CSU Rams’ offense no-shows in embarrassing home loss to Washington State
FORT COLLINS — After giving up 59 points in back-to-back losses, Washington State’s defense seemed like it presented a prime opportunity for Jackson Brousseau in his first start under center for the Colorado State Rams.
However, once again, Colorado State’s offense couldn’t find ways to productively finish their drives, no matter who was calling the signals.
The Cougars’ defense, entering the game tied for 128th out of the 136 FBS schools in scoring defense at 43.7 points per game, held Colorado State to only an opening-drive field goal on Saturday night in a 20-3 win at Canvas Stadium. Now 1-3 on the season, CSU’s three points were its fewest since suffering a 52-0 shutout at Texas on August 31, 2024, and its lowest total at home since Colorado posted a 28-9 win two weeks later.
“We’re starting conference play next week at San Diego State, and we have a chance to rectify some things in that locker room and make sure that we get on the right page,” said CSU head coach Jay Norvell. “I told our kids I think we have good football players in that locker room.”
Norvell believes that includes Brousseau, who didn’t go over the 100-yard mark in passing until 3:31 was left in the third quarter, part of a night where the Washington State defense surrendered 334 total yards but stiffened when needed to snuff out any real threat of a Ram comeback.
CSU’s redshirt sophomore finished with 188 yards on a 19-of-28 night, with 57 of those yards coming in the final quarter.
“I thought Jackson competed hard tonight and did a lot of good things,” Norvell said. “Obviously, we didn’t string enough execution together to put enough points on the board to make a game.”
Brousseau’s counterpart, Washington State’s Zevi Eckhaus, ended the game with just one more passing yard (189) but threw a pair of touchdowns that would give the Cougars a comfortable first-half lead that would extend throughout the game.
Eckhaus started the night in style, finishing off his team’s first drive with a beautifully placed 35-yard touchdown throw to Jeremiah Noga, setting the stage for what would be a Cougar romp in a battle of future Pac-12 foes.
Colorado State jumped out of the gate quickly, taking the opening kickoff and establishing a ground game with Jalen Dupree. His first three carries netted the Rams 37 yards and moved them to the WSU 28. However, Tahj Bullock was swarmed under on the next play for a 7-yard loss, and Colorado State’s drive stalled, with the Rams settling for a 50-yard field goal from Isaiah Hankins and a 3-0 lead.
Bullock’s troubles moving the ball in the wildcat formation would continue and come at some inopportune times for the Rams. His loss of a yard on fourth-and-1 from the CSU 49 gave the Cougars the ball and 3:14 left to work with before halftime.
That was all the WSU offense needed, with Eckhaus going back to work. A 19-yard pass to Tony Freeman moved the ball to the CSU 5-yard line then, three plays later, the senior quarterback found a wide-open Ademola Faleye in the end zone to take the air out of Canvas Stadium just before intermission, pushing the visitors’ lead to 20-3 with 1:01 remaining.
Eckahus finished the first half 10-of-16 through the air for 123 yards and two touchdowns, leading a balanced Cougar offense that also had 123 yards on the ground. Those two touchdowns also matched the number that CSU’s defense had given up through the air through their first three games.
With a change at quarterback earlier this week as Broussard stepped in for Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi and the Rams in need of something other than a lackluster showing as they have had in their two previous home games, CSU answered the bell with the early field goal. However, the Rams were met with a quick knockout punch on the early touchdown toss from Eckhaus and they would never recover.
Even when things went well for the Rams on Saturday, they didn’t.
CSU found some kind of offensive flow on its first possession of the second half, but the Rams couldn’t cash in on a 13-play, 63-yard drive for points. Brousseau carried three times on the drive, using two of those to convert on third downs, but his fourth-down rush was stymied for a 1-yard loss at the WSU 8, giving the ball back to the visitors.
GAME RECAP
Washington State 20, Colorado State 3
What happened: After jumping out to a 3-0 lead on its first possession, Colorado State’s offense couldn’t find a way to put more points on the board. Two botched field goals (one missed and one blocked) plus going 6-for-17 combined on third and fourth downs meant CSU had chances but couldn’t find a way to convert them into points.
What it means: After a week of change, Colorado State still has a lot of questions about its offensive identity heading into Mountain West play. The Rams put together 334 yards of offense, so why only three points? Brousseau found his rhythm at times during the game, but Washington State’s defense always seemed to find an answer when needed.
Quotable: “Our players aren’t going to change right now, so we have to find ways that they can be more explosive. What we have to do in the passing game is find guys who can make explosive plays,” said CSU head coach Jay Norvell.
What’s next: The Rams return to the road for a Mountain West battle with San Diego State in the conference opener for both teams on Friday, October 3. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. (Mountain) and the game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
