FORT COLLINS — Mychal Sisson walked a back hall of Moby Arena on Tuesday night, nary a hitch in his step, and met with reporters. No one would have been able to tell that two months earlier the senior linebacker was carted off the Hughes Stadium field with an ugly-looking broken right ankle.
In a time of deep frustration, Colorado State got a ray of sunshine. Sisson was on the practice field for the first time since injuring the ankle Sept. 10 against Northern Colorado. He practiced in shells but did do some hitting — both individually off to the side and in a group setting.
Sisson’s status for Saturday’s game against San Diego State remains questionable. His targeted date to return always has been Nov. 19 at TCU.
“I’m still taking it one day at a time,” Sisson said.
The Rams sorely need his presence as one of the team’s leaders and for his production on the field. If he does return this week, teammate James Skelton summed up what it would mean to the team in two words.
“That’s huge,” he said.
Asked how he felt about Tuesday’s practice, Sisson said: “I actually felt real good. There were a couple of times I felt I was thinking about my ankle a little bit, seeing if it was going to hold up. But it held up. That’s the only thing, just getting my mind to stop thinking about it and just go out there and play like I normally did.”
Sisson, coach Steve Fairchild and head trainer Terry DeZeeuw will all determine the senior’s status for Saturday. Sisson says confidence will be one of the biggest factors in making a final decision.
“Just confidence in my ankle and getting back in the groove of things, getting my mind and my feet on one page, the way it was before,” he said. “Just feel comfortable out there and be able to change direction as quick as possible without hesitation, without thinking about it.”
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
