FORT COLLINS — Some people run out of patience waiting in line five minutes at the supermarket. Others can’t handle getting stuck in traffic for more than 10 minutes. Then there are people such as Colorado State running back Raymond Carter, who seemingly has an unlimited amount of patience.
He sat out last season after transferring from UCLA in 2009. Three full games went by this season without any indication he could help the Rams’ offense.
“He’s waited a whole year, and he’s waited until now to break out,” CSU running backs coach Anthoney Hill said.
Potential at last became reality in the fourth game of the season against Idaho last weekend. He went over 100 yards rushing (104) and receiving (120), the first Rams’ player in 40 years to accomplish the feat. Carter said it was a matter of letting the holes develop.
“We’ve been lacking patience. We didn’t take advantage of waiting on our lineman to make the blocks,” Carter said.
Through three games, the 6-foot, 217-pound Carter rushed for 39 yards on 25 carries. Advertised as a receiving threat out of the backfield, he had five catches for 16 yards.
So, he was an unlikely candidate to bust out last week. When Idaho threatened to put the game away in the third quarter, Carter responded, catching a 72-yard scoring pass from freshman Pete Thomas. Carter rushed for a 1-yard score and caught a 23-yard pass for another TD.
“He was a true veteran,” Hill said. “All you can do is try to execute the play. If it doesn’t work, we go back to the drawing board and try to figure it out.”
Carter said a 37-yard run on the second play of the game put him in a groove and made him “hungrier to get in the end zone, not think too much about the game and just play my game.”
The coaching staff stayed patient too, not going for the hook to try to get other backs some carries.
“There’s a lot of things that go into all of that,” Hill said. “You just have to feel like you’re close, and you got to stick with it. Other times you feel there’s a change that needs to be made. It’s probably easier to pull the trigger and get the next guy in there.
“Sometimes you go with your gut.”
The Rams’ biggest challenge this season comes Saturday against fifth-ranked TCU, in which the Rams are 33-point underdogs. The Horned Frogs have made their living on defense for years. They rank No. 12 nationally in total defense at 257.3 yards.
CSU has averaged just nine points per game against the Frogs since TCU joined the Mountain West Conference in 2005.
“TCU has a great defense,” Carter said. “With Coach (Gary) Patterson being the defensive coach that he is, they have a lot of things going on the defensive side. They are fast and aggressive.”
It will take nothing less than CSU playing close to a “perfect game” to pull the upset, Carter said. Playing at home might help. A crowd of about 25,000 is expected.
“This is one of the biggest games of our lives, playing the No. 5 team in the nation,” Carter said.
Natalie Meisler: 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com
Three questions for CSU
1. Is TCU really as good as its No. 5 ranking? That would mean a blowout of monumental proportions in a league opener against a heretofore struggling Mountain West outfit. TCU coach Gary Patterson wasn’t happy with the way his team played last week against SMU, which means the Frogs will come out firing this time.
2. Can CSU freshman quarterback Pete Thomas survive the intense pressure TCU is likely to send his way? The Rams are next to last in the country, taking 17 sacks. Thomas will have to get rid of the ball fast, and the offensive line will need its best pass-protection game.
3. How will CSU defend TCU quarterback Andy Dalton, the dual-threat QB opponent of the season other than Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick? The Nevada QB managed more than 400 yards of total offense against the Rams. Dalton could easily hit the 1,000-yard passing mark in this game.
Natalie Meisler, The Denver Post
