FORT COLLINS — About 30 minutes after Colorado State’s emotions had been tugged in every conceivable direction before being trampled in a heartbreaker of a loss, cornerback Shaq Bell said the team’s amnesia was already kicking in.
“I was just sitting in the locker room, and they were like, ‘It’s over with, just forget about it,’ ” Bell said. “Got to move on and get ready for the next game.”
Moving on is something Bell and his CSU teammates are very interested in doing after losing 38-31 to San Jose State on Saturday at Hughes Stadium. It was San Jose State’s first road win since 2008.
Prior to the contest, a 4-1 record was there for the taking. It would have been the Rams’ best start since 2006. But that record, and the game, flew over Bell’s head as he trailed Spartans wide receiver Jabari Carr on a 38-yard touchdown pass with 54 seconds left that proved to be the game-winner.
Bell’s thought process on the play was solid. It was third-and-1. He was on the press coverage side of the defensive formation. Usually in this instance, offenses play it safe, run a short hitch route, a quick-out or a quick slant — something simple to keep the chains moving.
Not San Jose State.
Carr was sent on a fade route. And with Bell cheating up in anticipation of something shorter, Carr blew by him. SJSU quarterback Matt Faulkner put the ball right on the money. Bell was beaten. Carr celebrated.
The air deflated out of a stadium of fans who had been brought back to life by CSU’s comeback from an early 24-7 deficit.
“I honestly just think it was a great play call by their coach at the end of the game,” CSU cornerback Momo Thomas said.
It was a game of chess that San Jose State’s offensive coordinator won. Colorado State was unable to answer with a last-second touchdown of its own. Pete Thomas, who had one of his best days as a college quarterback, threw an interception that ended the drive and the game.
Colorado State goes into its bye week at 3-2 (1-0 MWC) and a date against No. 4 Boise State looming Oct. 15.
“I’d much rather be 4-1, but that’s not going to happen, we can’t replay it,” CSU coach Steve Fairchild said. “So, there’s still a lot of football left. We can hang our heads and mope and go in the tank or we can respond, try to get better every week and see if we can achieve the goals we set out to achieve.”
CSU dug itself a quick first-half hole, trailing 24-7. Pete Thomas’ late 25-yard TD strike to Lou Greenwood gave the Rams a glimmer of life, going into halftime down 24-14.
In the second half, Colorado State continued to use the big play to chop the deficit. A Thomas-to-Thomas Coffman 47-yard pass cut the SJSU lead to 31-24. Then, Thomas capped an 80-yard drive with a 9-yard run to tie the game at 31.
“We were starting to kind of get something going in the second half and keeping them off the field a little bit,” Fairchild said.
In the end, CSU’s defense couldn’t handle a balanced Spartans offense that chewed up 137 yards on the ground and 313 more through the air. On the flip side, Thomas and the CSU passing game hit their stride. Thomas threw for 387 yards and three touchdowns, and ran for 20 yards and another score.
But in the end, Thomas and his team had to face this fact head-on.
“It was a tough test for us,” he said. “And we didn’t live up to it.”
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
Three questions for CSU
1. Can Colorado State jump-start its struggling passing game?
Absolutely. Quarterback Pete Thomas and his receivers — particularly Lou Greenwood — were in sync most of the game. Thomas threw for 387 yards and three touchdowns and Greenwood caught six passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns. The Rams had three passes of 40 yards or longer.
2. Will Derek Good make an impact?
Not really. The CSU running game as a whole struggled and he was part of it. Good carried the ball six times for 18 yards. He was the Rams’ second-leading rusher, behind Thomas’ 20 yards.
3. Can CSU keep the success rolling?
No. CSU fell flat and is 3-2. The Rams have issues to correct in the upcoming bye week. Chris Dempsey, The Denver Post
Key stat
20: Yards for the Rams’ top rusher, who was quarterback Pete Thomas. Thomas, who came into the game with minus-18 yards on the season, was sacked twice.
Key play
With all the big plays, a missed 48-yard field goal by Ben DeLine was the biggest. After rallying to tie the game at 31, the Rams couldn’t capitalize on two drives starting inside the 50. The latter ended when DeLine missed the 48-yarder. With CSU’s momentum sapped, the Spartans went in for the winning touchdown.
