FORT COLLINS — Leave it to someone from home to mention the E-word to quarterback Nick Stevens after he threw five touchdown passes in his Colorado State debut Saturday at Hughes Stadium.
E as in era, as in starting a new one as the first-year starting quarterback of the Rams as a sophomore.
The five touchdown passes were instrumental in leading the Rams to a 65-13 thumping of Savannah State. Although playing just through one series of the third quarter, fans saw a glimpse of what could happen in the remaining three years of Stevens’ eligibility.
For a start, the 6-foot-3, 190-pound sophomore from Murrieta, Calif., put up numbers of 20 completions for 289 yards and the five touchdowns to five different receivers. The Rams had six touchdown passes for the game, the other one thrown by freshman Key Coleman.
“I haven’t heard the word era mentioned here today, but I got a call from a friend from home,” Stevens said. “I was a lot less nervous than I thought I’d be. We did a really good job coming out fast and I think that took the nerves off of everybody.”
All-America wide receiver Rashard Higgins was happy with his new quarterback.
“He was on point with most of his throws,” Higgins said. “Nick still has three seasons to develop, just like (previous starter Garrett) Grayson had time to develop.”
First-year CSU coach Mike Bobo liked the pace of his offense.
“We came out here and started fast,” Bobo said. “We wanted to start fast.”
Bobo said of Stevens, “I said: ‘I believe in you. I want you to go out there and play like you belong,’ and I thought he did. That’s going to do nothing but build his confidence.”
Maybe Stevens and the CSU offense started too fast.
By the time the game ended, most of the 24,571 fans were long gone.
“I think we proved to the fans that we’ve got it,” Stevens said. “If the fans still have doubts, that’s up to them. I feel I did a good job today.”
Stevens gave the fans a break.
“It was hot out there, especially for the fans sitting in the sun,” Stevens said.
When the players left the field, there only was a handful of fans still in the east stands.
