Last week, was coming off the euphoria of winning the opening game of its final Mountain West Tournament via a buzzer-beater. But in the semifinal of the tournament against UNLV in Las Vegas — essentially a home game for the Rebels — CSU’s best player, Lexus Bargesser, suffered a

Instead of folding without Bargesser, the Rams found a way to rally to beat UNLV, and then went on to topple in-state rival Air Force in the tournament championship to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. No. 12 CSU (27-7) takes on No. 5 Michigan State (22-8) in the opening round of on Friday in Norman, Okla.

“To beat UNLV, to beat Air Force with (Bargesser), it just tells me our players were really focused and locked into what had to get done,” Rams head coach Ryun Williams said. “They were not going to leave Vegas without a fight for that trophy.”

That’s what the Rams did en route to their first March Madness berth since 2016, and just their seventh overall appearance in program history.

With a team identity rooted in lockdown defense, the Rams held their three opponents in the Mountain West Tournament to just 53.3 points per game on 30.7% from the field and 20.3% from 3. That included stifling Air Force in the championship, as the Falcons scored only 42 points, including just 16 in the second half.

On the season, the Rams rank in both points allowed per game (54.9) and opposing field goal percentage (35.0). And sans Bargesser, the Rams punched their ticket to March Madness thanks to the play of a pair of seniors who have bucked the transfer portal-trend by spending their entire college careers in Fort Collins.

Guards Marta Leimane and Hannah Ronsiek have combined for 237 appearances and 135 starts over their four seasons with CSU as part of four-straight 20-win teams. When Bargesser limped off the floor against UNLV, Leimane — nicknamed the “Latvian Bear” — came off the bench and delivered. She tallied 16 points in 32 minutes, including hitting 4 of 5 from distance, while Ronsiek turned in one of the Rams’ top defensive performances.

“(Leimane) had to really score the ball well against Vegas and was big reason why we won that game,” Williams said. “She accepted a different role and delivered. And then she had to guard (Air Force’s Milahnie) Perry, the leading scorer in the league, the next night. So, whatever we asked (Leimane) to do, she did it.

“Same thing with Hannah in that tournament. She guarded post players. We asked her to sacrifice and be tough and nasty. That was her role, and that’s how we beat Vegas and Air Force because it just made us much more difficult on defense. Whatever we’ve needed, those two players have delivered.”

‘What we’ve been building for’

Both Leimane and Ronsiek said that entering the transfer portal never crossed their minds. Heading into this season, Ronsiek correctly forecast that the Rams would be an elite defensive team, while Leimane said she believed the program’s final year in the Mountain West before moving to the rebuilt Pac-12 in 2026-27 presented a great opportunity to win the conference.

“I settled in really well by my sophomore year here, and I just had a lot of faith in this team and where we could get going forward,” Leimane said. “I thought if I left and disrupted our balance, we might not get where we are right now. Because this was the year that Hannah and I looked at things and thought, ‘This is it — this is what we’ve been building for and the year we can actually win the Mountain West.'”

In addition to Leimane and Ronsiek, sophomore guards Brooke Carlson and Kloe Froebe, redshirt freshman guard McKenna Murphy and senior forward Madelyn Bragg — a transfer from Division II Northern State who in the Mountain West Tournament — will also be key in the Rams’ chances of an upset of Michigan State.

The Spartans boast the 10th-best offense in the country at 83 points per game, meaning the best version of CSU’s defense will have to show up. The Rams also need to take care of the ball, which has been a strength so far this season, considering CSU is ranked the best in the nation with 10.4 turnovers per game.

Should the Rams upend the Spartans, it will be their first March Madness win in and will match the 1998 squad for the biggest NCAA Tournament upset in program history when the No. 12 Rams beat No. 5 Drake 81-75.

“The biggest key is we’ve got to value the basketball and not create offense for (Michigan State),” said. “They’re a very high-powered offensive team, and so that’s critical. You let them get out and really get running, they’re hard to stop.

“We just have to compete on the ball. Rebound extremely well. We’re going against a longer, taller body type than we’ve faced, and probably more physical, but that’s what this time of year is about. We’re going to play the best and we’ve got to elevate our game, and we’re up for that challenge.”

CSU earned a No.12 seed in the women’s NCAA Tournament and will face No. 5 Michigan State in the first round in Norman on Friday.

At a watch party at Canvas Stadium on Sunday evening, the Rams learned their fate and cheered along with their head coach when the school showed up in the bracket.

“Colorado State, on a national stage, that����ap where we belong,” CSU head coach Ryun Williams said. “And for these young women to be representing this university, there’s nothing better than that. Their competitive makeup is right where it needs to be for an NCAA Tournament,”

The Rams earned a spot in the 68-team field by of the Mountain West Conference tournament.

They have been waiting since winning that title Wednesday night to learn their tournament fate. Even on Sunday, the Rams’ section of the bracket was one of the last to be revealed.

“I’ve been on a high a little bit since the championship and just kind of taking that all in and not looking too far into the future,” CSU senior Hannah Ronsiek said. “But now, I think it����ap time to look onto the next team.

“I’ve wanted to do this for four years. Obviously, this is the goal, but I’m just super happy that we could get it done in my last year.”

This will be CSU’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016, which was also the last time the Rams won the MWC tourney.

It will be CSU’s seventh appearance in the NCAA Tournament and second under Williams. The Rams are 5-6 in the tournament, with their last victory dating back to 2001.

The farthest CSU has advanced in the tournament is the Sweet 16. That occurred in 1999 when the Rams were led by Becky Hammon and Katie Cronin.

CSU is 22-7 on the season. The Rams went 15-5 in conference play and won three games in three days to win the league tournament, defeating Grand Canyon 61-59, UNLV 66-59, and then Air Force in the championship game.

The players and Williams believe what they did in Las Vegas earned them enough respect to earn the 12 seed they received.

“It was super overwhelming to know that they see our great determination, and they see how hard we work and just to gain that No. 12 seed is really promising for us,” CSU sophomore Kloe Froebe said.

The Rams have been led this season by senior Lexus Bargesser. The Mountain West newcomer of the year averaged 15.2 points per game for CSU but was injured in the conference semifinal game against UNLV and did not play in the championship game.

Sophomore Brooke Carlson averages 11.3 points per game and Froebe is averaging 10.7. Froebe is also the team’s leading rebounder, averaging 6.8 per contest.

If the Rams win their first-round game, they will face either host Oklahoma or Idaho in the second round.

The Rams released their 2026 football schedule on Wednesday evening,

CSU will play four of its first five games at home, including a season-opening tussle with rival Wyoming in the Border War on Sept. 5. It’s the earliest Battle For The Bronze Boot in the game’s history.

The opener is followed by an “Orange Out”/Ag Day game against Southern Utah on Sept. 12, then a visit from Big 12 power BYU on Sept. 19. After three home dates, the Rams visit UTSA on Sept. 26 before hosting Oregon State for homecoming on Oct. 10.

Following an Oct. 17 bye, CSU will finish the season with four out of its next six games on the road. San Diego State visits Canvas Stadium on Oct. 24; Boise State visits on Nov. 7.

The Rams’ first league slate will feature a unique wrinkle at the end — a home date on Nov. 28, Thanksgiving weekend, against a “flexed” opponent. Per the university’s news release, the “Pac-12 will retain the right to adjust the matchup based on the best interests of the league, including College Football Playoff (CFP) considerations at that time.”

The Rams will officially join the Pac-12 on July 1, the start of the new university fiscal year. CSU and former Mountain West members Boise State, Utah State, San Diego State and Boise State will join Pac-12 holdovers Oregon State and Washington State and newcomer Texas State in the league’s inaugural season.

He wants every kid in Colorado to grow up dreaming to play for the Rams. But that requires signing a few with 303, 970 and 719 area codes.

In the current 2026 class, CSU and CU added one player each from our state among 247Sports’ top 47 recruits. The Rams welcomed Arvada West safety Atticus Tillman, while the Buffs inked Thompson Valley offensive lineman Josiah Manu. The Buffs show little interest in recruiting in their own backyard, not helped by the fact that coach Deion Sanders cannot be bothered to leave campus for at-home visits.

Mora plans to throw a fence around the state, aiming to keep elite recruits in Fort Collins. Coaches make these promises, but rarely keep them. It was understandable when our state was not producing many D1 players. That is no longer the case. The top 25 players are all going to big-time schools.

You don’t think Cherry Creek tight end Ty Goettsche would draw comparisons to Trey McBride if he chose CSU over BYU? He is the ninth-ranked tight end in the country. What about Windsor’s tower of power Deacon Schmitt? You are telling me he would not be an upgrade over the sieve that CU passes off as an offensive line? He is headed to Oklahoma.

And I challenge you to find a player in the state that fits the scheme of new CU offensive coordinator Brennan Marion better than Cherry Creek’s Jayden Fox. He flipped to UCLA along with Legend High quarterback DJ Bordeaux.

Here’s the deal. CU and CSU will always land in-state walk-ons like Charlie Offerdahl, who love the school, learn the fight song and spend Saturday nights enjoying off-campus dinners with family. Mora needs to put his words into action with his next class, and prioritize in-state stars and a handful of risks.

Getting a few of the best to stay will help the Rams in multiple ways.

It builds the brand, shows CSU cares about Colorado preps. It also improves relationships with high school coaches, and leads to the identification of prospects with potential. That two-star offensive lineman can become a starter in his third season if you have a vision for him. Those are the ones that form the foundation of the program, make you less desperate to get old and stay old in the portal. They build camaraderie and chemistry, something that is hard to bake in with transfers.

Mora has called CSU his last stop. He wants people to be proud to support the program. They will if he keeps more local kids, the best and projects alike, around.

Bruising Broncos: What our eyes told us last Sunday, the facts support. The Packers-Broncos game felt like a playoff game, defined by eye-opening physicality and multiple injuries. That is not the first time we have seen Denver throw down the sawdust and engage in a bare-knuckle fight. Teams are 3-10 the week after playing the Broncos. It is why the Bears are expected to punch the Pack this weekend.

Adios Diego: Quarterback Diego Pavia has been a great college football story. He willed Vanderbilt to relevance. But it is clearly time for him to move on. He turns 25 in April. On my first Heisman Trophy ballot, he was second. When he did not win, he posted on social media “F all the voters” with a thumbs down emoji. He doesn’t owe me an apology. He owes the winner Fernando Mendoza one for acting so selfishly and immaturely.

Portal Patrick: Dylan Raiola hit the transfer portal, leaving Nebraska. The quarterback was supposed to restore glory to the Cornhuskers, a program where his father played, but never met expectations. His lack of a mobility is an issue. And the Temu Patrick Mahomes act is getting old. If he transfers to Texas Tech, Mahomes should insist that Raiola change his hairstyle and number — both of which are identical to the Chiefs star — or get hit with a restraining order.

“Yes. 100%,” Rams athletic director John Weber told me with a straight face Monday. “If other programs out of the Mountain West and the Pac-12 can do it, CSU can and will do it.”

“You’re convinced Jim will get you there?” I asked.

“Yes,” Weber replied. “Absolutely.”

Didn’t blink.

Didn’t stutter.

“I love to go uphill,” Jim Mora, CSU’s fourth new football coach in seven years and sixth since 2010, said during his introductory news conference at Canvas Stadium on Monday.

“And I think that’s a metaphor for my personality in general, because I love to embrace hard things. And I stood here (Monday) and I (looked out) there and I saw the top of those mountains. I said, ‘I’m going to get up there, you know?'”

At that point, the Rams coach stopped. Turns out he had a question for the rest of us.

“How many 14ers are there in this state?” Mora asked the crowd.

“Fifty-four,” came the reply.

(Actually, it’s 53. Or 58. Or 74.)

“I didn’t say I was going to tell you all our goals, OK,” Mora continued with a grin. “We’re going to win a Pac-12 championship. All right? We’re going to go (try) to win a national championship. And I’m going to scale 54 14ers.”

The football mountains facing CSU might be the tougher climb. Although give him credit for this much — Mora, an outdoors enthusiast, arguably rolled into town Sunday as the best FBS football coach within a 90-mile radius of Fort Fun.

Deion Sanders made the CU Buffs marketable and sexy, yes — but also maddeningly inconsistent on the field. He’s 16-21 since 2023. Air Force’s Troy Calhoun, long the gold standard, is just 9-15 with the Zoomies over the last two seasons.

Mora won at UCLA. He won at UConn.

“It’s about the opportunity to compete for a championship and get in the CFP and win when we get there,” Weber continued. “That’s what we’re about, that’s what we aspire to, that’s what we’re focused on. And he was clearly set on an opportunity that allowed him to do the exact same thing. That’s how we came together.”

Connecticut’s path to the College Football Playoff, as an independent, is a pipe dream. CSU, meanwhile, hosts BYU next fall. Arizona is slated to visit FoCo in ’27. CSU heads to Wisconsin in September 2027 and Oklahoma the September after that. The Rams have got CU at home in ’29 and away in ’30.

Keeler: How did CSU Rams land Jim Mora? Give assist to this former Broncos QB

Nail one solid Power 4 hide toyour wall in August or September, followed by a league championship with an undefeated (or close to it) record, and who knows?

"Go look at the Tulanes of the world, the North Texases," former CSU offensive lineman Jake Bennett told me Monday. "To say, just because you're in Fort Collins, you can't do it?"

Bennett's a believer. Mind you, he's been fooled before. Mora spoke to a full house on the fourth-floor suites at Canvas, with Rams football alumni scattered among the staff, alumni, boosters and reporters. The No. 1 complaint I get from CSU friends is they're backing a program that hasn't performed anywhere near the levels aspired to by the construction of Canvas in the first place. Jay Norvell is the only football coach to win more than seven games with a Rammie squad since the building debuted in August 2017. Over the last nine seasons, seven have been losing ones.

"I was here when we opened it, and we went 7-6 (in '16) and 7-6 (in '17) and from there, it's just been kind of woefully underperforming," Bennett, who was among the Rams letter-winners in attendance to hear Mora. "Like he was saying, (like) every coach that's been here before him, the foundation’s here. The city's great. Why can't you get it done?"

To that end, Weber said, he put Mora's name down for consideration early in the process. TurnkeyZRG, the search firm CSU hired, had also pegged the former collegiate and NFL coach as possibly looking to move away from UConn.

"We continued to work our way through that entire process and came back to him -- and came back to him again," Weber recalled. "(Mora) definitely knew about us, knew about the area, knew about the opportunity, knew about the investment that we've been making here."

That's because Mora admitted he'd actually put his name in the hat for the CSU job back in 2019, when Mike Bobo was relieved of his duties. And oh, lordy, what might have been. Only in this timeline, Urban Meyer was running the CSU search then, more or less, and put forth his old pal and Florida coordinator Steve Addazio -- who wasn't exactly beloved at Boston College for reasons that became all too obvious once he showed up.

COVID-19 set Rams football back about a year. The Daz set it back about four.

Alas, what's done is done, and there Jim was Monday, six years after the fact. If you're of a certain age, the Mora family looms large in your folk memory. Jim's father, in particular. Before Sean Payton hoisted the Saints to another level, the elder Jim Mora helped put the 'Aints on the NFL map two decades earlier. Although the old man's most famous sound bite came during a trying 2001 news conference while coaching the Colts after an even more trying defeat to the 49ers. Someone had asked Mora about playoff hopes after Indy had fallen to 4-6.

"Playoffs?" the senior Mora countered, voice climbing three octaves in just two syllables. "Don't talk about ... playoffs? You kidding me? Playoffs? I just hope we can win a game."

They won two more and finished at 6-10. Trivia: Peyton Manning was the QB on that team -- one that, did, in fact, miss the playoffs. The Colts' defensive coordinator? Vic Fangio. The Colts' receivers coach? Jay Norvell.

"Jay coached for my dad," Mora said of Norvell, who was let go by Weber in October. "I grew up in this business, so I'm always very, very sensitive to the changes that take place. But as a football coach, we all understand that change is inevitable, and it's something that we have to accept if we're going to be in this business. When the program decided to move on from Jay, I was immediately interested."

In a weird way, this is home for Jim. Always has been. The new CSU football coach spent his grade-school years along the Flatirons while his father was an assistant at CU under Eddie Crowder. Mora's son Trey, who was part of the family entourage, is a Buffs grad who's currently studying at CU's Leeds School of Business. The coach's mountain-scaling exploits are already the stuff of legend.

"There is no top to the mountain. There is no top," Mora said. "You just keep going, you keep climbing. And when you reach one peak, you find a way to get to another peak ... I will never put any limitations on what this football team can be ever, if we do the work. Which we will."

It took three minutes during the presentation for Sonny Lubick's name to come up. It took another 22 or 23 minutes for Wyoming to cross anybody's lips, and Mora did so with the relish of a man itching for a friendly scrap.

"I think it's Sept. 5 or 6, the Border War," Mora said. "Let's go!"

It's Sept. 5, but time flies when you're having this much Fort Fun. Jim's line about this being his last coaching job, according to those who know him better, came from the heart. Mora had his Lane Kiffin phase. He'll be 65 next November. Fort Collins is the kind of college town you aspire to retire in -- that's true for coaches too, from Lubick to ex-Nebraska volleyball coach Terry Pettit, who won a national championship and 21 league titles with the Cornhuskers.

Playoffs, though?

That's some serious uphill, coach.

"It's very realistic," Mora said. "We have the resources -- and when I speak about resources, I'm not speaking about money. I'm speaking about people and the vision and the commitment ... The commitment that we make, that will determine how far we go. I'm very confident that we can do those things."

On Monday, that confidence proved contagious. One of those proud Rams who was here to see Mora stopped me as we disembarked from the elevator at Canvas.

"That was good," she wondered. "Wasn't it?"

Sure was. How good, we're all about to find out.

The school announced that Jim Mora will take over the football program. Mora, who revived UConn over the past four seasons, will be introduced Monday afternoon in Fort Collins.

“I would like to thank President Amy Parsons, Director of Athletics John Weber, and all those involved for providing Kathy and me this very special opportunity,” Mora said. “I am truly humbled to join CSU as we transition to the Pac-12 Conference. I am excited to meet the team and look forward to connecting with the former players. I can’t wait for our family to become part of the Northern Colorado community.”

CSU athletic director John Weber made it clear that his goal is for the Rams to challenge for a spot in the college football playoff and that he believes the school has the resources to do so. Weber fired Jay Norvell on Oct. 19 after a disappointing 2-5 start, which saw the football team unable to build on last season’s bowl berth or provide a compelling product.

Mora, 64, brings a wealth of experience in college and the NFL. He revived the UConn program, guiding the Huskies to a 9-3 record this season and a pending third bowl berth in four years. Mora fits the profile in experience and resume CSU sought as it moves into the reshaped Pac-12 next season. Mora coached in the conference for UCLA, compiling a 46-30 record and four bowl berths from 2012-2017.

“Our goal from the very start was to execute a comprehensive search to find the next leader of the Colorado State football program,” Weber said. “We did that, and it was extremely energizing to have such significant interest from so many accomplished coaches. From our very first conversation, Coach Mora’s desire to serve student-athletes, his comprehensive experience, and passion to win was evident. I could not be more excited to welcome Jim and his wife Kathy to CSU and Fort Collins.”

Mora featured an explosive offense this season in UConn with a 1,000-yard rusher (Camryn Edwards), 1,000-yard receiver (Skyler Bell) and an efficient quarterback (Joe Fagnano, 28 touchdowns, one interception). The Huskies finished the season on a four-game winning streak, including victories over Air Force and Duke.

Early Wednesday, UConn athletic director David Benedict issued a statement confirming that Mora was headed to Fort Collins.

“Jim Mora informed me late last night that he has accepted the head coaching position at Colorado State. We are grateful for Coach Mora’s contributions to UConn over the past four seasons,” Benedict said.

“He took on the challenge of rebuilding our football program and delivered results that exceeded expectations. Under his leadership, the Huskies won 27 games and achieved bowl eligibility in three of his four seasons, including back-to-back nine-win seasons for the first time in program history. Coach Mora brought energy and a winning culture back to UConn football and put our program back on the national stage. We thank Jim for his dedication to our student-athletes and wish him, his wife Kathy and his family the best at Colorado State.”

Mora is the son of longtime NFL boss Jim Mora, who coached the Saints and Colts. Peyton Manning was his quarterback during his final four seasons in Indianapolis.

Mora, whose hiring was first reported by ESPN late Tuesday night, brings Colorado connections. He lived in Boulder for part of his youth and expressed interest in the CU job after Mel Tucker bolted for Michigan State.

The changing college landscape doomed Norvell in Fort Collins. With the school wanting to at least match or improve on last season’s 8-5 season, the Rams sputtered in September as veteran starting quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi slumped. He was eventually benched and later left the school. It did not help Norvell when CSU looked overmatched against future conference opponent Washington State in an ugly 20-3 home loss on Sept. 27.

The hope is that Mora can bring stability and success to a CSU program that wants to reap the rewards of an on-campus stadium that opened in 2017.

Since that time, CSU has had three coaches — Mike Bobo, Steve Addazio, Norvell. All posted losing records, finishing a combined 23 games under .500.

Mora received a four-year, $10-million extension at UConn in December of 2024. Norvell made $1.9 million this season, and was owned a $1.5 million buyout from CSU, per terms of his contract.

Mora is known in coaching circles for his energy and confidence. He brought UConn back to life, now he appears ready to embrace the challenge of restoring glory to CSU.

Keeler: Trying to fix CSU football pays better — Jay Norvell was slated to make $2 million in 2026, if he had been given a 2026. But that’s an easy call for Kordell. It’s CU. For one, Rams football is not a starter job, unless you were born on third base or are bringing a Heisman-level quarterback with you to build around from Day 1. , only Washington State, Oregon State and San Diego State had bigger Pac-12 purses to play with than the Rams. You’re not expected to just hang around and collect checks from this new league. FoCo faithful expect you to try and win it.

Renck: I will never forget the first time I saw Stewart working out in Boulder. He looked like a Greek god and could throw a football 80 yards. And he showed it during the “Miracle at Michigan.” He would need another Hail Mary to land the CSU job. The Rams cannot afford to take this big of a risk on someone lacking experience, unless it is Texas A&M offensive coordinator Collin Klein. They need the next Jason Eck, who has revitalized New Mexico’s program. Or Eck himself with an offer he cannot refuse. Former Boise State coach Bryan Harsin, who melted at Auburn, would also fit. It is hard to see CSU considering Stewart when alumni Tony Alford and Matt Lubick are on the radar.

Keeler: Eck, who played under Barry Alvarez at Wisconsin and later coached at CU, would be wise to angle for a better, bigger job than CSU’s to open up. If you can make people notice the Lobos, you’ve got the chops to make some noise in the Power 4. (Looking at you, Bucky Badger.) If the Rams can’t land Klein, whose unbeaten Aggies just rallied from a 30-3 halftime deficit to beat South Carolina, they need a proven, plug-and-play coach who can hit the high ground running. If we’re chasing wild cards, why not UC-Davis boss Tim Plough?

Renck: Would an AI Chatbot be a good fit for AD at CU? Deion Sanders earned his contract, but the extension gave him keys to the kingdom. The next athletic director will need the chops to hold honest, if not sterile, conversations with Coach Prime about his health and vision for the program. You can’t have a coach make $10 million a year and not be competitive on multiple Saturdays. Asking Stewart to walk into this CU hornet’s nest is not fair to him. The role requires a seasoned front office vet — Jeremy Bloom has stumped for former Broncos vice president of player personnel Matt Russell — with a plan to provide Sanders long-term success or create an exit strategy that makes sense. Would Sanders forego a future in television, for instance, to serve as the general manager of CU football? Again, uncomfortable talks are required. Stewart needs a soft landing spot to start. And this is not that.

Keeler: Coach Prime’s circle of trust is tighter than the security at Fort Knox. But as an old friend, Stewart has owned a pass code for years. That’s not insignificant. Rick George’s replacement has a tricky needle to thread. Sanders has become Buffs football — he is the CU brand, the university, the icon, the bread-winner. He knows it. They know it. The leverage is entirely his. But if health issues persist and force everybody’s hand, the university also needs a Plan B that keeps the Buffs in the national discussion and television networks coming to Boulder. Make Coach Prime football coach emeritus. Or GM. Or whatever. Sanders’ greatest gift to CU, other than Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, isn’t his coaching. It’s his presence.

Facing third-and-9 at the New Mexico 27-yard line with the score knotted at 10 and 12:44 to go, the redshirt freshman quarterback dropped back, set and fired — only to see his pass tipped high in the air at the line of scrimmage and flutter helplessly into safety Austin Brawley’s waiting arms.

Fifty-six yards later, Brawley had the Lobos back in business. And four plays after that, they were in the end zone and on their way to a white-knuckle 20-17 victory over Colorado State at University Stadium.

The Rams (2-8, 1-5 Mountain West) came into the game as 14.5-point underdogs, but stuck to the Lobos (7-3, 4-2) for much of the afternoon thanks to a defense that forced four turnovers. The one problem? CSU turned the ball over four times as well.

The tipped interception was one of two fourth-quarter picks for Curry that led to 10 points for the Lobos and threw cold water on an otherwise encouraging performance in relief of sophomore Jackson Brousseau. The latter was pulled after three straight fruitless drives in the first quarter. Curry then came in and completed 26 of 34 passes for 248 yards, three interceptions and two touchdowns, the first coming after the Rams defense’s third takeaway of the game.

Curry found senior tight end Rocky Beers streaking across the goal line for a 3-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal to pull the Rams to within 10-7 with 7:32 left in the third quarter. He then led the Rams on a 14-play, 68-yard march on their next drive that ended with a 30-yard Isaiah Hankins field goal to tie the game at 10-all with 18 seconds left in the third.

On New Mexico’s ensuing possession, Owen Long produced the Rams’ fourth takeaway after he recovered a fumble forced by Lemondre Joe at the New Mexico 38-yard line. But six plays later, Brawley picked off Curry’s tipped pass and was off to the races.

Jack Layne gave the Lobos the lead for good with a 12-yard touchdown run, and a 35-yard field goal by Luke Drzewiecki —  following Curry’s third pick — proved to be the winning score.

Layne was 13-of-25 passing for 226 yards and added 23 rushing yards on 10 carries. D.J. McKinney led with 52 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.

The Denver Post contributed to this report.

But as injuries to the team’s defense began to pile up, he began to get more opportunities. In the past four games, he has certainly made the most of them.

Bellah has four interceptions in the Rams’ past four games, including a pair in CSU’s lone Mountain West Conference victory over Fresno State on Oct. 10. He had one the next week against Hawaii and one last week against UNLV.

He has gone from a backup to one of the Rams’ top playmakers on defense in just a little more than a month’s time.

“He didn’t play the first two meetings of the year, and then his role has continued to increase,” CSU interim head coach Tyson Summers said. “I think he’s just a great example of a guy that����ap gotten an opportunity. That was due to the injuries and some of them due to some other things. He’s gotten an opportunity and run with it.”

A four-sport letterman at Pueblo South High School, Bellah walked onto the team in 2022 and redshirted that season. As a redshirt freshman in 2023, he saw his first action on the field in the Rams’ season opener against Washington State. He finished the season with two tackles.

As a redshirt sophomore last season, he played in nine games, mostly on special teams. He scored his first career touchdown when he recovered a fumble for a touchdown on a kickoff against Nevada.

He began this season as a backup, but as the Rams continued to lose defensive players to injury, his role became more prominent. On Oct. 3 at San Diego State, he had a then-career-high four tackles. A week later against Fresno State, he set another career high with six takedowns.

That was also the game he had the first, and second, interceptions of his career.

The first came in the opening period and ended a Fresno drive when he intercepted a pass at the Rams’ 20-yard line and returned it 20 yards to the CSU 47. CSU capitalized on the turnover, scoring a touchdown on the ensuing drive.

“His very first interception of the year, four games ago, he was playing boundary safety, and he had never once run that technique,” Summers said. “He walked through it. He had been in meetings, but he had been playing strong safety all year and because of the injuries, he went over there. He played the technique perfectly, had taken his coaching through the meetings and the walkthroughs and applied it.”

His second interception of that game came with a 26-yard return that set up a touchdown in the fourth quarter, which to date is the Rams’ highlight win of the season.

He became the first CSU player since Trent Matthews in 2013 to have at least four interceptions in a season, and the Rams still have three games remaining.

CSU is on a three-game losing streak since that victory over Fresno State. The Rams plan to continue fighting and continue to try to fix their mistakes. Despite his recent accomplishments, Bellah and his teammates on both sides of the ball know there is still work to do and they would like to end the season on a positive note.

“I believe sometimes we get in our own heads, and we start snowballing,” Bellah said. “We’ve just got to keep continuing what coach Summers is preaching to us to stay together, play by play, and keep getting better.”

CSU will begin its final three-game stretch Saturday at New Mexico. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Scouting the Lobos

New Mexico enters Saturday’s game with a 6-3 overall record and a 3-2 mark in the Mountain West. The Lobos have won their past three games — against Nevada, Utah State and UNLV. They are coming off a bye week.

Offensively, the Lobos are led by quarterback Jack Layne, who has passed for 1,940 yards and 12 touchdowns. Running back Damon Bankston leads the ground attack with 418 yards and four touchdowns, while Keegan Johnson is the team’s leading receiver with 573 yards and three touchdowns.

Jaxton Eck leads the defense with 95 tackles, four tackles for loss and a sack. Keyshawn James-Newby has 7.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. The Lobos have four players with one interception each.

CSU leads the all-time series between the two teams, 45-25. The Rams have won the past 13 meetings. The last time CSU lost to New Mexico was in 2009. The Rams won last year’s contest 17-6 at Canvas Stadium.

Injury report

Per the Rams’ first availability report prior to Saturday’s game, seven CSU players are listed as out for the contest.

The list includes: offensive linemen Chandler Brown, Alex Foster and John Holthaus; wide receivers Jordan Ross, Petey Tucker and Kory Hall; and running back Keegan Holles.

New to the list of players out for the season this week are: defensive back AJ Noland; running back Jalen Dupree who publicly announced his intention to enter the transfer portal Thursday; and Jaxxon Warren, who had been listed as out for a single game for several weeks.

In a post on social media, the redshirt freshman and the Rams’ leading rusher this season said he plans to enter the transfer portal.

“I want to thank God for the blessings and opportunities I’ve experience during my time at Colorado State,” Dupree wrote in his post. “I’m also sincerely grateful to the coaches, teammates and community for their incredible support. It was an honor to be a captain. Due to coaching changes, I have decided to enter the transfer portal with three years of eligibility left at the end of the season.

“This was not an easy choice as I have deep respect for the program and all those who have supported my journey. I am eager to explore my new opportunities ahead.”

Dupree, a 6-foot, 210-pound redshirt freshman, led the Rams with 508 yards on 102 carries (5 yards per carry) and two rushing touchdowns this season.

He was a three-star recruit out of Arkansas, where he rushed for 6,805 yards over three seasons in high school. He saw limited action last season before having a breakout game with 92 rushing yards and a touchdown in the Rams’ season opener at Washington on Aug. 30.

Dupree finishes his CSU career with 127 carries for 661 yards and three touchdowns.

The transfer portal for CSU players will open five days after the announcement of a new coach. That is a new window for players after a coaching change. CSU in October.

Dupree had been named a captain a few weeks ago after several of CSU’s original captains went down with injuries. He is the second captain to leave the team during the season,.