SHOWDOWN SOON
Buffs, Rams prepare for rivalry
FORT COLLINS » A bad loss to a huge underdog.
Three consecutive Power 5 opponents approach, starting with rival Colorado on a short week this Friday, a team Colorado State coach Mike Bobo doesn’t have a win against in three tries.
After that, it’s a two-week stretch of SEC schools; Arkansas in Fort Collins, Florida on the road. A rough stretch now carrying a doomsday feel based on poor play in the opener.
Outside the program, the sky is falling, but Bobo isn’t ready to let Chicken Little wander the halls of Canvas Stadium.
Address. Correct. Focus. “Moving forward and not letting Hawaii beat us twice was my message to the team (Sunday) night,” Bobo said Monday. “We’ve got to get ready for a talented CU team. We played a game, and there’s improvement from Game 1 to Game 2, but we don’t have any tape on them.
“Things are different from game to game, but the big thing is focusing on CU this week.”
What Bobo has learned in his time as a coach is that the players are a bit more resilient — another hotbutton word in Sunday’s meetings — than are the coaches. In his experience, the guys up top spend too much time seeing potential pitfalls than progress, whereas the players are ready to give it a go once the ball is teed up.
“You just push it to the back of your head and I would say move forward on to the next game,” senior receiver Bisi Johnson said. “You know, we go week by week, and it’s tough to lose, I’m not gonna lie.
“We all know this is a huge game. There’s just a little more you’ve got to put in and work and practice and everything.”
Also, don’t listen to the outside noise. Johnson said that’s all it is, and the team focuses on its task, the players on their jobs.
Hawaii ran roughshod over Colorado State’s defense, amassing 617 yards of total offense in John Jancek’s first game as the defensive coordinator. Afterward, safety Jordan Fogal felt the Rams were too overconfident.
It didn’t play out well on the field, as Bobo said they were out-executed, but part of him likes the mindset.
“There were a handful of plays that we could have made, a sack here or there, that gets them behind the chains,” he said. “But I like the confidence. We can’t lose our confidence. Confidence gets tested, but you don’t doubt who you are or the work you put in. That’s what we talked about yesterday. It would be easy to sit here and doubt who we are and what we’re going to do, but I don’t doubt it. I think we have guys in here who are going to go to work, and that’s what I expect. I expect us to be confident this week.
“I’m expecting to go out there and play well and win the game, just like I’m sure the other side down the road is, too.”
Play calling. Bobo said he is feeling better, but still not good enough to walk the sidelines. If the Rams played Monday, he’d have been in the booth, and the decision on who will call plays against Colorado is still to be determined.
Bobo stopped short of saying he would only call plays if on the sideline.
Still out. Running backs Rashaad Boddie and Marvin Kinsey Jr. are still suspended for this week’s game, leaving Izzy Matthews and Marcus McElroy in that rotation, with fullback Adam Prentice the emergency option. Bobo said McElroy looked good in limited action, but he needs more because Matthews played more than 70 snaps in the game.
Training room. Tight end Camron Butler, who had a leg injury in the game, is considered questionable for Friday. Tackle T.J. Roundtree developed swelling in his knee Sunday and is doubtful to play against CU.