3 takeaways: QB Clay Millen hurt and CSU football further humbled by Sacramento State
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The public humiliations continue for the Colorado State football team.
For the fourth week in a row, the Rams were mostly noncompetitive and suffered a lopsided loss.
This one came Saturday at home on Ag Day as Sacramento State, the No. 6-ranked team in FCS, beat CSU 41-10.
It's the third time in the last four games against FCS opponents that the Rams have lost.
CSU finishes nonconference play 0-4 and was outscored 164-43 in those games. It's now 10 consecutive losses for the program dating back to last season, which is the most in FBS football. This is CSU's first 0-4 start since 2007.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
Everything out-of-whack
Everything is going wrong for this CSU football team.
Some examples from this week’s loss:
Defense allows 249 first-half yards, plus four third-down conversions on Sacramento State’s second TD drive.
The offense again failed to deliver. A first-and-goal from the 7 led to three runs in a row and a field goal when the Rams were down just 7-0 at the time.
Paddy Turner continues to struggle punting the ball. He had a 17-yard punt and a line-drive punt that led to a 44-yard return to set Sac State up in CSU’s red zone.
Sacramento State converted eight of 12 third downs.
Boos were heard from fans in the first half.
It’s a long list of things going wrong and very little going right. There is very little positive to draw on.
The announced crowd was 25,445, but it was well under 10,000 by the end.
Injuries are also mounting. In addition to QB Clay Millen going down, coach Jay Norvell said left guard Dante Bivens was hurt during the game. His long-term status is unknown right now, but he joins would-be starters Brian Crespo-Jaquez and Dontae Keys as being hurt on the offensive line. An already paper-thin unit has been unable to cope with those injuries.
Jack Howell (who had an interception) was banged up but returned.
Lytle:CSU football fans hope this is rock bottom for Rams
Clay Millen’s exit
Watching CSU over the first month of the season, it almost felt certain that Clay Millen would end up injured at some point.
He took a shocking 23 sacks in the first three games and countless other hits. It wasn’t sustainable.
Millen was hit hard in a first-quarter deep ball completion to Tory Horton, then sacked in the second quarter for the 24th time this season.
He left after that, seeming to flex his throwing shoulder on the sideline. True freshman Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi entered.
QB change:A look at Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi's entrance after Clay Millen injury
He led the Rams to a touchdown on his second drive, scoring on a 52-yard strike to Horton. Otherwise, the offense struggled.
Nothing much happened on offense in the second half. Fowler-Nicolosi finished 6-of-15 for 116 yards and the TD. Millen was 7-of-7 for 62 yards.
The bye week gives CSU time to evaluate Millen’s injury. And if he’s not ready, it gives Fowler-Nicolosi time to gain some reps with the top unit.
Millen likely starts at Nevada if he is healthy. Norvell said postgame he doesn't know yet Millen's status with the shoulder injury.
Finding a bottom?
Safe to say it’s not a bad time for a bye week, as the Rams need a lot of fixing.
Many of the problems can’t be fixed during the off week. The roster isn’t good enough, the psyche of the team is damaged and it’s a long rebuild.
Fans and those in the program will have to hope this ugly 0-4 start is at least somewhere near the bottom before the ascension begins. It has to be said that the four opponents have been very good. Michigan is a top 10 team, Washington State looks strong and Middle Tennessee beat Miami on Saturday. But that doesn't paper over the fact that CSU has been mostly noncompetitive.
Jay Norvell has even suggested that things could get worse before they’ll get better in a situation like this.
The bye week will help with some injuries.
It would also be foolish to not expect more player departures. Five players have already left the program and more could follow. Norvell has suggested as much as he tries to get the locker room where he wants it.
Roster changes:Tracking departures from the CSU football team
Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on Twitter and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Takeaways: Colorado State football rolled by Sacramento State
