CSU (3-4, 0-3 MWC) came out strong in their toughest contest of the year, against an undefeated TCU team (6-0, 2-0 MWC), as the Rams led 6-0 after the first quarter. But, CSU was demolished by the Horned Frogs’ relentless offensive attack which put up an unanswered 44 straight points as they blew out the Rams in Fort Worth, Texas.
To begin the game, CSU stopped TCU on consecutive drives, one a punt and the second a forced fumble and the Rams capitalized by scoring back-to-back field goals. Everything looked good, but it was evident soon that CSU should have turned those scores into touchdowns, as TCU turned on their explosive offense from the second quarter on.
In that second quarter, the Horned Frogs scored 17 points on the shoulders of quarterback Andy Dalton and the legs and amazing moves on a 69-yard TD punt return by Jeremy Kerley. CSU on the other hand, could only punt three times, all of which were much shorter than MWC all second team punter Pete Kontodiakos usually boots the ball. And, Leonard Mason, who was running the ball effectively against TCU early, left the game after injuring a rib and was unable to come back into the contest. So, at halftime, the Rams were down 17-6, but still virtually in the game. Head coach Steve Fairchild expressed his disappointment as he tweeted at halftime, “We're obviously not covering kicks very well. Hanging in there defensively but offensively we've got to get a better push.”
The second half started out well for CSU as they received the kick, but their first drive of the quarter fizzled out after an illegal block penalty, and the Rams had to punt away the ball once again. Conversely, TCU’s first drive was an 80-yard gem that was capitalized by a 47-yard touchdown catch, in which Curtis Clay caught the ball and refused to go down, shrugging off three Rams would-be tacklers and took the Horned Frogs up 24-7. And while CSU’s final two drives of the third were three-and-outs, TCU’s two drives turned into touchdown scores. At the end of three, TCU led CSU 38-6.
The final score of the game came early in the fourth, as the Horned Frogs ran exclusively for 80 yards and put in their last touchdown of the game to go up 44-6. TCU’s player of the day was Dalton, who threw for 211 yards on 15-23 passing and added two TD passes as well. Grant Stucker struggled for the second straight week, going 7-15 for only 59 yards and was sacked three times.
So, after losing four straight games and sitting under .500 for the first time all year at 3-4, CSU has to improve in a hurry if they want to make a bowl game for the second straight year. Next up for the Rams is a relatively weak San Diego State Aztecs (2-4, 0-2 MWC) at home in Sonny Lubick field at Hughes Stadium. CSU must win at least three of their final five games to keep their bowl hopes alive and that tough task begins this Saturday at 2 p.m. in Fort Collins.
Notes: The Rams had scored a touchdown in 23-straight games and passed for a TD in 13-straight but both of those streaks were broken Saturday. CSU was without their senior star safety Klint Kubiak with a shoulder injury.
Comments