Colorado State struggles to score in loss

Colorado State Rams 2009 ... Head Coach: Steve Fairchild

2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 6-6
2009 Record: 3-7

9/5 Colorado W 23-17
9/12 Weber St W 24-23
9/19 Nevada W 35-20
9/26 at BYU L 42-23
10/3 at Idaho L 31-29
10/10 Utah L 24-17
10/17 at TCU L 44-6
10/24 SDSU L 42-28
10/31 Air Force  L 34-16
11/7 at UNLV L 35-16
11/14 OPEN DATE
11/21 at New Mexico
11/27 Wyoming

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 5-7
2008 Record: 7-6

8/31 Colorado L 38-17
9/6 Sacramento St W 23-20
9/13 OPEN DATE
9/20 Houston W 28-25
9/27 at California L 42-7
10/4 UNLV W 41-28
10/11 TCU L 13-7
10/18 at Utah L 49-16
10/25 at San Diego St W 38-34
11/1 BYU L 45-42
11/8 at Air Force L 38-17
11/15 New Mexico W 20-6
11/22 at Wyoming W 31-20
New Mexico Bowl
12/20 Fresno State W 40-35

Colorado State Rams

Nov. 7
at UNLV 35 … Colorado State 16
UNLV got a 28-yard touchdown run from Omar Clayton and a 13-yard touchdown pass, and Mike Clausen ran for two five-yard scores, on the way to a 28-10 lead held until late in the fourth. John Mosure ran for two scores for the Rams, but the offense failed to convert enough long drives into points.
Player of the Game: UNLV QB Omar Clayton completed 10-of-17 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown, and he ran seven times for 44 yards and a score.
Colorado State: Passing: Grant Stucker, 13-24, 127 yds
Rushing: Lou Greenwood, 13-65, Receiving: Rashaun Greer, 7-77
UNLV: Passing: Omar Clayton, 10-17, 147 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Channing Trotter, 6-45, 1 TD, Receiving: Ryan Wolfe, 4-42
What It All Means: The Rams are on a seven-game losing streak because the offense can’t score and the defense isn’t getting enough stops. The team held on to the ball for 38 minutes, but it didn’t matter as UNLV took advantage of its chances to get in range, and CSU didn’t. Now the question becomes where the team and the offense go from here. With the season over and no chance for a bowl game now, it’s time to see what Jon Eastman can do running the attack after completing 7-of-13 passes for 73 yards and a pick. As bad as the season has been, with an 0-6 conference record and a seven game losing streak, it can get a whole bunch worse if the Rams lose to a horrendous New Mexico team. 

Oct. 31
at Air Force 34 … Colorado State 16
Air Force got up 14-0 in the first quarter on a eight-yard Kyle Halderman touchdown catch and a six-yard Jared Tew run, but Colorado State fought back helped by a 13-yard Grant Stucker run. And then the Falcons took over scoring 20 straight point with Jefferson connected with Jonathan Warzeka from 24 yards out and Eric Soderberg nailing a 50-yard bomb. Air Force outgained CSU 382 yards to 267.
Player of the Game: Air Force QB Tim Jefferson completed 7-of-12 passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran 11 times for 35 yards.
Colorado State: Passing: Grant Stucker, 5-10, 49 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Leonard Mason, 19-95, Receiving: Rashaun Greer, 2-36
Air Force: Passing: Tim Jefferson, 7-12, 111 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Jared Tew, 20-87, 1 TD, Receiving: Kevin Fogler & Johnathan Warzeka, 2-41 (Warzeka scored a TD)
What It All Means: What happened to the downfield passing game? The Ram air attack has gone stagnant with Grant Stucker and Jon Eastman combining to complete just 7-of-19 passes for 49 yards with an interception, and while the running game was fine, with 180 yards and two scores, it wasn’t nearly enough to match the 271 yards of production from Air Force. On an ugly six-game losing streak, all the positives from the first three games of the season are long gone, but two of the conference lightweights, UNLV and New Mexico, are up next. There’s still time to get to six wins, but the offense has to show up in a hurry and the secondary has to be far better. 

Oct. 24
San Diego State 42 … at Colorado State 28
Ryan Lindley threw six touchdown passes including three to DeMarco Sampson from five, 33 and 38 yards away. Colorado State took a 28-21 lead in the third quarter on a 23-yard Zac Pauga catch from RB John Mosure, and then it was all San Diego State with 21 unanswered points highlighted by a 60-yard Alston Umuolo scoring grab to put the game away in the final few minutes. The Aztecs outgained the Rams 531 yards to 356.
Player of the Game: San Diego State QB Ryan Lindley completed 29-of-43 passes for 459 yards and six touchdowns and WR DeMarco Sampson caught 15 passes for 257 yards and three scores.
Colorado State: Passing: Grant Stucker, 13-27, 182 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: John Mosure, 20-130, 1 TD, Receiving: Rashaun Greer, 6-93
San Diego State: Passing: Ryan Lindley, 29-43, 459 yds, 6 TD
Rushing: Brandon Sullivan, 22-65, Receiving: DeMarco Sampson, 15-257, 3 TD
What It All Means: What happened to the defense? It wasn’t a rock over the first part of the year, but BYU and San Diego State were able to fire at will over the last few weeks. Fortunately, Air Force won’t be able to take advantage of the poor play of the Ram secondary next week, but there are more problems than just the pass defense in the five game losing streak. The run defense hasn’t been a prize, either, but after giving up 459 passing yards and six scores to the Aztecs, the pass defense will be the focus over the rest of the season. 

Oct. 17
at TCU 44 … Colorado State 6
Jeremy Kerley came up with a highlight-reel 69-yard punt return for a touchdown at the end of the first half, and Andy Dalton connected on long touchdown passes from 47 and 39 yards out in the third quarter as TCU scored 44 unanswered points in the easy win. The defense held Colorado State to just 182 yards of total offense and allowed two Ben DeLine field goals.
Player of the Game: TCU QB Andy Dalton completed 15-of-23 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran six times for 42 yards.
Colorado State: Passing: Grant Stucker, 7-15, 59 yds
Rushing: Leonard Mason, 7-42, Receiving: Dion Morton, 2-25
TCU: Passing: Andy Dalton, 15-23, 211 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Skye Dawson, 2-47, Receiving: Curtis Clay, 3-70, 1 TD 
What It All Means: CSU couldn’t keep up the pace and it couldn’t convert early drives into touchdowns. The biggest problem against TCU was the lack of defense, with the run defense getting pushed around way too much. Considering head coach Steve Fairchild wants to be more physical than everyone, this was a game that’s going to make the coaching staff nuts. The running game took a hit with Leonard Mason suffering bruised ribs, but he might not be needed to beat San Diego State.

Oct. 10
Utah 24 … at Colorado State 17
Utah scored 21 unanswered points in the second half with Eddie Wide running for a one-yard score to tie the game and catching an eight-yard pass to win it. Colorado State held a 17-3 lead helped by a 36-yard Dion Morton touchdown catch in the third, but Utah answered less than 40 seconds later on a 47-yard David Reed touchdown catch.
Player of the Game: Utah WR David Reed caught nine passes for 140 yards and a score.
Colorado State: Passing: Grant Stucker, 12-24, 184 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Leonard Mason, 24-130, 1 TD, Receiving: Dion Morton, 5-106, 1 TD
Utah: Passing: Terrance Cain, 24-32, 248 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Eddie Wide, 17-102, 1 TD, Receiving: David Reed 9-140, 1 TD
What It All Means: The Rams have to figure out how to drop the hammer. Three Grant Stucker interceptions didn’t help, and the inability to slow down the hot Ute attack in the final 20 minutes was costly, but Leonard Mason ran well and there were chances to change the momentum. Against TCU next week, the offense has to be tighter with more completions from Stucker and no turnovers. It’s going to have to be a focused, perfect effort to have a chance to halt the current losing streak, now at three games.

Oct. 3
at Idaho 31 … Colorado State 29
Lou Greenwood caught a 39-yard touchdown pass with 1:41 to pull Colorado State within two, but Shiloh Keo stopped John Mosure on the two-point attempt. CSU still had one final shot, but Keo came through again picking off a Grant Stucker pass to seal with win. The Vandals got three touchdown passes from Nathan Enderle including a 45-yarder to Eric Greenwood, but CSU kept the pressure on with four Stucker touchdown passes including a 20-yarder to Dion Morton in the second quarter. But the extra point was blocked forcing the Rams to go for two at the end.
Player of the Game: Idaho FS Shiloh Keo made 15 tackles and the game-saving interception.
Colorado State: Passing: Grant Stucker, 19-35, 297 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Leonard Mason, 18-85, Receiving: Rashaun Greer, 7-125
Idaho: Passing: Nathan Enderle, 25-38, 333 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: DeMaundray Woolridge, 15-61, 1 TD, Receiving: Eric Greenwood, 6-130, 2 TD
What It All Means: Colorado State lost a good, hard fought game against Idaho. Grant Stucker threw the ball extremely well and did what he needed to do to get the team back in the game late, but the O got away from what it would really like to do. Leonard Mason ran well, but the power running game didn’t take control at any point. While this was disappointing, it can all be forgotten in a hurry if the Rams can pull off a win against Utah. On the flip side, if CSU loses to the Utes, then it’s danger time with a trip to TCU to follow. 

Sept. 26
at BYU 42 … Colorado State 23
In a sloppy game, BYU took two interceptions and a blocked punt and converted them into short scores, with Harvey Unga running for two of his three touchdowns and Max Hall getting in from one-yard out, on the way to a 21-0 first quarter lead. Unga later ran for a two-yard score and Hall connected with Dennis Pitta for an 18-yard scoring pass, but Colorado State came fighting back with two Grant Stucker touchdown passes and a five-yard run from Leonard Mason. But the early lead was too much for the Rams to overcome even though they outgained the Cougars 438 to 373.
Player of the Game: BYU RB Harvey Unga ran 22 times for 113 yards and three touchdowns.
Colorado State: Passing: Grant Stucker, 30-50, 372 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Leonard Mason, 12-51, 1 TD, Receiving: Tyson Liggitt, 11-156, 1 TD
BYU: Passing: Max Hall, 18-29, 241 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Harvey Unga, 22-113, 3 TD, Receiving: Dennis Pitta, 5-59, 1 TD 
What It All Means: The Rams battled back and Grant Stucker did what he could to make up for early mistakes by bombing his way back into the game, but you can’t get down 21-0 at BYU and have any sort of a shot. This was a blip, but the team will have to keep its focus next week in a non-conference game against a suddenly hot Idaho team or else there could be a major mid-season slip. Utah and TCU are coming up soon, and as long as the mistakes are kept to a minimum, unlike in the first quarter this week, the Rams are showing enough talent to have a shot against both league superpowers.

Sept. 19
at Colorado State 35 … Nevada 20
John Mosure ran for a short score and Dion Morton threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Eric Peitz and caught a 49-yard scoring grab in the surprisingly easy Colorado State win. Grant Stucker threw two touchdown passes and ran for another as part of a 21-point run that gave the Rams a 35-6 lead before Nevada got back on the board with the second of two Vai Taua touchdown runs. Nevada’s vaunted ground game was held to 169 yards.
Player of the Game: Colorado State RB John Mosure ran 18 times for 99 yards and a score.
Nevada: Passing: Colin Kaepernick, 25-38, 251 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Vai Taua, 14-95, 2 TD, Receiving: Brandon Wimberly, 7-104, 1 TD
Colorado State: Passing: Grant Stucker, 10-20, 165 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: John Mosure, 18-99, 1 TD, Receiving: Rashaun Greer, 3-47
What It All Means: 3-0 is solid considering Colorado and Nevada were in the first three weeks. The team is playing extremely well forcing several turnovers helped by a good pass rush, solid special teams, and an inventive offense that’s making things happen even when things have been bogging down from time to time. The running game is playing with some power and the passing game is timely. Against BYU next week, the ground attack will have to be even better while the secondary will have to be swarming over a passing game that will provide several chances to come up with picks.

Sept. 12
at Colorado State 24 ... Weber State 23
With Weber State driving for a possible game-winning score, getting down to the 11, Guy Miller recovered a fumble with less than a minute to play to preserve the Colorado State win. The Rams held a 17-6 lead in the first half helped by a 40-yard Grant Stucker catch on a trick play and a Tim Walter fumble recovery in the end zone, but Weber State roared back with two Cody Nakamura touchdown catches in the final five minutes of the first half. A Stucker two-yard touchdown pass to Eric Peitz turned into the game-winner midway through the fourth.
Player of the Game: Colorado State WR Rashaun Green caught six passes for 162 yards
Weber State: Passing: Cameron Higggins, 29-47, 258 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Trevyn Smith, 28-73, 1 TD, Receiving: Cody Nakamura, 10-75, 2 TD
Colorado State: Passing: Grant Stucker, 10-23, 203, yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Leonard Mason, 16-66, Receiving: Rashaun Greer, 6-162
What It All Means: Since beating Colorado doesn't appear to be that big a deal anymore, the Rams could use a good win just to prove that it can really play. 2-0 is 2-0, even if it was an ugly game against Weber State going 0-for-8 on third downs and with just 63 rushing yards. The big problem was hanging on to the ball, holding on to it for just 21:56, and with Nevada and its rested running game coming up, time of possession could be a problem.

Sept. 6
Colorado State 23 ... at Colorado 17
Colorado State controlled the game from the start with the passing of Grant Stucker and the running of John Mosure helping pave the way to a 17-0 lead and a 20-3 advantage going into halftime. Colorado tried to come back with a nine-yard Brian Lockridge touchdown run in the third quarter and pulled within six with less than two minutes to play with a two-yard Scotty McKnight scoring grab, but CSU got the onside kick and ran out the clock. CSU outgained Colorado 376 yards to 251.
Player of the Game: Colorado State QB Grant Stucker completed 10-of-17 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions.
Colorado: Passing: Cody Hawkins, 24-40, 222 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Rodney Stewart, 6-38, Receiving: Riar Geer, 6-65
Colorado State: Passing: Grant Stucker, 10-17, 208 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Leonard Mason, 23-107, Receiving: John Mosure, 3-38, 1 TD
What It All Means: Colorado State had the type of game that head coach Steve Fairchild had dreamed of when he first took over. He wanted a more physical running game, and he got it with a tough 168-yard day from his offense. He wanted more of a pass rush, after doing nothing last year, and his D came up with almost as many sacks in one game as it had last year. He also wanted a consistent passer, and Grant Stucker, the last second choice, provided it with a good deep arm and good poise. This was a statement game: consider CSU a player in the Mountain West race.