Strike 2: The vibe surrounding the Colorado State Rams going into this season was pretty simple: Bowl game or bust. As in, if CSU’s six-year bowl game drought stretched into a seventh year, the program was most likely going to be getting yet another new head coach and be starting all over again in 2025, with the move to the revamped Pac-12 in 2026 looming.
Thankfully for Rams fans, things went even better than they could have hoped. CSU didn’t just sneak into a bowl game; they were in contention for the Mountain West championship until the final day of the regular season. A trip to the Arizona Bowl was the reward for an 8-4 season.
Now head coach Jay Norvell and his squad – missing four key players – will aim for a ninth win when they face the Miami of Ohio RedHawks on Saturday in Tucson.
The December Transfer Portal window has not been kind to the Rams. Wideouts Caleb Goodie, who led CSU in receptions and receiving yardage this past season, and Jamari Person, who was second in both categories, both tossed their name into the portal shortly after the regular season ended. It’s strange timing considering the bowl trip was upcoming, but it’s fair to speculate that the two standout pass catchers may have been frustrated by Norvell’s shift away from the “Air Raid” offense to the more conservative ground game approach.
On the other side of the ball, two of the Rams best defensive players, team-leading tackler Buom Jock (second team All-MW) and Nuer Gatkuoth each decided to exit the program as well, leaving a big gap for interim defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Adam Pilapil to deal with. It’s also fair to speculate that the pair’s departure could have come as a result of the firing of former DC Freddie Banks.
With those four key absences as part of their bowl prep, some young Rams are going to have to step up. Miami won’t be a pushover.
No one puts Miami’s Mid-American Conference at the same level as the Mountain West, but an opponent from the MAC is not to be scoffed at. It’s a place where they play hard-nosed, physical football. Just ask Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish’s lone loss this season so far is to a Northern Illinois team that finished tied for sixth in the MAC. Miami finished second after losing the conference title game to Ohio. (The Bobcats already won their bowl game.)
Most fans remember Miami of Ohio as being the launching pad for the hall of fame career of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The current RedHawks don’t have a Big Ben, but they do have All-MAC signal caller Brett Gabbert, the younger brother of NFL QB Blaine Gabbert. The younger Gabbert, a 6-foot, 210-pound senior has started for Miami since his freshman year. In 2024, he completed nearly 58% of his passes, totaling more than 2,700 yards and 21 touchdowns. A 24-year-old with five seasons of college football under his belt, he won’t be rattled easily.
Three of Miami’s five losses are to Power 4 conference teams, including Notre Dame. They’re battle tested. But they’ve also lost two All-MAC performers, wideout Javon Tracy and cornerback Raion Strader to the Transfer Portal, so Miami will be filling holes, too.
In some ways, a bowl game can serve as a preview and/or jumpstart on the next season. Considering that CSU will be debuting a new DC (confirmed to be former CSU and CU DC Tyson Summers) a lot of eyes will be on that side of the ball. Now that they’re in a bowl, it will also be interesting to see if Norvell becomes a bit less conservative in his offensive approach. Will he stick with the ground and pound approach to protect the defense? Or will he resume airing it out again to show those now former Ram pass catchers what they may be missing in 2025?
