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The Colorado State Rams improved to 5-4 on the season (3-2 Mountain West) with a 37-0 win over the Fresno State Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon in the penultimate game at Hughes Stadium. The decisive victory marked Colorado State’s first shutout performance since a 63-0 win over Hawaii in 1997- a span of 225 games.
“There are always things we can work on,” Head Coach Mike Bobo said following the game. “This was our most complete game of the year, no question about it. I know I say it every week, but we can get so much better. We have to continue to strive to get better week in and week out. We should never be satisfied with our performance. As soon as you get satisfied, you go the other way. We always have to strive to get better, and that is the championship mindset that I have been talking about.”
Junior quarterback Nick Stevens had a near-perfect day, completing 18-of-23 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns before being replaced by senior quarterback Faton Bauta in the fourth quarter. Stevens has now completed 60 passes on 90 attempts with six touchdowns since his last thrown interception, all of which are career-long streaks.
The Rams’ three-headed rushing attack was in full force again on Saturday, with Marvin Kinsey, Jr., Izzy Matthews and Dalyn Dawkins rushing for 83 yards, 55 yards and 35 yards, respectively. Matthews rushed for two touchdowns on the day, his sixth and seventh rushing touchdowns in the last four games, and Kinsey, Jr., tacked on the fifth rushing touchdown of his true freshman season.
Junior wide receiver Michael Gallup continued his phenomenal debut season, recording a career-high nine receptions for 126 yards and a touchdown. Gallup, a junior college transfer, is averaging 112 receiving yards over the last four games, and has recorded a touchdown in each of them. Senior wide receiver Robert Ruiz had a career day as well, recording a career-best 60 receiving yards, and true freshman wide receiver Anthony Hawkins pulled in his first career touchdown on a 14-yard fade from Nick Stevens.
The Colorado State defense, which has now posted six shutout halves on the season, did not give up a first down until the second quarter, and did not allow the Bulldogs to cross midfield until halfway through the third quarter. Fresno State’s 232 yards of total offense is the fewest the Rams have allowed in a game this season, and the Rams’ 10 tackles for a loss tie the season high.
True freshmen Jamal Hicks, Arjay Jean and Toby McBride all had big days, with Jean and McBride each recording 1.5 sacks and Hicks logging five tackles including his first career tackle for a loss. Wide receiver-turned-defensive back Jordon Vaden recorded his first career interception, and junior linebacker Patrick Elsenbast made a career-best-tying six tackles.
“These guys got in a little bit later in the year than some of these guys on offense,” Bobo said when asked about the impressive young defenders. “Arjay (Jean) is in our 3rd down pass rush package right now. He’s what we’re looking for. He’s long, he’s got speed, and he’s going to be a very good player for us one day. His reps aren’t only helping him this year, but it’s going to help him in the future. Toby (McBride) is a guy, when we signed him, we knew was going to be a blue-collar, workhorse guy like Colorado State has had in the past- the guys that helped them win championships. For a freshman to come in that’s a little bit under sized and to play as much as he has, it’s a credit to him and his toughness.”
With Vaden’s interception, the Rams have won the turnover battle in four consecutive games, and have played turnover-free football in three of their last four outings. Saturday also marked the second consecutive game that the Rams’ offensive line has not allowed a sack, a unit that already ranked 27th in the country coming into the game with just 1.5 allowed sacks per game.
Colorado State will look to earn bowl eligibility for the fourth consecutive season next week as they take on the Air Force Falcons in Colorado Springs. Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. MT and will be broadcast on either ESPN2 or ESPNU.