FORT COLLINS • Colorado State bounced back from a Week 1 blowout at Texas by beating Northern Colorado, 38-17, on Saturday.

Here are three takeaways from Canvas Stadium:

1. It took Tory Horton exactly one play to move up NFL draft boards. The senior wide receiver’s first touch, a 78-yard punt return for a touchdown, showed a different burst than any else on Sonny Lubick Field on Saturday. Horton may not be among the elite receivers at the top of the draft class, but he’s creeping closer to the first round if the injury that forced him out of the game in the third quarter isn’t a serious one.

2. If the Rams can run the ball like they did against the Bears, Fort Collins could very well be celebrating a win against Colorado next week. The Rams rushed for 246 yards and three touchdowns against Northern Colorado, averaging more than six yards per carry.

3. Credit Northern Colorado for hanging around. After the tough start, the Bears won the second half until Avery Morrow’s touchdown in the final minute of regulation. UNC quarterback Peter Costelli did well to keep it competitive, passing for a couple of touchdowns without turning the ball over.