FORT COLLINS — The band played, the cheerleaders cheered and fans got a first impression of the new-look Colorado State football team Saturday at Canvas Stadium.
CSU held its third scrimmage of spring ball during a day of festivities that included activities for kids, and an opportunity to meet and get autographs from players.
All eyes, however, were on the field as the Rams emulated a game-type atmosphere and situations for the first time under new head coach Jim Mora.
“I thought it was a great day just to come out here and kind of create a game environment, have some fans here,” Mora said. “It’s our family day as well, so we have over 200 family members over here. Give them a chance to see what our program is about, watch their young men perform.
“It was just really fun. I think it was good for operations. We went through our pregame routine and then the situations that we did. It was a real productive day for us in a lot of ways on the field, and then the routine that we will create as we go through the season.”
What fans witnessed was a lot of offense.
Quarterbacks Hauss Hejny and K’saan Farrar, as well as running backs Mel Brown, Damian Moore Jr. and Oliver Lundberg, all made big plays. Wide receivers Tommy Maher and Terrence Smith Jr., along with tight end Nader Chirchi all made an impression as well.
“I thought the quarterback play was good,” Mora said. “I thought our receivers made some contested catches, some catches in traffic that demanded concentration.”
Despite having three running backs sitting out, Mora likes the depth at that position. The three who saw the most work Saturday broke long runs, bullied their way through the line and scored some touchdowns.
Brown, who came with Mora from UConn, leads the group, but the depth should be an advantage in the fall. Every member of the room possesses different skills and qualities.
“I like the depth of that room,” Mora said. “As I said, we have several guys that were out, but I love the depth in that room. I think they’re all a little bit different types of runners. They give us a little bit of a different flavor.
“I think they’re very smart. I think they’re very well coached. They can pass protect and they’re tough kids. And they know how to find the end zone.”
While the offenses featured most of the highlights in the scrimmage, the defenses made some plays as well.
Early in the scrimmage, linebacker Peyton Garrett, a Lutheran High School product who redshirted last season after transferring from Northern Colorado, tipped a pass from Farrar, caught it and ran it in for about a 20-yard touchdown.
Mora has been happy with what he has seen this spring from the defense, led by returning defensive coordinator Tyson Summers.
“I like the way we’re playing,” Mora said. “Today we kept it very vanilla. Tyson’s going to heat it up. He’s going to bring them. You’re probably not going to see a lot of games where we play as vanilla as we did today.
“But if you come out to practice, you’ll see that it’s a group that’s aggressive. It’s physical. They’ve really latched on to what he wants to be. They love playing in his system because it’s an aggressive, get on your toes and attack type of system.”
Mora’s first round of spring ball with the Rams ends next week with three scheduled practices.
Overall, he is pleased with the progress the team has made, especially with the way the players are embracing the culture and brotherhood he and his staff are establishing.
He saw that at the conclusion of the scrimmage when the players gathered in front of the band and sang as the CSU alma mater was played.
“The thing that gave me goosebumps was being able to go over there and stand in front of the band as they played the alma mater,” Mora said. “You feel the brotherhood and you feel the bond with the university, and that’s one thing you don’t get anywhere else in life. You embrace those things. It was great for us on so many, many levels.”
