The CSU Rams entered their first Mountain West Conference game with a 3-0 record.
Heading into the game, TCU was the only other undefeated MWC team. No. 19 BYU was 2-1 and were coming off a tough home loss to Florida State University.
Most believed the Cougars would come out hungry and would win the game, and even the most loyal Rams fan knew the team needed an excellent game and a little luck to capture this huge upset.
CSU started the game with the ball, and on what seemed to be a first down pass from Grant Stucker to Rashaun Greer, the ball was tipped off of Greer’s hands and into the mits of a running BYU defender for an interception.
The Cougars punched in the ball for a touchdown two plays later and took the 7-0 lead. Colorado State and Stucker then produced a very methodical drive, marching down the field only to be stopped on BYU’s 14 yard line. The 11-play 66-yard drive—which mixed runs and passes well—brought the Rams no points as kicker Ben DeLine missed the 32-yard field goal wide left.
The Cougars got the ball back, but were held and forced to punt by CSU. On the very next play, Stucker threw a 20-yard dart to Greer, that went through the receiver’s usually sure hands and to yet another defender for Stucker’s second pick of the day.
After the second interception off the hands of Greer, head coach Steve Fairchild sat the team’s leading receiver for the rest of the game. The Cougars made sure to capitalize on the Rams turnover once again as QB Max Hall tossed a sweet pass to O’Nei Chambers for 37 yards and down to the CSU two-yard line. Hall punched the ball in to give his team the 14-0 lead.
Next came what seemed to be the game-deciding play. The Rams went three-and-out and were forced to punt from their own 40-yard line. The punt attempt was blocked and BYU recovered on CSU’s 18 yard line.
Running back Harvey Unga capped the short two-play drive off with yet another touchdown to give BYU a 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Some Ram fans were ready to call it quits, but the team kept fighting despite the lopsided score.
As the second quarter began, CSU went into a pass-heavy offense. Stucker completed six passes for 62 yards on the drive, including the three-yard touchdown pass to Dion Morton that gave the Rams their first points of the day, 21-7.
The rest of the second quarter was filled with six straight defensive stops and CSU remained down by 14 points at half time.
In the third quarter...
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