Throughout his first years at Boston College, running back David Bailey was always the Robin to AJ Dillion’s Batman.

While Dillion led the ACC in rushing with 1,685 yards as a senior in 2019, Bailey amassed 844 yards and seven touchdowns on 148 carries as a sophomore. The one-two punch on the ground propelled the Eagles offense to their fourth straight bowl appearance under head coach Steve Addazio.

Fast forward two years and Dillion is now in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers while Bailey has transferred to Colorado State to reunite with Addazio. This time around, the senior is both a featured back and a key asset in the passing game. On top of running for 126 yards and two touchdowns after two games this season, Bailey has also caught six passes for a pair of scores, which is as much as his combined total in three years at Boston College.

Northern Colorado ready for first home football game in nearly two years

“He’s got pro hands,” CSU head coach Addazio said during his weekly press conference. “He’s a vacuum cleaner. He catches everything.”

Bailey will be relied upon heavily on Saturday when the Rams travel to Toledo for their first road game of the season. His previous career high in receptions was 10 in 2019, a number that is expected to be surpassed in the near future.

Bailey was an offensive force for the Rams against Vanderbilt last week. He caught a three-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and ran for a 20-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Unfortunately for CSU, the Rams weren’t able to maintain their lead. A 14-0 third quarter and a last-minute field goal gave Vanderbilt its first win of the season and dealt CSU a 0-2 start.

Air Force opens conference play with a Utah State team loaded with a new-look roster

“The shame last week with David was we bumbled around in the beginning of the second half,” Addazio said. “That’s when he’s at his best. We didn’t get that going. If we had gotten that going, that would’ve been enough to change outcome of that game.”

Like CSU against Vanderbilt, Toledo is coming off a hard-fought game in which the team took No. 8 Notre Dame to the brink in a 32-29 Week 2 loss. The defense held the Fighting Irish to 132 rushing yards and sacked quarterback Jack Coan six times.

“I think their defensive coordinator does a great job in stopping the run with various different fronts and pressures,” Addazio said.

While the Rockets held Norfolk State scoreless in Week 1, the defense did allow 147 rushing yards. Bailey and the Rams should be able to run against Toledo and have a chance to earn their first win of the season.

CU set to take on Minnesota, for its second-straight Power 5 matchup

However, the odds are indeed against CSU. According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, Toledo has a 92.6 percent chance of winning is favored by two touchdowns.