FORT COLLINS — Mike Pagnotta smiled wide because he simply could, and the moment finally called for it.
And with good reason. The Colorado State safety’s plays were part of a larger-than-life effort by the Rams’ defense, which forced four turnovers in the win Saturday over Houston at Hughes Stadium. Pagnotta’s nine tackles tied for the team lead, and he added an interception, a sack and a fumble recovery for a defense that has thirsted for big plays.
And as much as the plays meant to Colorado State’s defensive effort, they might have meant more to Pagnotta as far as keeping a positive state of mind.
“I haven’t played well in the first couple of weeks, and I kind of wanted to come out and start playing well again,” said Pagnotta, who also happened to be the cover boy on the game program. “I think I had a pretty good day. There’s a lot of things that I need to work on, but to come up with some big plays to help the team win is big for my confidence and is big for the team’s confidence.”
Coming into Saturday, Pagnotta had 11 tackles in the first two games combined.
So, what changed?
“I think it was just a mental approach,” Pagnotta said. “I hadn’t had great weeks of practice prior to this week, and I was kind of mentally down a little bit. But I had three or four good practices this week, and I knew I was capable of it. I just had to get my mind right and get out there and make the plays when I get the opportunity. I think for the most part I did that, and we did that as a team today. We took advantage of the opportunities that were presented to us.”
Pagnotta’s fourth-down sack of quarterback Case Keenum in the second quarter led to Colorado State’s third touchdown, which put the Rams up 21-0. Pagnotta’s fourth-quarter interception temporarily quelled the Cougars’ momentum, allowing CSU to regroup for the final minutes.
“He came back and made a play on the ball that was tremendous, that one down the middle to get the turnover,” CSU coach Steve Fairchild said. “And we needed the stop defensively there. That confidence thing, how do you install it? But he did. He had a good week.”
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
