GoldandGreenNews.com - Rams Roundtable: San Diego State

October 23, 2009

Tom Lacock
GoldandGreenNews.com Publisher

With another Rams gameday a week away, we are joined by Mike Brohard of the Loveland Reporter-Herald; Kelly Lyell of the Fort Collins Coloradoan, Ramnation.com's Joel ; Joe Gerdom from the message boards and our own Matthew Stephens to talk Rams football. Today, we take a look back at a four-game losing streak and a look forward at a San Diego State team that could break all that.

goldandgreennews.com:Generally, we ask what we learned, but this week I want to start by asking what are your thoughts of the Rams collective psyche? After dropping four-in-a-row, and getting out-scored 68-25 in the second half of their last three games, are we seeing a bit of a "here-we-go-again," mentality coming out in the Rams when they get behind? How does a team mentally break of out of a four-game losing streak?

Lyell: Surprisingly enough, the Rams remain upbeat in the midst of what has become an ugly four-game losing streak. I think it helps that they were in each of these games for stretches and that three of the losses came to opponents who are in the Top 25 and the fourth to an Idaho team that's far better than anyone expected with only one loss so far this season. Players keep saying they need to play a complete game, and that's something the Rams haven't done since beating Nevada five weeks ago. And coaches insist the players weren't hanging their heads and were still giving all-out effort even in the final minutes of the 44-6 drubbing at TCU last week.

Brohard: They win a game, simple as that. San Diego State represents a team the Rams can beat, and should beat at home. In all honesty, Colorado State's players are not acting or practicing like a team that is down on itself.

Stephens: This team knows the situation that they are in dropping their last four and they're well aware of the let downs they've had in the second half. On Sunday, the team captains called everyone together for a meeting to ask themselves "what kind of team do we want to be?" I think that we'll find out the answer to that question on Saturday against a struggling San Diego State squad.

Cantalamessa: The easy thing would be to look at last week's game and say the team quit in the second half after falling behind on the scoreboard. But, I don't feel that's truly the case. The team suffered a key injury to Leonard Mason and when he left the game, the offense lost all ability to move the ball on the ground and then the TCU defense took over. The Horned Frogs are that good and can make teams look bad. I do think that mistakes can be contagious, and once again, we saw that in the passing game, with three drops Saturday. But, while I maintain that the team didn't quit, they didn't show the same determination/fight as they've done before to stay in the game. They need to regain that edge, and they can do so with a winnable game Saturday. The Rams need to put together a complete game - keep mistakes to a minimum on offense, and get back to that smashmouth style of defense they showed earlier in the season. Get back to playing good football and find a way to win this week, and they'll be poised for a solid stretch run of four additional winnable games to conclude the season.

Cowboy Joe: I think that this was a very humbling stretch for the Rams. We were spoiled by our team's results last year, and that translated into increased expectations for this year. Talent-wise, the team isn't at the point where we're ready to become a top-tier MWC team. Coach Fairchild has shown he can get his team up to play a game, but it seems like their efforts wane throughout the course of a game. This same trend of effort would serve the Rams well in breaking out of their current slump. WHEN this team comes out strong Saturday, they will find their efforts produce much stronger results. That should be encouragement enough for them to break out, given the short memory that has been a hallmark of the Fairchild era.

goldandgreennews.com:. Looking for positives in last week's Ram loss to Texas Christian is difficult. Aside from pointing out the plane didn't crash on the way home, is there anything positive the coaches or team can take out of last week? Was this a hiccup in an otherwise strong season, a bump in the road, or an indicator of bigger issues that will have to be addressed in order for Rams' success?

Lyell: Positives, indeed, are hard to find but the way the offense marched down the field on the opening drive was significant as was Elijah-Blu Smith's fumble return to set up the second field goal for an early 6-0 lead. The fact that the Rams had to settle for field goals both times, though, also points out the bigger issue, and that is simply that TCU is a far superior team to CSU right now -- offensively, defensively and on special teams. The Rams still can't convert third downs on offense or stop third-down conversions on defense to get off the field and get needed rest, and the kick and punt coverage is absolutely pitiful, in part, because of efforts to keep the starting defenders that could make those teams better off of special teams to give them some needed rest.

Stephens: I saw bright spots in both Leonard Mason and Ivory Herd on Saturday. Until the injury, Mason was the only player on offense who was really moving the football. Granted, some credit had to be given to the offensive line, but when he went out, so did the ground game. Herd also looked pretty good during the first half. He's filling in for a big time player in Klint Kubiak and he is aware of the expectations that have been placed upon him. He hasn't seen much playing time in the past, but if you've ever payed attention to Herd, you know he loves to hit. This makes for a lot of scared wide receivers coming across the middle against Herd and Elijah-Blu Smith.

Cantalamessa: The team looked good in the first quarter and a half. And they were competing with a very good team until?the typical special teams meltdown - giving up a Jeremy Kerley punt return for touchdown. That opened the floodgates to what previously had been a close game. CSU has not been good on special teams since Brian Schneider left in 2002, and that is something the team has to shore up. But, to get back to the question, this definitely was a hiccup. Even in the previous three losses, the team played well and competed for four quarters, only to be edged out in the Idaho, BYU, and Utah games. TCU is a legit team, and if you don't play well against them, they'll blow you out. This is the one flop the Rams have had on the season, and they can get back on track with a win this week.

Brohard:They are playing with some young players on defense thanks to injuries, and they are going to have to learn to deal with a few mistakes along the way. The quicker they learn, the better off the defense will be. Offensively, CSU has never been able to crack TCU's defense, so move on.

Cowboy Joe: I think this game showed just how far the Rams have to go talent-wise to close the gap with the current top tier (BYU, Utah, TCU) of MWC teams. This isn't necessarily a bad thing for Ram fans. Yes, this loss was tough to take, but I think this will serve to temper the growing expectations of a lot of fans. I can lump myself into that group, where I felt that this year's record should show improvement from last year. Now, I think I'm looking for improvement not necessarily in the record, but rather in the on-field product. This certainly didn't happen last week, so hopefully it will this week.

goldandgreennews.com: Ryan Lindley is the headliner of the SDSU offense, averaging 238 yards per game through the air, which ranks third in the conference. ?He has thrown 10 interceptions this season. How much does SDSU rely on Lindley and Vincent Brown (45 rec., 779 yards)? The Aztecs are picking ?up just 2.7 yards per carry on the ground. Are SDSU's passing yards impressive because they are that impressive through the air or out of necessity because they can't run the ball? Can Colorado State improve ?upon its pass defense against SDSU that over the past three weeks which can only be described as awful?

Lyell: San Diego State's offense clearly is one-dimensional, and that makes the numbers Lindley and Brown are putting up even more impressive in my eyes. Everyone knows they're going to pass and that most of those passes are going to Brown, yet opponents still are having trouble stopping that combination. Despite the claims of the CSU coaching staff that they must always stop the run first and force opponents to pass, this might be a good time to flip-flop those priorities. BYU, which has a much better defense than CSU, nearly got burned doing the same thing last week, and BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall admitted as much afterward. Instead of taking away the weakness to force the Aztecs to rely on their offensive strength, it might make more sense to take away their strength (passing game) and force them to try to run the ball.

Borhard: Ryan Lindley is good, and he has a great target in Brown. However, he's made some bad throws, and that's led to the picks. The Aztecs max protect a lot for him, so he hasn't been sacked much. Still, breaking up his rhythm will be a goal, as well as playing aggressive in the back. SDSU is not a good running team, and CSU can't let that change.

Stephens: Outside of Vincent Brown, I don't think that really anything has been too impressive from the San Diego State Aztecs. I did place Brown on my midseason All-MWC First Team because he's a heck of an athlete, but as long as the Rams can shut him down, they should be fine.

Cantalamessa: I fear that Lindley will shred the CSU secondary if the Rams' defensive front cannot put pressure on him. He has a good arm, is relatively mobile and is a solid quarterback - better than Idaho's Nate Enderle who had plenty of success against CSU's defense. They CSU defense needs to keep Lindley uncomfortable and put him on his back a few times.

Cowboy Joe: SDSU falls into the category of a lot of lower-level teams, in that they tend to excel in one area to the detriment of others. This pass-heavy offense keeps their defense on the field to the tune of almost 40 minutes per game. Unlike coach Kelly's light-speed offense at Cincinnati, this team has trouble scoring. By and large, SDSU's receivers aren't exceptionally athletic, which should give CSU's secondary a chance to recover from the loss of their physical and emotional leader. This athletic advantage didn't really mean much against Idaho, but I think that this team has learned quite a bit since that game.

goldandgreennews.com: While the San Diego State offense is strong against the pass and weak on the run, the Aztec defense is allowing 150 yards per game on the group. Is it a matter of teams that are winning trying to run the ball to run out clock or is this a team the Rams' offense is primed to pick up yards against? How important does that make a healthy Leonard Mason or John Mosure?

Lyell: San Diego State's defense hasn't been good enough to take the run away from opponents this season, so they're finding little reason to go to the air. CSU, however, will probably go to the air more than most teams San Diego State has played, regardless of what the running game's doing, simply because the Rams rely so heavily upon balance between both the run and pass to sustain drives. They're not good at moving the ball exclusively through the air or exclusively on the ground when the game's outcome still is in doubt.

Brohard: Colorado State will likely go without Mason and his bruised ribs, but it should still expect to run the ball with either Mosure or Lou Greenwood against San Diego State. The offensive line needs to control the flow of offense this week and make a statement.

Stephens: With the exception of Air Force (who put up 243 yards on the ground against SDSU), I feel that San Diego State has mainly faced opponents who are really good at throwing the ball around. I do have to give them credit for holding BYU's Harvey Unga to only 81 yards on 26 carries last week (especially compared to Unga's 113 yard game on only 22 carries against the Rams). But for the most part, I think that the Aztecs just haven't faced a lot of teams who are overly heavy on the run. It should be interesting to see how John Mosure and Lou Greenwood do for CSU at the running back spot on Saturday.

Cantalamessa: New SDSU defensive coordinator Rocky Long brought the 3-5-3 defense with him from New Mexico, and its unique style poses problems for opposing offenses. Head coach Steve Fairchild said this week that one of the hardest things about the defense is preparing for it, because the scout team isn't used to running such a defensive formation. Long's 3-5-3 traditionally has had success against opposing teams' passing attacks as it is geared towards stopping spread offenses. But there are some tendencies in the 3-5 to be weaker against the run -- particularly off-tackle plays, isos, powers, and counters. The 3-5-3 naturally has larger gaps, and if they're not being filled properly, offenses can have success running the ball. The Rams - with or without Leonard Mason - should be able to run the ball on San Diego State. I also think the Rams will have success hitting the tight ends, especially when lining up in double TE formations against this defense.

Cowboy Joe: First off, Jon Mosure has no business being on the field. I'm sorry, he just isn't very good. I don't care that he's averaging 4.0 YPC, I don't care that he's a senior. This guy isn't helping us win games. That said, it's crucial we have a healthy Leonard Mason. Mosure will put up decent stats against SDSU, as he has done all year against sub-par defenses, but we need someone to break off a few long runs in this game.

goldandgreennews.com: Finally, your keys to the game and a prediction on the score

Lyell: CSU's offense should be able to put some points on the board against the Aztecs, but the Rams' defense could have troubles stopping a potent passing attack. CSU, as it has most of the season, should be able to come up with a key interception or fumble recovery or both, to tip the scales in its favor and come up with a much-needed victory.
CSU 38, San Diego State 27.

Brohard: The Rams have to run, force Lindley into mistakes and get a good vibe going early at home. They should break the four-game skid with a 31-17 victory.

Stephens: For me, the key is having the Rams stay balanced on offense along with having the defense really step it up in the second half. I still feel like Grant Stucker has only had one bad game and that was against Utah. He's the guy to lead this CSU offense and the running back position is deep enough for the Rams to stay balanced. Rams come away with the victory 38-20.

Cantalamessa: People seem down on the Rams after this tough stretch, but the fact of the matter is, they faced the toughest four-game stretch of anybody in the country. The Rams' opponents own a record of 23-3 and three (BYU, Utah, and TCU) are top 16 in the country, while Idaho is getting votes at 6-1. The Rams realistically could have (and even should have) won two of those games. They didn't and thus, sit at a disappointing 3-4. But, the team isn't bad. They need to get back on track this week, as they have a great chance at bowl eligibility, a pretty good chance seven regular season wins, and believe it or not, a legitimate chance even to run the table and finish the regular season 8-4. But, it starts Saturday, and the Aztecs are not the pushover they once were. They are an improving team, and have a recent history of playing well at Hughes Stadium. The Rams need to play a clean football game, taking care of the football, and creating turnovers. They cannot give up the big special teams play either. I think the Rams will do just enough and win a relatively tight game, 28-24.

Cowboy Joe: 1) Pressure, pressure, pressure: unless we can pressure the quarterback, our secondary won't get the chance to make plays; 2) Control the line: We have a good offensive line. That line can make the rest of the offense look REALLY good by pushing the SDSU line a few yards back each play. Score prediction: 34-17 CSU

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