PROVO, UTAH — On a 90-yard field,Colorado State might have upset Mountain West Conference leader Brigham Young.
The last-place Rams took the fight to the Cougars, only to leave a maximum of 18 points inside the red zone Saturday when the Rams had three points to show for three first-half trips inside the 10.
In the end, BYU had a 35-16 win to show for its long day in the glaring sun and yet another step to a repeat league title. Moreover, the Cougars, with 355 yards passing, showed there’s still some of the former glory in an air attack that had come under local criticism.
“Give BYU credit. They stopped us inside and that’s the bottom line,” said CSU coach Sonny Lubick, well beyond the could-haves and might-haves of a crushing season.
There were two reasons for CSU fans to smile in the final quarter. A 3-yard run by third-team running back Michael Myers ended a seven-quarter drought without a TD and proved the Rams (1-8, 1-5 MWC) could score from inside the red zone.
Defensive end Jesse Nading’s 31-yard interception return for a score off BYU backup Brenden Gaskins’ first career pass put the Rams’ final score in double figures.
“It’s bittersweet,” Nading said. “I wish we would have won the game instead.”
CSU quarterback Caleb Hanie, who took a battering with three sacks, competed until the end, carrying 13 times when he saw his receivers covered.
“We played OK but we didn’t make the big play or just punch it in,” Hanie said. “We got in the red zone so fast. We’re inside the 10, not on the 2, but the 7 or 8, and that’s the hardest place to call plays.”
For the three first-half trips inside the 10, CSU’s Jason Smith missed 30-yard field-goal attempt, made a 25-yarder and the Rams had an incomplete pass off a fake field goal as the half ended.
“We had nothing to lose there,” Hanie said.
On those missed opportunities, either a Gartrell Johnson run was stuffed, a pass fell incomplete or the Rams marched backward 5 yards on repeated penalties. The Rams’ final red-zone appearance of the first half was set up by a Jake Galusha sack on Max Hall and a Matt Rupp fumble recovery at the BYU 39.
But when the Cougars (6-2, 4-0) couldn’t build on a 21-3 halftime lead, the Rams stayed in the game.
CSU’s defense fell to 115th in the country and BYU’s Vic So’oto issued some bulletin board material about the ease of running for 100 yards, but the Rams had a surprise.
BYU needed the final possession of the game by the second unit to finish with 106 yards rushing, and Harvey Unga, who had four 100-yard games coming in, was held to 51 yards. Unga’s biggest damage came as a receiver, where he gained 110 yards on three catches.
“I don’t look at it as gaining confidence in the loss, but I look forward to the three games (left),” Hanie said. “We never gave up. I saw it in the offensive linemen’s eyes and the receivers. Obviously the defense never gave up. There’s not much to play for, but we’re still playing.”
The Grades | By Natalie Meisler
OFFENSE
C: Good job of getting to the red zone. Too many wasted opportunities inside. Upside was an improvement in the passing game and another RB in the fold with Michael Myers.
DEFENSE
C: Jesse Nading’s interception return, a 2-1 advantage in turnovers and holding Harvey Unga to 51 yards rushing somewhat offset the bottom line of five TDs and 461 total yards of offense.
SPECIAL TEAMS
C: A step backward after several solid weeks – a missed field goal on the opening drive, a botched fake field goal and a 34-yard kickoff return for BYU’s Austin Collie.
OVERALL
C: BYU was somewhat rusty with a long layoff but the Rams were determined to show there wasn’t a chasm between the MWC leader and league’s last place team.
Natalie Meisler: 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com
