FORT COLLINS — When the final seconds of Colorado State’s 45-31 victory over Wyoming rolled off the clock at Hughes Stadium on Saturday night, Rams senior offensive tackle Ty Sambrailo and senior linebacker Aaron Davis hustled over to the southwest corner of the field, picked up the Bronze Boot and ran it back to their teammates in the middle of the field.
The second consecutive win in the Border War rivalry guaranteed the Boot is staying in Fort Collins. With fellow senior Garrett Grayson hitting his first 13 passes of the game and ultimately throwing for 390 yards and five touchdowns, the Rams improved to 7-1 and remained in contention for a Mountain West division championship Saturday in a game that turned out to be deceptively close on the scoreboard.
Two of Grayson’s TDs came in familiar fashion for the Rams this season, with Rashard Higgins, the elusive sophomore from Mesquite, Texas, turning short, quick throws from Grayson into scoring plays of 43 and 73 yards. Often, it has been when Grayson spots a cornerback playing well off the line of scrimmage and taking care not to get beat deep. Then Grayson adjusts and tosses it quickly to Higgins.
“It’s a really good feeling to be able to throw a negative 3-yard route and have him take it 80 yards,” Grayson said. “Anytime I can get that kid the ball, I’m trying to do that. It’s something I do try to force at times, but he saves me a lot of times. … I try to get him the ball as much as I can. I know he’s that playmaker for us.”
Higgins had five catches for 174 yards against the Cowboys.
“I’m just doing my job,” he said. “That’s the way they game-planned me, and at the end of the day, I’m just catching the ball, getting upfield and doing what I’m supposed to do. I expect big plays out of myself.”
Higgins now has 59 receptions for 1,137 yards for the season — an average of 19.3 yards per catch.
“I expect to turn a 1-yard route into 80, turning it into 90,” Higgins said. “That’s the goal I have for myself, and others expect that out of me as well.”
The other Grayson TD passes went for 21 yards to Dee Hart, 65 yards to Joe Hansley and 21 yards to Xavier Williams on a night when CSU took a 24-3 lead and command of the game early in the second quarter in front of their second consecutive sellout crowd (32,529).
After becoming the Rams’ all-time passing yardage leader against Utah State the previous week, Grayson also took over the top spots in the CSU record book for career completions and TD passes against the Cowboys. Early in the second quarter, Grayson passed Kelly Stouffer, who had 577 career completions. Grayson’s fourth TD pass of the night, to Williams in the third quarter, was the 52nd of his CSU career, pulling him ahead of Moses Moreno.
PHOTOS:
Higgins came into the game tied for the CSU single-season record for TD receptions with Dion Morton and Jeff Champine, and his first scoring play of the night gave him sole possession of the record — with four regular-season games to play.
After the Rams were up 45-17 early in the fourth quarter, Wyoming rallied to get two Cody Kirkegaard touchdown passes.
“In the locker room afterward, I can really tell how this team has grown,” CSU coach Jim McElwain said. “It was almost like they lost the game. There wasn’t a lot of energy, a lot of excitement. I think that had to do with how we closed out the game. I thought it got sloppy. … And yet, know what? We’ll take a rivalry win anytime.”
Terry Frei: tfrei@denverpost.com or
Game balls
Garrett Grayson, CSU, QB — Hit first 13 passes, threw for five TDs and took over school records for completions and TD passes. That’s all.
Aaron Davis, CSU, LB — Senior continues to be the bedrock of the defense.
Rashard Higgins, CSU, WR — This is getting old hat, too, but “Hollywood” turns two Grayson passes into long scoring plays.
Terry Frei, The Denver Post
