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CSU Rams rally to beat Utah State and keep Mountain West title hopes alive

CSU Rams rally to beat Utah State and keep Mountain West title hopes alive

FORT COLLINS – A supposed Black Friday at Canvas Stadium turned into a stunning comeback.

Colorado State scored 29 straight points in the fourth quarter to erase a 17-point deficit and claim a thrilling 42-37 victory over Utah State on Friday afternoon.

As a result, CSU enters the final day of the college football regular season still hoping for a spot in the Mountain West championship game.

The Rams appeared dead in the water after an Aggies defensive touchdown in the final moments of the third quarter. But a few key insights, coupled with key passes from Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi and a big day from wideout Dane Olson, spurred the Rams to victory.

Regardless of what happens Saturday, the Rams now head into the postseason with the wind at their back, having claimed their first eight-win season since Jim McElwain went 10-3 in 2014.

“This is probably the best moment we’ve had as a team this year,” CSU head coach Jay Norvell said. “Being 17 points down and coming back, very similar to the Boise State game (last year), but under different circumstances, and we just never stopped and never gave up.

“… We talk a lot about Ram grit and grit and not giving up, and this team has that. “Nobody flinched tonight.”

CSU now needs Nevada to upset rival UNLV on Saturday night in Las Vegas so the Rams can advance to the Mountain West title game at Boise State. The Wolfpack are 17.5 point underdogs over the Rebels, who are 5-1 in conference play and hold the tiebreaker over the Rams.

“On Saturday we will come and do the game plan for Boise State and we will close it at about 6 p.m. and we will all be watching and cheering for Nevada,” Norvell said.

The Rams (8-4, 6-1) looked terrible early in front of a sleepy, sparse crowd. The Rams finally woke up after digging themselves into a 13-0 hole, but Utah State quarterback Bryson Barnes’ legs were an X-factor as he ran for 185 yards and scored a touchdown on 24 carries.

“(Barnes) is smart and it was hard to take him down,” Norvell said. “We really struggled with the quarterback run, and that was basically their offense.”

Colorado State University head coach Jay Norvall hugs Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi (16) after the win against Utah State University at Canvas Stadium on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in Fort Collins. Colorado State University won the game 42-37 against Utah State University. (Rebecca Slezak/Special to The Denver Post)
Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell hugs Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi (16) after their win against Utah State at Canvas Stadium on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in Fort Collins. (Rebecca Slezak/Special to The Denver Post)

The Rams’ first-quarter confusion was a repeat of last week’s loss to Fresno State, when the Bulldogs held a 21-point halftime lead en route to CSU’s 28-22 loss.

Utah State missed a 44-yard field goal on its first possession, but then pulled off two consecutive TD drives that included long runs by Barnes. The QB’s 2-yard TD pass to Otto Tia made it 13-0 late in the first quarter.

With Jordan Noyes’ 33-yard field goal at 10:28 in the second quarter, CSU finally got into the game, and another shot by Noyes from 40 yards made it 16-6.

The Rams defense finally woke up on the ensuing drive, forcing a three-and-out by Utah State with just 39 seconds left. That forced the Aggies’ first punt of the game, giving the Rams the ball back near midfield with 1:05 left. And with 19 seconds left in the first half, Olson finally gave the Rams’ offense the boost it needed.

“(Olson) just manages to find a way to get open a lot of times,” Fowler-Nicolosi said. “Knowing he was going to be open was definitely a factor as the game went on.”

On third-and-10 from the Utah State 28, Olson caught Fowler-Nicolosi’s dump-off pass up the middle and then ran down the field to the left sideline, where he got a crucial block from fellow wideout Armani Winfield, to run for the ball touchdown and cut the lead to 16-13. Olson finished the game with five catches for 140 yards.

“Scoring the goal before halftime was important to get the momentum going and get our guys back in the fight,” Norvell said.

Late in the third period, a 15-play, 79-yard scoring drive, capped by Barnes’ 14-yard TD pass to Tia, extended Utah State’s lead to 23-13 with 1:07 to play before the end of the quarter. Then came the blow that seemed to finally knock the Rams out of the game.

On CSU’s opening play of the next drive, Fowler-Nicolosi targeted Jamari Person on a short-out route. As soon as the pass hit Person’s hands, it was blasted into the air by cornerback JD Drew. The ball went into the air and Jaiden Francois caught it and ran back 40 yards for a pick-six.

This gave Utah State a 30-13 lead heading into game four and a win probability of 97.1%. But the Rams had magic up their sleeves.

“This was an unfortunate series of events,” Fowler-Nicolosi said. “Credit to them (their cornerbacks) for reading it well and making a good play out of it. But I knew after that game I just had to bounce back and stay consistent for the rest of the game.”

Colorado State University's Henry Blackburn (11) throws against Utah State University's Bryson Barnes (16) at Canvas Stadium on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024 in Fort Collins. Colorado State University won the game 42-37 against Utah State University. (Rebecca Slezak/Special to The Denver Post)
Colorado State’s Henry Blackburn (11) bowls against Utah State’s Bryson Barnes (16) on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, at Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins. Colorado State won the game 42-37. (Rebecca Slezak/Special to The Denver Post)

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