CSU schedule (3-8)

FORT COLLINS» Colorado State went from an upset to just downright upset. All in a matter of moments.

As the Rams were celebrating an improbable final-play touchdown that would have produced an upset of No. 14 Utah State at Canvas Stadium on Saturday, the officials were already huddling.

Before Preston Williams highpointed a ball above two Aggie defenders in the front corner of the end zone, the line judge had already tossed his hat down on the sideline, signalling Williams had stepped out of bounds, which replay shows he did.

Then the officials nullified the score, saying Williams was the first player to touch the ball upon his reentry to the field, resulting in a 29-24 win for Utah State.

For Colorado State, it was the most painful gut punch in a season full of them, now 3-8 overall, 2-5 in the Mountain West.

“For sure. This one hurts,” CSU wideout Bisi Johnson said. “If I’m being selfish as a senior, this one hurts.”

As he explained, that final ruling left the CSU locker room a mixed bag. There were tears. There were hugs. And there was anger. Plenty of that.

The Mountain West responded to a pool-reporter explanation of the ruling, which was a regurgitation of the rule book, but not the interpretation CSU coach Mike Bobo was hoping to hear. Aug. 25 Aug. 31 Sept. 8 Sept. 15 Sept. 22 Oct. 6 Oct. 13 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Nov. 10 Nov. 17 Nov. 22 Hawaii vs. CU Arkansas at Florida Illinois State at San Jose St. New Mexico at Boise State Wyoming at Nevada Utah State at Air Force L, 43-34 L, 45-13 W, 34-27 L, 48-10 L, 35-19 W, 42-30 W, 20-18 L, 56-28 L, 34-21 L, 49-10 L, 29-24 1:30 p.m.

“I felt he got rerouted and knocked off balance right there,” Bobo said of Williams, who did have contact with the Jontrell Rocquemore as he ran down the home sideline, stepping out of bounds a few steps later. “My understanding of the rule is if you get rerouted and pushed out, you get a chance to re-establish. I know he took a few more steps after contact, but his balance was off and he should have had the ability to come back in and catch the ball.”

The call keeps the Aggies’ hopes alive of becoming the best Group of Five team in the land, now at 10-1, 7-0 MW.

Good teams find a way to win games on bad days, and the Aggies’ potent offense was not having any fun on a cold, snowy day.

Then, finally, the Aggies’ relief resulted in Colorado State’s heartbreak.

“I mean, it’s tough. It’s tough,” Bobo said. “The guys played their tails off to find a way to score and take the lead, then they go down and score, then we bring it back down. There was never a doubt in our kid’s eyes. They were confident that they could score.”

Which the Rams did, until they were told different.