FORT COLLINS — Colorado State football coach Jim McElwain was not as enthusiastic Saturday about his team’s performance in its second scrimmage of the preseason as he was after the first, but he still liked what he saw.
“From the offensive side of the ball, we threw the ball really well,” McElwain said. “We moved the ball efficiently, had some explosive plays.”
McElwain was looking for playmakers and young players to step up and grab jobs. With the Rams’ Sept. 1 season opener against Colorado in Denver approaching, they need to start determining who is playing and who isn’t.
McElwain was particularly complimentary of wide receivers Lou Greenwood, Joe Hansley and Robert Vaden, the latter two “young guys that stepped to the plate a little bit. And then we had consistent play at the wide receiver spot.”
McElwain pointed out a positive spike in the peformance of wideout Lee Clubb, who he says had kind of “disappeared” during preseason camp.
Running game. Running back Chris Nwoke (ankle injury) was held out of the scrimmage. In his place, the Rams featured Donnell Alexander and Tommey Morris, who has been battling a sore ankle too.
Mark Woodbury and Joe Brown also figured into the mix, getting ball- carrying opportunities.
On defense. Cornerback Bernard Blake played well, McElwain said. The first-year CSU coach also was pleased with the safeties’ performance against the run.
Otherwise, it was a dry run for the coaches too, giving their communication from booth to sideline its first test. That will continue Thursday in the final scrimmage of the preseason.
Cornerback Momo Thomas (ankle) didn’t participate. But, McElwain said, with Thomas and most of the other injuries, if Saturday had been an actual game, most of the injured Rams would have played.
Overall, McElwain said, “You can tell where we’re at in practice. Our enthusiasm wasn’t there, but I was really happy with our intensity.”
Christopher Dempsey, The Denver Post
