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In the 262nd and final game at Hughes Stadium, the Colorado State Rams beat the New Mexico Lobos 49-31 to improve to 6-5 (4-3 Mountain West) on the season, and become bowl eligible for the fourth consecutive year. A game in which the Rams did not trail, Colorado State recorded a season-high 576 yards of total offense, and faced just four third downs the entire night.
“Really just an awesome night,” Head Coach Mike Bobo said after the game. “For our community, for our university, for every Rams fan that has ever witnessed a game here, for any player that has ever played, it was a great night.”
In celebration of the final game at Hughes, upwards of 100 former players and coaches were in attendance, with dozens others sending in video messages which were featured throughout the game.
“They laid the foundation for that stadium,” Bobo said of those who have played at Hughes. “There have been a lot of coaches at this university and sometimes those players feel like they can’t come back because they don’t know people on the staff. Let them know they are always welcome. They are always a Ram and part of this family. No, I didn’t coach them. No, I didn’t recruit them, but I want them to be a part of what is going on now at Colorado State. I say it all the time ‘It’s not my football team, it’s their football team.”
Saturday night’s win featured a trio of 100-yard running backs, with Marvin Kinsey, Jr., Izzy Matthews and Dalyn Dawkins rushing for 127, 107 and 102 yards, respectively. Kinsey, Jr., and Matthews each logged a rushing touchdown as well. Junior wide receiver Detrich Clark recorded 44 rushing yards and a touchdown, and junior quarterback Nick Stevens rushed for 19 yards and two touchdowns. The Rams’ 412 total rushing yards were the most by a Colorado State team since 2001.
“We are becoming more comfortable as a football team,” Bobo said. “The guys are understanding what we are doing. We are playing really well offensively. Those backs (Dalyn Dawkins, Marvin Kinsey, Jr., and Izzy Matthews) are a part of that. It’s really the whole team but we are doing a great job of being balanced.”
In addition to the Rams’ dominance in the run game, Stevens completed 9-of-10 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns, with junior wide receiver Michael Gallup recording five catches for 116 yards and a touchdown, and senior tight end Nolan Peralta grabbing the other touchdown. Stevens’ 293.8 passer efficiency rating marks a career high, and is the highest mark by a CSU quarterback since Garrett Grayson’s 320.3 rating against Wyoming in 2014. With Saturday’s performance, Gallup is now averaging 129.5 receiving yards per game over the last six games, with a touchdown reception in all six.
Defensively, the Rams held a Lobo rushing attack that entered the game leading the nation to 285 rushing yards, their fourth lowest rushing total in a game this season. The Rams also became first team this season to out-gain the Lobos on the ground, outrushing them by a margin of 127 yards.
#RamFam16 closed out Hughes Stadium in style, and showed a glimpse of the top-end talent that will be playing in the new on-campus stadium for years to come. True freshmen Marvin Kinsey, Jr., Arjay Jean and Jamal Hicks all had career days, as Kinsey Jr., recorded his first career 100-yard rushing game, Jean recorded a career-best six tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss and two quarterback hurries, and Hicks logged five tackles and a pass breakup. Toby McBride, who’s established himself as one of the team’s best defensive linemen as a true freshman, logged four tackles as well.
In addition to #FarewellHughes festivities, Saturday night’s game also marked Colorado State’s annual Senior Night, as the Rams’ 20 graduating players were honored in a pre-game ceremony. Over the last four years, CSU has won 18 home games, which is the most in a four-year stretch in school history.
Colorado State will travel to San Diego next week to take on the 9-2 (6-1 Mountain West) San Diego State Aztecs. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. MT and will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network.