avery Morrow in this one. If they can get the ground game going, it’s going to alleviate a lot of the pressure on Millen and make it easier to keep the offense on the field. 

Capitalize in the Red Zone 

It’s no secret that CSU has had one of the worst Red Zone offenses in the country over the last couple of seasons. If things are going to turn around and the Rams are going to get back to winning on a consistent basis, taking advantage of the chances in plus territory will be pertinent. That begins with Week 1.

Get in Cam Ward’s face 

Cam Ward is one of the more athletic quarterbacks in the Pac-12. He’s an elite scrambler and a player that’s proven he can do some pretty spectacular things while on the move. Keeping him contained within the pocket is definitely a point of emphasis for the CSU defense in this one. The other point of emphasis needs to be to get in his face. 

As much as you want to be mindful of Ward’s elusiveness and his ability to create something with his legs, he showed at times last season that he doesn’t always make the best decisions while dealing with pressure. Considering he doesn’t have the biggest arm in the world, I’d expect the Rams to really test him by consistently playing man and bringing a lot of pressure. 

Win the margins  

Anytime a team is trying to pull off a double-digit upset, doing the little things right is always going to be key. That means winning the turnover margin, not shooting yourself in the foot via special teams, or committing unnecessary penalties. 

CSU had twice as many flags thrown on them than Wazzu in 2022. They didn’t play particularly well on special teams. And although they didn’t technically lose the turnover battle, they didn’t come out on top either. 

Improvement in those areas very well could be the difference between winning and losing a tight game.