Fort Collins – Defense. Offense. Special teams. Pick a way to lose a game, or at least not win it, and Colorado State has covered it in the past three down-to-the-wire finishes against Colorado.
Conversely, it can be said CU pulled out the past three on offense, defense and special teams. Either way, the three wind-ups set up months of sleepless nights for the CSU coaching staff.
“Every game you lose haunts you a lot,” CSU coach Sonny Lubick said. “Because it’s CU, it’s more, and if you lose in the last minute or had a chance to win and didn’t hang on, you go through the sequence in your mind for a long time afterwards.”
Special-teams coach Dave Arnold has figured out a way to avoid the reoccurring nightmare.
“Be ahead enough at the end that we don’t have to worry,” Arnold said.
Arnold took the brunt of the criticism last year when CSU squib-kicked after tying the game at 28 in the final minute.
CU’s Stephone Robinson muffed the kickoff, but recovered to return it 30 yards. Four plays later, Mason Crosby came in to kick the 47-yard game-winner with four seconds left.
“You second-guess yourself after the fact,” Arnold said. “You have X amount of seconds to make the decision. When you make the decision, you think it’s good. When it’s not good you think, ‘Why the heck did we do that?”‘
Crosby missed a 63-yard attempt in the Buffs’ shocking 19-10 loss to Montana State. Arnold wouldn’t be surprised if Crosby tried one from a similar distance against the Rams.
If Crosby is lining up from that far out, Lubick said at least it will be a credit to the defense.
CSU trailed 27-24 in 2004 with first-and-goal on the 1 and couldn’t punch it in on two running plays as time ran out. And in 2003 with the game tied late, CU easily drove 75 yards in six plays for the winner.
“I know the fans got their money’s worth the last three years,” Lubick said.
The CSU staff isn’t approaching it any differently than if CU had decisively beat a Big Ten team last weekend.
Even defensive tackles coach Karl Ballard, whose players helped hold Weber State to minus-38 yards rushing Saturday, said this is a new week.
“We played OK, but there’s a lot to clean up. We’re going to play a lot of people who are much better up front than Weber State,” Ballard said, pointing out CU honors candidates Brian Daniels and Mark Fenton.
Footnotes
Lubick said the Rams didn’t “save” anything in the playbook for CU….Redshirt freshman guard Adrian Martinez, who hurt a knee in preseason, is expected to return to practice today, allowing Nick Allotta to return to center. … Starting center Tim Walter is expected to miss several weeks with a sprained knee. Lubick said freshman Brian Lepak, a candidate for a redshirt year, will work as the backup center. … Lubick was not optimistic wide receiver Dustin Osborn could return in time from a high ankle sprain. … Offensive tackle Dane Stratton is questionable with a concussion.
Staff writer Natalie Meisler can be reached at 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com.
