FORT COLLINS, Colo. — The Colorado State Rams (1-1) snapped a six-game losing streak on Saturday, handily defeating Western Illinois (0-2) at Canvas Stadium. The 38-13 beatdown of the Leathernecks is CSU’s first win since October 13, 2o18.
In the win over the FCS squad, CSU dominated from start to finish. The Rams scored on the fist offensive snap of the game and never looked back. When the handlers fired off ‘Comatose’ for the final time, CSU had 300+ more total yards, nearly twice as many first downs and a significantly better conversion rate on third down.
Here are four takeaways from the Week 2 victory.
Speed kills
If you haven’t heard the name Dante Wright, it’s time to get familiar with the true freshman. For a second consecutive week, the 5-foot-10, 165-pound, wide receiver out of Navarre High School (Florida) kicked off the scoring for the Rams by hauling in a massive touchdown reception.
Against Colorado in Week 1, Wright caught a 39-yard touchdown in the first quarter before later rushing for a 41-yard score as well.
On Saturday, Wright got the party started with a 75-yard touchdown reception on the first offensive snap of the game. The speedy wideout simply ran a seem route down the middle of the field and quarterback Collin Hill was able to hit Wright in stride to complete the scoring play. Later in the third quarter, Wright rushed for a 33-yard touchdown, torching the WIU defensive back in the process.
It’s clear that Wright has game-changing speed and the coaches have a done a nice job of getting the ball in his hands in a variety of ways. With wheels like his, Wright has a chance to be one of the more productive players in the Mountain West — look for the Rams to use him in many different packages this season.
Along with Wright, senior running back Marvin Kinsey also had the opportunity to show off his speed in the game. On his first touch of the game, Kinsey took a swing pass 77 yards to the house, out-running the entire Western Illinois secondary in the process. On his second catch, Kinsey basically ran the exact same route that he scored on earlier, taking a swing pass 14 yards for his second touchdown.
Earlier in the week, Bobo talked about how Kinsey’s talent has never been in question but the veteran needs to prove be a reliable running back. If No. 5 continues to produce like he has in the first two games while avoiding the costly mistakes that have plagued him throughout his career, the staff will have no choice but to continue to feed him the ball.
Pressure point
The defensive line can be a real strength for this team and they proved why in Saturday’s victory.
All throughout the game, the d-line was able to create pressure and force WIU quarterback Connor Sampson to exit the pocket early or get rid of the football. While it would have been nice to see that pressure lead to more turnovers, the constant pressure was enough to never allow the Leathernecks to get in a rhythm on offense.
What’s more, the pressure was not just coming from one single source — everyone got in the mix. Toby McBride was able to get to the quarterback on two different occasions, Ellison Hubbard recorded 2.5 sacks and Jan-Phillip Bombek had 1.5 sacks too. In total, the Rams recorded seven sacks in the game.
Not only did CSU do a nice job of creating defensive pressure, but offensively, the Rams were able to limit Western Illinois’ pressure as well. For a second consecutive week, the big uglies provided a clean pocket for their quarterback, allowing Collin Hill to sit back and progress through his reads. As a result, the offensive was able to get in a rhythm early and CSU was able to control the time of possession.
Party on, Collin Hill
In the Week 1 loss to Colorado, we wrote that the Rams will live and die on Collin Hill. Terrible puns aside, the statement remains true. In the blowout win, Hill was phenomenal — the redshirt junior completed 25-of-32 for 367 yards, tossed four touchdowns and most importantly, had zero turnovers.
When the line gives Hill time, he can conduct the offense like a maestro conducts a symphony, and on Saturday afternoon, the Ram faithful were lucky to witness a masterpiece.
Finally healthy, it’s good to see Hill executing the offense at such a high level just two weeks into the regular season.
Too many turnovers
The offense was humming on Saturday afternoon but for a second consecutive week, the Rams put the ball on the ground way too frequently.
In total, CSU fumbled three times in the first half alone — four if you count the one that ended up being overturned. Technically, only two of the fumbles resulted in turnovers but nonetheless, the lack of ball security was certainly concerning.
As it currently stands, CSU has a turnover margin of 1-6 for the 2019 season. Look for the coaches to emphasize this in practice over the next week as the Rams begin preparing for Arkansas in Week 3.
