Fort Collins – The best of the Mountain West Conference is behind Colorado State.
The worst could be yet to come.
All week the Rams insisted Brigham Young was a top-25 team. After improving to 7-2 at the expense of the punchless Rams, the Cougars indeed debuted at No. 25 in The Associated Press poll on Sunday, the first ranking for the program since the final poll of 2001.
The Rams (4-5, 1-4) played well enough on defense to beat any of the inconsistent MWC offenses. It wasn’t nearly enough, however, to overcome BYU.
If the offense doesn’t find the spark that has eluded the Rams most of the season, CSU might not win another game.
Few around the program expected to see a season worse than 4-7 in 2004 but 4-8 is looming as a distinct possibility, with two of the last three games on the road.
The Rams’ remaining schedule:
Saturday at Utah: The Utes, picked to win the MWC for the third time in four years, have had their struggles on offense, too. The defense is stout enough to keep CSU from any run success.
Nov. 18, bye week: A chance to get healthy for the final two games. A bowl is almost out of the question, so this week could start spring practice for the younger players.
Nov. 25, TCU: The Horned Frogs are returning to 2005 championship form after opening league play 0-2. Bad weather could work in CSU’s favor, at least theoretically. With attendance plummeting, a 5:30 p.m. start and the students gone on Thanksgiving break, the Rams might have trouble drawing 15,000.
Dec. 2, at San Diego State: The Aztecs beat Air Force and scared Wyoming, but otherwise have done nothing. It’s always a distraction-filled trip for CSU’s California contingent. If the Aztecs’ Kevin O’Connell returns as the starting quarterback, the season can’t end soon enough for the Rams.
While it’s unlikely the offensive line woes will be solved by Dec. 2, if not spring ball, the Rams’ defense and quarterback Caleb Hanie are still competing.
Hanie’s longest run of the BYU game, 12 yards, came on CSU’s final possession.
“The defense is playing hard. They are not going to quit,” said CSU coach Sonny Lubick, mired in his first four-game MWC losing streak. “(Almost) all of them are coming back next year, so they have to play hard to keep their scholarships.”
EYE ON … The Utes
COLORADO STATE AT UTAH, Noon, Saturday
For the record: Utah is 5-4, 3-2 in the Mountain West.
Streaking: Cougars had a week off after ending a two-game slide with a win over UNLV.
Who’s hot: CB Eric Weddle has scored four touchdowns, has six interceptions and headed for repeat MWC defensive player of the year honors.
Who’s not: Backup QB Tommy Grady, an Oklahoma transfer, couldn’t break into the lineup even when Brett Ratliff was struggling. Grady has three interceptions in 14 passing attempts.
Key stat: CSU is 114th nationally in rushing at 69.2 yards a game. Utah is 30th in rushing defense, giving up 107.8 yards.
FYI: Starting linebacker JJ Williams is a redshirt freshman walk-on from Grandview H.S. He originally went to the Air Force Prep School. His father played with Utes coach Kyle Whittingham.
Coachspeak: “We couldn’t get in from one-tenth of an inch.” – Utah coach Kyle Whittingham on last year’s goal-line stand by CSU.
Natalie Meisler can be reached at 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com.
