Dec. 3, 2011

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Dec. 3, 2011

TEAM NOTES

Looking ahead: Before final voting is tabulated Sunday, the Rams can argue legitimately for six potential first-team all-conference players in 2011: RB Chris Nwoke, TE Crockett Gillmore, C Weston Richburg, DE Nordly Capi, LB Shaquil Barrett and P Pete Kontodiakos. All but the punter are sophomores, and the punter is just a junior. The Rams also believe their starting guard Jordan Gragert (a sophomore) is among the best in the conference.

• Next year, CSU gets at least eight offensive starters back on offense, and at least nine on defense and the punter.
• And including several true-freshmen DBs, wideouts, running backs, linemen and quarterbacks the Rams have waiting in the wings, the future is very bright for CSU.

Injury update: CSU is believed to be among the nation's leaders in starts lost to injury, something that has plagued the Rams since the team was receiving votes in both national polls at the end of September 2009. That season, the Rams lost 45 combined starts due to injury. This season, the Rams in 2012 lost 76 starts due to injury. Overall in 2011, 19 key contributors lost 101 combined games due to injury (listed below, with starts lost in the first column):

True-freshman QBs: The game featured a pair of true-freshman starting quarterbacks from the Pacific Northwest. Wyoming's Brett Smith is from Salem, Ore. CSU's Garrett Grayson is from Vancouver, Wash. The two towns are separated by the Columbia River, just 55 miles apart.

Just short: Garrett Grayson fell just 9 yards shy of becoming the first QB to hit 100 yards rushing since Bradlee Van Pelt had 140 and one touchdown on 20 carries, Nov. 1, 2003, at Wyoming.

Two 100-yard rushers: The Rams nearly had a pair of 100-yard rushers, something they haven't had since Sept. 28, 2002, at Nevada (Bradlee Van Pelt and Cecil Sapp).

Close games: Six of the Rams' 12 games this season were decided by one score or less, including today. The Rams are among national leaders in that category. Only 21 combined points separated those six games.

Bad blood: All told, the teams combined for nine personal fouls and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

Average starting field position: CSU got a pair of great kickoff returns and opened its first four drives with an average starting field position of its own 43-yard line. Wyoming opened its first three drives with an average of its own 17-yard line, after the Rams pinned the Pokes inside the 1 late in first quarter on a Pete Kontodiakos punt.

Halftime deficit: CSU trailed at halftime for the 11^th time in 12 games this season. 

The 19 1,000-yard rushing seasons in CSU history: Chris Nwoke finished with 1,130 rushing yards, No. 10 in Rams history:
Cecil Sapp                         1,601           2002
Gartrell Johnson                  1,476           2008
Steve Bartalo                     1,419           1986
Steve Bartalo                     1,368           1985
Kyle Bell                           1,288           2005
Calvin Branch                     1,279           1996
Kevin McDougal                  1,223           1999
Kevin McDougal                  1,221           1997
Damon Washington              1,195           1997
Chris Nwoke                            1,130             2011
Steve Bartalo                     1,113           1983
Lawrence McCutcheon           1,112           1971
Damon Washington              1,075           1996
Leonice Brown                    1,051           1992
Alvin Lewis                        1,047           1980
Tony Alford                        1,035           1989
Brian Copeland                    1,028           1991
Lawrence McCutcheon           1,008           1970
Cecil Sapp                         1,001            2000

Six-game total: Chris Nwoke already established the CSU record for yards in a five-game stretch, 810 since Oct. 22, eclipsing Steve Bartalo's total over the last five of his career in 1986. Top rushing efforts ever by a CSU back over a seven-game stretch are below. Ironically, the three most impressive six-game rushing stretches in CSU history were all accomplished over the final six games of their respective seasons:

867      Steve Bartalo    Oct. 18-Nov. 22, 1986 (final total: 1,419)
860      Gartrell Johnson Oct. 25-Dec. 20, 2008 (final total: 1,476)
825      Chris Nwoke      Oct. 22-Dec. 3, 2011 (final total: 1,130)

First-time starters: Including CB Marcus Shaw, who made his first career start, 23 players have made their first Division I starts this season: G Jordan Gragert, FB Joe Brown, WR Marquise Law, TE Crockett Gillmore, DT John Froland, LB Mike Orakpo, S Austin Gray, DE Nordly Capi, TE Blake Jones, FB Austin Gillmore, LB Shaquil Barrett, NT Te'Jay Brown, T Ty Sambrailo, WR Lee Clubb, DT Curtis Wilson, FB Jake Levin, T Mason Hathaway, S Drew Reilly, WR Thomas Coffman, WR Charles Lovett, QB Garrett Grayson, LB Max Morgan and CB Marcus Shaw. 

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• RB Raymond Carter, playing his final college contest, matched a career best with two rushing touchdowns (also Sept. 10, 2011, vs. Northern Colorado). He also posted his third career 100-yard rushing game, and a career-high 158 yards, breaking his previous best, 104 yards, vs. Idaho, Sept. 25, 2010. His other 100-yard game was Sept. 10, 2011, vs. Northern Colorado (100 yards).
• LB Mychal Sisson, also playing his final game, picked off his second career pass to halt a third-quarter Cowboys drive. His first INT came Nov. 6, 2010, at San Diego State. Also in that game, he returned a fumble 88 yards for a TD.
• DE Nordly Capi ended a drive late in the first half with 10^th sack and seventh forced fumble this season (recovered by LB Shaquil Barrett). He matched the seven forced fumbles of CSU's Mychal Sisson in 2010, which led the country last year. Capi entered the week tied for second in the nation with 0.55 forced fumbles per game, tied with LSU's Tyrann Mathieu and trailing only Whitney Mercilus of Illinois (0.75 per game). Mercilus had nine forced fumbles entering the week.
• DE Nordly Capi with his 10^th sack tied for No. 5 on CSU's all-time single-season list, the most by a Ram since Joey Porter (14) and Clark Haggans (10) in 1998:

Brady Smith                      16             1995
Joey Porter                       14             1998
Clark Haggans                   12             1997
Clint Hjelm                       11             1987
Clark Haggans                   10             1998
Mike Bell                          10             1977
Adrian Ross                       10             1997
Andy Poremba                   10              1982
Keith Pitts                         10             1983
Nordly Capi                       10              2011

• C Weston Richburg started back at center for the first time since breaking his snapping hand vs. SDSU (Nov. 12). He started the past two games at tackle, with a club on his snapping hand. Still with the club on his snapping hand, he snapped with his left hand today, and actually sustained the first bad snap of his career, on CSU's first drive.
• CB Marcus Shaw made the first start of his career.
• DE Zach Tiedgen made his first start since Nov. 21, 2009, at New Mexico. He started seven games as a redshirt freshman, then missed his entire sophomore campaign with a knee injury.
• RB Chris Nwoke extended CSU's longest active streak with a reception in a 13^th straight game, on a second-quarter shovel pass.