Colorado State Rams
Report Card
Offense: C+ | Defense: C | Special Teams: B | Meeting/Exceeding Expectations: C
One step forward, two steps back. Progress in Fort Collins has been slow going, but the encouraging news is that the Rams are certainly much more interesting than they were in Jay Norvell’s first year.
For starters, a surprising quarterback switch has been something of a double-edged sword through five games. Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi has already thrown for more touchdowns in four starts and change (11) than Clay Millen had in all of 2022 (10), but he has also thrown ten interceptions in just 199 attempts and, according to Pro Football Focus, has the second-highest turnover-worthy rate of any Mountain West quarterback (6.8%).
The offensive line has also improved considerably with strong health luck so far, allowing only seven sacks and 43 quarterback hurries after giving up 59 and 130, respectively, in 2022. However, it hasn’t been perfect since the running game has struggled after being one of the few things that worked consistently a year ago: The quartet of Avery Morrow, Kobe Johnson, Vann Scheid, and Damien Henderson II has fewer combined rushing yards (354) than six different individual Mountain West players and has averaged a meager 3.11 yards per carry.
Tory Horton, at least, continues to be built different (48 catches, 560 yards, six touchdowns), though he has received more consistent help this time around when the passing game clicks. The Rams already have four different players with at least 20 receptions, too, twice as many as they had in 2022. In all, though, CSU has been plagued by turnovers and poor performances in the red zone with a conference-high 15 giveaways and a conference-low 63.2% conversion rate inside the 20. If they can correct one or both in the second half, Fort Air Raid can become much more dangerous.
It would also help a defense that has slowly come along thanks to some sensational individual performances. Mohamed Kamara’s 9.5 sacks, for instance, are more than five different Mountain West defenses have in total. Fumble luck has also been the Rams’ side with a 70% recovery rate, but the good work up front by Kamara, Grady Kelly, Nuer Gatkuoth, and others has been offset by a surprisingly porous pass defense. Allowing opponents to average a 73% completion rate and 8.9 yards per attempt is simply too much, so improvements are going to have to come along soon with a schedule that doesn’t really ease up until November. If the secondary can get back to playing like they did in the second half of 2022, this team is good enough to go bowling.
Head of the Class: Tory Horton, WR
Despite a quarterback switch and the emergence of some other interesting options in the Rams offense, Horton has, unsurprisingly, continued to play like gangbusters in 2023. At present, his 57 targets, 48 receptions, 560 yards, 373 yards after the catch, 15 missed tackles forced, and 0% drop rate all rank either first or second among Mountain West pass catchers. Oh, and he’s also scored seven touchdowns.
One Player Deserving of More Attention: Grady Kelly, DT
Kelly quietly had a pretty good redshirt freshman season last year, but his 2023 hasn’t been too bad so far, either. Among Rams players who have seen at least 200 snaps, only Horton and Mohamed Kamara have a higher overall PFF grade than his 80.8, much of which has to do with the fact that Kelly currently leads the conference’s interior defenders with 14 stops and is tied for second with six quarterback hurries to go along with his 18 total tackles, 3.5 TFLs, and one sack.
Midseason Grades By Team
Air Force | Boise State | Colorado State | Fresno State | Hawaii | Nevada | New Mexico | San Diego State | San Jose State | UNLV | Utah State | Wyoming
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