Late Touchdown Secures Statement Win for Colorado State
By Joe Morrone
Sep 27, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Colorado State Rams wide receiver Charles Lovett (4) catches the game winning touchdown pass behind Boston College Eagles defensive back Bryce Jones (17) and defensive back Dominique Williams (9) with just over a minute to go during the second half of Colorado State
The Colorado State Rams entered Saturday’s game versus the Boston College Eagles looking for a statement win, they are headed back to Fort Collins with exactly that. The Rams came from 14-0 down to get the victory.
The Rams started fast on defense, holding the Eagles potent running game to virtually nothing on their first three drives. However Garrett Grayson and the Rams could not take advantage. Grayson threw two awful interceptions and the Eagles jumped out to a two touchdown lead.
The drive that changed the game came right before halftime when the Rams went the length on the field to pull within seven. That momentum carried over to the first drive of the second half when the Rams used a brilliant mix of run and pass to tie the game. Running backs Dee Hart and Treyous Jarrells started to find holes and Grayson finally found his rhythm in the passing game.
The Eagles got that touchdown back on the next drive but then it was all Rams the rest of the way, scoring the last 10 points to walk away with a program changing win.
The winning touchdown came on a 4th and 11 play with a minute to go in the game. Grayson scrambled to his right and found Charles Lovett in the end zone. Lovett did a great job getting both feet in bounds and hung onto the ball as he hit the ground. The defense never gave the Eagles any hope on their desperation drive, and the Rams moved to 3-1 on the young season.
Head Coach Jim McElwain’s mantra this season has been to continue the climb. The climb from 4-8 where they were two seasons ago to a team that will once again raise some eyebrows around the college football world.
This win will raise more than a few eyebrows. The Eagles are the same team that beat the #9 USC Trojans just two weeks ago on the same field. While they are not ranked, most people believed that the Eagles were a much better football team than the Rams and would win easily. It might be time for people to start talking about how tough it is going to be to beat the Rams.
The defense was not great for the Rams but they didn’t give up the big play and got two huge stops in the fourth quarter. One on an interception when the Eagles were looking to make it a two score game, and another to get the ball back to the offense one more time.
The Rams beat a good football team, on the road and they didn’t even play their best game. There were the two early turnovers, an offense that struggled through most of the first half and a defense that did have trouble with the Eagles running game at times. Despite all of that, the Rams kept fighting and found a way to win the game in the fourth quarter.
When McElwain arrived in Fort Collings two and a half years ago, the program was at one of its lowest points in years. He immediately infused enthusiasm and brought a level of confidence from Alabama that seemed misplaced at the time.
He went 4-8 in his first season but if you watched closely, you could see the progress. That progress turned into a 7-6 mark in 2013 and an improbable bowl win over Washington State last December. Now McElwain’s program has taken the next step.
The Rams needs a statement win, a win that people will point to in a year or two and say that’s where it changed. They got it with a gritty effort that showed a ton of heart.
The Rams are back and they may be around for a while.