FORT COLLINS — If this was Rashard Higgins’ final home game as a Colorado State Ram — and it almost certainly was — he went out with a flourish Saturday night.
No, it wasn’t quite a spectacular “Hollywood” flourish for the junior wide receiver who wears that nickname tattooed across his back, because Hollywood would have had him make 17 receptions and acrobatically catch the winning Hail Mary over three defenders in the final seconds.
But it still was attention- grabbing showmanship.
Higgins, expected to declare himself eligible for the 2106 NFL draft, caught seven passes for 102 yards and three touchdowns and sophomore running back Dalyn Dawkins rushed for 151 yards on 19 carries as the Rams got to within one victory of bowl eligibility with a 49-35 win over UNLV at Hughes Stadium.
Higgins smiled when asked about slightly diverting the spotlight from the Rams’ seniors in the last game of their careers in Fort Collins.
“I tried not to,” he said. “I just caught everything that came to me. … I just feel I’m back to who I am. I felt like I started this year off a little sluggish. But now I’ve got it turned up.”
And was this his last home game?
“I’ll still talk to my mother about that,” he said. “Until that time comes … that’s when we’ll make the decision.”
It’s getting late in the season, and CSU (5-5, 3-3 Mountain West) hasn’t exactly played powerhouses the last two weeks, but the Rams and first-year coach Mike Bobo seem to have found an effective formula. Part of it is an increasingly effective working relationship between Higgins and sophomore quarterback Nick Stevens, who was 13-for-19 for 209 yards and four TDs against the Rebels.
“We’re still doing what we’ve been doing since Day One,” Higgins said. “Just throwing back shoulder after practice, the same thing I did with Garrett Grayson. It’s all working out, we just have to give him time and hopefully things will keep clicking like they did tonight.”
As they did at Wyoming the week before, the Rams ran the ball effectively with alternating backs. They judiciously picked spots to throw and make big plays in the passing game, including with Higgins, a 2014 consensus All-American as a sophomore. Until a lost Dawkins fumble late in the game, the Rams avoided the turnover plague, which had been a major problem through the first eight games. They piled up 534 yards of total offense and got just enough efficient work from their defense until a sloppy finish.
“I’d like to be a little more balanced,” Bobo said. “I thought coming into this season our strength was in the receiving corps. But for whatever reason, we haven’t been able to find a rhythm that we need to. We’ve continued to always stress the running game. That’s been very important to me since the day I got here. I believe that’s the way you win championships, is being able to run the ball and play defense and I like where we’re at running the ball.”
It all enabled the Rams’ seniors to walk off the field after their final home game in a celebratory mood. The Rams finish up the regular season at New Mexico and at Fresno State.
Terry Frei: tfrei@denverpost.com or @TFrei
