Linebacker Watson makes best of rough year with lots of stops

The theory was sound.

Josh Watson figured if he played better, so would the defense. If that happened, the Colorado State middle linebacker thought, the Rams would have a good season.

The 2018 campaign just hasn’t played out that way. Watson has done his part, sitting at 109 tackles this season with two games remaining. His 10.9 tackles per game rank first in the conference, and 12th nationally, but the Rams are just 3-7 heading into Saturday’s game with No. 14 Utah State.

The effort hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“I told him after Monday’s team meeting — I said a lot of things in that team meeting — but I pulled him aside and told him I was really proud of his effort and the way he was playing,” CSU coach Mike Bobo said. “It’s like my 12-year-old (Jake) said a few weeks ago, ‘If 55 don’t make the tackle, I don’t know if we’ll tackle him.’

“He makes a lot tackles and saved big plays for us.”

To Watson, it was a meaningful compliment coming from his coach. He just wished the results would have meant more in the overall scheme of things.

The 10 tackles Watson registered against Nevada marked the seventh time this season he had 10 or more stops in a game. In some of the biggest games the Rams have had, he has been up to the task. He had 15 tackles against Colorado, 17 against Wyoming.

“You know, that’s anybody. Anybody wants success, but at the same time, it’s more about the team than the individual,” Watson said. “You need a team to win a game. You can’t do it by yourself. It’s frustrating, but at the same time, I know this team is under construction. I know this team is definitely headed in the right direction.”

Bobo feels Watson is better than ever. He dropped some weight in the offseason, allowing him to flow quicker and better from sideline to sideline. As the losses have mounted, Watson has showed no signs of letting up.

With his 10 tackles last week, Watson matched Aaron Davis’ career total of 345 tackles, which ranks seventh in program history. Watson needs just four more tackles to pass Morgan in the sixth spot.

At Watson’s current pace, he’ll approach the seasonleading numbers of Morgan (134, 2013) and Willie Taylor (146, 1998), the best single-season totals in the past 20 years for the Rams.

“I think Josh Watson is having a really good year. I think early on, he started off a little bit slow like a lot of people did defensively, but I think he’s playing as fast and as good as he’s ever played,” Bobo said. “Really proud of his effort last week, the way he played the whole game, played with great effort, and he’s doing a good job of leading this week.”

“By far, it’s definitely been the best season I’ve had up to date,” Watson said. “I have to keep sawing wood and staying consistent in my preparation.”