Colorado State football seizes first win of the season in upset fashion

As two-score roadworthy underdogs with cardinal injuries connected some sides of the football, the Colorado State Rams weren’t fixed overmuch of a accidental Saturday.

But thanks to a ascendant defense, and conscionable capable offense, the Rams pulled disconnected a shocker with a 22-6 upset of the Toledo Rockets astatine Glass Bowl Stadium for their archetypal triumph of the season.

“I’m conscionable blessed we won,” CSU inferior choky extremity Trey McBride said. “We’ll hole what we request to hole this week. But ultimately, we needed a win, and we got one. So I was blessed this squad came through. Now we cognize what we’re susceptible of, and we’re excited to physique connected it.”

In a contention wherever some offenses struggled, a CSU defence that struggled successful opening play losses to South Dakota State and Vanderbilt stifled Toledo a week aft it went toe-to-toe with No. 12 Notre Dame successful a 32-29 loss.

While penalties –– 10 to beryllium nonstop –– hindered the Rockets each crippled long, the Rams’ antiaircraft enactment and linebacker corps provided adjacent fits for the hosts.

CSU (1-2) forced the Rockets to punt connected 4 of their archetypal 5 possessions arsenic the archetypal fractional ended deadlocked astatine 3-3 –– aft Toledo mustered conscionable 38 full yards.

Colorado State elder Thomas Pannunzio bursts escaped for a 70-yard punt instrumentality touchdown portion the Rams decision Toledo connected the roadworthy astatine Glass Bowl Stadium connected Sept. 18, 2021. (Photo courtesy of CSU athletics)

“Our defence played lights out,” CSU manager Steve Addazio said. “We truly improved there. We played a large pass-rush. We were playing with an atrocious batch of young guys successful the backmost end, and they played well. It was conscionable a truly gritty show from our defense. I’m arrogant of our squad wide and however they fought today.”

The antiaircraft disruption continued successful the 2nd half as the Rockets finished with conscionable 284 yards, the lowest full CSU has held an hostile to since defeating Western Illinois successful 2019.

Notably, the Rams stifled Toledo moving backmost Bryant Koback (1.9 yards per touch) 2 years aft helium ran each implicit CSU’s Canvas Stadium for 228 yards successful 2019.

CSU besides sacked Rockets backmost Carter Bradley six times and had 10 tackles for loss. Senior Dequan Jackson led the mode with 13 tackles, portion chap linebacker Mohamad Kamara added a career-high 3.5 tackles for nonaccomplishment (2.5 sacks).

“We conscionable bought in,” Jackson said. “We had a large week of practice. We benignant of knew what they were doing, and we had immoderate other meetings arsenic a defense. We came retired and played lights out.”

Freshman Jack Howell besides roseate to the juncture successful the secondary successful his archetypal vocation start, filling successful for Logan Stewart’s first-half lack with 9 tackles.

“Jack Howell is going to beryllium a hellhole of a player,” Addazio said. “He’s got large shot successful his blood. His dada was a large player, and he’s gonna beryllium a large player. He’s conscionable gonna turn from here.”

While the discourtesy struggled to people points, CSU did get large days from McBride (nine receptions, 109 yards) and moving backmost David Bailey (30 carriers, 132 yards).

The game’s lone touchdown, however, came connected peculiar teams – a 70-yard punt instrumentality from Thomas Pannunzio successful the 3rd 4th that gave the Rams a 13-6 pb they never relinquished.

The Rams had freshman Gerick Robinson arsenic the punt returner to statesman the crippled successful spot of junior Dante Wright, who was retired with a genu injury. After Robinson muffed a brace of first-half punts, 1 of which led to a Toledo tract goal, CSU made the power to Pannunzio.

“I’ve been waiting a full twelvemonth to get different changeable astatine (punt returning),” Pannunzio said. “So it felt good. I conscionable saw they were giving maine similar 5 yards of space, and I knew I could marque a play retired of it. Then I deed a fewer holes, and I was gone from there.”

Kicker Cayden Camper rebounded from a unsmooth crippled against Vanderbilt (two missed tract goals) by connecting connected each 5 of his tract extremity attempts Saturday. That included 3 kicks of 42 yards oregon longer.

“We addressed the occupation this week successful practice,” McBride said. “We enactment him successful pugnacious situations. We had the full squad screaming successful his ear. We had guys moving successful beforehand of him and throwing worldly astatine him. I mean, we astir apt enactment him nether the astir unit that he’s been nether successful his life. And helium came retired and showed it. A batch of kicking is mental, and helium was capable to crook that around.”

Colorado State moving backmost David Bailey breaks escaped successful the backfield arsenic the Rams look Toledo connected the roadworthy astatine Glass Bowl Stadium connected Sept. 18, 2021. (Photo courtesy of CSU athletics)