CSU report: As Farris has gone, so have Rams
By Jim Benton, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Published November 3, 2008 at 9:43 p.m.
Photo by Denis Poroy / Associated Press
CSU's Billy Farris has been playing well of late. The fifth-year senior quarterback has engineered 10 touchdown drives in the Rams' past two games and thrown for 566 yards.
"We don't want to find any solace in a loss. A loss is a loss."
CSU coach Steve Fairchild, on the Rams' three-point loss to No. 17 Brigham Young.
75 consecutive passes thrown by Farris since his most recent interception, Oct. 18 at Utah.
Billy Farris is a fifth-year senior, but he's in his first season as Colorado State's starting quarterback.
And despite a big learning curve, he is improving each game in his reads and accuracy.
In turn, the Rams' passing attack has improved: In their past two games, they have gained 566 yards through the air.
A lot of the credit goes to Farris, who has completed 61.3 percent of his passes in his past nine quarters. During that span, he has completed 46-of-75 passes for 562 yards and six touchdowns. And, in CSU's past two games, he has engineered 10 touchdown drives.
"He's getting much quicker and he's stroking the ball better," coach Steve Fairchild said Monday as the Rams prepared for their intrastate showdown with Air Force on Saturday. "He's like our entire pass game. There are some times now when you go out to practice and watch for a while and say, 'Wow, we've got a chance to do something here.' It's coming out on time, it's coming out accurate, guys are in the spots where they belong."
Fairchild drew from his days with the NFL's St. Louis Rams.
"We used to have signs in the Rams' receiver room. It was a Mike Martz deal," Fairchild said of the former St. Louis coach for whom he worked. "All it says is, 'Be where you're supposed to be when you're supposed to be there.' "
Big-play freshman
Redshirt freshman linebacker Mychal Sisson returned a fumble for a touchdown and fell on another fumble to set up a late touchdown in Saturday's loss to BYU.
Sisson, who leads the Rams with 64 tackles, has given the CSU defense a big boost with his speed.
"He has been a big-play guy," Fairchild said. "Defensively, that big play is synonymous with having change of direction and speed. When you watch him and (linebacker) Ricky Brewer out there on the field, we have a little bit of ability to cover space and close in on people."
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November 4, 2008
8:52 a.m.
Suggest removal
ramAZ writes:
I was just sick watching the BYU game slip through their fingers in the final minute of the game. But, to lose to BYU and TCU in very close contests? I wouldn't have guessed that they would get blown out in both contests going into the season. Coach Fairchild has the program going int he right direction again. We'll see how he recruits.
November 5, 2008
12:17 p.m.
Suggest removal
CSU5280 writes:
I have to agree, they are headed in the right direction for years to come...as long as they can recruit...Before the season started I would have said they loose to TCU and BYU by 4 tds.