CSU Rams shut down New Mexico, keeping Mountain West title hopes alive

FORT COLLINS – Those expecting a plethora of points Saturday afternoon at Canvas Stadium were undoubtedly surprised, if not disappointed.

But Colorado State did what it had to do and beat New Mexico 17-6 to keep its Mountain West Conference title hopes alive.

Coach Jay Norvell was thrilled with his team's poise and ability to make the big play in crucial moments – even if the Rams' overall aesthetic wasn't quite as appealing.

“To be honest, we’re not too worried about style aspects,” Norvell said. “We want to do the things we have to do to win. We have to get better offensively in the second half. … That was disappointing.”

The Rams defeated the Lobos for the 13th straight time and improved to 3-0 in the Mountain West and 5-3 overall. On a perfect fall afternoon, the Rams won on Homecoming weekend in front of an announced sellout crowd of 36,980.

Three big plays — a long touchdown reception by Caleb Goodie, an 82-yard punt return TD by Kobe Johnson and a fumble recovery by Henry Blackburn — were key to the Rams' third straight victory.

The Rams are now just one win away from bowl eligibility as they look ahead to next Saturday's game at Nevada. They haven't been to a bowl game since 2017 but insist they have no plans.

“It's next game, next job,” said linebacker Chase Wilson, who made 10 tackles and also had an interception in the fourth quarter. “We know we could be bowl eligible next week and that’s exciting. But that’s just extended noise.”

Entering Saturday, New Mexico had scored more than 50 points in three straight games. Despite outscoring the Rams 453-334 in total yardage, New Mexico never got into the end zone. Four findings from the CSU defense had a lot to do with it.

“We've obviously been hearing 50-50-50 all week,” said cornerback Dylan Phelps, who had six tackles and a forced fumble. “But we knew if we continued to follow (defensive coordinator Freddie) Banks’ game plan and our fundamentals, good things would happen.”

CSU's 17-3 halftime lead was thanks to two crucial plays.

Early in the second quarter, with quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi trailing the Lobos 3-0, he spotted Goodie behind the secondary and brilliantly hit the sophomore receiver for a 46-yard TD pass and a 7-3 lead .

With star wide receiver Tory Horton out this season with a knee injury, Goodie has become Fowler-Nicolosi's big target. Goodie made a sensational one-handed catch and turned it into an 85-yard touchdown against Air Force last Saturday.

“It’s exciting that they trust me to make plays,” Goodie said. “It’s been growing every week.”