Colorado State Coach Jay Norvell Pays Tribute to Longhorns History

Colorado State Rams coach Jay Norvell knows starting the season in Austin against the Texas Longhorns is going to be an uphill climb for his players.

Nov 11, 2023; Fort Collins, Colorado, USA; Colorado State Rams head coach Jay Norvell watches the game during the third quarter against the San Diego State Aztecs at Sonny Lubick Field at Canvas Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports / Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports

Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell is a student of college football. He pays his respects when respects are due, something he did that Tuesday when speaking of the Texas Longhorns football program and its storied history ahead of Saturday's season opener in Austin.

"To play in Austin at Memorial Stadium is a big deal. Our kids are excited about it and we're looking forward to the opportunity. We’ve been training our kids that since we got here. We’re going to play in a great environment,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to play a really good football team in a great environment, and we should look forward to that. We’re playing against the schemes they run, and we have a more mature team that understands that.”

The opportunity they have is to come into Texas and play the No. 4 ranked team in the country according to the Associated Press Coaches Poll. This is a situation that Norvell knows all too well. Two seasons ago he took his Rams team into Ann Arbor to play Michigan in the first game of the season after the Wolverines played in a College Football Playoff the year prior. Norvell ducks no one.

Nov 11, 2023; Fort Collins, Colorado, USA; Colorado State Rams quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi (16) catches a snap during the third quarter against the San Diego State Aztecs at Sonny Lubick Field at Canvas Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports / Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports

The Rams, according to Norvell, are still a "work in progress." Most coaches will say that prior to the first game of the year as the wrinkles have not been ironed out yet. They won't know exactly what they have until they line up against someone wearing a different colored uniform.

Norvell said his team has gotten better against the run. Last season they allowed 166.2 yards a game rushing which was 95th in the country. Despite losing CJ Baxter and Christian Clark to season-ending injuries, Norvell knows that Steve Sarkisian is going to ground and pound the football. Norvell said if they cannot stop the run, it is going to be a long afternoon.

“That’s going to be a big challenge in this game, we know that,” Norvell said. “Texas does a really good job running the football. Every game is a challenge to your team because you’re trying to execute a game plan. We’ve got to be able to hold their run game down and find ways to be effective running the football.”

When it comes to the Rams on offense, they like to throw the ball around the yard. They have a form of the Air Raid offense that the late Mike Leach made famous at Washington State and Texas Tech. They like to spread the field and create a mismatch for one of their speedy receivers. However, the passing game only opens up when the offense can create some modicum of success running the football.

“We want to control the football and get explosive runs,” he said. “We feel like that’s a missing element on our team. We played with a walk-on running back last year and didn’t have a lot of pop in our running back. We’re healthier at that position and we’re more experienced in our offensive line.”