Tag: CSU

Broncos met with LB Dequan Jackson at CSU’s pro day

Broncos scouts met with LB Dequan Jackson at CSU’s pro day last month.

The Denver Broncos had scouts meet with linebacker Dequan Jackson at Colorado State’s pro day last month, according to The Draft Network’s Justin Melo.

Jackson (6-2, 214 pounds) ran a 40-yard dash in 4.65 seconds at CSU’s pro day after earning honorable mention All-Mountain West honors in 2022. A three-year team captain for the Rams, Jackson totaled 100 tackles (six behind the line), two forced fumbles and one pass breakup in 12 games last season.

Jackson played at Colorado State from 2018-2022, gaining an extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19. He’s now set to turn 24 years old during his rookie season as a pro.

Jackson is projected to be a late-round pick or undrafted free agent candidate later this month. If drafted or signed by the Broncos, he will likely contribute on special teams while competing for rotational reps as a backup linebacker.

Before making any potential draft trades, Denver’s latest pick in the draft is set to be No. 195 overall in the sixth round.

The 2023 NFL draft will be held in Kansas City from April 27-29.

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Colorado State vs. Air Force: Falcons Game Preview, How to Watch, Odds, Prediction

Colorado State vs. Air Force: Falcons Game Preview, How to Watch, Odds, Prediction Can The Falcons Win Their Sixth Straight Against the Rams? Contact/Follow @Sean or @MWCWire The Ram-Falcon Trophy is on the Line in Colorado Springs! WEEK 12: Air …

Colorado State vs. Air Force: Falcons Game Preview, How to Watch, Odds, Prediction

Can The Falcons Win Their Sixth Straight Against the Rams?

Contact/Follow @Sean or @MWCWire

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The Ram-Falcon Trophy is on the Line in Colorado Springs!

WEEK 12: Air Force Falcons 7-3 (3-3) vs. Colorado State Rams 2-8 (2-4)

WHEN: Saturday, November 19th — 7:00 P.M. MT/ 6:00 P.M. PT

WHERE: Falcon Stadium (Colorado Springs, CO)

WEATHER: Clear skies. High of 39F, Low 19F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.

TV: FS2 Guy Haberman (play-by-play), Will Blackmon (analyst)

STREAM: FuboTV — Get a free trial

RADIO: KVOR AM 740 in Colorado Springs, 104.3 the Fan in Denver; SIRIUS 388, SXM App 978

Jim Arthur (play-by-play), Jesse Kurtz (analyst)

SERIES RECORD: Air Force leads the series vs. Colorado State, 37-21-1. The Falcons won year’s matchup 35-21.

LAST WEEK: Air Force defeated New Mexico 35-3. Colorado State lost to Wyoming 13-14.

WEBSITES: CSURams.com, the official Colorado State athletics website | GoAirForceFalcons.com, the official Air Force athletics website

GAME NOTES (PDF): Colorado State | Air Force

SP+ PROJECTION: Air Force by 29.7

FEI PROJECTION: Air Force by 24.1

As we inch closer to the end of the season, we have another rivalry trophy on the line in week 12. For the 42nd time, these two Colorado based institutions will battle it out for the Ram-Falcon trophy. Air Force has dominated the series versus Colorado State of late, winning the last five matchups.

In his first year at Fort Collins, Jay Norvell has faced a lot of challenges. None more evident though, than the offensive side of the ball. A far cry from the success he and offensive coordinator, Matt Mumme enjoyed in Nevada the year prior. Playing the Rams means for the second straight week, the Falcons face one of the nations most anemic offenses. Well, technically, they are the nations worst offense on a points per game basis.

There were a number of players from that very same Wolf Pack team that Norvell previously coached, who followed him to Colorado State. But that has not always translated well on the field. Not yet anyways. It’s only year one, and while a lot players have transferred into Fort Collins, an alarming number have also departed throughout the year.

As for the Falcons, they are just looking to keep stacking wins as they march towards the finish line. Even though a Conference Championship is out of the question, 10 wins in consecutive seasons is not. If they want to record double digit win totals in back to back years, they have to take care of business at Falcon Stadium against their in-state rivals on Saturday.

Keys to an Air Force Victory

NO BODES OF CONFIDENCE

When Jay Norvell recruited Clay Millen to play for him back in Reno, he was a prized four star commit. While things haven’t necessarily gone as hoped for the coach and quarterback tandem just yet, the potential is there. In his first year as a starting quarterback, the redshirt freshman has started eight games this season, all while seeing the roster around him change pretty significantly.

Like we see quite often, teams that appear to be in a building phase use the opportunity to get critical experience and development for their quarterback. Especially those who are fortunate enough to have what they believe to be a program leader, like many feel Millen could be. This season is now very much about building his confidence.

A few of the bright spots on the offense during these growing pains for the Rams, have been the play of fellow Nevada transfers Tory Horton and Avery Morrow. Horton has been as good as any receiver in the Conference this season, racking up 965 receiving yards, with six touchdowns. The Falcons must account for Horton throughout the game.

Morrow has quietly come on, despite running behind a patchwork offensive line. With over 700 rush yards on the season, he’s provided a nice compliment on the ground.

The Rams are going to have to find a way to score points against a very stingy Air Force defense. This trio of inbound transfers are going to be the most likely of culprits if they are to succeed. If the Falcons can mitigate the impact that Morrow and Horton have, it’s really hard to see CSU’s offense find their way.

beware their playmakers

It feels odd to say it about a Jay Norvell team, but aside from Tory Horton, the playmakers of the Rams really reside on the defensive side of the ball. You may not know it by looking at their win-loss record, or the defenses statistical standing, but they have some dudes.

Similar to the Falcons opponent last week, Colorado State’s defense has been victimized largely in part due to an offense that has very rarely showed up. There are guys at every level of the defense who can impact the game though.

C.J. Onyechi and Mohamed Kamara bookend the defensive line as a formidable duo. Kamara is having an All-Conference type season, registering 7.5 sacks and 14 TFL’s. The two are responsible for 45 career tackles behind the line of scrimmage. While at linebacker, Cam’Ron Carter and Dequan Jackson are starting their combined 99th game. This tandem of tacklers have a ton of game experience that will be vital to helping try and stop the Air Force ground attack.

Similar to the Falcons, CSU features a solid tandem of safeties in Henry Blackburn and Jack Howell. A tackling machine, Howell will probably eclipse his 100th tackle on the season in the Falcons first offensive possession. Also like Taylor and Goff for Falcons, these two will return next season, assuming they do not transfer. Ayden Hector is another guy to watch in the secondary, as he’s picked off three passes from the nickel spot.

Prediction

When you look at just how bad the Colorado State offense has been, it’s easy to start thinking about a much more imposing San Diego State game in waiting on the Falcons schedule. However, with the exception of their game against Boise State, the Rams have really showed up in Conference play. They’ve won two of those games, and were highly competitive against some very credible competition in Wyoming and San Jose State.

It’s not the rivalry they have with Wyoming, but playing Air Force is an important game for a variety of reasons. Unfortunately for the Rams, I think that close loss to Wyoming is going to have a lingering effect and carry over to their contest in Colorado Springs. Winning the that game against the Pokes could have been a turning point for this young team, but such was not the case.

The Falcons just seem to really have CSU’s number, winning 13 of their last 15 against their neighboring rivals. It’s also worth mentioning, if the Rams were to succeed in pulling off the upset, it would be their first victory in Colorado Springs since 2002. I just don’t see there being enough offense on the Colorado State sideline to get it done. Air Force ranks 1st in rushing offense and pass defense, 6th in scoring defense and 5th in total defense. I’ll save you time looking it up, the Rams are last nationally in multiple categories that have significant bearing on the outcome of a football game.

Make it six in a row for the Bolt Brotherhood against CSU, that Ram-Falcon Trophy isn’t going anywhere.

Air Force 30, Colorado Springs 13

And if you want a little more content on this Mountain West matchup between the Falcons and Lobos, give a listen to ‘First and 505 with Ryan Tomari’ HERE! The Podcast host was gracious enough to have me on to talk about this weeks game, and he is constantly putting out great content, so give him a listen!

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Colorado State football coaches accused of covering up pandemic threat

Football players and staff at Colorado State have accused CSU football coaches of trying to stymie evidence of the COVID-19 threat.

Football players and athletic department staff at Colorado State have accused CSU football coaches of trying to stymie evidence of the COVID-19 threat facing the team, according to a report from the Coloradoan.

Rams coaches allegedly instructed players not to report symptoms, threatened to cut their playing time if they quarantined and altered contract tracing reports to allow practices to continue.

The head coach at Colorado State, Steve Addazio, was as an assistant coach at Florida throughout Urban Meyer’s tenure from 2005-10, serving as offensive coordinator for his final two seasons in Gainesville.

Members of the program said they believed it was engaging in a cover-up.

“I believe there is a cover-up going on at CSU,” said a current football player who wished to remain anonymous for fear of retribution. “But they could only cover it up so long and now that we have so many cases across athletics, they can’t cover it up anymore. It’s not about the health and safety of the players but about just trying to make money off the players.”

Said an athletic department staff member: “There are some red flags in the athletic department but the common denominator with this administration is to protect the coaches before the student-athletes and that makes them feel more like cattle than student-athletes.”

Twenty-seven players were missing from practice due to COVID-19 on Wednesday, the last day of practice before the university temporarily halted it. Players believe the spur in new cases to stem from a Fourth of July party attended by a number of members of the team.

Athletic director Joe Parker said that while he’s unhappy to hear about the criticism, he believes in the efficacy of Colorado State’s plan.

“This (student-athlete) population is the most tested population there is here but obviously some feel that is not a good enough job to make them feel comfortable regarding their health,” he said. “If that’s the feeling, we will need to amp it up.”

Parker added that if players were told not to report symptoms to trainers, that is unacceptable.

Players said that Addazio and defensive coordinator Chuck Heater, both in their 60s, rarely wear masks at practice. They also alleged that coaches are coercing health administrators not to quarantine athletes, but that claim was disputed by Parker.

“There is no influence from our coaching staff on those kinds of decisions and those decisions are made outside of the athletic department and that is the way I want it,” he said.

Many players allegedly don’t wear masks at practice, leading to an environment many players deem to be unsafe.

“We had a player who definitely had coronavirus symptoms coughing at practice and he wasn’t wearing a mask and I was next to him, touching him and there was spit and sweat,” a player said. “I told him he needed to get tested but he really didn’t want to because then he would be out. The next day he is not at practice. (If he tested positive) he already had spread the virus. That’s why a lot of players don’t feel safe at football practice.”

Colorado State tested 150 athletes on Monday and is currently awaiting those results.

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Champ Bailey’s son, Keevan, will be a sophomore CB at CSU this fall

Keevan Bailey, Champ’s son, is aiming to have a big season at Colorado State this fall.

Champ Bailey’s son is hoping to make his own mark on Colorado sports.

Keevan Bailey (5-11, 175 pounds) will be a sophomore cornerback at Colorado State this fall. He began last year as a rotational cornerback as a freshman and was a starter by the end of the 2019 season.

“He’s a very talented kid, has a great skill set, and as the season went on last year, you just saw things starting to click a little bit more,” CSU cornerbacks coach Anthony Perkins said in an interview with Kelly Lyell of the Fort Collins Coloradoan.

“At the beginning of the season, he was relying mainly just on pure athleticism, and as the season went on last year you just saw things starting to click a little bit more.”

After totaling 19 tackles and one interception last year, Bailey is aiming to take a big jump in 2020.

Champ Bailey was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame last year after earning 12 Pro Bowl nods and totaling 52 interceptions in 15 seasons. He spent the final 10 years of his career with the Broncos.

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Wyoming vs. Colorado State: 3 Keys to Cowboys Victory

Wyoming vs. Colorado State: 3 Keys to a Cowboys Victory Will the Rams ever win the Bronze Boot again? Do they even remember what it is? Contact/Follow @jessetachiquin & @MWCwire Cowboys vs Rams WEEK 13: Wyoming Cowboys (6-4, 3-3 MW) vs Colorado …

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Wyoming vs. Colorado State: 3 Keys to a Cowboys Victory

Will the Rams ever win the Bronze Boot again? Do they even remember what it is?

Contact/Follow @jessetachiquin & @MWCwire

Cowboys vs Rams

WEEK 13: Wyoming Cowboys (6-4, 3-3 MW) vs Colorado State Rams (4-6, 3-3 MW)

WHEN: Friday, November 22— 7:30 PM MT

WHERE: War Memorial Stadium; Laramie, WY (29,131)

TV: ESPN2

STREAM: fuboTV

RADIO: Wyoming | Colorado State

SERIES RECORD: Colorado State leads 58-47-5 all-time

Wyoming leads Bronze Boot series 27-24

WEBSITES: Wyoming | Colorado State

ODDS (via OddsShark): Wyoming -6.5

FEI Projection: Wyoming by 15

According to ancient Colorado State lore, the Rams were once the proud holder of the Bronze Boot. While historians continue to argue the validity of that claim, current Buffalo Bills quarterback and former Wyoming standout Josh Allen chimed in with his thoughts on “Sheep Week”.

Colorado State is well aware of the history they will make if they are able to win the big game at War Memorial Stadium. Rams coach Mike Bobo reminded the team, the citizens of Fort Collins, and all of the communities along the Front Range of how the last three meetings against the Pokes have ended during practice this week.

All jokes aside, a very dangerous and hungry squad will be making their way up from Fort Collins for the game on Friday night. An explosive offense led by QB Patrick O’Brien and WR Warren Jackson combined with a must-win game from their perspective will ensure the Pokes get the best the Rams have to offer.

Three Keys to a Wyoming Win

Contain Warren Jackson

There is no way around it, this guy is a physical specimen. His “worst” game of the season was 4 rec-53 yards-1 TD against Arkansas. Pro Football Focus has Jackson ranked as the top G5 receiver. Wyoming’s defense gave up a lot through the air last week against Utah State so slowing the Rams passing game could be a challenge. Tyler Hall has been one of the better corners in the Mountain West but he will be at a huge size advantage against the Rams standout. Limiting Jackson’s production will be key in Wyoming keeping the Boot.

Reintroduce A Quarterback Running Threat

The Cowboys offense has looked really bad without a quarterback who can run the ball and Tyler Vander Waal had a tough game last week when he was asked to throw a lot more passes than the Pokes usually attempt. Last week, the Cowboys called some direct snaps to Valladay and attempted to get Austin Conway the ball on the perimeter. The reality is that Wyoming is going to struggle to expose the Rams defense if the plan is to run a knicked up Valladay up the gut for 25 attempts. Whether it’s calling more gimmick formations, more runs for Vander Waal, or inserting Levi Williams, the Cowboys need more out of that position than they have had the last 2 weeks.

Match Colorado State’s Intensity

The Rams have everything on the line in this one. At 4-6, they are still alive for a bowl bid if they can beat Wyoming and Boise State to close the season. While those odds are not great, with the way they have played during the second half of the season, they have shown that they haven’t given up. The seat is red hot for Mike Bobo and he may need wins against the Cowboys and Broncos to keep his job.

Wyoming also has a lot on the line. With a win, the Cowboys eliminate Colorado State, ensure their senior class never takes an L against the Rams, and earn the critical 7th win that should lock them into a bowl game.

Oh, and it’s for the Bronze Boot!

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