Fresno, Calif. – September ended with only three teams – Colorado State (3-1), Air Force (2-1, 2-0) and BYU (3-2, 1-0) – entering this month with confidence in the Mountain West Conference race.
And now CSU gets to meet UNLV (1-3), the least-productive team in the league, to open MWC play Saturday in a long-awaited return to Hughes Stadium.
CSU ended two weeks of self-doubts with a resounding 35-23 win Saturday night at Fresno State.
“This is huge for momentum. We know we’re going to face good teams like Air Force. This is a big confidence builder,” said H-back Kory Sperry, who scored on a 53-yard pass. “That was supposedly the worst crowd out there, and to win here is a thrill.”
Although the Rams ended up with a season-low 54 yards rushing, there was reason to be encouraged. Gartrell Johnson and then Nnamdi Ohaeri found some holes and made progress. A holding call nullified most of Ohaeri’s 55-yard gain to the Fresno State 5 in the fourth quarter.
“We made up our minds this week to get it done,” said Johnson, who scored his first touchdown since the season opener against Weber State.
The Rams spent the bye week working on getting more physical play out of the offensive line.
Quarterback Caleb Hanie, who had his first career three-TD outing, said the Rams needed some patience for the deep passing game to reappear.
“I know the guys will be working extra hard this week, knowing that conference is starting,” Hanie said. “Our goal is to win the conference and go to a great bowl.”
The Rams suffered a blow in the game with the loss of offensive guard Marvin Arnold, who broke his leg and is out for the year. Redshirt freshman Scott Benedict had been pushing for playing time, but it was a step backward in terms of building depth.
The defense, led by linebacker Luke Adkins’ 12 tackles and cornerback Darryl Williams’ two interceptions, held Fresno State running back Dwayne Wright to 77 yards, barely more than half his average coming into the game. He slipped from fifth nationally to seventh.
CSU moved into fifth place nationally in total defense, giving up 233.3 yards a game.
Before Rams fans hit ramnation.com with dreams of a BCS run, consider CSU’s three Division I-A opponents are a combined 4-11 and Division I-AA Weber State is 2-3.
Still, it was a confidence builder for no reason than exercising crowd control by silencing the sold-out Bulldog Stadium, sending most of the Fresno State fans home long before the final gun.
“This was a good win,” CSU coach Sonny Lubick said. “We played pretty well after we got control.”
Part of that control was the defensive line overcoming a tentative start on Fresno State’s first scoring drive. After Fresno State center Kyle Young kicked Erik Sandie’s loose helmet across the end zone following that drive, Sandie said, “We got our stuff together and pretty much shut him out the rest of the game.”
In the aftermath of some pregame chatter between Young and Sandie, the CSU tackle had the final word: “He’s everything I thought he’d be – a big guy who holds.”
EYE ON … The Rebels
UNLV AT CSU: 3:30 p.m. Saturday, The Mtn. (Comcast channel 411)
For the record: UNLV 1-3, Colorado State 3-1.
Last game: Lost at home to Nevada, 31-3.
Streaking: Rebels have dropped three straight since a 54-10 rout of Division I-AA Idaho State.
Who’s hot: RB David Peeples has been one of the few pleasant surprises, gaining 106 yards on 15 carries against Nevada.
Who’s not: QB Rocky Hinds, a transfer from USC, has not been the same since injuring a knee at Iowa State in the second week. He was sacked for 62 yards in losses by Nevada.
Key stat: UNLV lost five turnovers without a single takeaway against the in-state rival.
FYI: Other than CSU’s 45-10 win in 2004, a total of 11 points have separated the teams since 2000.
Injury report: None available.
Coachspeak: “I am shocked actually that we played like that.” – UNLV second-year coach Mike Sanford
Natalie Meisler can be reached at 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com.
