Colorado State opens season with defeat by Fresno State
Rams surrender 31 unanswered points before late score
For just over a quarter of play Thursday night, Colorado State looked like they’d truly weathered the storm they faced this past offseason.
After that point, however, it was as if a whole new storm made its way onto the field.
After taking a brief lead, the Rams allowed 31 unanswered points to the Fresno State Bulldogs, leading to a 38-17 season opening loss for CSU.
The Rams (0-1) actually got out to a strong start as Marcus Mcelroy Jr.’s 15-yard touchdown run gave CSU a 10-7 lead 1:03 into the second quarter. From that point on, it was all Bulldogs until 41 seconds remained in the game when Patrick O’brien threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Trey Mcbride.
There were some bright spots for the Rams. Mcbride, a Fort Morgan High School alum, finished the game with 8 catches for 130 yards and a score to lead the game. Linebacker Dequan Jackson had 10 tackles, defensive end Scott Patchan had 1.5 sacks and 2.5 TFL’S, and quarterback Todd Centeio rushed for 80 yards on 13 carries.
However, there were far more low points, as Centeio rushed for 54 yards by the midway point of the second quar ter and just 16 the rest of the way. Additionally, he finished just 10-for-23 passing for 141 yards and lost a fumble. Centeio eventually gave way to O’brien, the 2019 star ter, who finished 7-for-10 for 82 yards and a touchdown.
While the defense managed 4 sacks, the 38 points allowed was far too much. Aside from the 80 yards by Centeio, the Rams rushed for just 69 yards as a team. Mcelroy’s 35 yards on 12 carries.
The game was supposed to be the second of the season for CSU, but ended up being the season opener after New Mexico was forced to cancel the previous week’s game.
CSU will have their home opener in Fort Collins next Thursday when they host Wyoming for their annual rivalr y game.