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Colorado State Rams Fail To Prevail In Season Opener Falling Short To The Huskies

Originally posted on Stadium Rant | By Bruce Osslund | Last updated Sep 1, 2025 6:59 PM ET

College Football Is Back

The Colorado State Rams headed northwest to take on the Washington Huskies for week 1 of the NCAA college football season. The Huskies finished on top beating the Rams 38-21.

Although there was just a few hiccups in the execution, there is no doubt that Coach Jay Norvell can get these Rams amped up and turn the switch on how the team can amplify their gameplay for the remainder of the season.

Week 1 performance never defies a team because there is always room for improvement. After a loss, you have to adjust gameplay, concepts, schemes and all the above to improve the following week.

Stat Recap

The Rams returning senior QB Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi finished the game 17/32 with 180 YDS, 1 TD and 1 INT. Not a bad start to the season, but there is definitely time to improve.

Huskies QB Demond Williams Jr., the second-year man who replaced Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr., got the win Saturday night completing 18/24 passes and 226 YDS and 1 TD.

Key Additions:

Starting sophomore TE Jaxxon Warren led the Rams in both receiving categories with 6 REC, 79 YDS, and 1 TD. He helped the offense get some points on the board and hopefully will be a go-to guy for the season.

Senior WR Tay Lanier transferred to CSU this offseason from Northern Arizona Lumberjacks. Although he had one catch for 10 yds, his senior leadership in the wide receiver room should boost some morale for the team.

Key Losses

There were a few key Rams that had departed the team after last season and headed to the NFL combine, tryouts and invites, and the draft some these players include:

DB Jack Howell: The heart and soul of the Ram’s defense the past four years got an invitation to minicamp from the San Francisco 49ers.

WR Tory Horton: with the 166^th pick in the 5^th round of the 2025 NFL draft, Horton got drafted by the Seattle Seahawks, and after a promising pre-season, gained a spot on the 53-man roster.

S Henry Blackburn: CSU’s hard-hitting safety was invited to Denver Broncos minicamp as an undrafted free agent to tryout.

Next Week Matchup

The Rams get a good home field advantage in Fort Collins, CO this upcoming Saturday against the Northern Colorado Bears, a good old Colorado college showdown can help the Rams improve to a 1-1 record.

As mentioned earlier, you get a full week to reset, change your gameplay, and only look forward. I have trust in this team to give a good fight to end on top in the Mountain West Conference, this team needs it.

End Of My Colorado State Rant

In order for the Rams to succeed this season, the offense needs to be clicking on all cylinders. There are quite a few new faces on this team this year, sometimes summer camp isn’t enough time to create bonds on the field. Time to shrug off week 1’s loss and head on to next week to face the Northern CO Bears.

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This article first appeared on Stadium Rant and was syndicated with permission.

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