FORT COLLINS — This time last week, Steve Fairchild was talking about getting back to .500 with negligible travel concerns in the final four games.
The Rams, thanks to Jake Galusha’s interception at the CSU 12 with 2:06 remaining, came back from San Diego State with a 38-34 win and .500 marks overall and in the Mountain West.
CSU has to split its remaining games — BYU, at Air Force, New Mexico and at Wyoming — to become bowl-eligible. BYU, once put in the automatic-loss column for the Rams, has shown vulnerability since TCU snapped its 16-game win streak.
“This is huge, getting back to even,” said CSU quarterback Billy Farris, who had one of his best outings with 296 yards passing and three TDs, completing 25-of-34 attempts without a pick.
If the Rams win out, they will have a strong case for bowl eligibility. But the MWC has four bowl berths (in Las Vegas, San Diego, Albuquerque and Fort Worth), and four teams — Utah (8-0), TCU (8-1), BYU (7-1) and AFA (6-2)— have already qualified.
The MWC recently formalized a fifth bowl agreement to send a team to Boise, but that doesn’t go into effect until 2009.
If the Rams are to win, the defense must revert to its early-season form. San Diego State, which had no running attack to speak of until Saturday, had 226 yards rushing.
The Aztecs, the object of intense criticism in San Diego, won a fan in Galusha.
“They game-planned us really well,” said the safety, who led the Rams with 12 tackles. “A couple of their big plays were a couple of our big busts, which we can’t have against teams like BYU.”
Footnotes.
One of the keys to success in the passing game was the rediscovery of wide receiver Rashaun Greer, who caught four passes for 78 yards, including a 48-yarder to start the third quarter. . . . Gartrell Johnson became the 12th back in CSU history to pass the 2,000-yard career mark. He has 2,046 yards.
Natalie Meisler: 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com
