Colorado State University Athletics
Saturday, September 12
Fort Collins, CO
5:00 PM
Colorado State
2-0 , 0-0
58
vs
24
Southern Utah
1-2 , 0-1
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Utah | 7 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 24 |
| Colorado State | 17 | 31 | 3 | 7 | 58 |
Foot on the Gas
9/12/2026 10:05:00 PM | Football
Rams explode offensively to move to 2-0
In all of 99 seconds, they had a 14-0 lead. In the final 3:24 of the first half, Colorado State's offense added 24 points to a record-setting opening.
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All gas. No breaks. No flinching.
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For the first time since 2011, the Rams are off to a 2-0 start after a 58-24 victory over Southern Utah. The last time a new coach began his tenure with two victories came back in 1947, when Bob Davis did so.
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Coach Jim Mora was quick to point out it wasn't perfect, but the night was effective in front of 35,749 fans at Canvas Stadium. But the players say it is fun to play for an offensive coordinator who is always in go-go mode.
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Pryce Tracy was.
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"Coach Tracy, he calls very diverse offense. He likes to switch it up a lot, a lot of different formations," receiver Jackson Harper said. "He called a great game today. I love playing for Coach Tracy."
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The Rams finished with 13 explosive plays on the night, nine through the air, three on the ground and one by Harper on special teams, helping keep Tracy aggressive down the stretch of the first half. The Rams scored 48 points in the first two quarters – a record to start a game.
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The second offensive play was a 68-yard touchdown connection between Hauss Hejny and Caleb Ross, a freshman who has now scored the opening points in the first two games. After a  forced fumble by the defense, two plays later Hejny hit Terrance Smith Jr. for a 38-yard scoring play.
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On and on it went. An 80-yard run by Mel Brown to set up a 1-yard scoring run. When the Thunderbirds closed the gap on the opening 24-7 advantage down to 24-21, Brown broke off a 73-yard scoring run, both of them highlighted by great blocking down field.
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The Rams have been challenged at one point in the game both weeks. Twice they have responded.
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"I would say (it's) just with the way we practice. We do a lot of good on good. We do a lot of situations," Brown said. "So the situations that we're in in game is nothing new to us. I would say practice is always harder than games. It's just at this point it's routine and it's just what we do, so we're not sitting there like stressed now or just worried about things like that.
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We just keep going and just keep going and keep going."
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Good for the players, because Mora said in those moments he feels like he wants to vomit.
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Harper, who finished with 102 receiving yards, added a 17-yard scoring catch, a play set up by his 19-yard punt return. Then Smith and Hejny hooked up again, this time covering 33 yards. And given just a glimmer of time on the clock, Tracy remained aggressive and Kali Nguma delivered the second of his three field goals, this one good from 51.
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Southern Utah pushed. The Rams shoved back. With great force.
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By the end of the night it was 678 yards of total offense (fourth best). Hejny accounted for five touchdowns overall, throwing for four and scoring on a 75-yard run. His nine touchdown passes matches a mark for a two-game stretch by a CSU quarterback (Nick Stevens, 2016) and he threw for 325 yards with one pick.
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Brown finished with 171 yards, the brunt coming off those two carries, rushing just nine times with the offense rushing for 296 overall.
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"I mean, those are good numbers; big plays are great. We love big plays," Mora said. "I also like sustained drives. I think we did a little better job there. So, I'm happy we won. It was a good win, but I think there's just so much more out there for us. We have a ton of improvement that we can make and we will make."
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The defense was a mixed bag. The Rams allowed 442 yards and 11 explosive plays, including a 58-yard touchdown run by Floyd Chalk, who finished with 144 yards and two touchdowns as the Thunderbirds rushed for 206.
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The unit also delivered four turnovers. Caleb Presley caused a fumble and recovered one. So did Tre'Shawn Moore. Oumar Diomande and CJ Blocker had interceptions for the second consecutive game.
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"I think our mentality is just playing with the elite effort on every single play and I think it's really turned out for us with those, showing up with those turnovers, for sure," said Jack Moran, who matched a career best with six tackles and set one with 1.5 tackles for loss. "I think it stems from having confidence in one another and knowing that the man next to you is going to do their job and you're going to do your job with elite effort. I just think that builds confidence as we start to make more plays."
Â
Things did calm down. The group gave up just a field goal and only 151 yards in the second half after getting hurt by missed tackles on third downs and big plays early.
Â
The start of the season is encouraging, yet Mora is looking at the bigger picture. What the Rams have done has been good enough for a pair of victories. Now comes the next game but first is a week of preparation.
Â
That's when his team has to get better. Because it must.
Â
"I thought it was another step in the right direction. I thought we were explosive on offense. Unfortunately, they were explosive on offense as well," Mora said. "So there's some disappointment there, but things that we can correct -- we will correct. You know, positives on defense are we got them to three points in the second half. We had the four takeaways again. So those are things that we, you know, will build on. But I was not happy with the way they split our defense a couple times for big gainers.
Â
"Once again, when you have a good staff, which we do defensively, and you have players that are willing, you can get that fixed. And it's just going to have to get fixed quickly because  BYU is a really good football team."
In other words, no time to take the foot off the pedal.
Â
Â
All gas. No breaks. No flinching.
Â
For the first time since 2011, the Rams are off to a 2-0 start after a 58-24 victory over Southern Utah. The last time a new coach began his tenure with two victories came back in 1947, when Bob Davis did so.
Â
Coach Jim Mora was quick to point out it wasn't perfect, but the night was effective in front of 35,749 fans at Canvas Stadium. But the players say it is fun to play for an offensive coordinator who is always in go-go mode.
Â
Pryce Tracy was.
Â
"Coach Tracy, he calls very diverse offense. He likes to switch it up a lot, a lot of different formations," receiver Jackson Harper said. "He called a great game today. I love playing for Coach Tracy."
Â
The Rams finished with 13 explosive plays on the night, nine through the air, three on the ground and one by Harper on special teams, helping keep Tracy aggressive down the stretch of the first half. The Rams scored 48 points in the first two quarters – a record to start a game.
Â
The second offensive play was a 68-yard touchdown connection between Hauss Hejny and Caleb Ross, a freshman who has now scored the opening points in the first two games. After a  forced fumble by the defense, two plays later Hejny hit Terrance Smith Jr. for a 38-yard scoring play.
Â
On and on it went. An 80-yard run by Mel Brown to set up a 1-yard scoring run. When the Thunderbirds closed the gap on the opening 24-7 advantage down to 24-21, Brown broke off a 73-yard scoring run, both of them highlighted by great blocking down field.
Â
The Rams have been challenged at one point in the game both weeks. Twice they have responded.
Â
"I would say (it's) just with the way we practice. We do a lot of good on good. We do a lot of situations," Brown said. "So the situations that we're in in game is nothing new to us. I would say practice is always harder than games. It's just at this point it's routine and it's just what we do, so we're not sitting there like stressed now or just worried about things like that.
Â
We just keep going and just keep going and keep going."
Â
Good for the players, because Mora said in those moments he feels like he wants to vomit.
Â
Harper, who finished with 102 receiving yards, added a 17-yard scoring catch, a play set up by his 19-yard punt return. Then Smith and Hejny hooked up again, this time covering 33 yards. And given just a glimmer of time on the clock, Tracy remained aggressive and Kali Nguma delivered the second of his three field goals, this one good from 51.
Â
Southern Utah pushed. The Rams shoved back. With great force.
Â
By the end of the night it was 678 yards of total offense (fourth best). Hejny accounted for five touchdowns overall, throwing for four and scoring on a 75-yard run. His nine touchdown passes matches a mark for a two-game stretch by a CSU quarterback (Nick Stevens, 2016) and he threw for 325 yards with one pick.
Â
Brown finished with 171 yards, the brunt coming off those two carries, rushing just nine times with the offense rushing for 296 overall.
Â
"I mean, those are good numbers; big plays are great. We love big plays," Mora said. "I also like sustained drives. I think we did a little better job there. So, I'm happy we won. It was a good win, but I think there's just so much more out there for us. We have a ton of improvement that we can make and we will make."
Â
The defense was a mixed bag. The Rams allowed 442 yards and 11 explosive plays, including a 58-yard touchdown run by Floyd Chalk, who finished with 144 yards and two touchdowns as the Thunderbirds rushed for 206.
Â
The unit also delivered four turnovers. Caleb Presley caused a fumble and recovered one. So did Tre'Shawn Moore. Oumar Diomande and CJ Blocker had interceptions for the second consecutive game.
Â
"I think our mentality is just playing with the elite effort on every single play and I think it's really turned out for us with those, showing up with those turnovers, for sure," said Jack Moran, who matched a career best with six tackles and set one with 1.5 tackles for loss. "I think it stems from having confidence in one another and knowing that the man next to you is going to do their job and you're going to do your job with elite effort. I just think that builds confidence as we start to make more plays."
Â
Things did calm down. The group gave up just a field goal and only 151 yards in the second half after getting hurt by missed tackles on third downs and big plays early.
Â
The start of the season is encouraging, yet Mora is looking at the bigger picture. What the Rams have done has been good enough for a pair of victories. Now comes the next game but first is a week of preparation.
Â
That's when his team has to get better. Because it must.
Â
"I thought it was another step in the right direction. I thought we were explosive on offense. Unfortunately, they were explosive on offense as well," Mora said. "So there's some disappointment there, but things that we can correct -- we will correct. You know, positives on defense are we got them to three points in the second half. We had the four takeaways again. So those are things that we, you know, will build on. But I was not happy with the way they split our defense a couple times for big gainers.
Â
"Once again, when you have a good staff, which we do defensively, and you have players that are willing, you can get that fixed. And it's just going to have to get fixed quickly because  BYU is a really good football team."
In other words, no time to take the foot off the pedal.
Â
Players Mentioned
CB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
QB
/ Football
S
/ Football
DL
/ Football
K
/ Football
CB
/ FootballTeam Stats
SUU
CSU
Total Yards
442
678
Pass Yards
236
382
Rushing Yards
206
296
Penalty Yards
42
20
1st Downs
18
22
3rd Downs
6
8
4th Downs
0
0
TOP
33:18
26:42
1st Quarter
SUU 0, CSU 7
CSU - Ross,Cedric 68 yd pass from Hejny,Hauss (Nguma,Kali kick) 2 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:47
SUU 0, CSU 14
CSU - Smith,Terrence 38 yd pass from Hejny,Hauss (Nguma,Kali kick) 2 plays, 45 yards, TOP 00:44
SUU 7, CSU 14
SUU - Spjut,David 18 yd pass from Burns,Will (Rogers,Jayden kick) 10 plays, 67 yards, TOP 04:04
SUU 7, CSU 17
CSU - Nguma,Kali 40 yd field goal 10 plays, 53 yards, TOP 04:16
2nd Quarter
SUU 7, CSU 24
CSU - Brown,Mel 1 yd run (Nguma,Kali kick), 3 plays, 81 yards, TOP 00:23
SUU 14, CSU 24
SUU - Chalk,Floyd 58 yd run (Rogers,Jayden kick), 3 plays, 71 yards, TOP 00:52
SUU 21, CSU 24
SUU - Chalk,Floyd 3 yd run (Rogers,Jayden kick), 3 plays, 81 yards, TOP 01:22
SUU 21, CSU 31
CSU - Brown,Mel 73 yd run (Nguma,Kali kick), 2 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:48
SUU 21, CSU 38
CSU - Harper,Jackson 17 yd pass from Hejny,Hauss (Nguma,Kali kick) 2 plays, 18 yards, TOP 00:21
SUU 21, CSU 45
CSU - Smith,Terrence 33 yd pass from Hejny,Hauss (Nguma,Kali kick) 4 plays, 70 yards, TOP 00:42
SUU 21, CSU 48
CSU - Nguma,Kali 51 yd field goal 4 plays, 8 yards, TOP 00:24
3rd Quarter
SUU 21, CSU 51
CSU - Nguma,Kali 23 yd field goal 10 plays, 63 yards, TOP 03:55
4th Quarter
SUU 24, CSU 51
SUU - Rogers,Jayden 37 yd field goal 12 plays, 55 yards, TOP 07:37
SUU 24, CSU 58
CSU - Hejny,Hauss 75 yd run (Nguma,Kali kick), 1 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:13
Game Leaders
CMP
18
TD
4
YDS
325
INT
1
Saturday, September 12
Saturday, September 12
Monday, September 07
Monday, September 07