FORT COLLINS — Unfortunately, this has been overshadowed because of the furor in Boulder. But the program that knocked off the Buffaloes in the Rocky Mountain Showdown now is 3-0. As part of the continuing facility improvements of recent years, that program has just christened an impressive new weight room, plus academic support amenities and an indoor practice field.
Yes, that’s Colorado State.
Athletic director Paul Kowalczyk has rebounded from the flak he took for his handling of Sonny Lubick’s ouster. Kowalczyk was in a no-win situation, in part because so many expressing outrage and supporting Lubick in public were saying different things in private. While some projects were in motion when Kowalczyk took over in April 2006, he has been part of the ongoing CSU renaissance.
The hire of Steve Fairchild, the former CSU quarterback and Lubick assistant who returned from the Buffalo Bills staff, looks to be a great fit. With a lineup that’s a mix of one- time walk-ons, touted recruits and many in-between types that Fairchild’s staff is getting the most out of, the Rams remained unbeaten with their 35-20 victory over Nevada on Saturday.
“It’s a good thing for our program,” Fairchild said after the game. “We had the ceremony to open up those facilities, and we just feel like a lot of things are headed in the right direction. It’s pretty good right now, but we have BYU and we have to go back to work.”
Granted, the Rams got a gift late fumble against Weber State; otherwise, there would be a deflating loss to a Big Sky team on their record. Fairchild even sounded a note of caution, acknowledging there will be “bumps in the road.” One of them could come Saturday against Brigham Young in Provo, Utah.
Yet, CSU is making progress, and on many fronts.
While the official attendance of 24,967 on Saturday wasn’t impressive, the student section — underpopulated in recent years, and probably not because everyone was at the library studying for the Cell and Tissue Engineering midterm — was packed. One of the things I learned from John Hirn’s new book, “Aggies to Rams,” was that William E. Morgan, CSU’s president from 1949-69, scuttled the plan to build the school’s new stadium on campus. Hughes Stadium went up in the foothills, and the location dilutes the collegiate feel of game day.
But as Lubick showed, a winning program can at least make Hughes palatable as a scenic setting for tailgating and football.
That feeling is returning.
Terry Frei: 303-954-1895 or tfrei@denverpost.com
