Fort Collins – When Colorado State coach Sonny Lubick hired Karl Ballard, one of his all-time favorite former “tough guy” walk-ons, it seemed inevitable the new hire would regale a new generation of Rams with stories from the 1994-95 championship years. That was when CSU often dominated both sides of the line of scrimmage.
The former linebacker had other goals in mind when brought on staff last spring.
“In ’94 what were these kids, 8 or 9 years old?” Ballard said. “The great thing about college football is every year is a different team. The one thing we keep stressing with these guys is how is this unit going to be remembered. They are taking a lot of pride and ownership in becoming a unit.”
Should CSU (3-2, 2-0 Mountain West) go on to a memorable season, the defensive line will long be remembered for Saturday night’s goal-line stand against Utah that preserved a 21-17 lead in the final seconds. Defensive end Jesse Nading, who was credited with the fourth- down tackle, points to Ballard for the line’s inspired play.
“He brings a lot of intensity,” Nading said. “He’s a young, fiery guy. He likes to jump around, yell and scream. For the most part, it’s really positive. It gets guys excited.”
In 1994, a fumble return against Arizona by junior defensive end Sean Moran helped launch the Rams to a 10-2 season. Ballard sees more balance on display in CSU’s current three- game winning streak, which the Rams will put on the line Saturday at Brigham Young.
While the defensive line made headlines last weekend, the offensive line is chipping away at an impressive statistic. It has yielded only three sacks, none in the past three games.
The common thread for the success of both lines is depth. There’s a three-man defensive tackle rotation of Delroy Parke, Erik Sandie and Blake Smith. Nading and Terrance Carter man the end spots and get backup help from Bob Vomhof, while Matt Rupp can play anywhere on the line.
The offensive line, which struggled to open holes for three quarters against Utah, is now seven deep.
If there is a similarity between this year’s lines and those when Ballard played, he said it’s the work ethic.
“The biggest thing this team reminds me of with those guys in my years is they are blue-collar, they are tough,” he said. “We don’t have a lot of superstars.”
Footnotes
Kyle Bell was named “best player you’ve never heard of” in Sports Illustrated’s midseason report. … Offensive guard Josh Day will play this week after missing last week with a hamstring injury. Center Albert Bimper (hamstring) will make the trip but isn’t expected to play for another week.
Natalie Meisler can be reached at 303-820-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com.
