The Colorado State Rams in their final game in Canvas Stadium of the 2023 season beat the Nevada Wolf Pack 30-20 in what was a feel-good win for the seniors in there final game at Canvas, and a continued fight to remain bowl eligible as the Rams move to 5-6 with one game left on the schedule.
Coming off a CSU Rams home win, 23-19, against the San Diego State Aztecs in a game that at one point the Rams led 22-3 in the 3rd, the Rams fought a hard game that had the Wolf Pack on the Rams tail throughout and had the Rams consistently have their foot on the gas.
A quick interception on the Wolf Pack’s first drive by Henry Blackburn on Nevada’s 47 and a 23-yard return turned into a quick score for the Rams, as Avery Morrow scored on a two-yard touchdown run. The rest of the quarter went similarly for the Rams, as the Rams came out with a very even offensive attack, rushing on 12 attempts for 49 yards with 5-8 on pass attempts for 71 yards throughout the first quarter, and led to another passing touchdown to Tory Horton to put the Rams up 14-3.
Another Nevada interception late in the first quarter by Nuer Gatkouth set up a Rams field goal for a 17-3 lead early in the second. The rest of the first half was defined by great defensive holds by the Rams, only allowing 168 yards total in the first half, but a slowed-down offense could not find the end zone again in the half. Nevada scored on a field goal and took advantage of a questionable throw by Brayden Fowler Nicolosi to intercept and score a touchdown.
Coach Jay Norvell in the postgame elaborated more on the decision, stating that “That isn’t exactly how we call that drive typically,” and, “I knew that decision would be risky but I thought we would tackle them if it happened to go that way (an interception).” Obviously a tough way to end a quarter and change the momentum, it left the Wolf Pack with a quick 10 at the end of the half to leave the score 20-13.
Second half began with a strong first drive from the Rams, highlighted by the 53 yard reception to Tory Horton. However, the Rams could not find the end zone, and settled for a field goal. The Wolf Pack would then embark on a nearly 6 minute, 75 yard touchdown drive to leave the score at 23-20 Rams. The offense once again looked stagnant for most of the 3rd, only gaining 82 total yards and having the ball for just under 4 minutes, similar to how the better part of the first half had gone for the Rams.
The 4th quarter Rams team was a different story. Starting with a big third down stop and missed field goal of the Wolf Pack, the Rams drove down the field in a quick, two-minute drill style drive of 74 yards finishing off with a 38 yard touchdown pass to Louis Brown IV to push the lead to 30-20. The Rams defense stifled the Wolf Pack offense on their next two drives, forcing two punts in the fourth quarter, and the Rams ran the clock out to seal the win.
Coach Jay in his postgame emphasized how important it is to go in there and get that win, despite it allowing the Rams to be a bowl eligible team, as he said that, “Its a game we know we can win.” The bowl eligibility for Coach Jay would be the cherry on top for a Rams team that has had significant improvement in year two of his program, and of course its a major motivator for the team and the seniors for sure, who the whole team would love to be able to provide the opportunity to them to go to the postseason. The Rams win leaves them at 5-6, continuing to maintain their bowl eligibility going into week 13 of the college football season. They will face University of Hawaii in Honolulu, Hawaii on 11/25 at 9 p.m.