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Colorado State's offense remains stuck in neutral

Rams' scoring slump reaches six quarters

Randy Holtz, Rocky Mountain News

Published October 23, 2006 at midnight

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LARAMIE - Think the Broncos have offensive issues? Check out the Colorado State Rams.

Blanked by Border War rival Wyoming 24-0 at chilly, windblown War Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon, CSU must find some semblance of an attack in time for the home game Saturday against New Mexico at Hughes Stadium (3:30 p.m., no television).

How bone-dry has this drought become? Some numbers of infamy:

• CSU, held scoreless in the second half of its 24-21 come-from-ahead loss at Air Force on Oct. 12, hasn't scored in six quarters.

• Punter Jimmie Kaylor nearly wore out his leg against the Cowboys, punting nine times as the Rams were held to 259 yards and were 5-of-18 on third down.

• CSU's going-nowhere running game turned in another desultory performance, gaining 42 yards on 22 carries. CSU has fallen to 108th in rushing among the 119 Division I-A teams, averaging 80 yards a game on the ground.

While Wyoming was winning the Bronze Boot, the Rams were running as if they were wearing bronze boots.

So what's a coach to do? Hope.

"Wyoming's defense is very good. They don't miss many tackles," CSU coach Sonny Lubick said. "I think our offense will get better as time goes along, but I hope it happens pretty darned fast."

Even if it does, the Rams appear to be out of the Mountain West Conference race. They fell to 4-3 overall and 1-2 in conference.

Brigham Young leads the Mountain West with a 3-0 record. Wyoming and Air Force, both 3-1, are the only other teams with fewer than two conference losses.

The Rams would have to win out and hope for all kinds of help to have a shot at the league title they thought was a realistic goal two weeks ago before losing to two straight rivals on the road.

If CSU is to turn around its season, the offense has to give the defense some help. After Saturday's shutout, CSU players didn't quite know what to make of the offensive collapse the past two weeks.

"I'm kind of at a loss for words," senior offensive tackle Clint Oldenburg said. "You always have to give the opponents credit. They took us out of some things we wanted to do, but I've always said if we play the way we're capable of doing, no one can stop us. I truly believe we stopped ourselves again. We just kept shooting ourselves in the foot. It just wasn't a good day."

Could it be CSU's players are pressing, trying to do too much?

"That could be a possibility," Oldenburg said. "We're trying our hardest, and that may be the problem. We may need to relax and just play football."

The Rams will be playing football Saturday against a resurgent New Mexico team. The Lobos (4-4, 2-2) looked dead in the water at home Thursday, spotting Utah a 24-3 lead in the second quarter.

But New Mexico followed with one of the biggest comebacks in school history, riding a stepped-up defensive effort and the hot arm of redshirt freshman quarterback Donovan Porterie to a 34-31 win.

That's just what CSU needs - another confident team on a roll next up on the schedule.

But this team has shown some resilience at times, the Rams coming back from their first loss at Nevada with a strong performance at Fresno State. CSU still has plenty to play for, namely one of the MWC's four automatic bowl berths.

Time is wasting, though. As well as CSU's improved defense has played at times this season, it doesn't take Amos Alonzo Stagg to figure out the Rams are going nowhere unless they figure out a way to score points.

ETC.: Among the injured CSU starters who will be evaluated as the practice week goes on are center Nick Allotta (left foot strain against Wyoming), defensive end Jesse Nading (right ankle) and safety Mike Pagnotta (left knee). Nading and Pagnotta missed the game against Wyoming after being injured at Air Force . . . CSU has a two-for-one ticket promotion for Saturday's game. Fans bringing a Mountain Dew can bearing CSU's schedule to the McGraw Center ticket office this week can get one free reserved ticket with the purchase of one. Tickets also are available by calling 1-800-491-7267 or going to .

CSU: Answers to five key questions

1 Can Wyoming use the momentum from two straight impressive conference wins to remain in the thick of the MWC race?

The Cowboys are all about momentum at this point. Picked to finish last in the nine-team Mountain West Conference, Wyoming is one of three teams with fewer than two conference losses.

2 Can CSU bounce back emotionally from its second-half collapse at Air Force on Oct. 12?

Whether it was an emotional hangover or something else, CSU was a beaten-down team, especially on offense.

3 Will Wyoming's opportunistic defense - ranked third in Division I-A in yards yielded - turn in another strong performance?

The Cowboys played a consistently strong defensive game, but they weren't exactly going against a juggernaut.

4 Will CSU's struggling running game step up and keep the chains moving? Not even close.

5 Will Wyoming quarterback Karsten Sween, a redshirt freshman, continue his fine play in his third college start?

Sween is good and getting better. He looks to be a force to contend with for Mountain West defenses for years to come.