New Mexico Bowl Recap

40 35

What a game this was, and if you liked offense then this was the game for you.  As expected the running backs dominated the offense.  Gattrell Johnson III from Colorado State was named the games MVP because of this stat line:  27 carries, 285 yards, 2 touchdowns plus he caught 5 passes for 90 yards for a total of 375 of total offense.  On the Fresno State side they had two backs over 100 yards wit Anthony Harding who had 2 scores and 120 yards, and then Lonyae Miler also had two scores plus 113 yards.

Fresno was the team that got off to the fast start by scoring their first score within four minutes, and then the Rams countered with a similar drive and scored very quickly.  The game went back and forth through the first three quarters, but it was the fourth quarter that separated the two teams.  The Rams down 28-20 going into the fourth quarter and scored 20 unanswered points to put the game out of reach.

The rushing game gave up big yards per play, but the Rams nearly averaged a first down per play with 9.6 yards per rush attempt.  Fresno was no slouch as they were able to rush for 6.4 per rush.

The difference in this game was that Colorado State quarterback Bill Farris played an exceptional game going 17 for 29 with 257 yards along with one score and pick.   The passing game for the Rams yielded 15.11 yards per catch with 5 catches that went 69, 57, 22, 21, and 19 yards.  Farris was also able to spread the ball around to eight different receivers, as well.   The success in the rushing game was no surprise for the Rams, because running up the middle was Fresno’s achilles, but they supposedly had great defensive speed and the Rams were able to still swing the ball to every part of the field.

Fresno State on the other hand was unable to beat the Colorado State secondary in the passing game.  The Rams were well prepared after playing in the Mountain West where four of the teams pass the ball around and spread the field in their offense.  That was the real difference because Colorado State was able to pass when they needed to and had big catches by Rashaun Greer who only had one catch but it was a 69 yard touchdown, and then super tight end Kory Sperry caught a 22 yard touchdown reception while being double teamed in the corner of the endzone.

The 77 yard rushing touchdown by Gattrell Johnson with 1:46 remaining, and this was the Rams first bowl win in seven years, and this was the first bowl win by a first year head coach at Colorado State.  The Rams look to be in safe hands in the future after turning the program over from legend Sunny Lubbick to current head coach Steve Fairchild.

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Week 8 Mountain West Football Preview

(3-3) #13 (7-0)

Rice Eccles Stadium 12PM MT TV: Radio: KCOL 600 or KALL 700 Sports

With the BYU loss Utah has a little more added pressure to defeat Colorado State, and an outside shot of being in the top 10 in the polls. The big question again is if the Utes can put together a complete game, well more importantly on offense.

Also, a side note is that now that BYU lost the University of Utah has the nations longest winning streak at 8 games starting back to last year when Utah defeat Navy in the Poinsettia Bowl.

There has been some grumblings from Darrell Mack about not being entirely happy with his role, this is coming from the Salt Lake Tribune:

Asked this week about Utah’s lack of running productivity against Wyoming, in which he rushed a season-low six times for 15 yards and Asiata rushed 11 times for 37 yards, Mack said he didn’t know why that was.”I don’t really care either, ” he said. “I don’t care.”Mack didn’t specify what he didn’t care about and continued to be vague. Asked if he was frustrated, Mack said, “I just come to practice every day, I don’t even know. I have nothing to say.”

He is being vague, but six carries would be frustrating for any back. Hopefully this is not a distraction for the team. In my opinion the Utes need to use Matt Asiata more then Mack and move away from the fifty-fifty split and perhaps toward a sixty-five to thirty-five split, but what do I know I just watch games and it seems that Asiata is the better back.

Play calling has come into question towards offensive coordinator Andy Ludwing, because the Ute staff keeps saying they want play makers so they bring in third back Eddie Wide who is a speed guy, however the Utes all ready have Brent Casteel as a speed guy and not utilizing him too well especially in the deep passing game.

Reasons that Utah has not being pursuing the vertical passing game is because of Brian Johnson’s arm strength, but they have not tried too much either. Against this Rams team Utah will need to put up points early and often to try to bury the Rams.

While Colorado State has a good running game in Gattrell Johnson III and Kyle Bell, ultimately their inexperience with Billy Farris does not have the skill set to lead the Rams back if they get behind early. Wide out Reshaun Greer and tight end Kory Sperry are who the Utes need to key on in the passing game and the way Sean Smith and others have been playing Utah should be able have success in slowing down the passing attack.

Defensive lineman Paul Kruger should be able to bring his usual pressure and increase on his 5.5 sacks on the year, because Utah should bring pressure and blitz five to six players a lot and force the young quarterback in mistakes.

Utah should not take the Rams lightly, because last week they played a close 13-7 loss to TCU who as we know played amazing Thursday night in their win over BYU. The Rams will be successful if the running game takes of and then Farris can limit turnovers and make a play here and there.

Here is Colorado State’s play by play announcer Kevin McGlue talking about Saturdays game.

Final Score: Utah 37 Colorado State 17

(1-5) (3-4)

University Stadium 4PM MT TV: Radio: XTRA Sports 1360 or 770 KKOB

New Mexico really needs this game to get back to .500 and inch closer to a bowl bid. The Lobos have won 6 straight against San Diego State, and this year the Lobos have been up and down so no wins are guaranteed.

San Diego State as their record indicates is not very good this year, and if quarterback Ryan Lindley can not go because of injury the prospects of the Aztecs getting a win are not good.

New Mexico is decent in their run defense and that is all they will need to stop the very stagnant running game by the Aztecs. San Diego has only 284 yards of rushing on the year, yes the college game includes sacks in the rushing yards but their top two rushers Atiyyah Henderson has 146 on the year and Brandon Sullivan has 142.

Part of that is due to the Aztecs being down and needing to pass a lot, because both average 3.8 and 3.9 yards respectively. New Mexico should have little problems stopping this so called running attack.

New Mexico will just run Rodney Ferguson until he can run no more, because the Aztecs have been giving up big plays or a lot of rushing yards this year. Quarterback Brad Gruner should be able to have a good game, because the Aztecs are giving up nearly 30 points per game, and believe it or not their pass defense is worse then their run defense.

Final Score New Mexico 34 San Diego State 10

(4-2) (3-3)

Sam Boyd Stadium 7PM PT TV: Radio: 740 KVOR or 1100 ESPN Radio

UNLV is still looking for its first conference win of the year, and this weeks game is no push over.  The Rebels will need to find a way to try to slow down the Falcons rushing attack that is averaging 292.5 yards per game, but when on the road the Falcons average increases to 347 rushing the ball.

Both teams are fairly even in total yards per game and total points per game, so if you follow the stats this should be a close game.  UNLV is more desperate for a win in an attempt to become bowl eligible for the first time in a while.

Everyone knows the main way to beat Air Force is to keep the ball away from their offense that eats up the clock.  UNLV’s defense will need to step up and play in their lanes and disciplined, and if the Rebels over pursue that is when Air Force beats you.

Omar Clayton will need to make plays at quarterback both running and passing the ball, also coach Mike Sanford must stick with the running game to keep the offense balance.  In previous games UNLV has quit on the run way too early which has hurt the Rebels chances at winning.

UNLV has more atheltes then Air Force offensively and must use these players to make plays to be able to beat the Falcons.   This game should go down to the wire Saturday night in the desert.

Final Score: Air Force 31 UNLV 28

Mountain West Football Week 4 Review

44 0

Another dominant performance on both sides of the ball, BYU has two consecutive shutouts and has outscored their opponents 103-0 in their past two games.  Watching this game Wyoming actually had a very successful game plan early on, by running misdirection plays and throwing short quick throws.  The game was close for about a quarter and a half before the Cougar offense was able to make a splash.

The six turnovers did not help at Wyoming, who had a fumble returned for a touchdown by BYU on a lateral pass on the first offensive play.  Then there was an interception returned late in the third quarter.  BYU mainly used their running game to defeat Wyoming, and Wyoming’s rush defense is a solid one but Fui Vakapuna who is now a full back after being the teams running back had a great game with 28 yard not much but he runs hard and had 5.6 yards per carry.

Max Hall had a very average day by throwing for 189 yards, with 62 one play to Austin Collie, but he did throw for three scores before leaving the game in the mid way of the third period.

28 25

Colorado State surprised most with this win against University of Houston.  Colorado State was able to stay turnover free, which can not be said for Houston who turned the ball over four times.  The game started off well with Colorado State quarterback Billy Farris who had a 79 touchdown pass within the first minute and then lead the Rams to a 21-3 during the first half.

Houston who is a passing team did throw for 380 yards, but the Cougars did not have the ball enough during the game.  The time of possession favored Colorado State 37 to 22 minutes with their running game of Gattrell Johnson III and Kyle Bell.

The  Cougars were finally able to make a dent in the Rams defense by closing the gap 21-17 in the third quarter with their passing game, but the Rams offense scored their only points in the second half with a Kory Sperry touchdown reception to put the Rams up 11 in the fourth, and a late touchdown by Houston was not enough.

This was very close to a complete game for Colorado State, they had no turnovers,  held the ball for 15 more minutes, and the big key was Billy Farris who his best game of the year.

30 23

The best matchup of the day put two undefeated teams against each other in Colorado Springs.  If someone were to look at the stats of this game one would assume that Utah won by a couple of touchdowns.  Air Force ran for only 53 yards in comparrision to over 200 in their previous three games, Utah had Darrell Mack and Matt Asiata rush for over 100 yards each, time of possession favored the Utes by 13 minutes, and Utah out gained the Falcons nearly four to one.

However that was not the case as the game went down to the final  moments.  Utah had turnovers at the worst times and Air Force that lead to nine points and normally automatic Louis Sakoda missed two fields goals.  The most surprising thing in this game was that Utah was able to shutdown the Falcons running game with their top two tackles out for multiple weeks.  Air Force did have key runs for gains at certain times, but to hold an Air Force team to uner 60 yards is amazing.  Typically if you can hold them below 175 that is a good game.

Utah showed that they have the talent to over come these mistakes to win close games.

56 14

Tulsa very well could be the best team from outside a BCS league, yeah BYU fans they could be better then the Cougars.  The reasoning is that Tulsa has one of the most prolific passing attacks in the country and beat a New Mexico defense that is set up to not get beat deep or often in the passing game with their 3-3-5, but by virtue of them not playing any BCS league opponents they most likely will not make it up the polls high enough to make a real push for a BCS game.

Tulsa did look very good in this game quarterback David Johnson in this game had 469 yards and six touchdown passes with a average of 12 yards per attempt!  Just a note he has 1,219 yards, 15 touchdowns, and only two picks on the year.

Tulsa’s defense also is very good as they were able to get four interceptions and limit the New Mexico passing game to under 200 yards.  The lone bright spot for New Mexico was running back Rodney Ferguson who had 122 yards and a touchdown.

Tulsa just threw the ball around at will in this game and had three players at 98 yards or more in this game, and had no trouble with the Lobo defense.

48 7

Running back Aaron Brown finally made his season debut, I wonder if coach Patterson talked to the higher ups to allow Brown to play this week so that his first live game action was not against Oklahoma on the road.  Brown ended up with over 100 yards rushing and receiving and just adds another weapon to the Horned Frog offense.

TCU played a well round game with a near 50/50 split with the rushing and passing yards.  TCU did not beat SMU with home run plays most were mid range gains, with the only exception was when back up quarterback Marcus Jackson ran for a 79 touchdown in the fourth quarter.

One can not review a TCU game and not mention the defense, as they held SMU to 210 total yards with a rushing defense that finished with SMU losing eight yards on the night, then toss in three turnovers TCU forced in the game.

This TCU team is very dangerous and can very well challenge and beat Utah or BYU in the coming weeks.

34 31

Is UNLV for real, or is this a mirage of beating a bad team in Iowa State.  Either way MIke Sanford almost certainly saved his job for another year by getting the most wins since 2003 when UNLV won six games.

The Rebels handed Iowa State their 13th straight road loss, and this was the second week in a row that UNLV defeated a team in overtime.

UNLV looked to have the game all wrapped up with a 21-0 lead in to the mid way point of the second half.  Then Iowa State lead behind Austen Arnaud who scored all four touchdowns and help the Cyclones out score UNLV 28-7 to force overtime.

UNLV had a very balanced game that had running back Frank Summers rush for over 100 yards in this game and quarterback Omar Clayton with 235 yards passing and three scores plus 24 yards on the ground.

The Rebel defense played an extremely well first have, but gave up all the points and most of the yards in the second which allowed the Cyclones to come back.

Iowa State tied the game with three seconds left in regulation and then scored first in overtime with a field goal, but then coach Mike Sanford decided to run the same fade pattern that helped UNLV win against Arizona State, and the play worked again and UNLV won on the first play.

Mountain West Football Week One Preview

FINALLY college football is here, and here is the week one preview. Just a quick note all game times are local times of the opponent and new this year is a link to the MWC’s teams home radio station if you want to listen to the games.

(0-0) (0-0)

War Memorial Stadium 12PM MST TV: Radio: 1240 KFBC

Joe Glenn is firmly on the hot seat while entering his 6th season as head coach, and a win here will help get this season off to the right start.  This is a return game that Wyoming won in a turnover riddled game that featured 11 total turnovers, a side note for Wyoming is that they have won their last five home openers.

This is a new year with some changes on the Wyoming side of the ball which starts at quarterback where juco transfer Dax Crum who beat out Karsteen Sweed who was previously the two year starter for Wyoming.  Ohio will definetly need to key on Wyoming runnig back Devin Moore who is a small and speedy back who is a dynamic playmaker for the Pokes.  Moore did average an astounding 4.9 yards per carry last season, and he will be the key offensively for Wyoming to be able to defeat Ohio.  Especially with a new quarterback and breaking in new receivers the running game and turnover free ball will be the key to a Wyoming win.

Ohio University on offense loses their starting quarterback from a year ago, and star running back Kalvin McRae who ran for over 1,400 yards last season.  The offensive line does return three starters up front, so the running game should be solid.  The starting quarterback for Ohio will be Junior Theo Scott who had 109 attempts last year and threw five touchdown passes, so he does have some experience.  The cupboard is not dry on the receiving end with one returning receiver in Taylor Price who averaged 14.5 yards per reception and then the best target could be tight end Andrew Mooney nine touchdowns and just under 1,000 yards.  Those are the key players that Wyoming needs to stop.

Defensively Wyoming should be able to stop or slow down the Ohio running game, because last year Wyoming only allowed three opponents to have 100 yards or more rushing yards.  They did lose some defensive line players but the linebackers will be strong to help out up front.

Ohio’s defense returns only four starters back, and none of those were star play makers last year.  They did give up 30 points per game last year, and this year might be worst with the inexperience of returning talent.

Prediction for the game has Wyoming winning a game where they control ball and just pound away against this Ohio defense.   This will be fairly close but Wyoming will win.

(0-0) (0-0)

Falcon Stadium 12PM MST TV: NONE Radio: 740 KVOR

This game really has no interest because last year Southern Utah went 0-11 last year in the I-AA division.  This is the perfect game for Air Force to break in their new quarterback, receivers, and running backs.  The new quarterback will be wither Shea Smith or Eric Horbert, both will see time at quarterback which will give Coach Troy Calhoun a good chance to see who plays better in real game situations.  Air Force should have no problem scorng against this SUU defense who gave up more then 30 points per game last year.  This game is not on television so there will not be a way to see how Air Force will do with the new talent.

Air Force should be fine in this game and win easily.

(0-0) #24 (0-0)

The Big House Michigan Stadium 3:30PM EST TV: or Radio: KALL 700 Sports

This may not be the most important game of the week, but it is the most high profile game of the week.  This game will be available either on ABC OR ESPN2 depending on where you live.  This game has national attention because of new Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez and his spread offense he ran at West Virgina.   Most of the ‘experts’ are split on this game on who will win.

Utah has the edge on offense with quarterback Brian Johnson leading the way who will be healthy after separating his shoulder last year in the opener and never was really healthy until their Poinsettia bowl win.  If Johnson is healthy then the Ute offense will be all right.   The running back position will be interesting to see how the split between last years surprise star Darrell Mack and Matt Asiata who was to be the starter before he broke his leg.  Look for both backs to get an equal share, and look for them to be on the field at the same time.  Both players are power runners, but Mack has a little more lateral speed then Asiata but this one-two punch should be able to attack the Michigan front line.  Ute fans know about play maker Brent Casteel at wide receiver who is the other returning player who injured his knee and missed nearly all of last season.

Michigan’s defense was not effective when they played teams with spread, such as Appalachian State and Illinois.  If Utah can stretch the field with their plethora of receivers and backs then Utah will be successful.  The running game will struggle if Utah runs up the gut without any misdirection plays.

The offense lost the majority of the talent from last year.  The list is long starting by losing a pair of four year starters in quarterback Chad Henne and running back Mike Hart.  Then there is the lost of four of the five starting offensive lineman which includes the top offensive lineman chosen in the 2008 draft Jake Long, oh and their best receiver Mario Manningham.  It is safe to say the offense might struggle in game one.

Michigan still has not announced publicly who the starting quarterback will be, but Coach Rodriguez has told the player who will start.   Both players Steven Threet and Nick Sheridan will get time which is what Rodriguez has said, and by rotating players this could be trouble for Michigan with the swapping in and out.  Neither quarterback is highly touted to run the spread and will struggle.  Offensively look for MIchigan to run a lot of dive plays and just run up the middle against a Utah defensive line that is young and probaby the weakest point on the Ute defense.

The difference in the game could come down to special teams, Utah has the edge their with All-American kicker Louis Sakoda who also punts for Utah.  This will be a close game and lower scoring, but look for Utah to win 21-17.

(0-0) (0-0)

University Stadium 4PM MST TV: Radio: 770 KKOB

This is a huge game for both teams and could be the best game of the weekend.  Both teams have a legitimate shot to win the league crown, and the winner here has the inside track.  TCU will finally have just one quarterback, Andy Dalton and with a year of experience and not looking over his shoulder the Horned Frog offense should be better.   Runnig back Aaron Brown is the key for a TCU victory, last year Brown missed a lot of time with injury and was a shell of himself.  Now that Brown is healthy look for TCU to run the ball a lot which should be their strength on offense.

The same can be said with New Mexico with star running back Rodney Ferguson who is on pace to become the schools all time leading rusher by years end.  New Mexico will run and run Ferguson and then look for a play action from the experienced quarterback Donovan Porterie who was on the All-American team as a freshman. New Mexico did lose its top two receivers from a year ago, but the poise will allow Porterie to direct the offense.

Defense will favor TCU and even with the loss of Tommy Blake and Chase Ortiz this defense has the chance to be better then last year, and during the 2007 season TCU was top 15 nationally in all defensive major categories.   Defense has been what TCU has been known for during the past few years and they could have the best defesne in the Mountai West.

As for New Mexico the defense was their weaker point last year by allowing 21points per game, not bad but the defense was unable to create turnovers last year.  They will have their hands full in stopping the run, and stopping the run will be Lobos main focus.

Predicting this is tough, New Mexico is good at home and they have the more seasoned quarterback, but the defensive edge goes to TCU.  My gut says New Mexico because they are at home,  but it will be close.

(0-0) (0-0)

LaVell Edwards Stadium 4PM MST TV: Radio: 1160 KSL

Northern Iowas is ranked in the top 5 of the FCS polls, and Sports Illustrated had labeled Northern Iowa the next team to take out a top FBS team.   That posting was more along the hype machine working rather then fact.  While Northern Iowas is a very, very good FCS team and can score they do not have the defense to stop BYU.  With BYU going with its ‘Quest for Perfection’ BYU will need to crush Northern Iowa to keep up in the polls.

Things to look for in this game could be BYU offensive line, becasue they did lose one starter to injury, the defense is a huge issue and it will be interesting to see if Northern Iowa’s offense can make a dent in the Cougar defense, then the most interesting thing could be wide receiver Austin Collie playing quarterback.  Collie has been practicing the position and while Coach Mendenhall says that he is grooming Collie to be the primary back up to Max Hall, and not just used for a change of pace.  Do not believe that, look for Collie to take direct snaps and run the option if or when he gets in at quarterback.

BYU should take care of business in the first half and win by three touchdowns.

(0-0) (0-0)

Qualcomm Stadium 6:30PM PST TV: Radio: XTRA Sports 1360

Cal Poly has a legitimate chance to defeat San Diego State. again.   The Mustangas defeated San Diego State in 2006 16-14.  San Diego State will be reminded by head coach Chuck Long about the disappointment in losing to this team a few years back.  The reasoning is that the Aztecs can lose is that they are breaking in a new quarterback who was drafted in the NFL.  The Aztecs have Redshirt freshman Ryan Lindley for quarterback who was ranked 34th by Rivals.com, but the offense only returns four starters which last year struggled to move the ball and score points.  Cal Poly did not have a great defense and gave up 25 per game, which gives the Aztecs young offense hope against the Mustangs.

Cal Poly is ranked 14th in the FCS polls, and has a very good offense who last year scored 35 points last year and should be just as explosive this year.  San Diego State does retutn eight starters back, but it was from a defense that was poor last year.   Cal Poly will score points against this defense, but San Diego State will pull this game out but will be a close one.

(0-0) (0-0)

Sam Boyd Stadium 7PM PST TV: NONE Radio: ESPN 1100 AM

The pillow fight of the week will be taken place in Las Vegas.   UNLV actually has a chance to be competitive aganist other teams in the league.  UNLV will finally have their man starting at quarterback who is Omar Clayton, and after a rocky first year in MIke Sanford’s system he should be better.  Clayton is the clear number one and is the first quarterback Sanford has had who is capable of running and throwing which is a necessaity in the spread.

The Rebels have other players who are very good and one of those is Frank Summers who is a star running back that runs hard up the middle.  Summers is a Doak Walker Award watch list, and last year he came on strong with only 928 yards but averaged 4.6 yards per carry.  His yards would have been higher, but last year UNLV was not in many games.

Then the Rebels also have two very good receivers in Casey Flair and Ryan Wolfe, both who are all conference candidates.  This is possible the best receiving duo in the league, and if the quarterback is stable like it should be then look for the Rebels to be able to score points.

Utah State is in the same tier as UNLV in division one football.  The Aggies may finally have a quarterback in Senior Sean Setzer who has been with the team for all four years, and he is comfortable in the system thus making him a smart choice.   Setzer has had limited playing time for Utah State which is a concern for coach Brent Guy.  The rest of the offense is unsure as well, at running back it will be a committee affair and they hope to find someone who wille emerge as the leader.

Then there is the receiver where the Aggies lost Koren Robinson who was their main play maker at wideout and at returning as well.   That position will have to be made up by multiple players, and no one player has the ability of Robinson.

This is a pillow fight game, but UNLV should win this game becasue of being at home and that UNLV has more experience coming back.

Sunday August 31, 2008

(0-0) (0-0)

INVESCO Field at Mile High Stadium 5:30PM MT TV: Radio: KCOL 600

This game will be interesting, becasue this is a rivalry game and the last few years have been decided by seven poins or less.  This being Colorado’s Dan Hawkins third year one would expect large improvements from last year.

Colorado State has the running attack to play ball control game with Kyle Bell and Gattrell Johnson III.  The running game is the key to beat the Buffalos, for one the running game is very good and the other is to keep the ball away from Colorado quarterback Cody Hawkins.

The other stars player on the Rams is tight end Korry Sperry who is recovering from a knee injury he suffered last year in game two.   If healthy Sporry should be the best receiver for the Rams, but the concern is at the quarterback position where the Rams are replacing Caleb Hanie.  The new quarterback is Senior Billy Farris and last year he only had 20 attempts, so inexperience is the key year.  Having the new quarterback means that the running game must be effective to help break in Farris, just so he can ease into the game.

Colorado has the chance to surprise the Big XII North this season, but this game is different being a rivalry game.  The quarterback positionis held by Cody Hawkins who is starting his second year as the starting quarterback, and last year he passed for 3,000 yards as a redshirt freshman.  Hawkins is the key for Colorado, but he does have help in 1,000 yard rusher Hugh Charles returning for his senior year.

Colorado should have a balanced attack to keep the Rams off balanance on defense.  Speaking of defense neither team was impressive with both giving up more then 25 per game last year, the competition was at different levels but neith was very good.

The edge has to go to Colorado because of their quarterback play which is solid, but do not count out the Rams who have the ability to run the ball and control the clock.   Plus this is a rivalry game and they are always close.

Rivals.com Preview: Colorado State #96

The Rams should be higher with most of key offensive players returning, but the loss of QB Caleb Hanie is huge.

2008 Schedule

96. COLORADO STATE COACH: Steve Fairchild (first season).
LAST SEASON: 3-9 overall; 2-6 in the Mountain West Conference (tied for eighth in league).
FINAL 2007 RIVALS.COM RANKING: 94th.
KEEP AN EYE ON: Senior tailback Gartrell Johnson played fullback and was a backup at tailback through the first five games of last season. But he was moved into the starting lineup at tailback in the seventh game of the year and averaged 126.1 yards for the rest of the season. He finished with 957 yards while averaging 5.3 yards per carry. Senior linebacker Jeff Horinek has started 26 games in a row and led the Rams with 94 tackles last season. He leads what should be a solid linebacker corps.
STAR POWER: Senior tight end Kory Sperry was considered the Rams’ top pro prospect before a torn ACL in the second game last season ended his year prematurely. Sperry had eight catches, including three for touchdowns, in the season-opener against Colorado last season. He needs nine touchdown receptions to equal the school career record of 23.

Associated Press
Bell

STRENGTHS: Although All-MWC guard Nick Allotta completed his eligibility, the Rams have four senior starters returning on the offensive line. Johnson and Kyle Bell, who rushed for 1,288 yards in 2005, ensure the Rams are deep at tailback. Dion Morton is back after leading the MWC is kickoff-return yardage with a 26.8-yard average. The linebackers should help the Rams improve their cruddy run defense.
WEAKNESSES: The loss of Caleb Hanie leaves a huge void at quarterback and no one with significant experience is ready to step in. Senior Billy Farris, who was 9-for-20 last season, is the likely successor – but it’s not assured. Three defensive line starters must be replaced. Both starting cornerbacks will be new. The passing attack must be upgraded.
THE BUZZ: After last season’s disappointing showing, longtime coach Sonny Lubick stepped down and in stepped Fairfield, once an ultra-successful Colorado State offensive coordinator who has spent the past several years in the NFL. With Fairchild guiding the offense from 1997-2000, the Rams were 37-12 and set school records for points in a season. His return has sparked a return of expectations at Colorado State, which has endured four consecutive seasons without a winning record. Four of the first six games are at home, and most of the top-level MWC teams have to play in Fort Collins, too.
– OLIN BUCHANA

Spring Football Roundup: Colorado State

The Rams kick off the 2008 season with Steve Fairchild who came from the Buffalo Bills and was the offensive coordinator for the Rams during their better years when the Rams went to 5 bowl games in 8 years. With a new coach in town Coach Fairchild has cleared the depth chart and every position is up for grabs.

2008 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
DATE	OPPONENT
8-30-08	Colorado @Denver, CO
9-6-08	SACRAMENTO STATE
9-20-08	HOUSTON
9-27-08	at California
TBA	at Wyoming
TBA	at Utah
TBA	UNLV
TBA	TCU
TBA	at San Diego State
TBA	BRIGHAM YOUNG
TBA	at Air Force
TBA	NEW MEXICO

The Rams return 14 starters 8 on offense and 6 on defense, however that number is greater because those offensive numbers do not include RB Kyle Bell, G Scott Benrdick, and TE Kory Sperry all who had significant playing time and started multiple games as well.   The main concern for this team is to get the new scheme down that is being put in with the new staff and get comfortable with it.  Also, the team needs to replace Senior QB Caleb Hanie and the job is wide open with possible replacements as Senior Billy Farris, Junior Grant Stucker, and then Senior Michael Meyers.

Some newcomers to look out for on this Rams squad are either division one transfers or JUCO transfers and these players are: WR Ryan Gardner from Diablo Valley College, OL Connor Smith from Northwestern (Smith all ready sat out 2007),  DT Sevaro Johnson Laney College, and finally DE Sam Stewart Santa Ana College.

The Rams also need to find a way this spring to incorporate RB’s Kyle Bell and Gatrell Johnson III who are both legit starters and Johnson came on strong after Bell still was not at full strength after recovering from his ACL injury.

There are many things this spring that the Rams need to work on, but look for the Rams to be one of the most improved teams in the conference this year.  That is just a sneak peak of my 2008 preview for the Rams.

Here are some video links of new Coach Steve Fairchild on Spring practice

1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 

The Spring game itself will be at 11AM local time at Sunny Lubbick Field on April 19th.