FORT COLLINS — A would-be Black Friday black eye at Canvas Stadium turned into a stunning comeback.
After a thrilling 42-37 victory over Utah State at Canvas Stadium, Colorado State heads into the final day of college football’s regular season with its hopes of a berth in the Mountain West championship game still alive.
CSU ripped off 29 straight points in the fourth quarter to erase a 17-point deficit in a game where the Rams looked dead in the water following an Aggies’ defensive TD in the final moments of the third.
But a couple of key takeaways, coupled with clutch passes by Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi and a huge day by wideout Dane Olson spurred the Rams to victory instead. Regardless of what happens with their Mountain West title game hopes, the Rams now head into the postseason with the wind at their backs after clinching the program’s first eight-win season since Jim McElwain went 10-3 in 2014.
CSU now needs Nevada to upset UNLV on Saturday in Las Vegas for the Rams to get into the Mountain West title game against Boise State. The Wolfpack are 17.5-point underdogs to the Rebels, who are 5-1 in conference play and own the tiebreaker over the Rams.
The Rams (8-4, 6-1) looked awful early in front of a sleepy, sparse crowd. And while the Rams eventually woke up after digging themselves a 13-0 hole, Utah State quarterback Bryson Barnes’ legs were an X-factor as he ran for 184 yards and a TD on 24 carries.
The Rams’ discombobulation through the first quarter-plus was a repeat of last week’s defeat to Fresno State when the Bulldogs took a 21-point lead into halftime en route to CSU’s 28-22 loss that cost the Rams control of their title-game hopes.
Utah State missed a 44-yard field goal on its opening possession but then ripped off back-to-back TD drives that featured long runs from Barnes. The QB’s 1-yard TD plunge put the visitors up 6-0, with the two-point conversion failing, and then Barnes made it 13-0 with a 2-yard TD pass to Otto Tia late in the first quarter.
CSU finally got on the board with Jordan Noyes’ 33-yard field goal at 10:28 in the second quarter. A couple more field goals followed, with the Aggies’ Tanner Cragun converting from 26 yards and then another on-target kick from Noyes from 40 yards that made it 16-6.
The Rams defense finally woke up on the following drive, forcing a three-and-out by Utah State on a possession that resulted in minus-9 yards and took just 39 seconds off the clock. That forced the Aggies’ first punt of the game, giving the Rams the ball back with 1:05 left near midfield. And with 19 seconds left in the first half, Olson finally gave the Rams offense the jolt it needed.
On third-and-10 from the Utah State 28, Olson caught Fowler-Nicolosi’s dump-off pass in the middle, then zagged across the field to the left sideline where he got a key block from fellow wideout Armani Winfield to race in for a touchdown. Olson finished with five catches for 140 yards.
That made the score 16-13 heading into the locker room.
The third quarter was a nothingburger until its waning minutes. Utah State punted, Noyes missed a 40-yard field goal that would’ve tied the game, and then the teams traded two more punts until the Aggies offense finally re-found its rhythm.
The result was a 15-play, 79-yard scoring drive capped by Barnes’ 14-yard TD pass to Tia that extended Utah State’s lead to 23-13 with 1:07 left in the quarter. Then came the momentum swing that it appeared the Rams couldn’t come back from until they did.
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, he was blown up by cornerback JD Drew. The ball popped up in the air, and Jaiden Francois reeled it in and ran back 40 yards for a pick-six.
That gave Utah State a 30-13 lead heading into the fourth. But the Rams had magic up their sleeves.
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CSU cut into the deficit on their opening drive of the final frame. Vince Brown made a shoestring catch and raced into the end zone for a 12-yard TD, then Person’s one-handed catch in the back of the end zone on a two-point conversion made it 30-21 with 13:30 left.
Utah State drove into Rams territory and appeared primed for a knockout blow, but a fumble forced by Ayden Hector was recovered by Buom Jock. On the ensuing drive, Olson continued his highlight-reel performance by hauling in a 29-yard catch on fourth down to extend CSU’s drive. Three plays later, Jordan Ross’ 22-yard TD reception off a well-blocked screen made it 30-28 with 6:03 left.
On the Aggies’ next drive, Barnes’ telegraphed pass was intercepted by Dominic Morris to set CSU up in the red zone. That led to CSU’s first lead of the game when Fowler-Nicolosi ran it in from 3 yards out with 2:32 left. CSU’s defense forced a three-and-out, then on fourth-and-2 on the ensuing possession, Fowler-Nicolosi threw a quick pass to Brown for a 26-yard touchdown to ice the comeback.
After Utah State scored with 15 seconds left and then recovered an onside kick, Dom Jones picked off a downfield heave by Barnes. That capped the rally and sealed CSU’s eighth win, with a bowl game at the very least awaiting them.
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