Yes! What a way to start out the McElwain era. It definitely wasn't the prettiest game but I'll take it. There are so many things to take away from this win over the Buffs.
One: The confidence of this Ram team from last year to this year is completely different. Even when we were down 14-3, you just knew we weren't going to give up. You can just feel the energy from the entire team, even from the coaching staff. Coming out the second half, you could start to see some swagger.
Two: I was impressed on how many formations CSU threw at the Buffs defense. It kept CU guessing the entire game. Unlike past seasons, I couldn't predict what J-Mac and Dave Baldwin were going to do next. Well executed game plan.
Three: Young talent stepped it up making me even more confident in this team. Cory James, freshman, 3 sacks and is still sacking people today. Joe Hansley, freshman, 40 yards receiving and a touchdown. Kivon Cartwright, sophomore, 30 yards receiving. Garrett Grayson (of course), sophomore, 173 yards and 2 touchdowns. Donnell Alexander, freshman, work horse in the backfield with 66 yards and a 8.2 yard average. And thank god for Jared Roberts, sophomore, blasting home 3 field goals and helping the Rams to victory.
Four: I was really surprised how well our defense played. That was the only worry I had going into the contest but they looked very impressive. Though undersized up front, our defensive line really worked that CU rushing attack. And oh yeah, Max Morgan stepping up and making a crucial stop.
Five: Finally, some positive momentum going into the season. I really think North Dakota State will cause more problems for the Rams than the Buffs but at least we have some great momentum.
I know the Rams still have a lot of things to work on but this is a great start. They're only going to get better as the season progresses and I can't wait to see the outcome of this hard working team. It was a nice win for CSU, now we got to focus on the Bison (or "Bizon" according to one of our readers) of North Dakota State.
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Go Rams.
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