Colorado State Rams 2018 Football Preview

Colorado State Rams 2018 Football Preview

Opening Statement: Colorado State missed an open window last fall by not grabbing the Mountain West title in a season in which they had the tools to do so. Nick Stevens is now gone at QB, and even then the team fell to a 1-4 conclusion to their season, including a bowl loss to Marshall. Losses To Wyoming and Boise State during that awful run made it obvious that Colorado State ws not ready to run with the big boys, and another below average 7 win season was ll that they were going to get out of it. Mike Bobo has yet to be openly questioned about his failures to turn a corner with this program, but another 7 win run, or less, would be grounds for grumbling.

Breakdown Offense: The offense was really not a big problem last fall, as the Rams scored 33.4 points per game. They passed for 292.2 yards per game, and ran for a solid 200.23 yards rushing per contest.

Nick Stevens played his heart out last fall for the Rams, as he passed for 3799 yards and 29 TDs to 10 INTs. He completed 61.9% of his passes and added another 4 scores on the ground. In the end, it was not enough to make a change happen, and he has now moved on, leaving the position as a void that may or may not be filled. KJ Carta-Samuels is a grad transfer from Washington, but never did anything for the Huskies, so his impact is an enigma at this point. Collin Hill suffered a second torn ACL, and his status is up in the air. All eggs appear to be in the basket of Carta-Samuels, so close your eyes and take the ride.

Dalyn Dawkins is another void to fill as he took his 1399 yards rushing from last season and moved on. Izzy Matthews looks like the guy after rushing for 613 yards and 8 scores last fall. He averaged 4.64 yards per carry, so explosiveness is not a term I would use for him. Rashaad Boddie, Marvin Kinsey, and Darius May are all in on the battle to win the job, but it appears it would be Matthews' job to lose.

Michael Gallop and Detrich Clark are gone, and that is 141 receptions off the books from a year ago. So there is another large void to fill. Bisi Johnson is back after a season that saw him grab 41 passes for 595 yards and a 14.91 yard per catch average. Preston Williams, a Tennessee transfer, is another candidate to start. Warren Jackson and EJ Scott are also in the mix looking for reps. Trey Smith, who caught just 2 passes, could also be involved, if only as a reserve.

Dalton Fackrell, who caught 23 passes at TE last fall, is also gone. Cameron Butler is the likely starter there, and would be backed up by Isaiah Pannunzio.

Three starters are gone on the line as well, and here we have another void situation. Nicho Garcia (RG) and Ben Knox (RT) are the only returning starters. Colby Meeks is the likely Center after starting a total of 6 games over 2 seasons. Tayler Bjorklund is the leader at LG. Jeff Taylor will fight it out with him for that spot. Louisville transfer TJ Roundtree could be the starting LT. Depth will be an issue.

Breakdown Defense: The defense was particularly weak during the final 5 games of the season, allowing 104 points in losses to Air Force and Boise State.They allowed another 31 in the loss to Marshall in the bowl loss. They allowed 244.5 yards passing per game on the season, and 187.08 yards rushing per game as well.

Three new starters must be found on the defensive line, with only Arjay Jean returning to start at DE. He finished with just 4.5 TFLs last fall, and the Rams will need major production above and beyond that to fix their issues. Richard King is the favorite to grab a starting spot at DT, while Colton Foster, Livingston Paogofie and Ellison Hubbard all battle for work at the other DT spot. Emannuel Jones moves down to DE after working at OLB in the 3-4 set that was used last season. The Rams will implement a 4-3 set under John Jancik, the new DC.

Josh Watson returns to start at MLB, and led the Rams with 109 tackles last fall. He added 5 TFLs. Tre Thomas and Trey Sutton appear to be the leaders for the OLB spots. Thomas had 41 tackles last fall, while Sutton played in just 4 games as a freshman. Max McDonald provides some depth, but there is not much more to be found.

The Rams lost 4 total players from last year's team, and have to reboot the unit from the ground up. Jordan Fogel and Jamal Hicks appear to be the starters at Safety. Hicks missed time with an injury last year and is trying to shake off the rust. Fogal was 2nd on the team with 71 tackles, but he, too, was banged up in the spring. Anthony Hawkins is back to start at CB and recorded 5 PBUs last fall. VJ Banks, a grad transfer from Rice, is expected to start opposite him. Braylon Scott could provide some help at Safety, while Darius Campbell is all there is for depth at CB.

Breakdown Special Teams: Wyatt Bryan is back at PK, and is probably the most dependable part of the returning group of players. He hit 15/18 FG attempts last fall, and hit 53/55 PATs.

Ryan Stonehouse crushed his freshman season at Punter, averaging 45.89 yards per punt. He is back to handle the job once again.

Bisi Johnson handles punt returns this fall, but the KR job is open for battle in fall camp.

Final Analysis: Colorado State is a team in total flux, with major holes in every major area with the overall exception of special teams. There is no area untouched by losses or injuries, and that could end up being a major problem for Mike Bobo and a mix of old and new staff. The non con schedule is brutal, with games against Colorado, Arkansas, and Florida, and the conference slate is no slouch either. It would be shocking to see the Rams repeat their 7 wins that has become their standard number. When you have as much talent to replace as they do, it's impossible to expect anything better than the season before. Mike Bobo could be in some trouble here.