FORT COLLINS — Sunday is not usually a heavy on-field work day for Colorado State quarterback Pete Thomas. But this week it was. A three-game losing streak will do that.
A day after CSU lost at Texas-El Paso, a game during which he completed just 19-of-33 passes, Thomas was back on the practice field, working on his footwork.
“Happy feet” in the pocket had started to become more and more prevalent in Thomas’ game in recent weeks, leading to poor decisions and poor throws.
Coaches want that snuffed out, for one big reason:
“Being accurate,” CSU offensive coordinator Pat Meyer said. “Accuracy.”
Declining accuracy has become a red-flag issue for Thomas, who has completed just 57 percent of his passes the past four games, including a 10-of-24 performance (41.7 percent) against Boise State. Through three games, the sophomore hit on 70.8 percent of his throws (68-of-96).
“We work on that every day in practice, and I work on it in the offseason,” Thomas said. “But we just kind of concentrated a little more on my pocket movement on Sunday and in practice this week.”
The hope for CSU coaches is that a calmer Thomas in the pocket will mean he hits receivers more often, and in big spots, where he’s missed at times.
Asked specifically what he was working on, the 6-foot-5 Thomas said: “Just getting back to basics, limiting pocket movement a little bit. In the UTEP game, I got kind of jittery out there, so I just have to settle down a little bit.”
Head coach Steve Fairchild and quarterbacks coach Daren Wilkinson have taken the lead trying to iron out issues surrounding Thomas’ pocket presence.
“Big guys are . . . at least never for me, they are never as compact as you would like in the pocket,” Fairchild said. “You would like to think that a guy could almost operate in a phone booth back there. It is hard for big guys, and he is a tall kid; sometimes things get a little more elongated, and you don’t want that.”
Adding to the quarterback’s jitters are the increasing pressure he’s facing from pass rushers. Thomas’ sack totals have steadily increased, and that will cause even the most poised quarterbacks to start looking around more often than they should. Thomas was sacked seven times at UTEP, and has been sacked 15 times in the past three games.
Sacks were a problem last season, but much of that was on Thomas, a freshman who often held on to the ball too long while he read the defense. This season he has done a better job getting rid of the ball.
“Pete’s gotten better, I think, in terms of stepping up in the pocket and doing some things whereas last year we might have taken sacks where we shouldn’t have,” Meyer said. “We’ve given up some and some have been Pete, but a lot have been on (the offensive line), and some on the backs and wideouts not getting open. That’s part of the deal too.”
For the season, Thomas has been sacked 23 times.
The good news?
CSU plays at UNLV on Saturday, and the Rebels almost never sack a quarterback. They have only six sacks this season. No matter the level of competition, Thomas and his coaches want to see improvement in order to finish the season strong.
“Obviously, what I’m doing in the pocket as a quarterback has to do with the O-line and how the rush is and the backs protecting and everything,” Thomas said. “I just have to kind of feel where the rush is coming from and (make) just small little movements to get away from the rush and deliver the ball downfield.”
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
Three questions for CSU
1. Can CSU reverse a three-game losing streak? This is the main question. Colorado State is reeling but still has a chance to save its season. A victory would even the team’s record at 4-4 and improve it to 2-1 in the Mountain West Conference. With a bye week on the horizon, a win would be big, even against lowly UNLV.
2. Will CSU’s defense stop — or at least slow — the run, which has been a huge problem of late? Better tackling and funneling ball carriers to tacklers was a primary focus in practice this week. Here’s why: CSU is allowing an unreal 223.3 yards per game on the ground. Opponents have scored 18 of their 30 touchdowns against the Rams via the run.
3. Is this the week the Rams’ offense finally puts it all together? One of the only consistent aspects of CSU’s season has been the offense’s inability to click, both running and passing, for a full game. CSU has shown spurts of effectiveness at both, but has not been able to sync, despite constant tinkering. Coaches insist a solid performance is just around the corner.
