3 takeaways: Washington State football team dominates Colorado State

Colorado State football suffers a disappointing loss to Washington State, raising concerns for the team's offense and defense.

Colorado State football players, coaches, and fans had high hopes for Saturday's game against Washington State. After a disappointing 3-9 season last year, they believed that this season would bring positive change. They believed that the talent had improved, the preparation was better, and the team was ready to compete at a higher level. However, their hopes were quickly dashed as the Rams were dominated by Washington State, losing 50-24 at Canvas Stadium.

Despite expectations that the offense would show improvement from last year, it struggled to find its footing against Washington State. The Rams started strong, driving into the red zone on their first possession and scoring a field goal. However, the offense fell apart after that, gaining less than 40 yards for the rest of the half. Quarterback Clay Millen threw a pick-6 in the second half, further burying the Rams. Backup quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi had some success when he came in, throwing a 75-yard touchdown pass, but it was too little, too late.

The running game was ineffective, and the offense lacked downfield passing attempts. It was clear that the offense was not ready for primetime. The first touchdown came from a kick return, and the first offensive touchdown didn't come until the fourth quarter when the game was already decided. While scoring 24 points may be a small consolation, it is the first time that Colorado State has scored over 20 points under head coach Jay Norvell.

On the defensive side, the burden placed on them by the struggling offense was evident. Washington State quarterback Cameron Ward took advantage of open spaces and made simple throws into open receivers. He finished the game with 451 passing yards and three touchdowns, along with 40 rushing yards and another touchdown. While there were some decent stops in the red zone, the overall defensive performance was far from the level the unit had aimed for. The wide-open touchdowns allowed late in the game were particularly disappointing.

Losing to a solid Pac-12 team is not necessarily a negative sign, but the manner in which Colorado State lost and the lopsided nature of the defeat is disheartening for the team and its fans. The offense looked anemic, and the defense did not live up to its hype. With a long season ahead, there is still time for the team to regroup and improve. However, the loss, combined with the University of Colorado's win at TCU, has left Colorado State fans anxious about what's to come.

The team now heads into a Week 2 bye, which is an unusual scheduling quirk. Perhaps this break will give them the opportunity to regroup early in the season. The Rams will need to make significant changes before their game against Colorado on September 16 in Boulder.

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