Colorado State Rams @ UNLV Rebels Football Preview

Time is running out for the Colorado State Rams. One missed opportunity on one weekend is enough of a worry for coach Steve Fairchild’s team, but a second straight stumble this upcoming Saturday will likely kill the program’s chances of punching a ticket to college football’s postseason.

Saturday’s matchup between Colorado State and UNLV in Las Vegas couldn’t come at a better time for either team—well, at least for the team who ends up winning. The winner will be snapping a three-game losing streak, but the loser will have fallen for its fourth-straight loss. Both teams are struggling, but with UNLV at 1-5 and Colorado State at 3-4, the Rams do have bowl eligibility still in sight. A win would go a long way in keeping that goal alive. If that reality doesn’t capture the importance of this game for CSU, look at it this way: A loss would almost certainly make that goal as dead as a doornail. The margin of error is so slim for the Rams at this point; any slip-up will put them on the edge of a cliff, at the very least. An appreciably high accumulation of mistakes will push them off the cliff and into the abyss.

At the end of last season, it appeared Colorado State’s offense was on the rise, but its porous defense would need improving for the Rams to take the next step. But seven games into the 2011 campaign, CSU’s offense has taken a step back, while the defense has improved (even if only slightly). Pete Thomas and the Ram offense have mustered just 313 yards per game (106th in the country) against poor competition. Even factoring in Boise State’s 7-0 record, Colorado State’s opponents are a combined 17-34.

Last week, Colorado State faced a very winnable road game, the kind of game a bowl team simply has to claim. Yet, CSU was outplayed by UTEP in a 31-17 loss, a complete face-plant that has made the Rams’ remaining five games far more urgent than they needed to be. CSU should be 4-3, but that loss in El Paso has forced Fairchild’s forces to win three of their final five contests.

At least the hope of renewal exists for Colorado State in this particular game against the Rebels. Fortunately for the Rams, UNLV’s offense is not nearly as good as UTEP’s (which is mediocre). The Rebels average just 264 yards per game while scoring just 16 points. Their defense is every bit as suspect. Allowing 51 to Wisconsin is understandable, but UNLV has surrendered 37 or more points to the lineup of Washington State (59), Southern Utah (41), Nevada (37), and Wyoming (41). It will be a good barometer for Colorado State’s offense to see if it has grown since squeaking by equally-bad New Mexico 14-10 in the season opener.

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By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer