Rams hope to resuscitate the run attack

SA N JOSE, CA LIF. » Mike Bobo spent the bye week longing for yesteryear.

Last year, to be exact. When he had an experienced line, a whipsmart quarterback and, most importantly, Dalyn Dawkins.

Put it all together, and Bobo’s Colorado State offense had a physical run game. This year, not so much.

“I don’t know if we have a Dalyn Dawkins. When you go back and watch last year, he was pretty special,” Bobo said this week. “Him and the combination of Nick (Stevens) and the line tied together, it was a pretty special unit.”

The rushing attack hasn’t worked for the Rams this year. They are averaging less than 100 yards per game on the ground.

For the first time this season, Bobo is set to call plays all game as his team heads to San Jose State on Saturday (8:30 p.m.; CBSSN), and he’s determined to run the ball and not give up. But can the Rams go from paltry to physical in one week?

“Absolutely. The emphasis, at least for me and (running backs) Coach (Bryan) Applewhite, was run straight and run fast,” senior tailback Izzy Matthews said. “I mean, it’s about putting your nose down enough, trying to make people miss in space. If it’s a 20yard run punctuated with an exclamation point, then that’s what we’re going to take. That’s something that excites the crowd, excites the offense and gets everyone going. That’s the mindset I’ve had in the past three years, and I don’t really know where it went these last couple of weeks. ”