FORT WORTH, Texas — If TCU is the nation’s 12th-ranked team, Colorado State doesn’t want to see No. 11 in any rankings. Not now, and maybe not ever.
The Horned Frogs, jolted from a cautious start by a 69-yard punt return for a touchdown by Jeremy Kerley in the second quarter, overwhelmed the Rams 44-6 on Saturday. The 38-point gap represented CSU’s biggest losing margin since then-No. 1 Southern California unleashed a 49-0 beatdown in 2004.
And don’t tell CSU coach Steve Fairchild the schedule gets easier.
“If we don’t play better than we played today, we don’t beat anyone,” Fairchild said. CSU (3-4, 0-3 Mountain West Conference), dropped its fourth straight. TCU (6-0, 2-0) moves on to a MWC showdown Saturday at BYU.
For the third consecutive week, CSU squandered a lead. This time, the Rams were in front by two field goals by Ben DeLine, not two touchdowns. This time, the Rams had no business even thinking they could keep it close at Amon Carter Stadium, where CSU has never won.
“Give TCU its due. They outclassed us, they outplayed us in every way, shape or form here today,” Fairchild said. “We didn’t play well enough to even give them a game.”
TCU’s dominance had the collective MWC exhaling another week as the undefeated Frogs keep the dream alive for a BCS bowl appearance and a share of a BCS paycheck. The first BCS standings come out today.
TCU is ranked eighth in the coaches poll, which counts in the BCS standings.
Kerley’s electrifying return gave TCU a 17-6 lead with 49 seconds left before halftime and effectively took the Rams out of the game. CSU hadn’t been yielding the big play all season, but TCU made up for it. Quarterback Andy Dalton came out of halftime with scoring passes of 47 and 39 yards.
CSU safety Elijah-Blu Smith, who had the one big CSU defensive play of the day with a first-quarter fumble recovery, said: “If I knew what was wrong, I wish I could tell you. We got complacent. We didn’t have the mentality we needed to have.”
Partially because of injuries (safety Klint Kubiak, out for the season; middle linebacker Alex Williams, left at home with a head injury) CSU rotated several players in and out on defense. Instead of staying fresh, Smith said, “Our guys looked like they were getting tired at the end of the game.”
No one in the Rams’ camp suggested TCU changed anything except execution. The Frogs concurred.
“I think things just started coming together,” Dalton said. “We were hurting ourselves in the first quarter and stopping ourselves. Once we settled down, we played our game, and that’s when things took off.”
Offensively, the Rams never recovered after running back Leonard Mason left with suspected bruised ribs in the first quarter.
The Frogs broke it open 24-6 on TCU’s first possession of the third quarter, the first of four straight scoring drives. The rout was on when Dalton, on third-and-5 from the CSU 47, found Curtis Clay so open around the 25 that only a striped shirt was in the way of the end zone.
CSU jumped to a surprising 6-0 lead on DeLine’s field goals of 31 and a career-long 47 yards. The Rams went 53 yards on 10 plays on their first drive before stalling at the 14.
Natalie Meisler: 303 954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com
Three questions
A look at how Colorado State answered Natalie Meisler’s three questions going into the TCU game:
1. Will CSU fix its kickoff coverage woes or will it get worse against one of the best return teams in the nation? The Rams showed some improvement on three first-quarter kickoffs, but it was the least of the Rams’ special- teams issues. At least five players missed tackles while Jeremy Kerley wove around the field returning a punt 69 yards with 49 seconds left in the second quarter.
2. Leonard Mason is just coming into his own as CSU’s lead running back. TCU is ninth nationally, allowing 83.4 yards a game, having taken the annual hit by Air Force. After two solid weeks running the ball, can the Rams do it against the Mountain West’s top rushing defense? Mason had CSU off to a strong start with 42 yards on seven carries. When he left the game in the first quarter with bruised ribs, CSU never regained its edge on offense, proving he is the lead back.
3. Can the Rams at least neutralize All-America defensive end Jerry Hughes? CSU’s veteran offensive line, with some help from the tight ends and fullback Zac Pauga, initially had some success using a number of blocking combinations. When Hughes finally broke through, he tossed quarterback Grant Stucker for losses of 9 and 7 yards. It was difficult for the entire offense to get in sync after the first quarter. Hughes finished with four tackles.
Key stat
Halted on third down: CSU had four first downs in the first quarter, and six more the rest of the way, including two by penalty.
Key play
Leading 10-6 with CSU going ice cold on offense, TCU’s Jeremy Kerley made enough moves to make at least five Rams miss and scored on a 69-yard punt return. It was his second punt return for a touchdown in three games. “It was the key to the game,” TCU quarterback Andy Dalton said.
