Jay Norvell should remember what it felt like last time he was in Canvas Stadium.

Yes, it was a packed house for Colorado State’s home opener. But, as his team trailed 10-0 at halftime and later needed a minor miracle (or two) in the final minute to beat Northern Colorado (an FCS team with two wins since the start of 2023), the excitement that existed before the game quickly turned to nervousness and then frustration.

After a crucial, early-season bye week, many wondered if change was coming, particularly at quarterback, ahead of an important game against UTSA this Saturday (7:30 p.m. FS1).

“(Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi) has been our quarterback, and he is our quarterback,” Norvell said at the start of this week.

Well, that settles that.

Even after arguably the most disappointing performance since becoming the starter (13-for-25 passing for 132 yards with no touchdowns and one interception), Fowler-Nicolosi remains Norvell’s guy.

“Brayden didn’t play well, especially (in) the first half of the last game,” Norvell said. “He’ll be the first one to admit that and we gotta get him playing with more continuity and comfort. We had a chance to go back and really look at things that he likes that we can hang our hat on. 

“(Backup) Jackson Brousseau is ready. We practiced Jackson with the (first team offense) some last week. Our guys are comfortable with Jackson being in that (first team) huddle, but Brayden’s our guy, and we gotta get playing good and feeling confident. This is an important week for us to do that.”

It’s an important week in several respects. If Washington and Northern Colorado are at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of caliber of opponents the Rams will face this fall, UTSA is somewhere in the middle. The Roadrunners are what CSU aspires to be, and as the saying goes, ‘to be the man, you gotta beat the man.’

“They’re one of the top Group of Five programs in the country,” Norvell said. “If you look over the last four or five years, UTSA, Memphis, Tulane, Liberty, Boise (State) — probably the top schools in America at our level.”

 UTSA is led by Jeff Traylor, whom Norvell coached alongside for a year as assistants at Texas a decade ago, and quarterbacked by Owen McCown, the former CU Buff who has established himself as one of the top players at the position in the Group of Five.

To win this week, Norvell is likely going to need the better coach and Fowler-Nicolosi will almost certainly need to be the better quarterback. Once Fowler-Nicolosi gets in a rhythm, the Rams are confident they’ll have the better quarterback in every game the rest of 2025. 

“Brayden understands his role on this team,” Norvell said. “I think his role has intensified, obviously, because he’s the quarterback, but I think all of our guys gotta understand how their execution and understanding of situational football affects the whole team. 

“I’ve spent a lot of time with Brayden over this past week, watching ball, talking ball, talking about situations, and how he can kinda change his thought process and how to help the football team. At the end of the day, that’s his job. His job is to complete passes, to get his teammates involved, and put us in position to win. I think he sees that better than he has (in the past). Brayden’s a good football player. He’s won a bunch of games for us, he’s got a lot of experience, and now, we need to lean on that experience as we move forward.”

When the Rams take the field on Saturday night for the first time since nearly losing to the team from Greeley for the first time, two things are for sure: the home crowd’s patience won’t be nearly as long and everyone is going to learn a lot about the 2025 version of Norvell’s squad.

“Whenever you can play one of the top Group of Five schools, it’s gonna give you a measuring stick for what type of program you have,” the CSU coach said. “This (UTSA) team has been a very good one. We’re gonna play on national TV, a lot of people are gonna see us play. We’re gonna play in front of our home fans again. (I) can’t wait to get back in Canvas (Stadium) again and get it stirred up. Our team understands how important this game is. We’ve been pointing to it.”

King’s prediction

UTSA 31, Colorado State 21

It’s just hard to trust these Rams after what we saw two weeks ago. Sure, maybe they come out with a renewed sense of urgency and jump on a quality Roadrunners team, but to bank on that at this point isn’t wise. UTSA has a talented, balanced offense that will put pressure on the CSU defense from the opening drive and while UTSA is vulnerable defensively, it’s not easy to believe Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi and the Rams offense will be consistent enough to take advantage and keep up on the scoreboard. 

King’s Players to Watch

Colorado State: WR Jordan Ross, OLB JaQues ‘Donut’ Evans

No one in the AAC has allowed more passing yards per game so far than UTSA. The Rams have the horses at wide receivers to make plays downfield, namely Ross, the sophomore who only made big plays in the buildup to the season. He should be one Norvell looks to get involved early and often. On defense, the Rams could use a breakout game from Evans, the Baylor transfer who was talked about all summer as a key player. He’s yet to make a play in the backfield through two games and a few of those Saturday would go a long way.

UTSA: QB Owen McCown, LB Shad Banks Jr.
For the first time since he left Boulder nearly three years ago, McCown returns to Colorado as the leader of the Roadrunners. He’s thrown for nearly 600 yards on just under 65% completions with 6 touchdowns and 0 interceptions through three games, and he could make CU fans happy by taking care of business in Fort Collins. Defensively, Banks has been the top playmaker for UTSA as the team’s leading tackler, who also has a pair of interceptions and a fumble recovery.