Know Your Opponent: Justin Michael with The DNVR talks Colorado State Rams

Texas and Colorado State meet on Saturday, August 31 at Darrell K. Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium to kickoff the season for both teams. These two programs have only met once before on the gridiron, almost 50 years ago (1975), in a matchup that Texas won 46-0.

Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns hope to continue their strong performance from last season into this year, but need a win against the Rams on Saturday before a huge test in Ann Arbor against the defending national champions awaits. Colorado State returns a host of playmakers and made strategic pickups in the offseason via the transfer portal. They should have a much-improved team that is intent on competing for a Mountain West championship and making their first bowl appearance since 2017.

We connected with Justin Michael, journalist at The DNVR, and chatted with him about all aspects of the Colorado State football team in hopes of learning more about what to expect on the field this Saturday.

HornSports: Texas fans know Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell from his time as wide receivers coach under Charlie Strong in Austin.  Norvell is now in his third season at Colorado State.  What has he done for the program since he took over and what are the expectations from CSU fans this season?

Justin Michael: Jay Norvell inherited a mess from the Steve Addazio era but has done a nice job of flipping the roster and getting CSU back to a state of competitive football. The Rams lost three one-score games in 2023 that ended up resulting in them missing the postseason, but expectations are for them to take the next step and potentially even contend for the Mountain West championship. 

HornSports: Looking at the Rams offense, they return several starters, but none more important than QB Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi and WR Tory Horton. Is it true they each turned down $600K in transfer portal dollars?  

Justin Michael: It’s the wild west when it comes to NIL, tampering and the transfer portal, especially for programs outside of the P4. The reality is there is no way to verify the validity of the alleged $600,000 offers. And even if they were offered those figures, who knows whether or not they would actually be paid that. We’ve had guys leave the program for false promises that never end up coming to fruition. What I can say is that everyone I have talked to stands behind the claims. And I know for a fact that Horton has had multiple six-figure offers from SEC schools in recent years. I do believe that the offers were made to those two guys based on my reporting, but again, much of the NIL world is largely unverifiable.

HornSports: What can Texas fans expect to see from the CSU offense and are there other players we should keep an eye on?

Justin Michael: CSU has a lot of speed at receiver and much more size in the trenches than most schools from the group of five. I imagine we’ll see the Rams try to lean on the athleticism of the skill players and maybe catch them off guard with a trick play or two. CSU scored on a wide receiver reverse pass and a fake field goal attempt last fall. As far as who the other players you should be aware of, former Texas commit Armani Winfield transferred over in the offseason. He’s looked really good in a deep receiver room. Sophomore running back Justin Marshall is also someone you should be aware of. 

HornSports: The Rams have a great special teams unit, particularly at the kicker and punter positions. Jordan Noyes is a 31-year old kicker who is married, has three children and is one of the most reliable kickers in college football.  Punter Paddy Turner was spectacular last season in punts inside the 20 and yards per return. Talk about the importance of this unit and what they mean to this football team as a whole.

Justin Michael: CSU was disastrous on special teams a few years ago despite having one of the best punters in college football in Ryan Stonehouse. Turner’s approach isn’t as flashy but he’s mastered the ability to limit returns. And Noyes is the best kicker the Rams have had in years. It may seem like a small thing but especially with Horton being a lethal returner, special teams is one of the biggest strengths for the program. It’s something the staff emphasizes tremendously and you’ll see both offensive and defensive starters highly involved on special teams. It’s viewed as one of the most important elements of the game. 

HornSports: The Rams had some challenges last season defensively, particularly late in games. What has the unit done in the offseason, via personnel additions or culture-related activities, to improve this season?  Who are some players that can make a difference defensively against what appears to be a very good Texas offense?

Justin Michael: CSU struggled to play with leads last year and it cost them a trip to the postseason. Veteran players have been very open about how it was a reality check for them, and that they need to be more consistent in those big moments. The hope is that they’ll limit some of the lapses in coverage that killed them a year ago. They want to play better in man coverage as well. One of the things that may subtly benefit the defense the most is a better run game on the offensive side though. 

HornSports: Looking at August 31 when Colorado State comes to Austin, how do you think the Rams stack up overall against the Longhorns?

Justin Michael: Texas clearly has significantly more size and speed. And I’d say there is a reason that the Longhorns are more than four-score favorites in the matchup. That said, the Rams have great athleticism offensively and are expected to put up a lot of points this fall. I anticipate that the Rams will cover but I’d be surprised if it’s a tight game in the second half. 

HornSports: It’s a 2:30 kickoff in Austin on gameday with temperatures in the upper 90’s.  Will the heat have an impact on the CSU players?

Justin Michael: It’s 90 degrees or hotter every day in Colorado and Fort Collins has an elevation north of 5,000 feet. I don’t think the heat will be fun for either side. But I don’t think that it’s going to feel super foreign to the guys either. 

HornSports: The last time CSU went to a bowl game was in 2017.  Is this the year Norvell and CSU go bowling?

Justin Michael: It’s been a long stretch but CSU will make a bowl this season. The schedule works out favorably for the Rams with seven home games and eight first-year coaches on the slate. That combined with the roster continuity should be enough to at least go .500. The big question is if the Rams can play their way into Mountain West championship contention. They frankly should have been a seven or eight-win team last year. So hopes are a little higher in Fort Collins than they would be for most programs with this type of postseason drought. 

You can read Justin’s coverage of Colorado State football and more at TheDNVR or via his account on X.