Monday Presser: Time to Move Forward

Jim Mora's approach – like most coaches – is to take from the Bob Seger catalog and turn the page.

Beat the rival and do so soundly, such as Colorado State did in Saturday's 35-13 win over Wyoming, one must celebrate the moment then move to the next.

"That one's behind us, it's on to the next one. We've watched the film as a staff, we've watched it with our players, so now it's learn, apply, adjust, and now it's all about the next opponent," Mora said Monday at his weekly presser in front of Saturday's home game with Southern Utah. "So we are out of range of any thoughts towards what happened, and we are purely focused on the next challenge, which is a team that's going to come here that we've watched them, and they're a pretty good football team."

Moving past means stop talking about it. Coaches and players watch the previous film, not to bask in the glow of a victory, but to highlight areas for improvement. For Mora, it is limiting the flags, one which wiped out a big play. Adjusting to the run game, which he said the Rams did do, just do it quicker. For the staff, improve communication on the sideline; the game marked the first time they were all on the same side at one time, and the organization was impacted.

They look at everything. The universally accepted hypothesis among football coaches is the greatest gains in a season can be made between the first and the second games. Mora wonders why anyone would want to stop there.

"The greatest leap in improvement between week one and week two is accomplished by having a great week of preparation, and focusing on things you need to improve, adjusting, applying, and moving to the next one," Mora said. "And that's how you get that done. It's a fallacy to think that it's just going to happen.

"It happens because you make it happen through the process and follow all year long. So really, what should happen is there should be a great leap between week one and week two, and there should be another great leap between week two and week three, and week four and week five, and so on. That's my philosophy about it."

Up Next

Southern Utah visits Canvas Stadium in the first meeting between the two programs. The Thunderbirds at 1-1 after two tight games – a 28-21 loss to FCS No. 2 Montana and a 47-42 shootout win over Weber State.

The Thunderbirds amassed 514 yards of total offense, 386 of it on the ground. Floyd Chalk rushed for 183 yards with three touchdowns, while quarterback Will Burns contributed 148 on the ground with two scores while throwing for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Chalk isn't a stranger to the Rams, having played previously for San Jose State and rushing for 68 yards in the 2024 meeting.

It also means while Colorado State doesn't play Air Force, defensively it still has to prep for an option attack. That was among the items Mora has noted early about the Thunderbirds.

"They run a unique triple-option scheme that's very hard to prepare for, that their quarterback is tough and makes really good decisions, that they've got excellent running backs, that they're physical up front, they know what they're doing," he said. "They're a very well coach. They have a new offensive line coach that is experienced and has had a lot of success, and their receivers get downfield a lot. So those are things I've noticed so far. And, you know, we've really just kind of into day two of our breaking them down and watching them.

"At least I am. I know some of the younger staff members, they go ahead in their preparation, but that's where I'm at."

By the Numbers

Colorado State is 7-11-1 against teams it has only played once. … Saturday is Ag Day, first created in the 1980s by Fum McGraw to honor the school's agriculture and land grant roots. Special uniforms were first worn in 2010 with the Rams wearing the original pumpkin and alfalfa colors. … The Rams are 11-4 in those contests wearing the color scheme (they were not worn in the 2020 season). … QB Hauss Hejny's five TD passes vs. Wyoming are tied for second in a single game at CSU. He is the third QB to do so on opening day (Nick Stevens, 2015; K.J. Carta-Samuels, 2018). He and Carta-Samuels are the only two to do so in a first start. … RJ Vick's three scoring catches are also tied for second at the school for a single game. He and Kory Sperry (2007), both hit the number in a season opener.

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