SBNation.com User Blog: bhsmarine

Rocky Mountain Showdown Hits Moby Arena

bhsmarine — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 22:27:23 -0000

Next Game

Wednesday, Nov 30, 2011, 5:00 PM PST
Moby Arena

TV: The Mtn.

The Colorado St. rams Rams (4-2) will take on instate rival Colorado(4-2) at Moby Arena for early season bragging rights. Last year the Rams fell in overtime on the road and look to use the home court advantage to get the victory. This will be my last post as I am moving off to the Marines again. I am glad its a rival game like CU, I always hated CU the most. Let's get to the Rams.

The Rams when winning have done it though team offense and defense. There are no big stars on this team. They rebound very well for a small team. The Rams are packed with hustle players that Tim Miles gets the most of. It is probably the most exciting basketball team to root for since I moved to Fort Collins in 2007. They will be frustrating when they lose cause it will be obvious they are missing a big scorer, but the effort will stay the same. Two weeks ago against Stanford down late they stopped Stanford from scoring for 5+ minutes. The Rams couldn't capitalize by scoring their own points but it showed the no quit attitude. Hint Hint Rams Football.

Dorian Green, Wes Eikmeier, and Greg Smith all average above 10 points a game. Eikmeier leads the group at 17ppg. Pierce Hornung is averaging 2 steals and a block a game while shooing 61% from the field. Smith, Green, Hornung all come from the same recruiting class put together by Miles. Kaipo Sabas is starting to earn a few more minutes as a 3 point specialist going 8-10 the last two games.

This isn't the best Rams team ever, but they are fun to root for. If I can ask one little favor Rams, a thank you gift for blogging about you the last few years, beat the crap out of the Buffs! Go State!

Checking The Temperature On Steve Fairchild's Hot Seat

bhsmarine — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 15:55:40 -0000

As the Rams look at another possible 3 win season the question pops to Steve Fairchilds future. Will he be the Rams Head Coach another year? His 5 year contract is up following the 2012 season. The injuries have been abundant this year and at critical positions. After this week I believe running back will be the only position that hasn't lost a man to injury or suspension. QB if Pete Thomas comes back. OL has been torn apart, DL has lost everyone but CJ James at one point. Only three opening day starters on defense have not missed a game, eight players total have started every game. That means that 63% of Fairchild's starters have gone down for one reason or another at one point. The patch job has not been pretty. I will break it all down by recruiting, money, and on field product.

Recruiting is a toss up in some eyes. I personally love the athleticism that Fairchild has brought to the program. Nordly Capi and CJ James are great pass rushing DE's. Chris Nwoke is the new Predator. He did bring in faster then light Thomas Coffman, Tony Drake, and Lou Greenwood. Don't forget his possibly two biggest recruits in giant DT Isiah Norton and high school famous Kapri Bibbs who had grade issues but are still reported to join CSU when possible. Faichild brought in stud LB's Mike Orakpo and Shaq Barrett. His offensive line is full of NFL pickups but not players which is good for CSU, Weston Richburg was a freshman All-American. He pulled 4 star recruit Pete Thomas from Arizona St. He pulled starting DT John Froland from Northwestern. He pulled former fast man Tony Drake from Michigan. The coaching staff deserves credit too, but Fairchild has targeted Texas, Florida, and California as areas to find athletes. The talent level is higher then before and is growing each year despite losing records. Fairchild gets a pass in recruting.

Catch the rest after the jump...

Money is another issue when your not bringing any money in for the programs. Losing is hitting the budget hard this year. Fans just are not showing up.

Fairchild is pulling in $700,000 a year. $350,000 from base salary and the other $350,000 from other incomes such at TV and media. This helps CSU out by only really paying half his salary. Also Fairchild has failed to meat any incentives in his contract for better or worse. Fairchild got close by getting to a bowl game but needed 7 regular season wins in 2007. The incentives won't tip the contract though, it would be good for the program if he starts to hit some of them. Against the rest of the MWC Fairchild is in the middle to lower end in a way giving the Rams a "deal". I am not sure they can afford to pay his replacement between $700,000-$900,000 and pay Fairchild his share. I vote for keeping Fairchild on at least his final year on the money front. Its a good deal for the Rams, why pay two coaches?

The playing field is where it gets dicey for Fairchild. This new Grayson/Thomas quarterback issue isn't helping either. Fairchild was 100% behind Thomas, a knee sprain shook his world up? It looks very desperate for Fairchild. He is looking for a way out of the hole he put himself in, but looking desperate doesn't look good on him or the program. I understand finding out what you got in Grayson, but it appears he is ditching out on Thomas already.

Past the QB controversy is the play calling and play of his recruits. The creative great play calling from his first year with Gartrell Johnson and Billy Farris is about gone. Despite the trick touchdowns against Boise St the offense has been fairly predictable. The point to where its like watching Sonny Lubicks last year of coaching, not good. Instead of loving the run play Fairchild loves a bubble screen or any other screen. His athletes aren't really built for his offense which leads to a odd predicament.

Recruits good. Scheme good(potentially). The two are just not meshing and that is where Fairchild is really running into his problem. Separately there isn't really an issue, but it is not gelling together. Not yet, and will it is the question? Is it the play calling? The athletes?

Fairchild needs to start tailoring his offense to his recruits. Or his recruits to his offense. That is the real issue for CSU football as I see it. All the pieces of the puzzle are nice but if they don't fit together then it doesn't work. Fairchild could use a few work lunches with Tim Miles on figuring out how to get the pieces to fit and fit consistently.

In the end I think Fairchild deserves one more year. The lame duck coach theory is weak in my mind so I think its ok in CSU's case to go into the final year without an extension. If the players believe in the coach a contract shouldn't get in the way. Fairchild always says competition is good, make him earn an extension by winning games next year. Make him prove the program is turned around. Tim Miles got a couple years to turn it around and he only has 5 guys on the court. Give Fairchild his 5th year to turn around 22 guys.

CSU Rams Fall to Stanford 52-64, Look In At The Early Season Rams

bhsmarine — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:04:49 -0000

Final - 11.15.2011	1	2	Total
Colorado St. Rams	33	19	52
Stanford Cardinal	31	33	64

Complete Coverage >

The Rams won't be taking that plane trip to Madison Square Garden to eventually lose to Syracuse who will win the preseason tournament. They had the lead early and slowly let it slip through the last 25 minutes of the game. It was a home game for Stanford, they fought back and made shots when they needed to. The Rams played well, the refs were bad as usual, college basketball is back! The end score was a 12 point spread but the Rams were within 2 under 3 minutes left in the game. It was close, but the Rams couldn't hit shots down the stretch despite holding Stanford scoreless for 5 minutes down the stretch.

This isn't so much a recap as a first look at the Rams who I finally got to see on TV. Below is a quick breakdown of what I saw.

The Rams will be alright, I expect about the same record as last year. They played much more like a team as a few players have hit their junior seasons.

The offense has some pros and cons without Andy Ogide. Pro column gives us better ball movement. Ogide could slow down the offense sometimes because of his looking for his shot. The Rams looked more like a team then I have seen before. Tim Miles is the real deal. He got the players to buy into a scheme and that is never easy when you get a bunch of 18-21 year old men from all over the country. Greg Smith did slow it down at points looking for his shot, but somebody has to shoot and at times it looked like others were scared to pull the trigger. Smith also looked like he matured over the off season, something people forget that these kids are still growing into their bodies. This is good news for the Rams.

The big con is that the Rams will struggle when their shots are not falling and lack a go to scorer. Last night the Rams were around 25% shooting in the second half. They just didn't have that go to scorer that puts an end to a scoring run by the opposing team. Wes Eikmeier was close to that guy, but is also running the offense and can't just look for his shot. I think Pierce Hornung could step up into this role somewhat as his FG% down low is very good. They don't have the safety net when struggling to just dump it to Ogide and let him go to work. They had make-able shots, Stanford's defense was good but not 25 percent good.

The Rams did another great job at rebounding, they got out rebounded 37-35 to a much bigger Stanford team. Remember that the "big men" for the Rams are coming in around 6'6, that is guard height in some programs. They got 12 offensive rebounds which was big in the first half. On the season the Rams have out rebounded their opponents by 31, that is 10 per game on average. It really is another praise to Tim Miles, the Rams work as a team to rebound and do it well despite being outsized.

Trevor Williams is about useless for being 7 feet tall. No one said he would be great but he is slow and not very physical. The Rams will need to find a big man soon. If they can't this year they have signed 6'8 power forward Jermaine Morgan who is the 7th ranked player in Illinois. It will be interesting to see how Tim Miles manages without a big man. Freshman Chad Calcaterra did get in a game for 5 minutes but only logged a turnover, but its safe to say he isn't ready in Miles' eyes.

The Rams are #62 in the RPI leaving them about where they were last year. On the cut of NIT and NCAA. The Rams are fun to watch, they have that team factor that could carry them farther then some expect.

CSU Rams Basketball 2011-12 Season Preview

bhsmarine — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:19:53 -0000

This will be a quick season preview. I got a lot going on in my life and with the Rams football falling apart and not being able to tune out professors by reading the Collegian sports section I am sadly behind on the state of Rams basketball. I have seen Tim Miles in public a few times and became a giddy little school girl if that tells you how much I like Coach Miles and the basketball program turnaround he has accomplished. Let's answer a few questions I am assuming you readers have...

1. How do the Rams replace Andy Ogide and Travis Franklin?

Well Franklin will be easy to replace as he checked out mid-season and it killed the Rams tournament hopes.(Editors Note, Franklin got drafted into the D-League despite checking out on Rams, no one knows why.) Ogide will be the hard man to replace. Ogide really blossomed as a senior, and besides the awkward 3 point attempts was the Rams best player. His inside presence was great. The Rams finally had a player that could dominate both ends of the court, the best since Jason Smith.

The Rams will try with redshirt freshman Chad Calcaterra. At 6-10 228 he should bring some athleticism down low. If his frame starts getting beat up I expect Miles to go with Colton Iverson, the transfer. At 6-10 261 he has the weight to throw around down low against bigger men. Trevor Williams at 7-0 282 would seem the option but has gotten little time from Miles in his two years in the program. Williams needs to man up and use his body to get playing time. Will Bell will help out, he got good minutes down the stretch last year and played bigger then his size.

2. How will the guards develop?

I think Jesse Carr, Wes Eikmeier, and Dorian Green will be the three guards that make the biggest impact. They should at least. Carr needs to stay healthy and find his shooting stroke that make him a Nebraska high school record holder. Eikmeier needs to pick and choose his shoot selection, last year it was a lot of good judgement bad decision. He needs to play better in key moments. My bet is he leads the Rams in a few categories. Green is Eikmeier a few years younger. Shoot selection and creating an easier shot should be his goals. Carr and Green will be the main distributors.

3. Will the Rams win 20 games?

Ehhh, no. But they won't be bad. The Rams have the toughest schedule they have maybe ever had. The conference hasn't gotten worse either. This will be Tim Miles biggest test. Is he capable of reloading the cabinet with recruiting and can he get wins out of his players. He is getting good CSU recruits, but not like he is stealing from Duke or UNC. His legacy at CSU will be built in the next couple years once his freshman start graduating.

4. Is Tim Miles awesome?

Yes, yes he is... and Pierce Hornung deserves a shout out somewhere on this preview. He was a surprise to some and not to others. He plays hard but the MWC refs seem to hate him and he gets petty fouls. He will be a big part of the Rams success if they do have success.

CSU Volleyball Keeps CSU Relevant

bhsmarine — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:16:42 -0000

CSU Volleyball Keeps CSU Relevant

In my attempt to keep CSU apart of this blog without making CSU fans cry I am linking to the 3rd straight MWC league title for the Rams in women's volleyball. The Rams are very good this year, they beat a top ranked team and perennial powerhouse Nebraska. They are 11-1 in conference. They have not lost a set since Oct 8th! They have beaten every team in conference by 3-0 at least once this year, most twice.

Where To For The CSU Rams?

bhsmarine — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:49:33 -0000

Just after I wrote up the Pete Thomas growth or lack of story I was going to write up a story backing Steve Fairchild and the reasons to keep him around. That story is a bit harder to write after losses to UTEP and UNLV, my main points would remain valid but the argument is becoming one sided thanks to Fairchild's lack of action or changes. Staying the course can be a great thing sometimes. CSU AD, Paul Kowalczyk, said Fairchild won't be fired mid season and I think that's fair and true so let's hold off on those talks.

What about the program in the melting MWC though? What about losing alumni support by the game? What about the possible 78 team conference mergers or the MWC going poof all together?

Check after The Jump... for my crazy over the top way for CSU to get put in the best possible position they can!

Also let me know what you think CSU should do in the comment section.

Don't do much. Crazy huh? No one is knocking on CSU's door and begging them to come play in their automatic bid conference. The Rams wouldn't fit very well anyways, facility wise the Rams are catching up but don't have much to offer in the way of recruiting. No big city, no car dealership jobs, no boosters throwing hooker filled booze cruises up at Horsetooth reservoir. Being in a auto-bid conference isn't going to get 5-star recruits flocking to Fort Collins. So be the big bully of the remaining MWC/WAC once the good schools leave. Keep the rival game with Wyoming at all cost and rebuild the old ones from the WAC.

Let's be honest, the best days were the Rams winning the WAC and newly formed MWC. There were some years with national recognition, let's not fool ourselves into thinking the Rams are Florida St, Michigan, Nebraska, USC or some regular contender. Over a 115 seasons they have finished in the top 25 three times, granted all during an 8 year span with Sonny Lubick in the late nineties and early 2000's. They got some great recruits and they competed in the WAC and MWC. Those were great days for the Rams. What would be so wrong about doing that again?

Wyoming basketball were national champions once! I don't hear much up cry about getting back to their glory days. New Mexico won the WAC three years in a row, these days their fans would love just to compete. Judging past performance on future expectation is a horrible idea unless you want to be disappointed. The numbers are not in CSU's favor, only 1 of 120 can win it big. CSU should help their odds and try and beat an easy conference and then market the crap out of it.

I see it one of two ways, they can shoot for the big man on a small campus status or whipping boy on the big campuses. CU took the whipping boy on the PAC-12 campuses approach, that isn't working out so fun for them. No wins in conference, their only win against the lowly CSU Rams. Winning is winning. Winning the NC would be amazing, but CSU is so far from that it shouldn't be on the radar. Rebuild the program by beating weaker teams instead of struggling to recruit by getting beaten down from your BSC checks, that is what Boise St really is to the conference at this point. Boise St is a payday to the Rams, they won't beat them but will get a whole lot of money out of them being here.

The extra money from TCU or Boise St getting to and winning a BCS game is very nice. It is a little disheartening when your main income is getting beat by 50 once a year and hoping they can beat a Wisconsin or Oklahoma. The money would be much sweeter, but smaller, from winning your conference and then getting a good bowl game on your own. Hell, the Rams got more from Utah beating Alabama then they did from winning the New Mexico Bowl. So chase the money right? No, money won't rebuild this program. Consistant winning will.

Fresno State is exactly what CSU should thrive to be. 23 conference championships and over the last 31 years combined having a winning % of .643. Fans will show up to that, alumni will support that in Fort Collins.

In conclusion the Rams should be the best damn team of an average conference. Getting destroyed in a good conference won't do anything. Go ask Kentucky, Ole Miss, or Vanderbilt if its fun to never play in the SEC championship game. That would be the Rams fate if they try to jump a ride to an auto-bid conference. Stay and compete in the MWC/WAC.

What Happened to Pete Thomas' Growth?

bhsmarine — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 19:45:36 -0000

The Colorado State Rams sit at 3-4 and are looking on the outs of a bowl game with some missed opportunities against a easy schedule. The Rams will need to upset Wyoming and SDSU or Air Force to reach the magical 6 win mark. They are favored against UNLV but at this point who knows. The Rams were getting looked at as a 7 win team by some and now might be lucky to get 4. The injuries have hurt, Mychal Sisson in particular. Steve Fairchild is on the hot seat more then ever because of his love of the screen pass, I think he has another year at least with his recruiting starting to show up and Pete Thomas as an upper class man. What is happening to Pete Thomas though?

This was suppose to be his breakout year after he shook off the freshman jitters. He was the only true freshman to start all his teams games last year. A very good freshman year that saw some very good stats. 64.7% completion percentage with 221 yards per game. Both of those were 2nd in the conference behind Andy Dalton and Ryan Lindley respectively. His TD to INT ratio was the only bad mark on his record at 11-13. Those freshman mistakes were suppose to disappear and turn into touchdowns. Pete Thomas was primed to step up with his experience and a better grasp of the playbook. So what happened?

Catch the rest after the jump...

So far Thomas has dropped in every category. His completion % down a tick to 62%, his yards down to 192 a game. His yards per attempt are down. His TD-INT ratio at a poor 6-7. This is all over the same amount of attempts per game, 32.

Can't blame the running game as they are averaging about the same per carry with 3.42 this year compared to 3.47 last year. I think the offensive line has played even better this year then last in regards to protecting Thomas. The sacks per game are down from 3.67 to 3.29. We will get back to that number later though.

The receivers should take some of the blame. His tallest threats have been no shows for the most part in Marquise Law and Byron Steele. He is dealing with freshman Thomas Coffman, Lee Clubb, and Charles Lovett. Returning leading receiver Lee Greenwood has been inconstant and is still just 6 feet tall on a good day.

On the plus side for the receivers Joe Brown has replaced Zac Pauga as his favorite check down receiver. Crockett Gillmore has put his name out there with some of the best tight ends in the conference and nation. Despite the lack of big bodies Thomas' targets are very quick and can get open. See the Boise St game where Raymond Carter, Lee Greenwood, and Coffman all got behind their defender but Thomas missed possible touchdowns or big gains.

This leads me to the two big issues. Play calling and Thomas. The play calling hasn't put Thomas in the best position for his skill it would seem. Thomas throws a nice deep ball, can read the middle of the field as good as any QB I have seen for CSU. Thomas isn't good at faking the screen pass and has issues with the throws that require some extra umph. He can make the throws because of his decision making but sometimes he puts to much touch on his passes.

Play calling should follow something like Boise St and Kellen Moore. Lots of crossing patterns where Thomas can read a defense quickly and make that decision where he can get his receivers in space. Right now the CSU offense is very vertical or screen pass. There isn't much in the way of routes up the middle or across the middle. Where is the basic slot receiver or tight end beating the LB across the field? Hitting him about 5-10 yards and letting him run or just getting those 7 for a first down? It would seem its all streaks and out routes.

Thomas needs to get his accuracy back up to last year or even higher. Thomas was 70% after his first three games but has been under 60% all but 1 game since. He has only cracked the 200 yard mark twice all year. The 2nd year QB needs to find his touch, which can mean throwing the ball as hard as possible on some routes to sneak it in. The speed of the ball plays into the timing of the routes. It doesn't matter if you release the ball on time if you float it when it needs to get there lickity split.

Thomas has to get rid of the ball some times, he is maturing there but 3+ sacks a game is to many. Thomas has shown some ability to escape and move around the pocket. He needs to perfect that skill to open passing lanes and maximize yardage. Running is nice but with his speed it isn't a skill until he uses it to help the passing game.

I still believe Thomas is the key the turning CSU around. You don't plateau as a true freshman, the gains might come slower then we wanted but Thomas will get better. He needs some more experience and some help in the play calling and receiver department. The sophomore slump might be a real thing, just ask Jake Heaps and his 3TD - 6INT ratio and 55% completion percentage which landed the 5-star recruit on the bench at BYU.

Poll

Is Pete Thomas the answer for CSU at quarterback?

Yes, it is just a sophmore slump. He will get better.

18 votes

No, he peaked already.

8 votes

No, but with that play calling and team around him Aaron Rodgers wouldn't be the answer!

28 votes

Other, comment below.

1 votes

55 votes | Poll has closed

Colorado State Travels to UTEP : Mid-Season Preview/Review

bhsmarine — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 19:58:16 -0000

Next Game

Colorado St. Rams
@ UTEP Miners

Saturday, Oct 22, 2011, 5:00 PM PDT
Sun Bowl

Complete Coverage >

The Colorado State Rams will renew a WAC rivalry when they face off against the UTEP Miners. Over at Miner Rush there is a great game preview so check that out. That preview follows a more traditional look. I am going to take a step back since we are at the half way mark and see where the Rams are compared to preseason expectations.

The Rams sit at 3-3 (1-1) at the six game mark putting them three wins away from a bowl game. Let's go off my best case worst case preview early in the year.

My best case has the Rams at 5-1 coming off a Boise St loss either way. My worst case had the Rams at 3-3 which is where the Rams are. I had it a bit off with their losses coming from Boise St, Colorado, and Utah State. I thought San Jose St was a sure win. But I'll be damned if the Rams didn't want to tackle anyone that day and put up the stinker of the season. Yes that was worse then getting beat by 50 by Boise St, ask Fresno State it happens.

How the Rams got too 3-3 though is a lot different then one would imagine. The offense is average on its best drives and poor on most. The defense is sacking every quarterback in sight, but can't tackle a running back to save a life. Most expected Pete Thomas to break out, instead he is the master of the 3rd and 11 screen pass. Most expected the pass rush to be a weakness, the Rams are getting 3.3 sacks a game. The injuries are the elephant in the corner of the room. The Rams have had a starters and backups dropping like flies. The secondary seems to be the only unit not touched yet. The linebackers and defensive line have been hit the hardest. The offensive line lost Paul Madsen last week to not be out done in the training room.

My suggested changes for the Rams is to give the majority of carries to Chris Nwoke. Raymond Carter should be a back up and limit his chances of fumbling. Keep stretching the field, limit the screen passes to a couple a game instead of couple a drive. Crockett Gillmore. Use the team speed you have gotten through recruiting Florida and Texas.

On defense just prey Austin Grey looks better then last week and that Mike Orakpo and Mychal Sisson get miracle cures and can get back on the field asap.

My worst case has the Rams winning one more game this year at UNLV and pulling to 4-8. Best case puts them at 7-5 and a bowl game. My prediction is 6-6 and still in line with my final realistic prediction, but they need to steal a win down in El Paso this weekend for that to come true. The bowl dream isn't gone but its getting farther away with each hurt player and wasted offensive drive.

Fun Facts of The MWC Week 6 Edition

bhsmarine — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:56:28 -0000

Once again I have decided what interesting facts I could find about the MWC. They mean nothing in terms of skill or projecting teams, just interesting facts.

Nordly Capi leads the nation with 1.6 sacks a game, last time a MWC player did that was Jerry Hughes in 2008 with 1.15 a game.

CSU is tied for 3rd in the nation in sacks with 19. However they are nearly 50 sack yards behind Hawaii and Oklahoma who also have 19 sacks. That is 23rd in sack yardage.

Boise St the highest scoring team in the MWC has missed the most PAT's with 5, while the bottom three scoring offenses UNM, UNLV, CSU have not missed at PAT yet.

New Mexico opponents are a weak 40%(2-5) at kicking field goals against the Lobos, Oregon State opponents are 0-4 leading the nation.

Air Force opponents are 7-7 converting 4th downs against the Falcons. The only other team allowing 100% is Louisiana-Monroe (4-4).

UNLV has recovered all 7 of their opponents fumbles, Air Force only 1 of the 6 their opponents have coughed up.

Wyoming has only 5 punt returns this year, and average 1 yard per return.

UNM Freshman Deon Long is 1st in the MWC and 10th in the nation in yards per play at 17.9YPP.

That's all I got for now. A couple crazy ones, a couple not so much as things are starting to smooth out with a bigger sample size.

Stats Are Fun!

bhsmarine — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 23:32:59 -0000

I was cruising though some MWC stat pages for fun and remembered that I can write on a blog about it so here are a few crazy findings of mine. These are just interesting things, nothing to make a big deal about.

CSU is #1 in total defense giving up 318 YPG. On a per play basis they are also #1 with 5 yards per play, Boise is seconds at 5.4. That is crazy considering years past.
Boise State has not scored a field goal, Army is the only other team to have not scored a FG in the nation.
Despite running the triple option run offense, Air Force is last in time of possession in the conference at 26:49. Down about 4 minutes from last year. They have been in the top half of the MWC the last 5 years.
UNLV has recovered all 5 of their opponents fumbles, only North Texas at 6 has more while a 100% recovery rate.
Meanwhile SDSU's opponents have fumbled a nation high 17 times in 4 games, they have only recovered 8 of those.
UNLV has not kicked a touchback yet, they have kicked two out of bounds however.

These mean nothing really, I just thought they were interesting. I may do this series again in a couple weeks and see if I can find anymore stats that pop out to me.

CSU Rams Get Big Road Win at Utah State, 35-34 in Double OT

bhsmarine — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 16:21:13 -0000

Final - 9.24.2011	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Colorado St. Rams	0	3	7	11	7	35
Utah State Aggies	0	7	7	7	7	34

Complete Coverage >

The Rams came back from their first loss of the season in a big way with a come from behind double overtime victory against Utah State. The Aggies went for the two point conversion on the one yard line after their second overtime touchdown, Mike Orakpo made the big stop to seal the victory for the Rams. The Rams scored the tying touchdown and two point conversion with less then a minute to play after trailing the whole game. Crockett Gillmore and Chris Nwoke were the go to guys scoring all the Rams touchdowns and two point conversions. Ben Deline nailed all his FG and PATs which proved to be a factor in winning. The Rams had not won consecutive road games since 2003 when they beat California and then BYU five weeks later.

The Utah St Aggies didn't play their best game with 4 turnovers. The Aggies out gained the Rams 367-232 in total yards, but two fumbled punts proved to be their undoing. The Aggies put up another hefty 281 rushing yards for the game. The Rams managed 124 yards on the ground, but a weak 2.6 yards per carry. Watching the game you got the feeling it was more the Aggies losing then the Rams winning. Which is true, but the Rams still took advantage of the mistakes and made the plays that the Aggies didn't.

The Rams offense came up big when it needed scoring touchdowns to tie the game, along with a two point conversion, and two touchdowns in overtime. The defense bent but didn't break coming up with two forced fumbles and three sacks. Nordly Capi had a tackle for a loss on the quarterback, it wasn't recorded as a sack on some stat sheets. The CSURams.com webpage has him getting a sack for number seven on the year, leading the nation. The big play was Orakpo's tackle on Robert Turbin on the two point attempt from the one yard line after a penalty on Utah State's first attempt. Turbin had burnt the Rams for 114 yards and four touchdowns.

The Rams are now half way to a bowl game at 3-1 and sit atop the Mountain West with TCU for the moment. Forget the Utah St mistakes, the Rams made plays when they needed to and are sitting pretty at 3-1 instead of 2-2 on a losing streak. This was the biggest win since 2009 when they beat CU at Folsum Field. A Steve Fairchild twitter summed it up best, "What a game! I'm so happy for the kids because they kept believing. It's such a fun team to coach, especially when they believe." The Rams of old seem to give up. The Rams kept fighting in Logan, Utah last night and ruined a homecoming game while keeping their bowl dreams alive. It was a good night to be a CSU Ram.

Next week the Rams get San Jose State at home. The Rams get a bye week before they take on the possibly the highest ranked team to ever visit Fort Collins when Boise State rolls in on Oct 15th.

If you got time to waste check out the replay on ESPN. At worst check out overtime cause it was very exciting. As noted in the game thread it was the worst camera work I have ever seen, ever. It looks like some guy was taping it under his jacket then made 12 copies of copies and then put it to broadcast.

Utah State and Colorado State Attempt to Quiet Realignment News By Playing Actual Football Game

bhsmarine — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 17:34:35 -0000

Next Game

Colorado St. Rams
@ Utah State Aggies

Saturday, Sep 24, 2011, 5:00 PM PDT
Romney Stadium

Complete Coverage >

All this conference jumping talk makes it feel like the off season. I can't wait for Saturday and get some actual games to talk about. The Utah State Aggies will take on the Colorado State Rams in Utah at Romney Stadium. The Aggies come in at 1-1 and a onside kickoff away from 2-0 and being the talk of the town. After the close loss to Auburn the Aggies destroyed Weber St two weeks ago and have been prepping for the Rams since.

The Rams(2-1, 1-0) are off a tough loss in the Rocky Mountain Showdown to Colorado. CSU blocked a punt in CU territory and it turned in to a late first half TD for the Buffs some how. True freshman Austin Grey got caught being a freshman and let in a TD pass. Those two plays change and its a different game, let's hope the blocked punt gone wrong doesn't become a turning point in the season.

The Aggies might be the best team the Rams have faced all season, CU is nothing special so don't make that argument. The Aggies are allowing a meager 1.97 yards per carry, 6th in the nation. They rush for 6.67 yards on offense. No Aggie has an average less then 4 YPC. That is crazy good. That will allow Utah St to control the clock and allow exciting freshman quarterback Chuckie Keeton to make smart decisions. It will attack the Rams defense who missed Mychal Sisson last week.

Shaquille Barret did a good job filling in at linebacker along with James Skelton, the speed was missing though. I think Mike Orakpo missed Sisson the most as he was targeted and couldn't fly around per normal. It is much easier to stop one fast LB then two fast LB's. They will need help stopping the Aggie run game from the secondary and defensive line. Nordly Capi who leads the nation with 5.5 sacks will need to show he can help stop the run.

On offense Pete Thomas needs help at receiver. Thomas Coffman the speedy red-shirt freshman got some looks but couldn't get separation on any routes. Marquise Law hasn't been good enough to demand the ball. I still think Tj Borcky and Crocket Gillmore could be the solutions. It also looks like they will gget Byron Steele back from suspension. Most importantly the play calling needs to help Thomas out. 3rd and 9 is a tough down, but a screen pass isn't the only answer. The Rams need to start getting risky. They can lose safely or lose trying, they can't win safely though. The Rams have called roughly 742 screen plays this year.

It will come down to the Aggies running all over the Rams or the Rams offense stepping up and getting some big strike plays. Which ever team fails to do those things will lose. Should be a good game for both teams to see where they are at on the early season.

Rams and Buffalos Square Off In 2011 Rocky Mountain Showdown

bhsmarine — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:12:42 -0000

Next Game

Colorado St. Rams
@ Colorado Buffaloes

Saturday, Sep 17, 2011, 10:30 AM PDT
Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium - Denver, CO

Fox Sports Net To Broadcast Colorado State - Colorado Game

posted by Jeremy Mauss 4 months ago

2 comments | 0 recs

Complete Coverage >

My favorite game of the year! The Border War is awesome and more likely winnable. The Air Force game is a nice instate rival and conference game. Nothing like playing the CU Buffs though. The hate runs a little deeper. The games have more energy. The hits are bigger, the scores tighter, and the rivalry deeper.

The CU Buffs come in at 0-2 and are coming off a tough loss to California in overtime. The Rams come in at 2-0 but with a much easier schedule played. Switch the schedules and you switch the records so we can throw those out. These games come down to the rivalry and are a toss up. CU has a 60-20-2 advantage over history, but just a 7-5 advantage over the last 12 meetings. No doubt the size advantage goes to the Buffs on both sides of the ball, the growing athleticism of the Rams will have to shine if they want to win.

For the first time since 1988 the teams are not opening the schedule against each other. That will only make the game better as the early season rust should be off by week 3. It should be a bit more crisp matchup as CSU isn't breaking in a new QB for the first time in 4 seasons. The Buffs are a couple games into the Jon Embree Era and should start to pick things up. It really is to bad Dan Hawkins left, he was a bad coach and it helped the Rams to a 2-3 record while starting 4 different QB's.

Let's take a look at the CU Buffs after The Jump...

The Buffalos main weapon will be Paul Richardson. Richardson had 284 yards. Two hundred and eighty four. 168 yards of those were after the catch. He is all over the CU record books for best all time game. You can expect to have his number called quite a bit by the Buffs. The Ram secondary could be in for a long day.

At QB the Buffs will run out Tyler Hansen who took over last year. Hansen is a decent QB and avoids huge mistakes. Last week the Buffs threw for 474 yards, no turnovers, and no sacks. They found a way to lose which is amazing really. None of that was Hansen or the offenses fault.

The defense has struggled a bit, but Hawaii and Cal are athletic scoring offenses. Something the Rams certainly haven't been the first two games. Last year the CU defense allowed just 49 yards rushing and 245 yards total offense in the showdown. They won't have the luxury of a brand new freshman QB to attack, but the running game is just as suspect for the Rams.

For the Rams to win they need a similar running show as last week when they put up 242 yards. The defense will be much better this week but if they can get to the century mark I would call it a win for the running game. Raymond Carter, Chris Nwoke, and Derek Good will all get some carries to see who has the hot hand, Carter will get the start.

Pete Thomas will need to extend the field with Lou Greenwood and Marquise Law. I thought TJ Borcky had a great catch last game but is seldom used, maybe it is time for his breakout game. Thomas needs to be smart but aggressive. Performances like his last two will have the Rams end up in the loss column.

The Sisson-less Rams defense will take the field for the first time. Mike Orakpo will have to step up for sure. I think it falls back on the defensive line to get pressure and stop or slow the running game of the Buffs. CJ James and Nordly Capi will have to play fast. Nuku Latu will have to be a beast in the middle, not sure if he will hold up to the CU size.

The Buffs are favored and should be even with a 0-2 record. These games never disappoint and there are always a few highlights to go around.

If Thomas can't do the head spike for a win it's ok Ram fans, we will always have Folsum.

CSU Rams Start Off 2-0 With Win Over Northern Colorado

bhsmarine — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 21:09:15 -0000

Final - 9.10.2011	1	2	3	4	Total
Northern Colorado Bears	0	0	7	7	14
Colorado St. Rams	14	14	3	2	33

Complete Coverage >

The Colorado State Rams moved to 2-0, 1-0 in conference on the year with a 33-14 win. The score isn't really the story since they were playing a FCS school who had lost to Lindenwood University. The Rams dominated. That was the game really. The story is how the Rams played and why they did certain things. If you just want a game recap then your not a smart person. That would be a waste of time, the game was fairly boring and over in the 1st quarter. The second half was a glorified practice to the Rams. However, stick with me after The Jump and learn something about the CSU Rams.

Oh, this could be the worst game in CSU history(ish) if Mychal Sisson did break something in his leg. My guess is yes he did. My first thought was oh shit, my second one is hoping he gets a medical redshirt. Uhhh, let's get past The Jump before I get depressed.

I will go through the Rams unit by unit. Let's kick it off with Pete Thomas.

His three interceptions will be the story. I will break them down. First was into the wind and thrown a half second to late. No wind and its a touchdown. Thrown a half second/step earlier and its a touchdown. It was a interception and Thomas needs to get that out a bit earlier and realize the weather conditions. Thomas's fault, but a hard luck INT none the less. Second pick was a tip at the line and popped straight up. Hard to place blame here since Thomas is 6'4 and has a high release point. These picks happen to everyone. Third was a "trying to get better pick". Fairchild said he left Thomas in to long, and the purpose was to learn some things and get game reps. It was 3rd and long and on my couch I said something similar to what Fairchild would have told him. It went something like "Throw it anyways and try and get something deep in coverage" Well Thomas got picked. No way he makes that throw in a close game or even a conference game. The second half was a glorified practice.

Thomas in whole had a good game and got unlucky. Thomas was 28-42, good for a 67% completion percentage. He had easily 5 or 7 dropped balls. His option on a high fade route for a touchdown was 5'8" freshman Charles Lovett. If Lovett is 6'2 it's a touchdown. Lee Clubb dropped a touchdown. This could have easily been a 2 touchdown 2 or 1 interception game with a 70%+ completion percentage. Oh, Thomas is the only CSU sophomore to have 3,000 yards in his career. He should end up over 5,000 at the end of this year. That would put him in the middle top ten all time at CSU. He is good, but learning.

The running backs! Whatever we know the offensive line does the work. That is how a FBS line should look against an FCS line. The Rams O-line dominated to the tune of 242 yards with 3 touchdowns. That is a 5.9 average overall. Thomas was only sacked once I believe. Raymond Carter had 100 yards, even with dancing around too much. Chris Nwoke got the second half off due to possible injury and a blowout. Nwoke had 5.9 YPC average and a touchdown. Derek Good had a gruesome thumb injury on his second carry, then ended the game with 9 carries for 81 yards. Good looked good. Over at Ramifications a Rams football blog they have been calling for more carries for Good and their case just got stronger. Good might have looked the best. He should get carries in the future, I hope at Carter's expense instead of Nwoke. Carter has a bad habit of not hitting holes fast enough, negating his speed and open field moves. Overall the O-Line was great, even with a string of injuries to the fullback position.

The wide receivers, not a great game, maybe not even good. The starters, Marquise Law and Lou Greenwood were ok. Both had drops, two in Law's case. Freshman Lee Clubb lead the team with 4 catches for 50 yards. 12 different players caught a pass, Fairchild knew it wasn't going to be close so he spread it around. This team is missing the go to guy. Media is saying Greenwood needs to be that guy, but I don't see it and it's no fault to Greenwood. At a listed 6-1, read 5'11, and new to the position I don't see Greenwood carrying the team. Law and if/when Byron Steele gets off suspension needs to step up. Thomas needs a big target to go to. Crocket Gillmore missed on a jump ball in the endzone, he will need to be that go to guy until a WR steps up. Ho hum day for the receiving corps today.

Defense, very good again. No 10 sacks or 4 forced fumbles but a very good day. The pressure upfront was very good again, the inside guys are getting it done. Nuku Latu and John Froland got their names called in the broadcast booth a few times today for good reason. The inside does their job and the DT's can do theirs. The line does their job and the other seven guys are free to make plays.

Two interceptions by the Rams today. One was a direct result of John Froland(I think, the MTN didn't replay it enough for me to see the number) getting a hand on the QB's arm during a throw. The other was a great pick by Ivory Herd getting a beat on the ball and being more aggressive and athletic then the receiver. Just 49 total yards in the first half. Add on a play where freshman LB Max Morgan drove his man into the QB and got a safety without touching him and it was a good day for the Rams on D. Mike Orakpo played great again and is looking like another Sisson in the making.

The Rams used the second half to work on things in looking forward to the CU Buffs which makes the stat sheet a little deceptive. I called for the Rams to not leave yards on the field in the running game and they didn't leave many if any. The defense played another stellar game getting production at positions weak in the past. The Rams played this game great besides the injuries.

The Ram faithful will go to bed praying for Mychal Sisson's right leg tonight. Let's hope their prayers are answered because this team is 1-3 wins worse with out him and a lot less fun to watch.

CSU Rams Open Home Schedule Against Northern Colorado

bhsmarine — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 15:47:47 -0000

The CSU Rams take on in-state foe Northern Colorado for the first time since 1986. The Rams come in at 1-0 and first in the MWC since they are the only team with a win in conference. The UNC Bears are 0-1 after falling to Lindenwood University in Greeley. The Rams will be looking to take advantage of their early schedule and be 2-0 before their match up against Colorado next week.

Next Game

Northern Colorado Bears
@ Colorado St. Rams

Saturday, Sep 10, 2011, 11:00 AM PDT
Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium

Complete Coverage >

The Rams are coming off their first road win since 2009. It may have just been New Mexico but it was a road conference win and those are tough to come by. The Rams were lead by their defense which seems like a new concept in Fort Collins. Nordly Capi was an absolute beast, I am sure you have heard about his career day already. Going into this game the Rams will look to get their run game and offense clicking a little better. Despite the improved New Mexico defense the Rams did look like they left a few yards out on the field.

Let's get to know a little about the UNC Bears after The Jump.

Ten bucks for anyone who doesn't have to use Google to find out where Lindenwood University is. I don't have ten bucks because I had to use Google. It is a small school out in Saint Charles, Missouri. They beat the UNC Bears on a last minute field goal. The Bears gained just 263 yards of total offense. Not good. The UNC Bears are not good to put it lightly, but they are not devoid of talent. Quintin Hildreth at RB came from Colorado, he had 56 yards on the ground in his first game for the Bears. In the secondary Elliot Dorsey will be someone the Rams need to keep an eye on. His coverage and ball skills are the best the Bears have to offer, Pete Thomas will need to be accurate when throwing his way. QB Seth Lobato is the Bears best option at QB, he is also a transfer from CU. Lobato's status for the game is uncertain at the moment. Brandon Owens at CB is a CSU transfer. Thats about all you need/ should want to know about the Bears.

The Rams will be looking for a better performance out of the running game. My thoughts on the CSU running game being good but not as good as they could have been were confirmed by head coach Steve Fairchild.

"I don't think we hit our entry points. We left a lot of yards out there. I don't look immediately at the stat sheet. I look to see if we are knocking guys out of there and are we flat-backing guys and doing the right thing by not letting guys loose? That has a feel of a good run game, and I think we can build on that. We can improve everywhere but there are times we were a little sloppy and left some yards out there."

That quote goes toward both Chris Nwoke and Raymond Carter. After watching the 2nd half replay on The MTN a couple times it really looks like Nwoke was the better back. Carter's carries went down as the game went on and Fairchild leaned on Nwoke. They will share carries to keep them fresh but Nwoke will get the goal line and important late game carries.

The Rams will need to improve on offense and the Bears are the perfect opponent to clean up the little things. Pete Thomas should put up bigger numbers also. He played the game manager role perfect last week, this week he might be able to take some shots as the Bears defense shouldn't play as much deep cover as UNM did. His receivers will be faster and need to show they can get open. TE Crockett Gillmore should look like a man-child out there, I see another TD for him.

On defense the Rams will see if Nordly Capi can be a full time fill in for Broderick Sergeant who is out for the year with an ACL tear. Capi sure made the most of the opportunity last week. The Rams are not calling him a starter and I imagine they use the masses like they did last week and keep everyone fresh and whoever has the hot hand. CJ James and Capi coming off the corners could make the Rams job in the secondary much easier though. Here is Fairchild's quote on his D Line rotation.

"We have been talking all offseason about rolling eight or nine linemen. Now don't hold me to this but I think we played 11 defensive linemen (confirmed - Brown, Burl, Capi, Carter, Froland, James, Latu, Paulhus, Sargent, Tiedgen and Wilson). They are all starters. Whoever is getting after the quarterback can stay in there."

"I think the more players that you can play, the better practice week you are going to have. If you just play four defensive linemen, those guys are the guys that are really preparing like they are playing. I am just going to have eight or nine or 10 guys preparing like they are going to play in a game. I think the more you have of that, the more competition you have as well. There are a lot of good things; I think we had planned all along to roll as many guys in there as we can and keep them fresh. I think that is a good plan."

This should be a blow out if the Rams offense plays up to their capabilty. I don't see the Bears putting up much of a fight against the Rams improved defense. We will see if last week was a fluke and the Rams are full of holes, but probably not till they play CU next weekend. As I said in my best cast/worst case column the Rams should win this game even in a worst case scenario. The Rams won't look past them, instead they will use it as a chance to improve the small things and really prepare for the Buffs. As a in-state game I don't see a let down coming. Everyone in Fort Collins is tired of Greeley stinking up our town, the Rammies will take the Bears down in style.

Mychal Sisson's true facts

bhsmarine — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 14:32:24 -0000

Mychal Sisson's true facts

These are all true and not made up by Matt Yemm.

CSU Rams Escape New Mexico With 14-10 Win: What We Learned Version

bhsmarine — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 13:48:16 -0000

Final - 9.3.2011	1	2	3	4	Total
Colorado St. Rams	0	7	0	7	14
New Mexico Lobos	0	10	0	0	10

Complete Coverage >

The Rams got out of New Mexico with their first road win since 2009 on the heels of Nordly Capi's record tying afternoon. With four forced fumbles and 3 1/2 sacks Capi played a huge roll in the outcome of the game. New Mexico lost two red zone opportunities to fumbles, one on the goal line. The other in the final seconds of the game which secured the victory for the Rams.

Tarean Austin threw for 179 yards on a 20 of 31 day. He added a nice touchdown pass when transfer Lamaar Thomas beat E.B. Smith of the Rams. Thomas just ran past Elijah Blu Smith to the end zone and Austin laid it in there.

Pete Thomas threw for 178 yards on a very efficient 22 of 26 day. The Lobos 4-2-5 defense kept everything in front of him and limited deep opportunities. Thomas did find Crockett Gillmore for a 33 yard touchdown pass. Gillmore looked like a absolute beast out jumping and muscling which ever poor Lobo was covering him.

The Rams did miss two field goals making the game a bit closer then it should have been. New Mexico did miss one also, very very badly. Comically bad.

There is your short recap, let's find out what we learned about these two teams after The Jump!

I will start with the Lobos. The 4-3-5 defense will serve them much much better this year then whatever they ran last year. They kept everything in front of them save for the Gillmore touchdown. I see them not stopping offenses completely but slowing them down and avoiding giving up 40+ points a game this year. It will be interesting to see how it holds up once teams get a few games of tape on them. Next week in Arkansas might not be a complete blow out.

Austin did a very good job which kept Holbrook on the bench. The 10 sacks allowed is part offensive line and part Austin's fault. He held on to the ball a bit, but also ran out of some trouble. Hard to tell where the blame goes, so everyone should take a piece. The line will be an issue all year, the Rams are not a 10 sack team.

Austin has two weapons in transfer wide receivers Thomas and Deon Long. They will help the Lobos get back to being watchable.

The Lobos could have won, but they made the Lobo mistakes. Untimely penalties and two red zone fumbles. Without those it could be a Lobo win. So we learned that the Lobos might not be the basement dweller everyone called in our preseason poll.

Now the Rams, Pete Thomas seems like a good place to start. 22 of 26 is awesome, I only remember one of the four incompletions getting tipped by a defender. At least one should have been caught. They were mostly short passes but that is what the defense game him. Great start for the second year QB.

The defense! I expected athleticism but that was fun to watch. It seemed that Mychal Sisson and Mike Orakpo made or would be the next guy to make the tackle on every play. Both had 6 tackles along with CJ James. Sisson assisted on 5 tackles. Sisson and James had 1.5 sacks a piece, Orakpo had 2 tackles for loss totaling 10 yards. Shaq Bell was great in coverage only getting thrown at once, he did get a PI flag on the play. Besides E.B. Smith getting burnt it was a great day on defense. Momo Thomas also was good in coverage. Capi's final numbers, 4 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 3.5 sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss, and 6 total tackles. Sisson led the nation last year with 7 forced fumbles, Capi got more then half way there in a afternoon.

Ben DeLine needs to pick it up. Two missed field goals could have been the difference had the Lobos scored on the last drive. Both were close, but as they say close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. Not field goals, DeLine, not field goals.

Overall it was a positive day for the Rams, a road conference win is nothing to scoff at no matter where you get it. It wasn't the prettiest win but for the Rams to win by defense and on the road seems almost hard to fathom. Ram fans should be excited. Also nervous about the team piecing it together by the time they play Colorado.

Rams volleyball upset #5 Nebraska at Moby Arena

bhsmarine — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 16:36:42 -0000

Rams volleyball upset #5 Nebraska at Moby Arena

Jeremy might take away my posting privileges for putting up a link to volleyball during the opening weekend of college football. However, if you have gone to CSU or follow volleyball you know that it has been CSU's best sport for the last 15+ years. The Moby crowd set a team and conference record for attendance. That Moby Magic is alive and let's hope it trickles into the basketball season and over to Hughes Stadium. After your done reading and getting goosebumps get back to your beer, wings, and game of choice.

Colorado State and New Mexico Kickoff Their 2011 Seasons

bhsmarine — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 15:32:29 -0000

The best part about this game for these two teams is that they are starting with a clean slate. New Mexico was 1-11 with a lone win against Wyoming. Colorado State was 3-9 for the second consecutive year. Come Saturday they will both be tied for first in the league and get fresh starts. Come Sunday one school will be feeling like this is their year while the other looks at another possible abomination of a season.

Next Game

Colorado St. Rams
@ New Mexico Lobos

Saturday, Sep 3, 2011, 3:00 PM PDT
University Stadium

Complete Coverage >

The Rams will see just how big a difference having a returning quarterback can be when Pete Thomas takes the snaps. Tarean Austin will get his shot to lead the Lobos out of the dumps of the Mountain West, he was picked for his running ability. Let's take a look at these match-ups for the defenses after The Jump...

Pete Thomas had a solid game against the Lobos last year. One touchdown, no interceptions, 68% completion percentage. Really a middle of the road game last year, he protected the ball and let the running game go wild as they defeated the Lobos in Fort Collins 38-14. The running game put up a season high 328 yards with 4 touchdowns. If Pete Thomas can, and he can, do the same thing the Rams should have their first victory of the year. He won't need to be special unless the running game comes out sputtering. The Lobos defense is weak, 120th in the nation last year kind of weak. I expect a similar game out of Thomas and the Rams.

Can Austin prove that Locksley made the right choice and put some pressure on the Rams? Maybe, but the Rams haven't struggled with running QB's as much as they have with pure passers. Unless the Lobos picked up Colin Kapernick from the 49ers I think the defense will hold. Austin could make some plays that puts pressure on the Rams. If he catches the defense not containing and keeping gap integrity there could be a few long runs. I think Mychal Sisson and Mike Orakpo will track him down before there are any game changing runs though.

Simply put the Lobos haven't done enough over the off season to assume anything but a loss to a Colorado State team that now has more experience all over the field. The Rams could struggle to run with the losses of Zac Pauga and Leonard Mason. I think the offensive line is better and will help Raymond Carter and Chris Nwoke find a rhythm though.

The Lobos won't lay down in their home opener but the Rams should win. With some people talking about a 5-0 or 4-1 start the Rams have to take advantage of that and show up to play. An easy schedule does no good if you don't seize the opportunity.

Two Rams football players arrested at massive pool party

bhsmarine — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 20:55:28 -0000

Two Rams football players arrested at massive pool party

You can nix James Skelton from the starting LB slot for the Rams at least for awhile. A third-degree assault charge a week before your season opener isn't what Steve Fairchild was hoping Skelton would do with his weekend. It takes a whole lot of stupid to do what he did.

Colorado State Football 2011: Best Case Worst Case

bhsmarine — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 13:06:09 -0000

Easy, best case 13-0 worst case 0-12. Just kidding, let's break down what can only be called a very friendly schedule week by week and give a best case worst case result and see where we end up. These are depending on a clean bill of health. Just scroll all the way to the bottom of The Jump if you want to skip the game by game, I will throw up a recap.

Rams Football Schedule

@ New Mexico	Sat 09/03	3:00 PM PDT
Northern Colorado	Sat 09/10	11:00 AM PDT
@ Colorado	Sat 09/17	10:30 AM PDT
@ Utah State	Sat 09/24	5:00 PM PDT
San Jose St.	Sat 10/01	1:00 PM PDT
Boise St.	Sat 10/15	3:00 PM PDT
@ UTEP	Sat 10/22	5:00 PM PDT
@ UNLV	Sat 10/29	3:00 PM PDT
San Diego St.	Sat 11/12	3:00 PM PST
@ TCU	Sat 11/19	12:30 PM PST
Air Force	Sat 11/26	3:00 PM PST
Wyoming	Sat 12/03	11:00 AM PST

@ New Mexico

Best case- A win, an easy convincing win. Pete Thomas shows he means business and the defense shows up. The running game shows some life and gets a buzz going.

Worst case- A win. They have to beat the Lobos, road game or not. They lose this game and look at my 0-12 prediction and Steve Fairchild really needs to start prepping that resume.

Northern Colorado

Best case- A win, a big home win where the Rams run the ball all over their closest in state rival.

Worst case- A win. UNC has no business beating the Rams at home. Awesome that the worst case is 2-0!

@Colorado

Best case- A win, Pete Thomas starts a dominate run against the Buffs that will leave him 3-1 for his career once he leaves for the NFL.

Worst case- A loss. The Buffs are starting their first year in the PAC-12 and want to make a good impression. A loss to a non-BCS school won't help them state their case.

@ Utah State

Best case- A win. They defense and run game will have to be a big help here. That BYU upset is stuck in my mind. Utah State isn't a walk over but CSU can beat them.

Worst case- A loss, that BYU upset. It wouldn't be as big but the Aggies aren't a team you can just show up and beat.

San Jose St.

Best Case- A win, this is when the crowds start filling in at Hughes Stadium and Steve Fairchild and Pete Thomas start clicking and the playbook opens wide. This could be Thomas' first "Madden" game where he puts up some stupid looking stats.

Worst case- A win, this is another where they must win. At home, if healthy, there is no reason they should lose.

Boise St

Best case- A close loss. The Rams have played some very good teams at home down to the wire over the years, never pulling out the win. That is probably the best case here. I have mentioned a few times that Kellen Moore against a Larry Kerr defense could get very ugly.

Worst case- A huge loss. Unless it means Kerr gets fired on the spot after Moore throws his 12th touchdown of the game. Then that could be a best case.

@UTEP

Best case- A win. I think the Rams could win this. They will have to put up a lot of points to do it. If Fairchild and Thomas get clicking they can put up a lot of points. The defense has to come up with a few turnovers for sure in this one. Remember its best case.

Worst case- A loss. That's not all that worst case, more just realistic. The UTEP offense could pick apart a Larry Kerr defense very easy and make it a long day for Ram fans.

@UNLV

Best case- A win! I sense a pattern with best case here. This is a winnable game. If they can beat UNM on the road they can do it with UNLV.

Worst case- A win! I love when the worst case is still a win. UNLV won't be good. The Rams should be decent. Decent beats bad in my book.

SDSU

Best case- A win! This is their big win at home they have been waiting over the years for. In this one someone makes a play at the end of the game and Hughes Stadium goes crazy.

Worst case- A loss, an ugly one where SDSU scores about 45 points and the defense is on the field for 40 minutes.

@TCU

Best case- A close loss. The Rams could be full of confidence but the Horned Frogs in Texas are a different team. The TCU defense will focus on a weaker running game and give Thomas some pressure. If no one gets hurt I call it a best case.

Worst case- A loss. Someone gets hurt and their bowl chances go bye bye.

Air Force

Best case- Loss. I do think they beat either SDSU or Air Force at home, but not both. Freudian typing slip, I just wrote that "I don't think they beat either SDSU or Air Force" Not good, not good at all.

Worst case- Loss. Can't win them all right? After watching the Rams get destroyed in person last year down in Colorado Springs I can't see how they are better then the Falcons this year.

Wyoming

Best case- Win! Get that Bronze Boot back in the Border War! This would be the last Rams game I attend for awhile so I hope its a big win. The Cowboys have some personnel issues to work out, it will be the last game but they are who they are at this point. Rams win.

Worst case- Loss. Anything happens in the Border War, like last year. That sucked.

So to recap it all best case scenario gives the Rams a staggering 9-3 record and getting an invite to the Las Vegas Bowl. It is definitely a best case, they will need a lot of lucky bounces and a few calls go their way. In reality the defense and running game won't hold up their end of the deal and the Rams fall short of 9-3. But they play the games for a reason and this is what could happen.

Worst case the Rams flop to a 4-8 record. Which might not seems that worst case since they were 3-9 the last two years. This team is deeper and has more possibility to be talented. They talent actually showing up on the field has been the issue. With this schedule 4-8 is more like 2-10, there are a couple gimme games on the schedule that they need to take. Keep in mind that I don't think UNLV, WYO, or UNM got any better and could have gotten worse since last year.

Realistic case? Who wants to hear that? We are all about crazy predictions here at MWCConnection! But I will throw out an even 6-6 with a bowl game win to sound fair. Take the best case scenario and take off the CU, UTEP, and SDSU wins and you land at 6-6 and a New Mexico Bowl bid.

GO STATE!

Colorado State Football 2011: Defensive Preview

bhsmarine — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 01:30:22 -0000

I have been putting this article off for awhile now, the CSU defense isn't exactly a fun topic. The defense has been bad, bad, and worse lately. I personally believe a lot of that is scheme and play calling and less actual talent. The Rams are no Horned Frogs when it comes to personnel but they should be better then they have been of late.

The last time the Rams allowed less then 4500 yards on the season was back in 2006 with a very solid 3964 yards. Twice in the last three years they have given up 5000+. Their average yards given up per play is floating around 6, it doesn't take a math major to realize that's not a recipe for success. The worst part is I don't see this changing at all since defensive coordinator Larry Kerr is still around and there have been no announced changes on scheme.

So I am going to rate the separate units and list a stand out player. Catch it after The Jump!

Defensive Line - This is no doubt the position where the Rams could use a breakout stud. It probably won't happen but the depth here is better then years past. At DE the Rams have CJ James who has been up and down in his first two years, not quite reaching expectations but could be the Rams best past rusher if his talent comes through. Big man Nuku Latu could help clog up the middle. For freshman I am going to throw out the name Justin Hansen. I have no idea if he is good but at near 300 pounds he can clog a gap. OVERALL - C The Rams will struggle with pass rush from their front four as they have in the past. The run defense could be improved with the bigger bodies in the middle.

Line Backer - This unit will once again be a strength for the Rams. There have been quite a few great LB the last few years. Unfortunately due to injuries and suspensions they haven't been out there for a full year. The stud of the group, after he led the nation in forced fumbles, is Mychal Sisson. He should be a 1st team all conference player and will be looked at by some NFL teams. Mike Orakpo will be next to Sisson after playing safety last year. Freshman Aaron Davis showed something to the coaches in the off season and will get some playing time. OVERALL - B+ Orakpo and Sisson will be studs, the third spot will be filled with Kawulok, Favors, and Skelton depending on injuries and such. Time will see if Orakpo is the next in line of stud LB's behind Sisson, Brewer, and Williams.

Corner back- The Rams will be young but should do well. I am going to talk about one guy though. Shaq Bell. Not a name many outside and even inside of Fort Collins know. He played the majority of the second half last year as a freshman. I thought he was the best CB I have seen at CSU in years. He wasn't a huge INT threat last year but covered as well as anyone and wasn't afraid to make a tackle. Shaq Bell was a bright spot that should improve as he gets use to the speed of the game. He led all freshman in tackles for the Rams last year with 39, tops for a CB on the team. Those didn't all come from targets on his man. No freshman CB are listed on the roster as of now. Overall- B- I think with moving Elijah Blu-Smith back to CB and Bell coming back the Rams will be better then in years past.

Safety- The move of Blu-Smith and Orakpo will hurt the safety position. The only returning starter is Ivory Herd, he should hold his own like in years past. The Rams have 7 freshman listed on the roster as safeties. Not exactly a position you want to be super young at. The Rams wouldn't have moved Blu-Smith if they didn't think freshman Austin Grey and Kevin Pierre-Louis could handle it. OVERALL- C? Hard to tell with so many freshman, but the rest of the defense will need to step up and play big to take the pressure of Herd and the young-ins.

Coaching - Larry Kerr... Fail. He does get an easy landing to break in the freshman and try out play calling from the booth with New Mexico, No. Colorado, CU, and San Jose State. The scheme needs to not be so vanilla and easy to pick apart. Kellen Moore might set a few NCAA records if the safeties and Kerr don't get something figured out by their 5th game.

CSU to play true freshman at WR, possibly safety.

bhsmarine — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:59:30 -0000

CSU to play true freshman at WR, possibly safety.

There was rumor of Charles Lovett and Lee Clubb not redshirting but I didn't want to throw it out there just yet. The quote is at the bottom of the Steve Fairchild section. They are smaller, but could compete for the fastest guys on the team. Think Tony Drake/Lou Greenwood type. If you don't know who those two are then think of the tiny but really fast guy on your team that was probably a RB in high school but is to small to play RB in NCAA.

Colorado State Rams Football 2011: Offensive Preview

bhsmarine — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 19:38:39 -0000

I will kick this off with some talk about Pete Thomas. The caption holds true because Thomas is actually a man. He is a myth because it has been so long since the Rams had a starting QB return. He is a legend because he is awesome, I see him gunning down some all time CSU records. If he just throws for his 2662 yards as he did as a freshman he would break the all time CSU passing mark by 3000 yards. He should pass coach Fairchild for 10th all time somewhere around the 4-5th game this year. According to CSURams.com he should be 5th all time for a single season for passing yards. The Rams are in good hands with Thomas.

The Rams come into 2011 with their first returning starting quarterback since my first year at CSU. I graduated almost a year ago. The Rams had Caleb Hanie returning in 2007, Billy Farris in 2008, Grant Stucker in 2009, and Pete Thomas in 2010 as a true freshman.

Let's look and see if Thomas is in good hands with his supporting cast.

Receiver has been a tough go for the Rams. They have gotten inconsistent play from their bigger receivers and have been forced to use non-typical body types at the position. Nothing wrong with small guys, but a 6-3 target is better then a 5-10 target any day. Matt Yemm is the returning small receiver along with tall guys TJ Borcky, Marquise Law, and Byron Steele. All have been plagued by inconsistency and less then favorable reviews by the coaching staff. That applies to the receivers as a whole. I have been calling for Steele to become the number 1 target for years now, so might as well keep on that path. He seems to have the package to be dominate, he just needs to put it together. Thomas will help them all look good. The speed and height of the guys Fairchild is recruiting it looks like Thomas will have an easier time setting those records.

Pete Thomas Fact: He was 2nd to only Ryan Lindley in yards per game last year, better then second round pick Andy Dalton.

The running back crew has been forgettable since Gartrell Johnson left for the NFL after the 2009 season. Leonard Mason had some good games but needed a tandem back. The O-line wasn't helping them out much but let's leave that for the next paragraph. This year seniors Derek Good and Raymond Carter will get the bulk of the carries with Chris Nwoke the sophomore getting some too. Nwoke has the talent but needs to show he has picked up the pace of the college game and the offensive scheme. Carter needs to hit holes, his hesitation killed his reputation last year. Carter was an excellent pass catcher though and helped Thomas out a lot. Good has been good, his return game helped a lot and earned him some carries late last year. The Rams will be missing Tony Drake till he gets his academics fixed up and Kapri Bibbs won't join the Rams till he can get his AA at a JuCo. Overall this group should be equal to a bit improved over last year, though losing Mason could hurt more then some think.

Pete Thomas Fact: Thomas was 2nd only to Dalton in completion percentage at 64.7%. 5* BYU freshman Jake Heaps was at 57%.

The O-line looks like it is piecing its self back together after starting all over last year. The Rams found a gem at center in Weston Richburg who will only get better during his sophomore season. Jake Gdowski and Paul Madsen return as seniors also. This line was patched together and never quite found their teamwork, this year I think it will be a much improved line for the fact that they have played together and the freshman center is now a sophomore. They will make the backs look better and that will make Pete Thomas look all that more legendary.

Pete Thomas Fact: Is tied with Mychal Sisson for my man crush on a Ram of any sport.

All in all the Rams should look better on offense for the fact of a returning QB, a very good one at that. The line play should be more consistent. This should help the not ideal running back corps. The receivers should have a better opportunity if the running game works out. Pete Thomas will keep being Pete Thomas.

*Pete Thomas future fact: Thomas will one up the Bradlee Van Pelt head spike touchdown by somehow doing a double head spike as he runs and throws for a touchdown simultaneously during a Rocky Mountain Showdown game.

* Future fact may not come true.

Will The MWC Crash The Other Postseason Tournaments?

bhsmarine — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 15:22:36 -0000

Unlike many other conferences the MWC is pretty much set in its NCAA tournament bids. BYU, SDSU, and UNLV are all getting a invite and have a decent idea what seeds they will be given. That leaves the NIT, CBI, and CIT the opportunity to pick up some good teams out of the MWC. I will break it down by tounament and what is expected to play out in the "other" postseasons.

NIT- National Invitational Tournament is a 32 team tournament and is known as the second best tournament after the NCAA. The selection process is driven by results and possible TV ratings so there isn't exactly a science to picking teams. Higher seeded teams get to host games until the semi-finals.

CBI- College Basketball Invitational is a 16 team tournament and also allows teams to host games. The twist the CBI throws in to get watchers is a best of three series once it comes down to the final two teams. I personally love this feature as it takes out a fluke game by a team. Imagine watching Duke and Butler a possible three times last year? No way the NCAA would do this but its a nice twist for a lower rated tournament.

CIT- College Insiders Tournament will be a 24 team tournament after being a 16 team bracket in earlier years, the 2 its been around. Not much history to this tournament but think of it as the 4th in line trophy for the winner.

Catch which MWC teams will end up in what tournament after the break.

UNM- After being a bubble team, then kicked off in forgotten land the New Mexico Lobos made a charge by sweeping BYU in the regular season. This should land them in the NIT. After a 1st round MWC win against the Rams the Lobos were back on the bubble. They failed to make a run but they boosted themselves into the 66th spot in the RPI. That spot puts them back into the NIT talk. They should make a great NIT team if they can get a host seed and make a team beat them at The Pit. The Lobos are hot right now winning 4 or their last 6. The two losses were BYU and overtime to UNLV. They did have a win against BYU and CSU in that streak.

They are led by Dairese Gary at point guard who has big game potential. He was held in check the last two games but has the ability to put up 20 points on a given night. Gary can get to the free throw line, 10+ FT made in two of his last 4 games. Drew Gordon is a double double machine racking up 6 in the last 7 games for the Lobos. He has 13 on the season. The Lobos are playing well of late and could make a deep run in the NIT if they can start off with a few home games in The Pit. I have seen seeding predictions with them anywhere from 2-6th place in the NIT.

PREDICTION: 3-5 seed in NIT. Make a deep run and are contenders to win it with the right seed.

CSU- Going 1-5 in their last six and throwing themselves off a weak bubble the Rams sit with a chance to play in the NIT still. Those five losses did come against postseason teams, but they could have/should have gone 3-3 instead. The Rams have been given a high rank in the 2-3 range and seem like a lock to make the NIT with their 48 RPI. A high seed bodes well for the Rams because I doubt they could beat anyone on the road if they keep playing the way they have. A win or two at Moby Arena could get the Rams swagger back though.

Andy Ogide the man beast who has been the Rams lone star player of late will need to keep it up. Ogide has averaged 18.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game of his last 11. Only twice in that stretch has he been held under 15 points. The Rams started out with another star player, Travis Franklin. They are down to one star as of late with Franklin's performance. 5.7 points per game going along with two shutouts, the same amount of times he has scored over 10 in the last 11 games. In the last six games Franklin has manged just 5 field goals to go with 18 turnovers. Yikes. It is no surpise the Rams have struggled as of late, not many teams second best scorer decides to fall apart at the end of his senior year.

PREDICTION: 2-4 seed in NIT. Win one game, two is a stretch with the way the Rams finished. Find their mid-season form and they could beat any NIT team.

The Air Force Falcons will get a taste of postseason for the first time since 2007 as they have elected to host a game in the CIT. Sitting at 105 in the RPI this is the Falcons best chance at the post season. The fact they elected to host is even smarter. They know they can pull in Falcon fans and make some money on top of the hosting fee they have to pay. Ten other teams along with AF have already planned to participate in the CIT.

PREDICTION: 1-4 seed in the CIT. I only say that because they are hosting a game. The Falcons could make some noise in the CIT, they other teams are no giants so it will come down to the team with the hot hand.

Lobos Stay Alive in Fight for NCAA Tournament

bhsmarine — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 01:06:37 -0000

Final - 3.10.2011	1	2	Total
New Mexico Lobos	36	31	67
Colorado St. Rams	29	32	61

Complete Coverage >

The New Mexico Lobos took their first big step in keeping their chances at a NCAA birth alive when they beat the CSU Rams 67-61 in the first round of the MWC tournament. The Lobos were lead in scoring by Kendall Williams with 16 points and Drew Gordon added a double double with 13 points and rebounds. The Lobos pulled away late on a big shot by Cameron Bairstow that put the Lobos up 4 with less the a minute to play.

The Rams were led by none other then Andy Ogide with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Wes Eikmeier and Dorian Green added 14 and 13 points respectively. The Rams had two starters in Travis Franklin and Greg Smith who failed to score a point and had as many turnovers and rebounds with three.

What I saw of the game was the final 4 minutes as I sat down at a bar after work. From that point on you saw the disparity in the two teams. The Rams were out rebounded, had more turnovers, and had less options on offense. The Rams looked desperate on offense while the Lobos looked confident. The huge shot by Bairstow was all that was right with the Lobos and wrong with the Rams down the stretch.

The Lobos took a big step tonight and will need a huge one tomorrow as they face #1 BYU. They did win the season series against BYU and would look prime for a NCAA tournament bid if they can beat them once more.

As for the Rams they look like a middle bid NIT team depending on how many regular season league winners get booted from their own conference tournaments and into the NIT. Best case scenario the Rams get to host a game and pull in some revenue and make a run at the NIT for recruiting purposes. They could be joined by the Lobos depending how their MWC tournament goes.

Rams and Lobos Fight for a Chance to Dance

bhsmarine — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 13:43:41 -0000

Next Game

New Mexico Lobos
@ Colorado St. Rams

Thursday, Mar 10, 2011, 2:30 PM PST
Thomas & Mack Center - Las Vegas, NV

Complete Coverage >

The Colorado State Rams and New Mexico Lobos are both in win or go home mode after disappointing losses down the stretch. Today they will match up as the four and five seeds in the MWC tournament in Las Vegas. The Rams grabbed the four seed with a 19-11(9-7) record on the year with a 43rd ranking in the RPI. The Lobos sit at 20-11(8-8) and are 71st in RPI. New Mexico has been off the bubble talk since their second Utah loss. The Rams have been put in the next, next four out in most brackets since their devastating loss to Air Force.

The Lobos took some hard losses, getting swept by Utah and two one possession games against UNLV have hurt their tournament chances. The loss to Wyoming might be their most damaging in conference play. The Lobos did have two huge wins against BYU, showing if they get past CSU a MWC tournament win isn't that crazy of a thought. The Lobos tournament resume is filled with ups and downs. Losing to Wyoming and getting swept by Utah on one side. Sweeping BYU and taking UNLV down to the last possession both games.

The Rams are a different story as they lack a good win. Their best win on the year is at UNLV, The Rams split the series with UNM, AFA, and failed to get a marquee win against SDSU or BYU in four chances. The Rams are riding their strength of schedule right now, but that doesn't mean much when your 1-5 against top 25 opponents.

Catch keys to the game after the jump...

For the Lobos to break some bubble teams hearts they need to have Dairese Gary and Drew Gordon continue to dominate. In the Lobos win over the Rams Gordon went for 15 points and 16 rebounds. They key to that game was Phillip McDonald going for a career high 27 points off the bench. If any of the Lobos can get hot and help Gordon and Gary with scoring then the Rams might run out of answers on defense.

For the Rams to win they need to get back their two headed monster in Andy Ogide and Travis Franklin. Ogide has been carrying this team and got a well deserved 1st team all conference. Ogide has scored 20 points in four of his last six games. Franklin averages 12 points a game, but has yet to do better then 12 points since 1/26. The Rams have gone .500 in that stretch.

CSU Takes on BYU in Provo

bhsmarine — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 23:31:11 -0000

The Rams have two big chances to cement themselves in the NCAA tournament. Neither are good odds, and tonight against BYU in Provo might be the longest shot of the two. The Rams have always struggled with quick guards ala Jimmer.

Jimmer has cooled down a bit, not posting a 30 point game in his last five contests. He has averaged 25.2 points a game over that stretch. If you can call that cooling down, milding down maybe? The Cougars haven't played a close game in three weeks. They had a game going against Utah but ended up winning by 13. Their last win was a blow out down in Fort Worth against TCU. BYU is hitting their stride at the right time, not much to talk about here until March 15th when the NCAA tournament starts up.

The Rams are still in by most tournament guesses even after a UNLV loss at home. The win in Las Vegas is the only thing keeping them even near the bubble at the moment. With a chance to beat BYU or SDSU on the road left the Rams have two marquee chances to get that invite to the NCAA tournament. It would also get them the three seed in the MWC tournament if things play out as they should with UNLV. That four seed in the MWC isn't looking to bad with UNM playing like they do on the road. For the sake of Ram fans blood pressure a win at BYU or SDSU could help out a lot.

The Rams got a no show from Travis Franklin last game. That can't happen if the Rams want this game to be close or even watchable. Pounding the ball down low and shooting better are the only ways the Rams make this game interesting.

CSU was challenging for a NCAA tournament spot against UNLV. They are fighting for that spot the rest of the season now. A slip up guarantees them a NIT or CBI bid.

I feel like I don't do enough polls so here is one on the Rams chances...

Poll

Do the CSU Rams need to beat SDSU or BYU in the regular season or MWC tournament to get into the NCAA tournament? (Assuming the Rams would face either team in the MWC tournament at some point after a 1st round win)

Yes

12 votes

No, a first round win in the MWC will do it

7 votes

Yes, and they must do it in the regular season

2 votes

Doesn't matter the Rams will miss the NCAA tournament

3 votes

24 votes | Poll has closed

CSU shakes up coaching duties, yet nothing actually changes.

bhsmarine — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 22:15:41 -0000

CSU shakes up coaching duties, yet nothing actually changes.

This probably changes nothing, if Larry Kerr and his "defensive scheme" are still in place then I don't see any difference. The good news is that its CSU football news.

Game Preview: Rams look to avoid trap game versus TCU

bhsmarine — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 21:58:26 -0000

Next Game

Colorado St. Rams
@ TCU Horned Frogs

Wednesday, Feb 16, 2011, 5:00 PM PST
Daniel-Meyer Coliseum

Complete Coverage >

If that headline looks familiar it is because I copied and pasted rebelfan1's title from his post earlier today. The Rams sit in the same boat as the Rebels. They play a bottom feeder with a season make or break game on the horizon Saturday when the Rebels and Rams face off at Moby Arena.

The trick to the Rams game is the fact they are on the road. The Rams have issues with quick point guards but with Ronnie Moss suspended it will make life a little easier.

TCU is on an 8 game slide that started with a 79-69 loss in Fort Collins. In those losses only two games have been single digit losses, they did take Air Force to overtime in a one point loss.

The Rams are on a cute two game streak after a buzzer beater loss to SDSU at home. To prep for the Rebels the Rams have the capability to sit Wes Eikmeier who has been nursing a foot injury for a few weeks. Eikmeier will be a big part of the Rams getting a NCAA bid, but playing him too soon could hurt the team more.

If the Rams are focused they should win down in Fort Worth. Tim Miles can prove his coaching worth by getting the team focused on tonight's game.