2011 Colorado State Rams Football Preview

It can’t get any worse for the Colorado State Rams. The final two contests of the 2010 campaign were as low as it can get for any college football program trying to make its way up the pecking order on the gridiron. Last November was an unmitigated disaster in Fort Collins. The Rams were outscored 93-10 in the final two contests, losing in blowout fashion to mediocre BYU and rival Wyoming in consecutive weeks.

The 2010 defense was just atrocious for a program that, in 2008, won the New Mexico Bowl and had seemingly put itself on firm footing. Surrendering nearly 35 points per game this past season, the Rams were out of most games before halftime. Michael Sisson, a Second Team All-MWC performer from 2010, returns and will have to play at a higher level to help the Rams get defensive stands in 2011. Surprisingly, defensive coordinator Larry Kerr was retained for the upcoming campaign. Head coach Steve Fairchild has moved his defensive staff around and gone exclusively to the 3-4 scheme in hopes of getting better results.

For the Rams, lack of success wasn’t simply centered on the defense. The offense scored just 16 points per game, and was 103rd in the nation in running the football. The lone saving grace was the play of freshman quarterback Pete Thomas. The up-and-comer completed 64 percent of his passes and threw for over 2,600 yards in 2010. If he can improve on his touchdown-to-interception ratio and get some help from his rushing attack, Colorado State could put together a half-decent season and become more competitive than a lot of pigskin pundits initially believe. The Rams return four of five offensive linemen, including freshman All-American Weston Richburg and All-MWC selection Paul Madsen. The Rams will have to find some playmakers at wide receiver, however, if Thomas is going to be able to improve in the coming year.

The Rams have a very manageable first five games of the season, not seeing an opponent who went to a bowl game in 2010. A neutral-site rivalry game with Colorado is always competitive and probably needs to be tucked into the win column to give this team the crucial forward momentum that can push the Rams through September. A home contest against Boise State in mid October should be telling. If the Rams can compete in that game, the season may just be a success. A trip to TCU in late November will be a tough ask, to say the least. With home games against Wyoming, San Jose State, Northern Colorado and winnable road games at New Mexico, Utah State, UTEP, and UNLV, one could see the Rams contending for a bowl if they can find an appreciable degree of consistency.

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