Mistake-Prone CSU Offense Stymied in 20-3 Loss to Washington State

Well, looks like quarterback wasn’t the problem either.

In a sneak preview of a future annual conference matchup in the Pac-12, the Colorado State Rams (1-3) were mostly stifled by the Washington State Cougars (3-2) at Canvas Stadium, losing by a final score of 20-3.

While the Cougars got back on track following a two-week stretch of some of the worst defense you will ever see, the Rams are now staring into a void. In a season where the improvements from 2024 needed to be built upon, the Rams are now 1-3, sitting in a three-way tie for 9th place in the Mountain West entering conference play.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

11:32 – Isaiah Hankins 50-yd FG

Washington State 0 – Colorado State 3

8:43 – Jeremiah Noga 35-yd pass from Zevi Eckhaus (Jack Stevens PAT)

Washington State 7 – Colorado State 3

2:05 – Jack Stevens 37-yd FG

Washington State 10 – Colorado State 3

2nd Quarter

5:16 – Jack Stevens 21-yd FG

Washington State 13 – Colorado State 3

1:01 – Ademola Faleye 2-yd pass from Zevi Eckhaus (Jack Stevens PAT)

Washington State 20 – Colorado State 3

Final: Washington State 20 – Colorado State 3

Defense

Let us once again begin with the positives for the Rams, which largely begin and end with Tyson Summers’ defense, which, in a season of massive disappointment, have been a shining light for fans of the Rams.

Now, don’t get me wrong: Washington State’s offense hasn’t exactly been a destroyer of worlds this season. In fact, they are below average in nearly every metric. However, holding the Cougars offense scoreless throughout the second half is nothing to scoff at.

The Rams’ secondary held Washington State QB Zevi Eckhaus to just 6.8 yards per attempt and a 57.1% completion percentage, which both were far below his totals of 7.5 YPA and a 70.3% completion percentage a week prior against Washington. Lemondre Joe and Jahari Rogers each successfully defended two passes, which pushed the duo to first and tied for third in the conference, respectively. Joe’s total of eight on the year also places him into a three-way tie with Caleb Offord (Kennesaw State) and Jhamal Shelby Jr. (Louisiana Tech) for the most passes defended in the FBS.

Owen Long continues to have a spectacular start to the season, and, with his 14 total tackles against the Cougars, he not only remains the Rams’ leading tackler, but now leads the Mountain West in tackles as well, ranking 4th overall in the country.

Sadly, it isn’t all great for the Rams’ defense, though, as they were gashed on the ground in the first half. The Cougars, who entered the game with the nation’s second-worst rushing attack, were able to put together a genuinely respectable performance, compiling 158 yards on 33 carries, far and away their best total of the season. Leading rusher Leo Pulalasi had 50 yards on his three carries, which exceeded his 4-game season total of 47 yards. Five Wazzou rushers exceeded 20 yards when their previous best in that category was three.

The Rams’ front seven, which was supposed to be the defense’s strongest unit, compiled zero sacks, leaving that duty to safety Jake Jarmolowich, who was the only CSU defender to put Eckhaus in the ground all night.

Even with these negatives, it was a largely encouraging performance from the Rams’ defense, especially in the second half. This courtesy does not extend to the offensive side of the ball.

Offense

The Rams’ offense opened the game with an efficient 7-play, 33-yard drive that ended in a 50-yard field goal by Isaiah Hankins to go up 3-0. Jalen Dupree had three carries for 37 yards, and it seemed as if the Rams would indeed take advantage of Washington State’s defense, which had allowed 59 points in each of the Cougars’ previous two games.

Got me hook, line and sinker.

For the remaining 56 minutes of the game, CSU’s offense was held in check by the Cougars’ horrible defense, as Hankins’ field goal ended up being their only score of the game. Jalen Dupree, who averaged 12.3 yards per carry on the first drive, was held to 31 yards on his remaining 10 carries, just 3.1 YPC.

Jackson Brousseau got the nod to start at QB after his fantastic fourth quarter against UTSA a week ago. He had nearly the same statline as Eckhaus, going 19/28 for 188 yards and no interceptions. The only differences between the two were that Eckhaus had one more yard, three fewer completions, and, most importantly, two more touchdowns.

The WR core underperformed yet again, as Tommy Maher was the only wide receiver to top 20 yards, leading the Rams with 5 catches for 51 yards. Two of the Rams’ running backs also exceeded the 20-yard mark: Lloyd Avant (4-for-43), and Justin Marshall (1-for-25). No other wideout had more than two receptions, or more that 16 yards.

Marshall was responsible for the night’s only turnover, a lost fumble at the Wazzou 19-yard line on the first play of the 2nd quarter. This leads nicely into the most frustrating part of the game for the Rams: their issue did not lie in moving the ball, it was found in finishing drives.

The Rams’ offense moved the ball about as well as the Cougars’ did, only being outgained 347-334, totaling more first downs than the Cougs (20-19), and coming close in the time of possession battle (31:23-28:37).

Of the Rams’ nine drives, only two of them ended in punts, neither of which took place in the second half, and were on drives which covered a combined seven yards. Another obviously ended in Hankins’ field goal after a 33-yard drive. As for the other six? They covered a combined 294 yards yet resulted in a combined zero points.

One drive ended in Marshall’s fumble. Two more ended in missed field goals by Hankins: first a straight-up miss on a 44-yarder at the end of the first half, followed by a kick that was blocked by the Cougars on the Rams’ final drive. The final three drives all resulted in turnovers on downs stemming from three of the game’s four WSU sacks. Two were near midfield and another took place on the Washington State 7-yard line.

Final Thoughts

All in all, the Rams likely should not have lost this game by nearly as much as they did, if at all. However, execution is crucial to victory at the end of the day, and this was yet another game where the Rams did not execute at all offensively, wasting an inspired defensive outing in the second half.

It all leads back to a growing feeling that Jay Norvell’s days are numbered in Fort Collins. The Rams will end non-conference play in a year of heightened expectations with a 1-3 record, which is in a four-week tie for last place in the conference with Air Force, San Jose State, and Nevada.

Yet, while the Falcons and Spartans have shown great production offensively at different times and are thus due for a rebound, the Rams find themselves in nearly the same boat as the lowly Wolf Pack: wasting a manageable non-conference slate on the backs of stingy defenses paired with two of the worst offensive attacks in the nation (CSU and UNR are ranked 131st and 132nd in the FBS in points per game).

The Rams will need to figure out an offensive identity faster than they currently are, since the Air Raid has officially proven to be an unmitigated disaster. The worst part of all of this is that it doesn’t seem like the question to ask here is if the Rams will fix their woes, rather, it’s whether or not they actually have the pieces in place to do so at all.

Coming Up

The Rams’ home stand is over, as they hit the road next week to open up conference play. Their opponent will be the defensive-minded San Diego State Aztecs (3-1), who enter the game off the back of a masterclass of offensive inefficiency in a 6-3 victory over future Mountain West football member Northern Illinois. The Aztecs have allowed a conference-leading 9.8 PPG, with 36 of those points, ironically, coming from Washington State in a blowout 36-13 loss. Removing that game from the picture, the Aztecs are only allowing 2 points per game, based off of their matchups against FCS Stony Brook, NIU, and ACC member Cal. The Aztecs are also allowing conference lows in passing, rushing, and total yards. Not exactly the best opponent to get right offensively, but the Rams must now play the cards they have been dealt in a game they are not meant to be played in.

Kickoff is scheduled for Friday, October 8, at 8:30 p.m. Mountain Time. Broadcast coverage will be on CBS Sports Network.