Rams realize yards won’t come easy against Alabama

At noon Monday, Mike FORT

Bobo figured his staff was still mad at him.

He had kept them in the offices past midnight Sunday, and at that point, he said they still hadn’t written down on the big board an idea they felt might work against the Alabama defense.

Understandable. The No. 1 Crimson Tide’s defense has given up 98 yards on the ground in two games, just 2.0 yards per rush. They have allowed 17 points so far in a schedule that included then-No. 3 Florida State.

Alabama has created four turnovers, and it has done so by attacking teams with big, strong, fast players who come at opponents in waves.

At least by Wednesday the outlook had changed for the Colorado State coach.

“On paper. We’ve found a couple first downs on paper,” Bobo said.

Getting them on the field will require more than just the physical capabilities the Rams have on offense. To him, how his team handles the tough times will do more to determine the team’s success and the game’s outcome.

“We’re going to have to strain more than we’ve ever had to strain in our life,” Bobo said. “Not just a few times a game. It’s going to be every single play. That’s what we’re trying to get out of this program is you realize that to be great and to become a champion, every time you step on the field you’re willing to strain every play. That’s what they do so well. They can test their opponent every single play in every phase.”

Colorado State’s offense can be explosive, as it proved at the end of 2016, like it was in the opener.

Against Abilene Christian, they moved the ball at will, but the players figured they should have scored more. In the middle, Colorado shut them down, with flags playing a role.

Even in the loss to Colorado, Bobo witnessed the right attitude. Drive after drive, his offense remained in attack mode.

Wide receiver Michael Gallup kept it succinct, saying the Rams were going to have to play a cleaner game than ever before. No more dropped passes. No leaving points on the field. No more penalties.

“I think our offense is definitely where it needs to be. We just can’t have mental errors,” he said. “We can’t have blatant mistakes. When you play the No. 1 team in the country, you can’t have mistakes like that. We’ve got weapons along the board. We just can’t have mistakes.”

The Rams have a talented set of wideouts and running backs, and quarterback Nick Stevens is off to a solid start in his senior year. Still, he knows the explosive plays they are used to may not come as often this week, so he acknowledges his coach’s point.

Stevens is confident they’re up to the challenge, pointing to the long drives the Rams have posted this year, all of them involving a penalty or a negative play they’ve had to make up for along the way.