By Gregg Xenakes Aug 22, 2007, 16:50 GMT
OFFENSE: The big question heading into the season, at least from an offensive standpoint with the Rams, is how well Bell will be able to take hits in live action. Lubick would like to ease him into the process, but he knows that Bell is chomping at the bit and the competition with Johnson will only give Bell that much more incentive to push himself. Assuming both Bell and Johnson can co-exist and comfortably fill in for each other when needed, the real concern should be whether or not QB Caleb Hanie can come back and have a stronger effort as a senior. Hanie passed for just over 200 yards per game, as he completed 61.1 percent of his attempts. However, of his 209 completions, only 11 found their way into the end zone, while 12 went into the hands of opponents. Wideout Damon Morton was second on the team with 48 catches for a team-best 722 yards and four scores, while Kory Sperry ended up crossing the goal line five times. Johnny Walker was tops among them all with 58 receptions through 12 games, accounting for 586 yards, but was shut out from the end zone. With all three of those skills players manning the outside, Hanie knows he has the talent on the wings to make him successful. Just as promising is the fact that four returning starting offensive linemen (Nick Allotta, Scott Benedict, Adrian Martinez and Tim Walter) will be in the trenches to get the offensive in motion and protect Hanie and Bell.
DEFENSE: Klint Kubiak is the top returning tackler for the Rams after putting up 90 stops a season ago, and yet that really isn't a good sign for the program considering the junior roams in the secondary. With Kubiak making so many stops it meant that he was shouldering far too much of the load for a squad that was allowing plays to get past the first and second lines of defense. Missing three games due to a left knee injury, Mike Pagnotta should be ready to make some hits for the Rams and again contend for the team lead in tackles for loss and sacks after putting up seven and a half and three, respectively. The biggest hitter on the front line will be coming off the end, as Blake Smith tries to build on a junior campaign in which he led the team with eight and a half TFLs, an impressive number considering he had a total of just 23 stops overall in 12 games. Backing up Smith will be Matt Rupp, who could easily have a starting spot on almost any other team in the league after leading the Rams with four sacks on just 17 tackles a year ago. He didn't play a single down for the Rams a season ago, or for any other college team for that matter, yet redshirt freshman Ricky Brewer is still expected to be a huge force for the squad in 2007. The 6-2 linebacker led the entire state of Colorado in tackles as a high school senior in 2005 with 156 stops, which has many CSU fans foaming at the mouth as they await his arrival to the middle for the Rams. Returning starter Jeff Horinek will be there to guide the youngster along, as he tries to improve upon his 69 tackles from a season ago.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Averaging more than five punts per game, kicker Jimmie Kaylor played just well enough to get himself recognized, but not quite become the center of attention. To counter a pair of blocks, Kaylor landed 13 kicks inside the 20 of the opponent, one of the reasons why the Rams were able to hold opponents to less than 22 ppg. Kaylor is a senior this year, while placekicker Jason Smith tries to follow up a mediocre sophomore campaign when he knocked through just 8-of-15 attempts. In his defense, Smith was forced to try six of those from 40 yards and beyond, hitting just a single 49-yard effort in the process.
OUTLOOK: With a winning record against just three of the 12 opponents on the schedule for this season, the Rams have their work cut out for them and cannot take anything for granted. Entering his 15th season with CSU, Lubick is uniquely qualified to get this bunch back on track and perhaps even into the postseason if the chips fall just the right way. Although Colorado State has one of the longest lists of returning starters for 2007, the fact remains that the offense still needs to prove itself and the well-being of Bell is a huge factor.
© 2007 The Sports Network
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