FORT COLLINS — Colorado State’s 43-10 domination of UNLV on Saturday was the sum of Leonard Mason’s second straight rushing explosion, quarterback Pete Thomas’ recovery from two difficult weeks and Guy Miller’s school-record sack count.
Mason said he was getting the “beast” out as he finished with 121 yards on 14 carries, and Miller was a beast with a school-record 4 1/2 sacks on roughed-up UNLV quarterback Omar Clayton.
“I was just trying to let the beast out,” Mason said of his midseason arrival after a hamstring injury sidelined him for the first part of the season. “We really needed this win.”
CSU was nothing if not efficient, scoring on four drives that lasted 1:05, 40 seconds, 36 seconds and 8 seconds in the first half.
Thomas hit his first seven passes and finished 10-of-14 for 233 yards and three touchdowns.
With a Hughes Stadium crowd of 30,753 looking on for the biggest gate since 2006 homecoming (also against UNLV), CSU led throughout to snap a 10-game Mountain West losing streak. The Rams had talked all week about starting the second half of the season with a momentum switch.
“If one team plays well and the other doesn’t, then stuff like that happens,” UNLV first-year coach Bobby Hauck said.
Colorado State improved to 2-5 (1-2 Mountain West) ahead of this week’s trip to No. 11 Utah. CSU tight end Eric Peitz said Saturday’s win “gives us a lot of encouragement going into a big game.”
It was all a matter of matchups. CSU couldn’t match up against Air Force’s strengths a week ago. This time, nearly two months of frustration was vented on another young team struggling just as badly as the Rams.
CSU’s effort Saturday was aided by a series of big plays, starting with Ricky Brewer’s fumble recovery on UNLV’s opening drive. Then the Rams’ offensive players tried to outdo each other.
A 73-yard scoring pass from Thomas to Lou Greenwood started the rout at 21-3 with 9:10 left in the second quarter. Derek Good’s 74-yard kickoff return set up a 27-10 lead with 2:23 left before halftime.
Mason bolted for a career-long 52-yard run to the UNLV 28 on the first play of the second half, but the Rams settled for a 36-yard Ben DeLine field goal and a 37-10 lead.
Mason admitted to some thoughts about aggravating the hamstring on the long run.
The Rebels (1-6, 1-2) have been outscored 92-20 in the past two games.
“I’m very stunned,” said Rebels safety Alex De Giacomo, UNLV’s leading tackler with nine. “They’re a good team, and they definitely took it to us.”
CSU’s game plan went according to script, with Mason establishing the run and Thomas taking over through the air.
“I’d rather play offense the way we played it today, which is running the ball and allowing us to take some shots down the field,” said CSU coach Steve Fairchild after the biggest offensive output of his three seasons — 492 total yards, with 259 rushing and 233 passing.
It almost came too easily, he said, because the Rams ran only 23 first-half plays, preventing the offense from getting into a rhythm.
“He was money,” Peitz said of Thomas.
No matter. UNLV wasn’t getting in the end zone despite a few trips to the CSU end of the field. Penalties hurt and Clayton was repeatedly tossed around, getting sacked six times.
Natalie Meisler: 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com
Key stat
4 1/2: Number of sacks by CSU nose guard Guy Miller, setting a school record (previous mark was four by Brady Smith in 1995 vs. BYU and Mike Bell in 1977 vs. Arizona State). Miller, whose sacks totaled 33 yards, finished with eight tackles.
Key play
Tiptoeing Lou Greenwood managed to stay inbounds and recover from a nearly overthrown ball to complete a 73-yard touchdown pass from Pete Thomas. It gave the Rams a 21-3 lead and the momentum for the blowout.
CSU three questions
Will this be the week Colorado State’s offense and defense get on the same page? CSU has had efforts from one side or the other — or sometimes neither. But Saturday, the offense dominated from the get-go and the defense fed off the energy. Guy Miller enjoyed a school-record day with 4 1/2 sacks. However, special teams, which had been the most consistent aspect all season, posted mixed results, getting a PAT and a punt blocked.
How much will fatigue factor for UNLV after traveling four time zones in a week? The Rebels played at West Virginia last week, returned home (three times zones each way) and are on the road in another time zone for the second straight week. If the Rebels weren’t fatigued by the travel, they were tired out when the Rams spun UNLV around with a series of explosive plays in the first half. UNLV coach Bobby Hauck said using the fatigue factor would only be finding excuses.
After abysmally slow starts on offense the last two weeks (TCU and Air Force defenses had something to do with it), can the Rams gather some early momentum, especially with the home advantage?
The Rams scored on the opening drive for the first time since Nov. 15, 2008, a 20-6 win at New Mexico. It jump-started the Rams’ sagging confidence, while UNLV couldn’t get out of its own way with six penalties for 72 yards. “All week we talked about starting fast,” CSU quarterback Pete Thomas said.
