Rams Like Their QB in the Saddle - Colorado State Athletics

Not a single offensive coach sits down and puts pen to paper, draws Xs and Os and does so with the idea the concept has no chance of succeeding and will thus fall apart. Each one is drawn up to gain yards, and possibly – if run perfectly – lead to the end zone.

Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don't. What happens is the Xs and Os become actual human beings with a mind of their own and a particular set of skills which do not translate when ink is put to paper.

When water washes across the page and the ink starts to spread across the page, that's when Hauss Hejny happens for Colorado State.

Or, as coach Jim Mora relayed from a recent play: "Cowboy _____."

"Honestly, it is pretty fun. Like, when something unexpected happens, it kind of brings a little bit of juice to my veins, and that's where the ball spiking comes from," Hejny said. "When a fun play happens and it breaks down and I end up using my legs. I would definitely say it brings some more fun to me."

Quite often, points on the board for Colorado State. It's his mobility, for sure. It's his arm strength, most definitely. Most accurately, it's a combination of both. As much as he can take off on a 75-yard scoring run, he heave a ball under heavy pressure to find a receiver down field. Just as sure as he can zig-zag 25 yards to score a 9-yard touchdown on the run, he can roll out, square his shoulders and find a target down field.

It's an exciting style of play because it creates hope for an offense when it seems all hope is loss. Hejny is innovative and a bit of a freelancer, and quarterbacks coach Matt Mitchell calls him a gunslinger.

"It goes into a bigger philosophical belief that we have for the position. In today's football, to play quarterback, you gotta be tough, prepared, decisive, accurate leader, and then you gotta be able to make off-schedule plays," CSU offensive coordinator Pryce Tracy said. "If you watch NFL football, all those guys, they can improvise. You can't be Peyton Manning, Tom Brady in today's game, right? You can't be a wooden Indian, a statue back there. You gotta be able to move, because the pass rush, the defensive disguise, the scheme that defenses run these days, the simulator pressures, the pressures, the six-ups, the seven-ups, it's hard to be right every single time.

"So you have to have that X factor as a quarterback in today's game. So I think the bigger question is it doesn't change how I call or what I call, it's just a non-negotiable trait that quarterbacks who play in our system have to have."

The one thing Hejny has not been is reckless.

In his six starts, has completed 65.4 percent of his passes for 1,391 yards. He's thrown 16 touchdown passes and just two interceptions. Additionally, he's rushed for 277 yards and four touchdowns. Best of all, he has accounted for just three turnovers.

A great scramble will make an offensive coordinator happy. When the quarterback avoids turnovers, they both remain employed. Remember, Hejny has shown that maturity despite not yet having played a full season in his career.

"Yeah, that's critical, obviously. We stress it," Tracy said. "He's conscious of it, we stress it. We work scramble drill, to highlight what these guys do. And so when we get into scramble mode, it's not just backyard ball. There's detail to that.

"We show ball security every day. We preach ball security. We show the statistics, the turnover margin, right, and how it correlates to winning. So it's something we harp, it's something we believe in. It's an everyday discussion, so it's always front of mind."

Experience is the best teacher, and Hejny is still very much a student every day. He's now made seven career starts, six of them as a Ram. Understanding comes with repetition, but also from preparation. By doing that, Hejny feels he's helped himself be ready for the moments, when the play breaks down but he cannot.

A few years back, he read about breathing exercises and started incorporating that into his life.

"I try and control my central nervous system as best I can, and that goes beyond off the field," he said. "Breath work has helped me control my mental state along with my breath and that helps calm my heart rate down.

"I would say we're in a high-pressure practice environment. So, when it gets to games, honestly, the pressure goes down a little bit more. The pace is a little bit slower. I think Coach (Jim) Mora has done a good job of pressuring me in practice so in games I'm able to calm down more."

Being calm when a play collapses is a gift, whether it is an innate ability or a learned skill. When the ball is in his hands, his teammates feel every play has a high success rate, and possibly, some magic can happen.

After last week's game, receiver Tommy Maher called his quarterback electric, one of a kind. For Hejny, that's about the highest praise he can get.

"I would say so. I appreciate the fact that they see me as that kind of person, that it's just Hauss being Hauss or he's one of one. I really don't like to take that and run with it too much because I feel like I've got a lot of room to grow, as everyone does," Hejny said. "I just want to try and stay humble as I can and try and always look for room to grow and just be the best person I can be every day.

"That's why I stay off of social media and stuff because I know people are talking on social media, good or bad. I just try and stay in my lane and try and focus on the present and not worry about outside noise or even inside noise. I try and just focus on what I've got to do to help this team the most."

Some of the focus is built in. Tracy knows plays are going to break down, so the offensive – quarterbacks included – are given a plan for when it happens. Certain targets will head to specific places, giving Hejny an idea of where to look.

Sometimes, the action of a play is going to force him one way, eliminating some options. Or not. His speed and arm talent always make the turn interesting.

Cowboy shit.

"It's that improvisation part of my game where things break down and it's almost like you kind of go rogue and good things can happen, bad things can happen, but you kind of … You're riding that fine line of a riverboat gambler," Hejny said. "But, in turn, you still got to take care of the football at the end of the day, but good plays can happen.

"I don't play poker, but our quarterback coach talks about it. Coach Tracy and Coach Mora call me a cowboy, but he calls me sometimes a riverboat gambler."

Watching him play, it doesn't strike any of them that Hejny is ever willing to fold a hand. He prefers to hold his options close to the vest and go all in when the moment is ripe.

Even for a coach, it can be fun to watch unfold.

"I'm like, yes, yes, yes, but then I'm like, get out, you know, because I don't like quarterbacks to take hits," Mora said. "Hauss is awesome. So Hauss comes off the sideline on the one where he did all this, and then he did this, and then he got in the end zone, and his comment was, 'now that was some cowboy ... Blank. It was just great to hear him say that you know.

"When we voted for captains, it was no surprise to me who was chosen, quite frankly. I've counted a lot of captain votes in my years, and he was almost unanimous. It says a lot about him, and the way he talks to the team at this point is he has the most impactful voice in that locker room. They listen to him, they trust him, they want to ride with him. So, just for me, I want to keep him healthy. So, yeah, go, go, go, go, get out, you know. But you love the way he plays the game."

Most coaches. Most of the time. Not all of them all of the time.

What they carry in agreement is they wouldn't try to take that part of the game away from Hejny.

"Coach said it the other day in his press conference --yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. There's a lot of times where I'm no, no, no, no, no, holy shit, yes," Tracy said. "And it's just part of what we call his Superman power. It can also be his kryptonite. It can end up really, really good nine out of 10 times, and there's that one time where maybe it doesn't go so well, and that's just what you gotta live with if you wanna have that type of player."

Which the Rams do. Which is what Hejny is, and does, and why each week they ask him to do one thing.

Saddle up.

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