FORT COLLINS — Colorado State’s home opener today under first-year coach Steve Fairchild brought back memories of how Colorado’s Dan Hawkins opened his career in Boulder.
The Buffaloes lost that 2006 game to Division I-AA Montana State. The Rams nearly faced the same humiliation against Bowl Subdivision (formerly I-AA) team Sacramento State.
CSU, however, rallied late behind freshman kicker Ben DeLine and escaped with a 23-20 victory at Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium. DeLine kicked a game-tying, 36-yard field goal with 1:29 to play and a 20-yarder as time expired.
Between DeLine’s clutch kicks, CSU (1-1) made its biggest defensive play of the day.
Tied 20-20 and on the Hornets’ second play from scrimmage, defensive tackle James Morehead crushed tailback Evander Wilkins as he took a handoff from quarterback Jason Smith, and Rams safety Mike Pagnotta recovered the fumble at the Hornets’ 25-yard line.
Four plays later, DeLine delivered on the game’s final play.
“It feels awesome, but the credit goes to the rest of the team for putting me in positions to make those kicks,” DeLine said. “My confidence won’t change; it’s always there. You get it from practice, and you just apply it in the games.”
The Rams, who trailed 10-7 at halftime, got better as the game went on. They put together long scoring drives on their first two second-half possessions to keep an impressive Hornets offense off the field, and CSU ended with points in each of its four second-half possessions.
“Not to take anything from them, because that’s a scrappy team, but it was kind of mundane during warm-ups, and we didn’t come out with the intensity we had last week (against CU),” Rams tailback Gartrell Johnson said.
Sacramento State (1-1) scored on its opening drive, producing a 24-yard touchdown play on a fourth-and-7 situation.
The Hornets owned a 2-to-1 time of possession advantage in the first half and never trailed, leading 7-0 and 10-7. The difference was Juan Gamboa’s 31-yard field goal midway through the second quarter, which capped a 16-play drive.
CSU’s ensuing drive was shaping up to be a dandy, but turned into a disaster when quarterback Billy Farris was intercepted at the 1-yard line by safety Peter Buck.
The Hornets had their offense on the field for 20 minutes, 36 seconds in the first half.
CSU moved the ball well, accounting for 177 yards, just five less than the visitors — but the Rams defense couldn’t get off the field.
That changed in the second half, when CSU put together scoring drives of 80 and 74 yards on its first two possessions to go ahead 17-13.
Sacramento State answered with an 80-yard TD drive, capped by Tony Washington’s acrobatic 40-yard TD catch through the outstretched arms of freshman cornerback Brandon Owens.
Owens also got beat on Sacramento State’s first touchdown, a 24-yard fourth-down reception by Kyle Hill.
When it was over, CSU quietly accumulated 416 yards, with Farris throwing for 321. Receiver Rashaun Greer had nine catches for 152 yards, and Johnson ran for 73 yards on 20 carries.
Sacramento State amassed 310 yards, but just 128 in the second half.
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
