GoldandGreenNews.com - Rams Roundtable: Air Force

October 30, 2009

Tom Lacock
GoldandGreenNews.com Publisher

Friday means we talk to several around the CSU football team and put down their answers in a feature we like to call the Rams Round-up. Today we are joined by Kelly Lyell of the Fort Collins Coloradoan, our own Matthew Stephens, and Joel Cantalamessa of Ramnation.com. We look at last weekend's loss to SDSU and ahead to this weekend's contest with Air Force.

Goldandgreennews.com:Back to the basics - what did we learn about the Rams this weekend?

Lyell: We learned that they still haven't learned to finish a game with the same focus and intensity they start out with and that they're probably not as good as many people started to believe during their 3-0 start this season.

Stephens: We learned the same thing we have all eight weeks of the year: that the Rams are not a very good second half team, especially the defense against the pass. They stayed solid against the SDSU run, however, and that's what they'll have to do to keep up with Air Force.

Cantalamessa: The CSU defense isn't as good as it appeared earlier in the season. As I wrote in last week's roundtable, if the Rams don't get pressure on SDSU quarterback Ryan Lindley, he will shred the secondary, and that is what happened. The Rams got no pass rush on San Diego State, and Lindley subsequently picked the Rams' defense apart, particularly in the second half. The Rams better find a way to get their front four to create some penetration, because all of a sudden, this defense is looking like last year's version and the porous defenses under former defensive coordinator Steve Stanard.

Goldandgreennews.com:During the four-game losing streak, the beat writers for Colorado State have said the Rams have remained as upbeat as could be. Is this the game that finally breaks the Rams positive attitude? Colorado State lost to a team that was below them in the MWC standings, at home in a game that they came in favored in. How devistating was this weekend's loss? What was the switch the Aztecs flipped from the first half to the second half that made such a difference? Was it a matter or players making plays, SDSU out-coaching the Rams or both?

Lyell: The Rams, surprisingly enough, remain upbeat this week, but it's got to be hard to put a positive spin on the latest loss. San Diego State is not a very good team and one the Rams never should have lost to. But CSU lost its intensity and focus in the second half and paid the price. Also, in this game, it appeared that the San Diego State coaching staff made some important adjustments during the course of the game that CSU couldn't match. What's not clear is whether the Rams made the right adjustments or not, or whether they simply did not execute, as players and coaches said afterward.

Stephens: I've said it once and I'll say it again: there is a lot of talent in this CSU secondary, the problem isn't the head-to-head matchups (The Rams held Vincent Brown to zero catches in the first half of their game against the Aztecs), it's the inability for the defense to make adjustments once the opposing offenses do. Just like the Idaho and Utah games before it, CSU just got out-coached. A loss on Saturday against Air Force would pretty much stake claim that this season was definitely not a step forward.

Cantalamessa: The Rams prepare each week with urgency, and start each game well. The problem is, once things go bad during the game, there is no stop-gap. Players aren't stepping up to make a play and stop teams on third down. On offense, players aren't making key plays to keep drives alive when need be. It seems when things go bad, nobody steps up to right the ship. It seems like CSU is in a funk where they expect bad things to happen.

Goldandgreennews.com:Colorado State's defense has suffered against the pass all season - including a terrible performance Saturday vs. San Diego State. Does that make this weekend's game with Air Force almost a relief for the Rams? The flip side of that is the fact the Rams will take on an Air Force team that leads the conference in rushing (276 yards per game) despite a somewhat unsettled quarterback situation. What does the Academy do so well offensively to keep the chains moving and how concerned should Ram fans be that injuries have reduced the CSU defense to a very young unit for a game against an offense that requires discipline to defend?

Lyell: CSU's defense definitely has taken a hit from injuries, and the Rams could have four sophomores and two redshirt freshmen in the starting lineup defensively this week. Air Force's option-oriented offense is difficult to defend, yet the Falcons hurt the Rams last year with a half-dozen passes, including two that went for touchdowns. And those passes were thrown by Tim Jefferson, who is returning to the starting spot this week with fellow sophomore Connor Dietz sidelined with a broken bone in his right hand. Air Force has been doing a good job this season of mixing up the true option plays with a variety of other looks and plays to keep the chains moving against every team the Falcons have played.

Stephens: I really feel like CSU will be able to stop Air Force's option this week relatively well. The problem will most likely be the same thing that it was last season-when the Rams do stop the run, they'll forget that the Falcons do have the ability to pass. Granted, this season Air Force quarterback Tim Jefferson is dealing with the issue of not being healthy, but the Rams still need to be ready in that aspect.

Cantalamessa: Surprisingly, this AFA team has not been one of the more potent Falcon offenses as they've been seasons past . They still rack up yardage, but have struggled this season putting a lot of points on the board. It is actually the weaker aspect of their team compared to their stout defense. Still, the Falcons are efficient with their option game, and CSU will have to be disciplined to stop them. The first key for the CSU defense is to stop the fullback dive, which is AFA's most important play. The Rams need to take this play out of the equation, stuffing it often to force the Falcons into third-and-long situations. To stop it, the Rams must count on their defensive line and interior linebackers to play assignment football and key the fullback on every play. Defenders will have to do a much better job of getting off blocks and keeping containment than they've done recently. Safeties are also important against the option, which is where losing an experienced player like Klint Kubiak will hurt the Rams. The safeties' main job on the run is to stop the outside veer. The onside safety will have to meet the running back at the line of scrimmage from 12 yards deep in the secondary. Meanwhile, they also have to keep their eye out for Tim Jefferson dropping back to pass, as well as the trick "tailback pass". Lastly, cornerbacks have to provide lane support. They have to be careful not to rush up the field and leave a huge lane for the ball carrier to run through. They will also have to dodge the cut blocks and make their run and pass reads.

Goldandgreennews.com:While it is no surprise to see TCU at the top of the Mountain West Conference defensive statistical categories, some may be surprised to see Air Force ranked second in the conference in both total defense (266 yards per game allowed) and scoring defense (13.2 ppg) and lead the MWC in pass defense (142 ypg). How does the Colorado State offense attack this tough group while its own offense has been struggling as of late?

Lyell: Air Force's defense is a huge surprise this season. The Falcons finally have the kind of athletes on their defense to rival other teams in the MWC, and when you mix that athleticism in with the discipline, work ethic and toughness that Air Force athletes always have, it makes for a pretty strong unit.

Stephens: Air Force is a team that people forget about their defense due to their success running the triple-option. You have to give them a lot of credit last week for shutting out a Wyoming Cowboys offense that is definitely on the rise. Still, the Rams are fourth in the conference in passing offense and I feel that if Grant Stucker can finally get settled back down, CSU will be ok.

Cantalamessa: First of all, Air Force's defense is good, but they haven't faced many offensive juggernauts either. The teams that have scored most against Air Force are teams with balanced offenses: Minnesota (20 points), TCU (20 points), and Utah (23 points). Nicholls State(0 points) is an FCS school, SDSU (14 points) is a pass-heavy offense , Navy (16 points) is a run-heavy offense, and Wyoming (0 points) just has a terrible offense. I don't think Air Force will have as much success shutting down CSU's offense, which can strike through the air and on the ground. CSU has to be balanced, and it will continue to have success and put points on the board. Hopefully for the Rams' sake, they can figure out how to keep their momentum in the second half. CSU has fizzled in the second half in six of the eight games this season. They have to continue putting points on the scoreboard, and quarterback Grant Stucker needs to avoid untimely interceptions.

Goldandgreennews.com: Your keys to the game and the final score.

Lyell: I don't think a CSU defense, patched together with a bunch of young players because of injuries to some of the few veterans the Rams did have on that side of the ball, will be able to consistently stop a talented Air Force offense. And the Falcons' defense has proven it can stop offenses much more potent than CSU's. As badly as the Rams need a win right now, I don't see them getting it here. Air Force 31, CSU 21.

Stephens: For CSU, there's only one main key to the game: stop Air Force on third down. The Falcons convert 42 percent of their third downs and last week the Rams allowed SDSU to convert 13 of their 18 attempts. This will be the difference between winning and losing.

With their backs against the walls, CSU comes out victorious 13-10

Cantalamessa: Larry Kerr, under Sonny Lubick, had Air Force's number defensively. Kerr was one of the few defensive coordinators in the WAC/MWC who could find ways to slow down the Air Force option. Granted, he had a bevy of talented defenders back then, but he will have the team ready to defend this year's Falcons, who haven't proven that they can put many points on the scoreboard. The defense will have to have its best showing of the season. I think the Rams will fare better against the Falcons' defense than most teams this year, and I think the Rams can beat the Falcons at home. They need to regain the confidence that they had earlier in the season, so they need to jump ahead andput the pedal to the metal not melting down in the second half. I see the Rams getting back on track with a key 24-21 victory.

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