SAN ANTONIO — Saturday night’s game was about adjustments for Colorado State.
To stop the bleeding of a two-game losing streak, both in overtime.
By the end of the first half at the Alamodome, the Rams needed even more adjustments against a Texas-San Antonio team also looking to break a slide. CSU’s defense had given up 107 yards rushing in the first half, the offense was struggling with the exception of hard running by Jasen Oden Jr. The Rams trailed 17-9 at one point and carried a deficit into the locker room.
Then the game changed. It was an Old West shootout in the second half, and Colorado State (2-2) was the last one standing in a 33-31 victory over the Roadrunners.
“I thought it was a great night for our team,” CSU coach Mike Bobo said. “First of all to win the game, second to overcome some adversity.”
It’s a win, which is the bottom line, although it might not exactly provide the momentum the Rams wanted heading into Mountain West play next weekend on the road at Utah State.
For the first time this season, Colorado State failed to score the opening points, instead allowing UTSA (0-4) to drive the field 78 yards on its initial drive, capped by a 13-yard scoring run by Jalen Rhodes.
The Rams would take a 9-7 lead in the first quarter, getting a 34-yard touchdown catch from Xavier Williams and collecting a safety when UTSA was called for holding in the end zone.
But the Roadrunners would get a 36-yard field goal from Daniel Portillo and an 11-yard scoring catch from tight end David Morgan II, a play set up when UTSA blocked a punt deep in CSU territory.
“It’s great to see the guys keep believing, keep fighting, and there was never any doubt we were going to win the ballgame,” Bobo said.
The Rams’ offense started to gain some footing late in the first half behind the running of Oden, who had the first 100-yard game of his career, and it was great timing.
With running back Dalyn Dawkins sidelined because of an injury just a week after rushing for 118 yards in the Rams’ overtime loss to Colorado in Denver, Oden went from backup to workhorse, rushing 30 times for 143 yards against the Roadrunners — including a 28-yard run late in the fourth quarter as the Rams ran out the final 5:28 on the clock to seal their victory.
“(Oden) was on a lot of special teams throughout camp. He’s one of our best pass protectors and he just continued to work,” Bobo said. “Coming out of spring there was a little bit of ‘who’s going to be the guy,’ that sort of thing, and I just said, ‘I’m going to need all of you this year.’ He bought in and from that point on he’s had an excellent summer, excellent fall camp and it paid off tonight.”
CSU would build a 30-17 lead by getting a 2-yard scoring run from Oden and a pair of touchdown passes from Nick Stevens, 13 yards to Deionte Gaines and 38 to All-American Rashard Higgins.
The Roadrunners never allowed Colorado State to get comfortable, however, as Jarveon Williams posted a pair of rushing touchdowns of 13 and 85 yards, with Wyatt Bryan’s 21-yard field goal in the middle, giving the Rams the final margin they needed.
Game balls
Jasen Oden Jr., RB, CSU: Ran for a career-high 143 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries.
Nick Stevens, QB, CSU: Passed for 255 yards and three touchdowns.
Jarveon Williams, RB, UTSA: Gained 170 yards and scored twice on just 13 carries, a 13.1-yard average.
The Denver Post
