BOISE, Idaho—Colorado State is coming off its best win of the year, a blowout victory over UNLV that has given first-year coach Jim McElwain the chance to preach to his young team the importance of building on success.
Fueled by 24 first-half points and a flurry of turnovers, the Rams rolled over the Rebels 33-11 in Fort Collins, Colo., last Saturday.
McElwain says the challenge he’s presenting to his players this week is bringing the focus, preparation and intensity level they brought into the UNLV game into Saturday’s matchup with Boise State. Colorado State (3-7, 2-4 Mountain West) has won two of its last three games and one more win would be the most victories in a season since a 7-6 mark in 2008.
“In developing a foundation here, the important thing from here on out is understanding what got you there, the consistency and performance on a daily basis,” McElwain said. “Boise State understands about consistency. For our guys, it’s are they going to be one-hit wonders? This is where the learning curve for us is so important.”
For the Rams, the road to posting back-to-back wins for the first time this season has one major road block: a Boise State defense that has been one of the best in the nation all season.
The Broncos (8-2, 5-1 Mountain West) are in a tie for first place with San Diego State and Fresno State, and for more than a dozen seniors, Saturday’s home finale will be their last at Bronco Stadium.
“It’s gone by quick,” said defensive tackle Darren Koontz, one of a handful of seniors who finally got a chance to start on defense this season. “We’ve all wanted to lead the team, and now we get to go out there and be leaders of the team” one last time.
The defense has been dominant all season and is the biggest reason the Broncos are in position to win or share the conference crown and are prime candidates to play in one of the top bowl games under contract with the Mountain West.
Boise State held Hawaii to minus-14 yards rushing and 240 total yards on offense in a 49-14 rout last week. Coming into Saturday’s game, the Broncos are allowing a paltry 14.4 points per game, eighth best nationally, and a pass defense that is ranked fifth nationally.
The defense will again be without starting safety Lee Hightower, who was suspended last month for violating team rules and has missed three games so far. But the outstanding play of senior cornerbacks Jamar Taylor and Jerrell Gavins has offset Hightower’s absence in a secondary that has given up just two touchdowns through the air all season.
On paper, the Broncos appear to be heading into the game with a clear advantage over a Rams offense featuring youth at quarterback and tailback. Redshirt freshman Conner Smith will be making his fourth career start after taking over for M.J. McPeek, who was injured in the Oct. 13 game against San Diego State.
Smith has completed 64 percent of his passes for 715 yards and three TDs, but he’s also thrown five interceptions. He was 16 of 27 for 109 yards in last week’s win over UNLV, but the Rams didn’t need him to do much more thanks to a pair of turnovers the defense turned into scores and a breakout game by freshman running back Donnell Alexander.
Alexander rushed for a career-best 139 yards and two touchdowns last week, notching his second straight 100-yard game and earning the trust of his coach.
“He’s really grown up as a person and he’s understanding there is more to practice than showing up and running the ball,” said McElwain. “He is now showing more patience in reading blocks … picking and exploding through holes, and he’s had a couple of decent games in a row because of it.”
Boise State has next week off before hitting the road to play at Nevada on Dec. 1. Both San Diego State and Fresno State are off this weekend, but close out the regular season schedule next Saturday. The Aztecs play at Wyoming, while the Bulldogs host Air Force.