Underdog Rams desperate for victory against Nevada

RENO, NEVADA» The oddsmakers won’t find Colorado State’s end game very realistic.

With three games to play, the 3-6 Rams need to run the table to become bowl eligible for a sixth consecutive year. Not only are they a two-touchdown underdog heading to Nevada on Saturday (8:30 p.m.: ESPNU), they still have No. 14 Utah State to contend with, as well as Air Force on Thanksgiving Day.

Colorado State won’t be favored in any of those games. Even their head coach, Mike Bobo, will tell you the Rams just aren’t a very good team. They didn’t look good in losing the past two games, and they weren’t all that convincing in beating New Mexico.

They won’t be fazed, however.

“I think we’re all confident. We all have strong minds,” linebacker Tre Thomas said. “Either way it goes, win, lose or draw, we’re going to come out the next game fighting.”

To get to 6-6, the Rams have to fix several issues, starting with a lackluster run game. CSU is averaging just 103.3 yards per game on the ground. The defense is giving up more than 440 yards and 37 points per game.

“We’re not playing complete football right now,” Bobo said. “That doesn’t mean we execute flawlessly through a game. When things go bad for us right now, it’s not one series, it’s like four or five series in a row. We’ve got to learn to settle down and stop that and play more as a football team. That’s kind of what I’ve been talking about this week.”

Nevada will be keyed up as it’ll be last home game for the senior class, and a win makes the Wolf Pack bowl eligible. It’s a confident team too, having beaten San Diego State for a two-victory run.

As bad as things look for the Rams, safety Jamal Hicks insists they will come out full bore, intent on correcting mistakes and playing better.

“We don’t have no quit. I realize as a team we have no quit in us,” he said. “I feel like we’re just going to keep competing. We’ve just got to execute. We’re not making plays. That’s all it is. We’re not making plays.”

The Rams need to, because Nevada has a potent offense. It’s also a team that can give up some, too.