FORT COLLINS — With the increasing prominence of sophomore Rashard Higgins as Colorado State’s “Hollywood” wide receiver, the contributions of slot receiver Charles Lovett — perhaps with the exception of his game-winning catch at Boston College — have been overshadowed.
But the senior from Tampa, Fla., has receptions in 26 consecutive games heading into Saturday night’s game at Nevada.
“I really didn’t even know about it until a couple of games ago,” Lovett said. “If the streak continues to help us win ballgames, then I’m OK with it. It really doesn’t mean anything personally to me.”
This isn’t about quantity, either, since Lovett has nine catches for 164 yards and two touchdowns through five games. But if opposing teams increasingly strategize to contain Higgins, it could create more opportunities for Lovett and Joe Hansley.
“I’m pretty sure Rashard wouldn’t mind if I had a 200-yard game or scored every time I touched the ball,” Lovett said. “He wouldn’t mind if Joe did. It’s a family. There are no selfish guys in that meeting room. It just so happens that he’s the one that’s getting all the yards and all the catches, but we’re behind him 100 percent.”
And, no, Lovett said, Higgins’ flashiness and attitude don’t bother him.
“Rashard, he’s my guy,” Lovett said. “He’s just being himself. You can’t knock a guy for being himself.”
Also, there are indications that behind closed locker room doors, Lovett is more similar to Higgins than dissimilar.
“They’re two peas in a pod,” CSU coach Jim McElwain said. “I love ’em. Personalities, I enjoy that. I enjoy being around them. Charles is a guy I actually knew from recruiting at Alabama, when he was coming out of high school. We went and looked at one of his teammates and knew about him, obviously, when I got here. There’s just something about character and characters that makes what we do for a living just a joy.”
Quarterback Garrett Grayson said of Lovett: “He’s probably one of the wittiest guys on our team. He’s kind of like Rashard in the sense that they don’t really say much, but when they do, you’re like, ‘Where did that come from?’ Charles is sneaky and very witty, so he’s a guy we like to joke around with. He’s the guy who gives (offensive coordinator Dave) Baldwin the most crap, whether it’s in our meetings or wherever, they go back and forth and joke around with each other. It’s pretty fun to watch those guys interact.”
As a senior, Lovett is one of the Rams who has spanned the coaching regimes of Steve Fairchild and McElwain.
“We’re making strides, but we have a long ways to go,” he said. “I know nobody in that locker room is satisfied with what we’ve accomplished so far. We’re still hungry. But where we came from, it’s like night and day. From the coaches, from the attitudes, from the conditioning program, from everything, it’s like night and day, and it’s showing on Saturdays.”
Terry Frei: tfrei@denverpost.com or
