Colorado State’s mindset entering Friday night’s matchup with Nevada was that the conference slate can provide a new beginning for the Rams.
After not winning a game for close to a calendar year and carrying the nation’s longest losing streak into the Mountain West opener, a young CSU (1-4, 1-0) team could have very easily crumbled under the pressure of playing in a hostile environment.
Instead the Rams did exactly what they hoped to do. CSU went out on the road and started the league portion of the schedule with a crucial 17-14 victory over Nevada (1-4, 0-2).
It was not the prettiest win we’ve ever seen. The Rams used a pair of defensive touchdowns to jump out to an early two-score lead (14-0), but did not produce any points with an offensive drive until Michael Boyle made a 43-yard walk-off field goal.
On a night where the Green & Gold were road underdogs though, with a true freshman quarterback under center, CSU managed to do just enough to steal a gritty upset in enemy territory.
Here are the takeaways from the win.
CSU secondary stepped up in a major way
Making his first start at nickel, Ayden Hector put on a show for Ram Nation in this one. The redshirt sophomore defensive back tied for the team lead with eight total tackles, he recorded multiple hits on Nevada QB Nate Cox, and Hector jumped a route in the first quarter for a 21-yard pick-six.
It makes sense that Hector started the year a little slower than some of the other defensive backs on the roster after getting to campus later than most of the other players on the team over the summer. Seeing him step up in a major way was extremely encouraging though, particularly with the Rams losing a couple of veteran defensive backs to the transfer portal in recent weeks. CSU needs more nights like this one from Hector as we advance through conference play.
Alongside Hector in the secondary, Henry Blackburn was a man on a mission, finishing with eight tackles and a crucial breakup on 3rd down late in the second half. Paired with Jack Howell, the future looks incredibly bright for the back end of CSU’s defense if we can get some games where everyone is healthy and on the field at the same time.
Defensive line dominated
With a pair of veteran running backs to lead the offense, Nevada’s goal is to run the ball down your throat. At just 2.9 yards per carry, CSU’s defensive line did a stellar job of keeping Toa Taua and Devonte Lee under control.
The physical backs made some plays here and there, and obviously both of the Wolf Pack’s touchdowns came on the ground, but the defensive line and linebackers deserve a ton of praise for constantly making Nevada work for every yard. It wasn’t a situation where they were ripping off long plays against the Rams. And by forcing the Wolf Pack to have to drive the length of the field all night, CSU’s active pass rush was able to offset much of the progress Nevada made.
The final numbers don’t necessarily demonstrate exactly how impressive the front seven was, as the Rams recorded just two sacks in the win. Nate Cox was under pressure from the very first snap though, hitting the turf on at least eight pass attempts where he was able to get the ball off late. There were a bunch of other plays where he just had to throw the ball away after being chased out of the pocket as well.
All things considered this was one of the more impressive defensive showings we’ve seen from CSU in the last decade. Shoot, we even got a 52-yard scoop and score from redshirt freshman defensive lineman Mukendi Wa-Kalonji.
Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi struggles to find rhythm
Fortunately the defense was absolutely dominant in this one because the passing offense was essentially non-existent. Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, who got the start in place of an injured Clay Millen, finished 11-of-22 for 78 yards with a pair of interceptions.
While it was a rough night for the up-and-coming gunslinger overall, he did make a few plays late to help set the Rams up for the game-winning field goal attempt.
It will be interesting to see who gets the start against Utah State on Homecoming next week. If Millen is healthy enough to go, I’d have to guess it would be him.
Avery Morrow came alive
The biggest bright spot for the offense on Friday was definitely Avery Morrow exploding for a career-high 169 rushing yards in his return to Reno, NV.
The junior running back was primarily a backup during his 19 career games with the Wolf Pack and had a modest start in the first four games, but he looked like an all-conference candidate against Nevada.
Morrow displayed excellent vision, allowing the blocks to develop before exploding through holes. His physicality was noteworthy too, as it typically took multiple UNR defenders to bring him down.
The only thing you can really knock Morrow for was that he did have a fumble in the second half. With an average of 7.0 yards per carry on his 24 attempts, it was definitely a solid showing from the Nevada transfer though.
It would be absolutely massive if the Rams could build upon what they established with the ground game on Friday. A young quarterback’s best friend is always going to be a consistent rushing attack — even more so when you’ve had struggles like CSU has in pass protection.
CSU settled it on the field
In the weeks leading up to this game, Nevada head coach Ken Wilson made a lot of noise about how he felt Jay Norvell disrespected the program on his way out.
Jay Norvell took the high road and chose not to comment publicly in response to Wilson’s shade, however, in the moments leading up to the game there appeared to be a heated exchange between the two head coaches.
Clearly throughout the game there was a ton of emotion on both sides and that impacted some poor decisions made by players at various points. Ultimately though, Norvell and the Rams did their talking by going into Nevada and coming away with the ‘W’.
Maybe the Wolf Pack should have been a little more focused on slowing down CSU’s pass rush and a little less worried about taking shots at the people that made their program relevant in the first place.
