Ty Whittier News

Growing pains. It's an appropriate description of what CSU's defense is going through this football season.

Alex Square and Matt Yemm have been around the CSU football program for so long that they sometimes just blend into the scenery.

LAS VEGAS - Superstitions carry a lot of weight on the famed Las Vegas Strip, located just a mile away from the UNLV campus and a short drive from Sam Boyd Stadium.

Unhappy with the direction of the passing game, Colorado State head coach Steve Fairchild said earlier in the week there would be changes.

Most of the time, Zac Pauga is a lineman playing in the backfield for the CSU football team.

Despite a six-game losing streak and scores and statistics that suggest otherwise, CSU coach Steve Fairchild is convinced his football team is on the right path.

CSU's top defensive unit in practice Tuesday consisted of two freshmen and a sophomore at linebacker and one sophomore and one freshman at defensive end.

C.J. James knows the players trying to block him have quite a bit more experience than he does.

There's two sides to every story, and that stands true for Colorado State's kickoff coverage woes.

After three straight losses, the CSU football team was due for some good news and got some.

Don't think, just do. That's the step Steve Fairchild is waiting for the Colorado State program to make.

MOSCOW, Idaho - Steve Fairchild isn't taking any chances this week. CSU's second-year football coach declined to reveal which of his injured players practiced and which didn't following a closed practice Thursday, much of it conducted inside the Rams' indoor practice facility.

Steve Fairchild and Robb Akey can look at each other and understand what the other is going through.

Each February, college football coaches across the country talk about the promising future of their programs as they announce the signings of two dozen or so recruits - players they will put through five years of college in exchange for their services on the football field.

The numbers were such that Larry Kerr didn't want to divulge much. Either the Colorado State defensive coordinator lost count of missed tackles in last Saturday's loss to BYU, or the total was so high he just preferred not to say.

Although the Mountain West Conference's partnership with The Mountain West Sports Network has led to more televised games than ever before, that deal actually is keeping CSU's football team off the air today.

Defensive back Gerard Thomas, left, and safety Ivory Herd walk along the football practice field on Tuesday afternoon.

Defense clearly was not a strength last season for the CSU football team. The Rams, despite going 7-6 and winning a bowl game, statistically were among the nation's worst teams in several areas.

In his first go-around as an offensive coordinator, Colorado's Eric Kiesau said his Sunday night debut went smoothly - " except for the final score.

BOULDER - CSU's football team wasn't going to be intimidated Sunday night. Not by the near-sellout crowd of 53,168 fans at the University of Colorado's Folsom Field.