Fort Collins – OK. So Colorado State isn’t the only team in the state to lose on a last-second field goal this past weekend.
The Rams aren’t to be confused with the Denver Broncos, and New Mexico certainly isn’t the collegiate version of the Indianapolis Colts.
There are two harsh facts for CSU this week, riding its first three-game Mountain West Conference losing streak since the formation of the league in 1999. Losing has become habit-forming, and Brigham Young, clearly the best team in a down year for the MWC, comes to Hughes Stadium on Saturday.
Going into this season, a Colorado State lead at the end of the third quarter almost always assured a victory. In Sonny Lubick’s first 13 seasons, the Rams were 84-4 when ahead going into the final 15 minutes.
This is no longer a team that finds a way to win. Twice in the past three games, the Rams (4-4, 1-3) have squandered third-quarter leads, falling to Air Force (3-4, 3-2) and New Mexico (5-4, 3-2), two teams hovering a game on either side of the .500 mark.
Heading into the toughest three games of the Mountain West schedule before the season likely ends in San Diego on Dec. 2, CSU may well be reduced to a spoiler role. The Rams could still make their season with a win over BYU on Saturday, but the Cougars (6-2, 4-0) are the lone MWC team playing consistently well on offense and defense.
Then it’s off to Utah on Nov. 11, an open date, and home Thanksgiving weekend against TCU. If past holiday weekend turnouts and Saturday’s anemic showing of 22,011 are any indication, there won’t be many witnesses on hand when a revived TCU team visits Fort Collins on Nov. 25.
Come today, the Rams will still be eager to hit the field and get the first glimpse of the BYU machine on tape.
“It’s never hard to come back,” CSU defensive end Bob Vomhof said Saturday. “It’s hard right now, but I love coming back and practicing. I like coming back and getting ready for another game.”
Vomhof saw the progress in the offense and quarterback Caleb Hanie had nothing but praise for the defense. On the final stat sheet, CSU played more than well enough to win, controlling time of possession 31:27-28:33, holding the Lobos to 195 yards passing, after a 350-yard outburst the previous week, and 274 yards overall. With wide receiver Johnny Walker continuing to come up with clutch third- down receptions, CSU converted half of their 18 attempts.
The numbers just are not converting into a win.
“You can’t sit and dwell about something you can do nothing about,” Vomhof said. “You can move on and start preparing for the next game. That’s what I plan to do.”
The Rams could have a few more starters back on defense for more plays. Safety Mike Pagnotta, the team’s leading tackler before spraining a knee at Air Force, insists he’ll be back. Defensive end Jesse Nading, who admitted he was limited by a sprained ankle, said his plan is to play more, and defensive tackle Erik Sandie, two weeks removed from minor knee surgery, made an appearance.
The only injury question mark coming out of the loss was Walker, with bruised ribs.
EYE ON … The Cougars
BRIGHAM YOUNG AT CSU, 4:30 p.m., Saturday
MTN (Comcast digital channel 411)
For the record: BYU is 6-2, 4-0 in the Mountain West Conference.
Streaking: BYU has won five straight games.
Who’s hot: QB John Beck, who should be the unanimous pick for MWC offensive player of the year, has thrown to 13 different receivers and is sixth nationally in pass efficiency.
Who’s not: BYU is the most-penalized team in the conference, averaging 65.8 yards a game.
Key stat: Cougars lead the nation in turnover margin at plus-1.5 a game.
FYI: BYU hasn’t trailed in a game since the double overtime loss at Boston College on Sept. 16. BYU has outscored opponents in 23 of 32 quarters this season.
Coachspeak: “It was excellent. They did exactly what we wanted them to do.” – BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall, on the defensive effort against Air Force
Natalie Meisler can be reached at 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com.
