FORT COLLINS — The rest of Colorado State’s season is at hand, and fortunately for the win-starved Rams, most of the remaining schedule is at home.
Three of CSU’s last four games of the season are at Hughes Stadium, starting with Saturday’s game against San Diego State. The Rams (3-5) need every edge they can get to snap a four-game losing streak. Coach Steve Fairchild acknowledged the importance of playing in friendly confines as his team tries to get back in the win column.
“Obviously, playing at home is an advantage,” Fairchild said Monday during his weekly media conference. “Like I’ve said all along, our student section has been great, our fans have been great. Hopefully we can get them off to a good start and get them into the game.”
Curiously, home actually hasn’t been that great for the Rams, who are 1-2 at Hughes Stadium this season. CSU’s only home win was Sept. 10 against Northern Colorado, so while playing at home is a boost, it in no way means a win is a certainty.
Myriad other improvements must take place. Fairchild was asked what things need to happen in the last four games for CSU to be successful. He focused on Saturday’s contest against a San Diego State team that features the nation’s second-leading rusher in sophomore Ronnie Hillman and a defense that bends over backward looking for ways to pressure and confuse the opposing offense.
“I don’t want to look down the road that far,” Fairchild said. “This Saturday, we have to play better run defense to give ourselves a chance to win. There’s no question about that. And then when you play this scheme of defense, you’ve got to minimize the negative plays offensively.
“I’m not just talking about turnovers, but sacks. Somehow you’ve got to grind out a 2-yard gain. It can’t be minus-2. It’s got to be 2. So we’ve got to clean it up offensively in terms of our negative plays. And then defensively, we’ve got to stop the run. There’s no question, if we don’t tighten that up, we’ve got no chance.”
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
