Behind Enemy Lines: Q&A with Colorado State expert
By Josh LaFond
In the return of our Michigan Football opponent Q&A series, “Behind Enemy Lines”, we interview Joel Cantalamessa, founder and managing editor of RamsNation.
Welcome back to our weekly opponent Q&A segment, “Behind Enemy Lines”. How great it is to be back, and discussing the game with each of the great writers this season.
With the game only a couple of days away, the excitement for both Colorado State and Michigan football fans is palpable.
For Michigan football fans, we already know the temperature of the room: Big Ten championship or bust. On the other hand, Colorado State is in the first stage of a rebuild from the ground up, and look to be competitive this season.
But enough talking from me. How about we talk to the expert on all things Rams?
This week, we had the privilege to interview long-time Colorado State Rams writer, Joel Cantalamessa of the popular Rams blog, RamsNation.com. Joel has been covering the Rams for over 20 years and is the founder and managing editor of the aforementioned site, so the insight he brings in this segment is well-researched and informed.
We have a lot of info to cover here, so sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.
What are Colorado State fans level of confidence going into this season?
Most fans aren’t expecting this team to compete for a Mountain West Conference championship this season, but most feel that the team can and should win around six to seven games, earn a bowl invite, and hopefully win that bowl game. The fan base is extremely excited about head coach Jay Norvell and his staff (there was little hope in the 16-game Steve Addazio era), but this is a program that brought in 59 new players to the roster, and while that was needed in many positions, it also means it may take some time for the staff to instill its culture, convert individuals into teammates, and get everyone acclimated to the new systems.
The team will have the youngest quarterback room in the country, with nobody on the roster older than a redshirt freshman. Redshirt freshman QB Clay Millen (son of former NFL QB Hugh Millen), one of a dozen players who transferred from Nevada to CSU to follow Norvell, will be the starter and the staff is extremely high on him. His progress will be a big factor in how the team performs this season. The offensive line is completely rebuilt, with no returning starters from a year ago. Five transfers and one returning redshirt freshman (LT, Brian Crespo-Jaquez) are projected to start, and the depth behind the starters is thin. Considering the inexperience at QB and questions on the offensive line, it’s hard to feel really confident about this team achieving beyond six to seven wins.
That being said, if Millen and his O-line can perform at a high level this season, this offense could put up a lot of points. There are some weapons on the offense that can put up points, particularly at the receiver (Nevada transfers Tory Horton and Melquan Stovall, and senior slot WR Dante Wright, along with a couple of talented true freshmen that are expected to get significant playing time). Senior RB A’Jon Vivens and Nevada junior transfer Avery Morrow are both capable backs with complementary styles. While coaches expect to throw 40 times per game, they also expect a physical running game. Millen played behind Carson Strong last year (now with the Philadelphia Eagles) and has a firm grasp of the Air Raid offense (who CSU assistant head coach/QBs coach Matt Mumme’s father, Hal, architected). So, Ram fans are excited to watch an offense rooted in this century, as opposed to the three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust approach under the Addazio regime.
Fans are also cautiously optimistic about the defense, which has changed to a 5-2-4 scheme under the new staff. The defensive line should be a strength with Rutgers senior transfer C.J. Onyechi and returning senior Mo Kamara lining up on the ends and Devin Phillips, who has started every game he’s appeared in during his college career (36), on the interior. Senior team captain Dequan Jackson is the captain of the defense at LB, and an already relatively strong secondary has been bolstered by the arrival of senior Cal transfer Chigozie Anusiem at cornerback and junior Nevada transfer Angel King at safety, who will both start.
In general, I haven’t seen this level of enthusiasm from the fan base since the early to mid-Sonny Lubick days. There is an air of hope and even comfort about the way Norvell and staff conduct business and have already changed the culture within the CSU football program in the span of nine months.