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The Colorado State Rams fell to 5-5 (3-3 Mountain West) on the season with a heartbreaking 49-46 loss to the Air Force Falcons on Saturday night in Colorado Springs.
“It was a great ball game,” Head Coach Mike Bobo said following the game. “It was a tremendous effort by both teams playing 60 minutes, and it was a little bit of a track meet tonight for both teams. We didn’t do the things that we needed to do; you’ve got to give credit to Air Force – they made more plays… they won more of the one-on-one battles and that made the difference in the game.”
In a game in which the Rams did not punt and compiled a season-high 559 yards of offense, the defense struggled to stop the Falcons’ signature triple-option offense, sacrificing 534 yards of offense and a season-high 49 points. Untimely turnovers led to the Rams’ undoing though, as a potential game-winning drive was cut short by a fumble by junior wide receiver Michael Gallup.
Despite the turnover, Gallup turned in one of the best receiving performances in Colorado State history, recording 13 catches for 213 yards and a touchdown. His 13 catches rank second in CSU single-game history, and his 213 yards rank fifth. In his last five games, Gallup is averaging 132.2 yards with a touchdown in each outing.
“Michael [Gallup] had a heck of a game and he’s hurting about the fumble,” Bobo said. “But he’s going to learn from this, and we’re going to learn from this as a team.”
With junior quarterback Nick Stevens passing for a career-high 374 yards, and junior running back Dalyn Dawkins rushing for 102 yards and two touchdowns, the offensive outburst marked the first game in CSU history with a 300-yard passer, 200-yard receiver and 100-yard rusher.
Defensive captain Kevin Davis’ impressive senior campaign continued, as the linebacker turned in a team-high 15 tackles and forced two fumbles. Sophomore linebacker Tre Thomas and junior linebacker Evan Colorito each logged career highs with 13 and nine tackles, respectively, and junior safety Justin Sweet snagged his first career interception on a pick-six in the second quarter to give the Rams a 24-14 lead.
The Colorado State Rams will look to clinch bowl eligibility next week as they take on New Mexico in the final game ever at Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium. Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. MT and will be broadcast on ESPN2. Tickets can be purchased online at CSURams.com/tickets, over the phone at 1-800-491-RAMS or at the McGraw Athletic Center ticket office or Ram Zone retail outlet in Old Town Fort Collins.