The Colorado State offensive line has allowed only two sacks this season, tied for second-fewest in Division I football.
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CSU running backs are averaging a 5.84 yards per carry and are one of the top 15 teams in the country in that category. The Rams are also averaging 175.2 yards per game on the ground.
Much of the credit for all of that has been the play of an offensive line that is still evolving but coming together more every week with a mix of returning players and newcomers.
That line will look to continue to assert itself Thursday night when the Rams, following their bye week, play at Texas State. It will be the first-ever meeting between the schools. Kickoff is at 6 p.m. MT on CBS Sports.
There was some uncertainty with the room entering the season, but the situation was nothing new for first-year head coach Jim Mora.
“When we got here, people had indicated to us that that was a room that had struggled and lacked some things,” Mora said. “We faced the same thing when we went to UConn. The first thing they said was your offensive line was awful. But five of the guys in that room are playing in the NFL right now. So, they obviously weren’t awful.”
The starting group for the Rams is led by returning center Phillip Ocon as well as returners John Holthaus and Braden Hales. Newcomers Quinton Harris, a transfer from TCU, and Toriyan Johnson, a transfer from UConn, round out the front.
Mora credits their success this season to Christian Pace, the team’s associate head coach, run game coordinator and offensive line coach who came to Fort Collins with Mora after four seasons with him at UConn.
“I think it’s a big credit to those players, the way that they’ve developed, the work that they’ve put in, the commitment they’ve made,” Mora said. “And I think it’s a testament to the way Christian Pace coaches. He’s done it again. He’s got a run game that’s going. He’s got protection schemes that are working. He’s got players that are reaching their potential. He’s got players that have bought in. It’s a combination of those guys making the commitment and Christian continuing to be demanding of them and teaching them.”
Ocon is the only returning starter in the group, and he believes the unit has made significant strides this season.
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After the Rams’ most recent loss to Oregon State on Oct. 3, he also credited the success to Pace and his coaching philosophy.
“There’s a bunch of guys who work their tails off in that room and just week in and week out we’re getting better,” he said. “Coach Pace tries to give us a mantra. Every guy on our offense talks about you win your six seconds. So, we’re going to keep trying to just win our six, reset, win our six, reset and keep going all game long.”
The strength of the line plays right into what the Rams have been doing offensively and what they hope to continue to do coming off their bye week.
From explosive plays to methodical marches down the field, the line has proven it can do what is necessary for the Rams to gain yards and score points.
“We’ve started out really fast, with explosive plays and haven’t been quite as explosive lately,” Mora said. “We’re trying to evolve every single week in terms of the things we do schematically and make sure they fit with what we do structurally.
“If you’re looking for the thing that we need to improve on the most, it probably is to continue to emphasize explosives and then win that middle of the game. There’s that time in the second and third quarter we can be better and more explosive and put points on the board. So, that’s a big point of emphasis.”
The Rams’ line has also had to block for and protect multiple quarterbacks this season. First, it was Hauss Hejny, then K’saan Farrar and Darius Curry for a brief period in one game.
Hejny is not expected to start again this week, but Mora said he could be listed as questionable and will be suited up and ready if he is needed and can go. Farrar will get this third straight start in Hejny’s place against the Bobcats.
“He’s practicing,” Mora said of Hejny. “Not in a full role yet, but he will be on the trip with us and he’ll be suited up. He’ll be listed as questionable, which is 50/50. We’ll take that right now. We’re very hopeful. But we’re also confident because we all know what K’saan is able to do.”
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