Goals remain lofty at CSU

Steve Guiremand

Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2003 | 9:28 a.m.

Editor's note: Third in a series previewing MWC football.

MWC PREVIEWS

COLORADO STATE AT A GLANCE

Sonny Lubick has only himself to blame for this predicament.

No longer is it enough around Fort Collins for the Rams to be predicted to win their fourth Mountain West Conference title in five years. Even finishing with double digits in victories, something that had never been accomplished in school history before Lubick's arrival in 1993 but has happened four times since, isn't big news anymore.

Nope, with 16 starters returning, including Mountain West Conference offensive player of the year Bradlee Van Pelt at quarterback, and the addition of former Sports Illustrated/Old Spice national prep player of the year Marcus Houston at tailback, the Rams have set their sights even higher in 2003.

How high? Try perfection. And maybe even a national championship.

Denver Post columnist Woody Paige predicted this week that CSU would go 12-0 and crack the Bowl Championship Series. And, with a little luck, be playing Miami in the Sugar Bowl for the national championship.

Lubick's reaction was what one might expect, especially since the Rams must open with talented in-state rival Colorado on Aug. 30.

"Silly," he said. "It's silly."

Still, if the Rams can defeat Gary Barnett's Buffs for the fourth time in the past five years, the schedule would appear to give the Rams a decent chance at running the table.

Colorado State travels to Cal for its second game. The Bears, who lost star quarterback Kyle Boller to the NFL, are in a major rebuilding mold and are expected to contend for the Pac-10 cellar this year.

The Rams then return home for games against Weber State, Miami of Ohio, Utah and WAC heavyweight Fresno State. If they can survive that stretch, their toughest games are an Oct. 16 home date with Air Force and a Nov. 7 road game at New Mexico. Road dates at BYU and UNLV also present possible stumbling blocks.

"All we know is that, man, they are going to be gunning for us," Lubick said. "That's been the case for about the last few years. It's like in the old days with BYU."

There's good reason for that.

Not only do the Rams return dangerous Van Pelt, who threw for 2,073 yards and ran for another 819 yards and had a hand in 21 touchdowns, but they also have the league's top return man in cornerback Dexter Wynn and three top-notch tailbacks to take the place of Cecil "The Diesel" Sapp.

All eyes will be on talented but injury-plagued Colorado transfer Houston, who before being sidelined with a hip flexor injury early in his freshman year in 2000 displayed Heisman Trophy-like ability at running back. Houston had 150 yards rushing in one game against a very good USC defense. Rahsaan Sanders and Tristan Walker provide good depth at the position.

The defense, which returns seven starters and is Lubick's specialty, should be one of the best in the MWC again.

So can the Rams go 12-0?

"I think it's always on people's minds," Van Pelt told the Rocky Mountain News recently. "If we are going to go 12-0, we've got to start off with a victory. We've got to take one game at a time, and CU is our first one. But people look at us and say, 'If these guys come together, fight through some bad plays, some tough games and come out with victories, they have a chance to run the table.' Of course, we do."