FORT COLLINS — With one week of workouts remaining before next weekend’s Green and Gold spring game, the Colorado State football team has turned its attention to specifics.
On a chilly Saturday morning at Canvas Stadium, the Rams strayed away from the typical scrimmage format they employed the previous two Saturdays and instead focused on situations and scenarios they will most likely find themselves in next fall.
Additionally, the team continues to solidify an offensive line that lost a pair of key starters from last year’s team while the defense continues to master the system of new coordinator Tyson Summers.
At the forefront, however, are the situations that head coach Jay Norvell wants his team to understand and then execute when the times arrive, whether they come during or at the end of games. That was the focus on the next-to-last Saturday of spring ball.
“We didn’t really want to scrimmage today, but we really wanted to work situations,” Norvell said. “We’re trying to put our team in different situations so we can evaluate them. We did a four-minute drill today and we did a two-minute drill. We did overtime, and those were specific situations where things come up to help you win or lose.
“We’ll be able to watch that film with the guys, point those things out; the penalties at the end of the game, the key plays really are something we could learn from and be better at.”
Quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi and the Rams’ first-team offense moved the ball efficiently during the overtime situations, finding the end zone a couple of times both through the air and on the ground.
The ground game and protecting Fowler-Nicolosi has been a priority this spring. The team lost starting offensive linemen Jacob Gardner and Drew Moss to graduation and are having to revamp a line that took a huge step forward last season.
Players like Tanner Morley, Aaron Karas, Trevyn Heil, Aitor Urionabarrenechea and Phillip Ocon are looking to continue the consistency the line played with last year while also learning to work as a unit.
“It feels pretty good,” redshirt sophomore Urionabarrenechea said. “We’re making connections, especially me and Karas. Being on the right side, he’s helping me a lot like with the communication part of it. So, I think it’s been pretty well.”
Urionabarrenechea added that with the departure of Gardner, an all-Mountain West honoree last season, several players are stepping up to fill his role, not only at the center position, but as a leader as well.
He added that, personally, he feels like he is continuing to gain confidence as spring practice has gone on.
“Trevyn stepped up pretty well,” Urionabarrenechea said. “He kind of already knew what he was doing. I want to say he just took over, put it on his back and said, ‘Let’s go.’ I would say I was already kind of at that level, but just more confident in it, putting my head down and just going forward.”
While the offense has been focusing on its line, the defense has continued to adapt to the style and schemes of Summers.
Linebacker Jacob Ellis, a graduate transfer from Iowa State, has had to not only acclimate himself to the team and program, but also the new defensive coordinator. After four weeks of spring practice, he has seen how knowledgeable Summers and his staff are as well as how much they care.
Personally, he said moving from outside to inside linebacker hasn’t fazed him either.
“I made the change going from outside linebacker to inside linebacker, but I played inside linebacker before,” Ellis said. “I wouldn’t say it’s been as much of a change just because I feel like I’ve always been interchangeable.
“But coach Summers, he calls a great game. They make it easy on us. They explain it very, very well. It’s just up to us to come out here on Saturdays and practice days and execute.”
The Rams will conclude their spring workouts next Saturday with the annual Green and Gold game. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Canvas Stadium.
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