Colorado State (1-3) vs. San Jose State (3-2)
Canvas Stadium | Fort Collins, Colo.
Saturday, Oct. 9, 1:30 p.m.
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| Watch | Listen | CSU Stats | SJSU Stats | ||
| Rams Just Out For One Victory | ||
| GAME RECOGNITIONS | ||
| Cannoneers: Debra Stencel and Patrick Phillips, 2021 DAA Morgan Award Winners | Bell Ringers: Bob and Linda Cates, 2021 DAA Henry Award Winners | |
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – From outside the walls of Canvas Stadium, Saturday's game is a pretty good set-up for Colorado State.
On Homecoming, the Rams have a chance to make a statement by beating San Jose State, the defending Mountain West champions. It could be to the rest of the league. It could simply be for the Rams themselves, who despite a 1-3 record, have been playing better as the season has progressed.
Great. Steve Addazio, almost apologetically, is not in to any of that.
Not a single iota.
"I'm not interested in that," he said, smiling. "Just going in the stadium and winning the game. Period, end. I mean that wholeheartedly. I'm not trying to be a wise guy, I just want to go win a college football game. That's what it's all about. Every week, show up, prepare and go win a college football game. All that other stuff is just garbage."
Colorado State has been pretty good in these matchup against teams not from Idaho, albeit a small sample size. Since the conference moved to a championship game in 2013, the Rams have faced to defending champs five times in the span, beating two – San Diego State in 2016, Fresno State in 2019. The three losses are all to Boise State.
Addazio didn't downplay the question at all, but the analysis of what people think a victory or a loss may or may not mean is not part of his process. His process is simple, and that's in one-week increments. Thus, he avoids potential pitfalls which don't have to be there in the first place.
"We've got to go win a game. Like every week, we go in to win a game," he said. "I want to play well, I want to improve and I want to win a game. Then I'll go to the next one. Then I'll go to the next one. This isn't a one-time thing to me. Every week, just grinding away and building our program. That's all I care about, and I mean that.
"No one game is bigger than life. It's a game, and they're all equally important. Conference, non-conference, it's all the same to me. We don't prepare any differently every week. We prepare exactly the same way. If you don't do that, then you start riding all these emotional roller coasters and you set yourself up for falls. It's not worth it."
Offensive Guidance
A popular question this week is who will be San Jose State's starting quarterback. Nick Starkel was injured two weeks ago (his left, non-throwing shoulder), and Nick Nash stepped into his role and led the Spartans to a victory over New Mexico State. Nash has actually appeared in four games, but didn't do much the first three. He's completed a better percentage of passes, but has thrown a lot less when he's under center.
Starkel has not been as sharp this year, hitting just better than 50 percent of his throws for 992 yards. While he's thrown six touchdown passes, he's also been intercepted five times.
Who does play matters, because Nash brings a running element Starkel does not. So the Rams are set to face either one of them.
"They're different. This guy (Nash) can throw, too," Addazio said. "The other guy is more a thrower, this guy is more of a runner; both can throw, so it is different. I don't know what to expect. I just don't, so you roll along with both."
The Spartans' run the same sets with both in, but when Nash is in the game, the Colorado State defense will have to be more keen to his escapability and his penchant to tuck and run.
In last week's victory, Nash only threw 18 times, but he completed 15 tosses, three for touchdowns. He also rushed five times for 34 yards.
"That's accurate. They throw it a little more with the other guy," he said. "I'm sure they're finding their way. They know if they have him or they don't."
Here and There
This week marks the 97th Homecoming game for the program, holding a 50-45-1 mark on the occasion. … This marks the conference opener for the team. The Rams have not won their first conference game since the 2017 season. … The 1:30 p.m. kickoff is the earliest home start this season, with the remaining three all at 5 p.m. or later. The team had three such kickoffs at home in 2019.
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