FORT COLLINS — Colorado State’s transfer running backs — Dee Hart and Treyous Jarrells — are a bit gimpy this week, Rams coach Jim McElwain said after practice Tuesday.
The Rams (4-1) face Nevada on Saturday in Reno.
Jarrells sat out the victory over Tulsa last Saturday with a sore knee, while Hart came out of his 143-yard game against the Golden Hurricane banged up.
“They didn’t run very well today, and that’s kind of irritating,” McElwain said. “But at the same time, if they can’t run, somebody else will run, so that’s kind of how it works.”
Were they hurt?
“Tell you what, they gimped around to me like they were hurt. I need to go check the injury report. But I knew that they were beat up from the game, obviously in Dee’s case, and Treyous was getting back to where he feels comfortable with that. We’ll see what happens.”
McElwain also joked that Tuesday would have been an opportune time for his match race with Hart. “I could have got him today, there’s no doubt,” said McElwain, who recruited Hart to Alabama and has known him since high school.
Freshman Deron Thompson, who had two carries against Tulsa as CSU eliminated the possibility of redshirting him, did more of the running back work in practice. With Jarrells out against Tulsa, Jasen Oden Jr. was the backup to Hart and rushed for 90 yards on 12 carries.
McElwain also joked about the continued rationed work for quarterback Garrett Grayson, still feeling the effects of a bruised shoulder.
“I think he did some lobs,” McElwain said. “In fact, I think we bought a ‘nerf’ ball. … He actually threw a ‘nerf’ and he actually threw a red rubber ball, which is a famous song by Cyrkle — ‘Red Rubber Ball’ — but he didn’t throw a real football.”
Terry Frei: tfrei@denverpost.com or
