Fort Collins – With a 5-4 team, the season winding down and a bowl bid in the balance, Colorado State coach Sonny Lubick has pinpointed the biggest issue with his frustratingly inconsistent team.
Consistency.
“It’s been plaguing us more than just this game,” Lubick said of the 33-6 drubbing at TCU on Saturday night. “We didn’t block as crisply. I use the word consistency, but it’s probably more than that. You (need) to take the ball and drive it a couple of times in each half for eight, nine, 10 plays and be productive at the end of (the drive). I don’t think we’ve been as good as we have to be in the next two games.”
CSU, unbeaten at home, closes its home schedule Saturday against San Diego State (3-6) and plays at UNLV next week.
A sweep would all but guarantee CSU a bid to one of the Mountain West’s three designated bowl games – if league champion TCU is invited to the Liberty Bowl, which does not have a direct tie-in with the MWC this season. A split in the final two games could leave CSU at home for the second straight season.
“We know we have weaknesses on both sides of the ball and special teams,” Lubick said. “We try to minimize those and maximize our strengths, which is handing the ball off and making some first downs, using some clock time. We haven’t been doing that the last three or four games.”
The Rams have played the MWC season without the anchor of the line, center Albert Bimper, out with a hamstring injury. The Rams also have been vulnerable against blitzing teams, including BYU, New Mexico and TCU. Lubick wouldn’t pin the problem on personnel changes in the line, though.
“It’s not one guy,” Lubick said. “It’s not the quarterback (Justin Holland). He’s made some big throws.”
The only exception to defensive inconsistency was a strong second-half showing at New Mexico. “Then we looked like a pretty good football team,” Lubick said.
For now, he’s hoping for sharper play, starting Saturday.
Penalty protest
CSU coaches complained to game officials when TCU safety Eric Buchanan wasn’t ejected after a late hit on CSU wide receiver David Anderson at the end of the first half. The Frogs were flagged for a personal foul. The coaches were told a player would have to take a swing at another to warrant an ejection.
“It wasn’t a swing, but it wasn’t a good football play,” Lubick said. “I saw the other guy jumping up and congratulating him. It looked like it was a planned deal. … There’s no place in football for that stuff.”
It was the first time Lubick called out another team for an illegal hit since former Rams linebacker Eric Pauly’s career-ending knee injury against Utah two years ago.
Herbert hobbling
Cornerback Robert Herbert will miss some practice time this week with a bruise on his leg in the same spot where he had shin splint surgery last spring.
Natalie Meisler can be reached at 303-820-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com.
