A victory that, however, does not alleviate growing concerns.
This was Saturday’s game for the Colorado State football team.
The Rams defeated UTEP 27-17 at Canvas Stadium. A win against winless UTEP was the minimum requirement, but that was as far as they got.
CSU fans are filled with anxiety after last week’s poor performance against Colorado, and the thought of blowing a big lead against UTEP isn’t going to ease those concerns.
Here are three takeaways from the CSU victory.
Colorado State doesn’t know how to dominate teams
It looked like the team didn’t know what to do with their big lead.
CSU (2-2) led 24-3 in the third quarter and then seemed to let its foot off the gas. UTEP (0-4) was unstoppable.
The Miners began to pick apart CSU with one short pass after another. UTEP scored late in the third quarter with a 28-yard run-and-catch on a slip screen on a third-and-long.
Then UTEP scored a 55-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter, and suddenly the lead had shrunk from 21 points to seven.
The Rams then made a key stop midway through the fourth quarter, forcing a turnover. From then on, the offense was able to hold onto the ball.
But that was much too close.
CSU looks like a team that doesn’t know how to be the big dog.
Lytle: CSU football beats UTEP, but more progress is needed
Some positive, but also more negative
OK, first the good news:
- CSU’s running game was solid and Avery Morrow was sensational. A beautifully blocked run set him up for a 73-yard touchdown late in the second quarter. It was his second touchdown run of the game. He finished the game with 156 rushing yards and the Rams had 224 yards on the ground.
- Armani Winfield really struggled and dropped several important balls early on, but he responded with a sensational toe-tap catch in the end zone in the third quarter, giving the Rams a 21-3 lead.
- The defense allowed only 94 yards in the first half.
- Dane Olson’s blocked punt (recovered by Owen Long) was a great special teams play that resulted in a touchdown.
Now the bad:
- The offense kept having chances to tie the game and never did. CSU had a great first drive of the game and then couldn’t do anything until Morrow ran 73 yards.
- Quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi threw another bad interception and the passing game was rarely good. Fowler-Nicolosi finished the game 14-22 for 132 yards, a pick and a touchdown.
- In the second half, the defense collapsed. UTEP kept using quick drives and CSU had trouble stopping them. UTEP had 230 yards of offense in the second half.
- The Rams were 3 of 14 third-down conversions.
More: What Colorado State football coach Jay Norvell said after the win over UTEP
CSU needs a week off before the big test against Oregon State
The picture from the first four games shows that CSU is currently closer to UTEP (one of the worst teams in the FBS) than to its future opponents in the Pac-12 Conference.
The Rams have been weak for most of their first four games, with wins coming against a bad FCS team (Northern Colorado) and a bad FBS team (UTEP), and neither win was overwhelming.
CSU is now on a break, which seems like a good time. The Rams are banged up, with starters Tory Horton, Alex Foster and Nuer Gatkuoth missing Saturday’s game. Safety Jack Howell was injured in the third quarter.
From a health perspective, a certain amount of additional time off is important.
A team that needs to find itself could use the time, as the next game is another important test when the Rams play Oregon State on October 5th.
Oregon State was weakened this offseason by a coaching change and departures from the transfer portal. The Beavers will be a conference opponent starting in 2026.
If the CSU were to lose this competition, it would be another sign that the program is not making the desired progress.
Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on X and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.
