FORT COLLINS — Colorado State began preparations for the season opener Friday, taking advantage of the extra time in the schedule. Savannah State plays the Rams at Hughes Stadium next Saturday.
First-year CSU coach Mike Bobo related it to what a normal Monday practice will be like during the actual season.
“Today was Savannah State, the first day you introduce,” he said. “A lot of mistakes, and that’s usually on Monday; there’s a lot of teaching. We’ve got to get to where we come out here on Monday and do a little better job of tempo and trying to get down assignments.
“You’re going to be sore after games, but I think it’s a great way to get the soreness out and still try to get better and get ahead in your preparation.”
As part of the process, the team was separated a bit, with those on the scout teams wearing orange jerseys.
“They had done this last year, put the scout team in orange, and that’s something (defensive coordinator Tyson) Summers and them did at Central Florida,” Bobo said. “Hopefully those guys will take pride in giving a good look and try to get better themselves. They’ll still be doing their individual work with their coaches and fundamentals and trying to get better. You have to continue to work and get better. The guys that do that actually get better, and there’s been several years where we’ve actually pulled guys up because of their performance on scout team.”
Kicking update. In the battle to replace Jared Roberts, CSU still has a three-man race to handle place-kicking and kickoffs. In the end, they could all be shared.
Wyatt Bryan looked impressive in the spring, but newcomers Braxton Davis (from Poudre) and Kyle Jacobs (The Classical Academy) have shown some skill.
Bobo said if the Rams played this weekend, Bryan would handle midrange and intermediate kicks, while Davis would get the nod for longer field-goal attempts. Davis and Jacobs are in a battle to handle kickoffs.
With the Rams staying in-state the first three games, Bobo said they have time to figure out the situation.
When travel rosters are limited, the Rams won’t be able to take three kickers with them. Bobo hopes Bryan and Davis get a chance in home games to see how they handle the pressure.
“There’s nothing like playing under the lights, in front of the band, in front of the crowd and how are guys going to react,” Bobo said. “It’s really your whole football team. You think you know what you have and how you’re going to play, but you never know until you get out there and he real pressure is on.”
