Setting the Stage: Air Attack Wants to Establish a Rhythm

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There's been a change at quarterback. Also, who is calling plays. The feeling is production in the passing game is prepped to have an uptick, according to Armani Winfield.

"If you look at the athletes we have, yeah, in our core position rooms. There's no reason why we're not more productive," Winfield said. "I think that just comes with finding a rhythm. There's playing complimentary football with the pass game being able to help the run game. Obviously Jalen Dupree and Lloyd Avant and Justin Marshall, they helped me get in the end zone because they're running the ball.

"We've just got to complement each other."

Colorado State hasn't had a quarterback throw for 200 yards in a game this season, though the combination of starter Jackson Brousseau and backup Darius Curry combined to clip the mark in the San Diego State game. Winfield leads the team with 203 receiving yards, bolstered by him reeling in the two longest passes of the year so far, his 49-yard score off a flea-flicker against the Aztecs the team's longest scoring play.

What he thinks it simply comes down to is finding a rhythm. While they were all comfortable with Brousseau, there are nuances which come with change. The past two weeks have each felt better, now he expects it will help them come out of the gates quicker and establish a momentum.

"I think we're gonna find more confidence, being able to depend on the running backs and being able to depend on the receivers and just find a rhythm," Winfield said. "Yeah, that's the biggest thing. That's how I feel. It just has to come out, and I think the coaches this week are gonna put us in great position to do that."

Winfield and Tommy Maher are the only two Rams with double-digit catches, Maher at 15, Winfield two behind. Next on the list is Dupree with nine.

The receivers have to do their part, and coach Jay Norvell knows it will require equal work on their part.

"They've got to compete. There's no easy answers," Norvell said. "You've got to compete, and you've got to focus on improvement. That's it. There's no magic pill to playing better."

Growing Up Fast

Two captains – Tanner Morley and Mukendi Wa-Kalonji – are out for the season. A third, linebacker Jacob Ellis, missed the last game with an injury. Into the void has come a youth movement.

"I see guys like Jackson Brousseau stepping up. I see guys like Jalen Dupree. I see guys like Aaron Karas are doing a fabulous job," Norvell said. "And I really got to give it to Owen Long. You know, Owen Long is a kid who I felt like was probably the most natural leader on our team. And he's very young, but he has all the qualities that we're looking for. It's the dynamics of rosters now and how your team gets built."

Long is a true sophomore and the youngest captain ever for a Norvell team. Dupree is a redshirt freshman. Brousseau is a redshirt sophomore. In each of their cases, the coach noted they've been around longer than 14 of the seniors who transferred into the program.

They know the ropes, so it's natural to see them step to the front.

"The leaders of our team are our younger players. You know, the Owen Longs, the Jalen Duprees, the Jackson Brousseaus, those are our leaders on our team," Norvell said. "Those are our playmakers, and we've got to continue to build on that."

Which began after Wednesday's practice, when Norvell announced Brousseau and Dupree as captains for the remainder of the year.

Here and There

This is the fourth time Colorado State has played back-to-back Friday games. The previous time came in 2019, the final two games of the regular season. The first time came back in 1917. … The 2019 season was the highwater mark for Friday games, four in all. The Rams play three this season. … The first Friday game for the program came back in 1912. … Fresno State enters on a five-game win streak and is 2-0 in Mountain West play. Both wins in conference play have been decided by three points or less.

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