Colorado State Vs Nevada: Game Preview, How To Watch, Odds, Prediction
The Wolf Pack returns to action on Friday to face a winless Colorado State team coached by former Nevada coach Jay Norvell
Contact/Follow @BrandonGBlake & @MWCwire
Nevada and Colorado State Clash In An Highly Anticipated Contest
WEEK 5: Nevada Wolf Pack (2-3, 0-1 MW) vs. Colorado State Rams (0-4, 0-0 MW)
WHEN: Friday, October7th–7:30 PM PT/8:30 PM MT
TV: Fox Sports 1
STREAMING: Fox Sports 1 is on Fubo TV and here is the link where you can start a free trial.
RADIO: Nevada is on ESPN 94.5 in Reno and Colorado State is on K99.1 in Fort Collins.
SERIES RECORD: Colorado State leads the all-time series 12-5. Last meeting was in 2021 when Nevada won 52-10.
WEBSITES: NevadaWolfPack.com, the official Nevada athletics website | CSURams.com, the official Colorado State athletics website
ODDS: Nevada (-3.5)
SP+ PROJECTION: Nevada by 7.5
FEI PROJECTION: Nevada by 5.8
The game Nevada Wolf Pack fans have been waiting on for months is here.
The Wolf Pack will host the Colorado State Rams on Friday night in Reno.
Honestly, I cannot think why this contest against the winless Rams is important for Nevada fans. I am drawing a blank as to why this game is such a big deal for Wolf Pack fans.
(Thinking)
(Thinking)
Ah, I remember why this game is important for Nevada, the fans, the players on the team and the coaching staff.
Current Rams head coach Jay Norvell used to coach Nevada for five seasons and left Nevada for the big bucks that Colorado State was doling out. And not only did Norvell leave for another Mountain West team, Several Wolf Pack players and most of Norvell’s coaching staff left Reno to join Norvell at Colorado State.
Not to mention Norvell said in so many words that Colorado State offers “a major upgrade of support” as opposed to Nevada. A statement that rankled the Wolf Pack faithful.
These actions prompted legendary former Nevada head coach Chris Ault to call Norvell’s move to Colorado State the “Green Infection”. The “Green Infection” sounds like either a bad sci-fi B-movie from the 1960s or some side effect you might get from taking a medication that you may see from a TV ad. (Contact your doctor if you have the green infection along with nausea, vomiting and loss of vision)
Anyway, this is an important contest for Nevada as they would like to exact revenge on the coach who spurned them, And also, the Wolf Pack are trying to snap a three game losing streak and look to get back in the winning column.
The Wolf Pack will take on a Rams team that is winless so far this season and have looked bad after one month of play.
Can Nevada defeat the Rams and send their former head coach back to Fort Collins with another loss?
Here are my three keys and a prediction for Nevada-Colorado State
Achieve offensive balance against the Rams defense
Through four games this season, these are the total number of rushing yards that the Colorado State Rams have given up. They gave up 234 rushing yards against Michigan, 114 rushing yards against Middle Tennessee State, 143 rushing yards against Washington State and 160 rushing yards against Sacramento State.
In conclusion, teams have been successful at running the ball against the Rams. Also, the Rams defense has had issues stopping the pass. The Rams defense have given up 251 passing yards per game at 7.5 yards an attempt so far this season. Colorado State’s pass defense has allowed opposing QBs to complete 70.9 percent of their passes through four games this season.
Colorado State’s defense has been bad and the Wolf Pack offense needs to exploit that weakness in order to win. Toa Taua and Devonte Lee must get the ground game going and either Nate Cox or Shane Illingworth must attack that porous Rams secondary.
For Nevada to win on Friday, the offense must play better than it has the last few weeks. And because the Rams defense is bad, it should be easy for Nevada to move the ball and score on Colorado State on Friday night.
Utilize an aggressive pass rush against Colorado State
The Rams offense has been abysmal through four games this season. The Rams so far have only averaged 4.03 yards per play on offense which is last in the Mountain West. The reason for Colorado State’s poor offensive numbers is because of the dismal play of the offensive line.
If you look at the advanced stats, you can see why the Rams offense as a whole has been bad in the first month of the season. Per Football Outsiders, the Rams are ranked 131st out of 131 FBS teams in sack rate at 19.8 percent (that is horrendous). The Rams are also ranked last or next to last in Power Success Rate(21.1 percent) and Pass Down Sack Rate (25.0 percent). Not to mention, the Rams offensive line has given up a total of 25 sacks so far this season which is an average of 6.25 sacks per game, Ouch.
In short, the Rams offensive line has been abysmally bad this season and the Wolf Pack defensive line needs to attack that poor offensive line. Nevada’s defensive line, led by Dom Peterson and company must utilize an aggressive pass rush to attack a horrendous offensive line.
And by attacking the Rams offensive line, it will make running the offense hard for QB Clay Millen or whoever is the QB for CSU. It has been reported that Millen may be out for the Nevada game due to a shoulder injury. If Millen is unable to play, look for Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, a former Nevada commit, to start at QB.
For Nevada to win this game, they have to attack the dismal Rams offensive line with their front seven and attack it often.
Do Not Give The Rams Any Glimmer of Hope
The Rams are 0-4 and those four losses have not been close. This is a Rams team that has been dominated by its opposition in the first month of September. It is safe to say that Colorado State is a team that is in disarray so far this season.
After a 2-0 start, Nevada has lost three in a row and are on that losing track and things are not great in Reno. But Nevada has a chance to get back right against a Rams team that is in even worse shape than the Wolf Pack.
The important thing is that Nevada must play well and not give Colorado State any chance to make it a contest. That means the Wolf Pack must be error free and play at their best and crush any semblance of hope the Rams may have of winning on Friday. In order for Nevada to hand its former coach, Jay Norvell a loss, Nevada must play well on all facets of the game and do not give the Rams any hope.
If Nevada plays poorly, then that will give the Rams hope and a chance to win and that is something that the Wolf Pack do not want. So it is essential for Nevada to be at its best against a very bad Colorado State team on Friday.
Prediction and Score
This revenge game between Nevada and Jay Norvell’s Colorado State team has all the makings of a “Get Right” game for the Wolf Pack. The Rams are entering this contest in bad shape as they are winless and look horrid. The Rams offense has been terrible and the offensive line has been unable to protect the quarterback. The Rams defense has been just as bad and unable to stop opposing offenses .
This is the chance for Coach Wilson and the Wolf Pack to get back on the winning track and do so against a Rams team coached by the guy who left Nevada for another school within the conference. Nevada must go out and play its best football against Colorado State and not give the Rams any hope of winning.
Despite the Wolf Pack’s flaws on offense and defense, I think they can defeat the Rams soundly and give Jay Norvell another “L”
Score Prediction: Nevada 31 Colorado State 13
