The one he’s walked by a million times now. The one that won’t stop staring back with emptiness. The one that mocks him, silently, reminding him what should’ve been. And wasn’t.

“I’ve only won one trophy here, so that definitely (hacks) me off,” Blackburn, the CSU Rams’ senior safety, told me earlier this year. “And it’s something that we all are aware of and definitely working to make sure that doesn’t happen in my last season. We’re all aware of our rivalry games and we’ve got two at home … so yeah, those are definitely huge games for us that we need to win.”

Once the bruises and pride start talking, they never stop. Rocky Mountain Showdown Week opens up all kinds of old wounds. Shedeur Sanders turning into Tom Brady. The Rams letting one slip away late, a recurring theme for 2023 that nobody wanted.

“Henry wants to see us win. He wants to see us do the things we need to do to win,” added third-year CSU coach Jay Norvell, who’s seeking his first rivalry win on Saturday night when the two 1-1 rivals lock horns at Canvas Stadium for the first time.

“And I think that’s probably been the biggest difference in our leaders is that they’ve been super-focused on making everybody else accountable … going to class, making sure you’re on time for workouts, finishing workouts, all the things that we ask our kids to do in our program. Our leaders have been super detailed in making them accountable. And so I just think Henry’s been dialed in with that.

“He’s one of those guys that just loves to play, whether it’s practice or a game. And he reminds me a lot of myself, to be honest, when I was in college.”

Despite some dings this past spring, Blackburn’s playing faster than ever. Counters in the chess game on the field come quicker. So does the first step.

The Boulder native says he power-cleaned 300 pounds earlier this year. He maxed out at 275-ish in spring 2023. The 225-pound bench press reps, another NFL combine test, went up to 17 this past spring after hovering in the 12 range the year before.

“Just everything, my whole game and every facet, (is) improved physically,” Blackburn said. “And then obviously, the mental side has been something I’ve been really working to improve as well.”

•••

This week’s special. Just not in the ways you’d think. Blackburn’s turned enough pages from last year’s Rocky Mountain Showdown to make George R.R. Martin blush.

“I mean, he’s a good dude and I wish him the best in his career,” Blackburn said of Hunter, the Buffs two-way star who left last September’s Showdown at Folsom Field after taking a blow from the CSU safety near the home sideline. “I don’t have any (ill will). We’re good.

“And obviously, we’re going to have to play again, strap it up again, and that’ll be a fun game. But yeah, I’ve got good feelings toward him and everything and wish him the best in his career.”

Beyond that, Blackburn declined to dive into specifics.

Everyone wants to move on. The social media benefits of the Coach Prime Effect have been a tide that lifts all boats for CU athletics. But when the narrative gets ugly, that wave can turn into a tsunami. Lines get crossed. Five individuals were reportedly charged last year with making threats against Blackburn and his family.

“Yeah, it was kind of frustrating because, being on the (CU) side, they didn’t really have to do that,” CU defensive back Isaiah Hardge told me. “But at the end of the day … it’s football, anything can happen.”

What got lost in the hit that rocked Folsom Field was the good souls in both the Buffs and Rams locker rooms that worked behind the scenes to mend fences.

Hardge was one of them. The Florida native’s older brother, Ron Hardge III, played for the Rams last year. Last September, the younger Hardge was playing NBA 2K with Hunter when Ron called him up and said he was sitting next to Blackburn.

“I was talking on the mic with (Hunter) and that’s when I had my brother, who was next to Henry,” Isaiah Hardge recalled. “We were just kind of talking, and he heard him, so I was kind of the middle man.”

Ron rang up Isaiah and he merged the call with Hunter.

“So I had called Henry and then put him on the phone with (Travis) on a merge,” Isaiah said. “And that’s when they were talking … that’s when we kind of set it up with the bowling thing. That’s how it all happened.”

You know the rest. Blackburn and Hunter agreed to bowl in Westminster for charity. Both players wound up contributing $1,000 each to the cause of Blackburn’s choice: Fort Collins-based Realities For Children. The nonprofit, whose motto is, “because no child should be forgotten,” works to improve the lives of children who have been abused, neglected, or are at risk.

Former CSU and Broncos star Shaq Barrett and his wife, Jordana, have backed the organization in the past, and it’s got some cool things afoot. RFC is constructing a Healing Sanctuary Campus on a 4-acre lot adjacent to the organization’s headquarters.

“I met Henry when I went up to Fort Collins with my brother,” Hardge said. “I keep in contact with him. He’s good. Yeah, he’s a good guy, he’s a cool guy. I mean, it just blew up.

“Everybody was saying that was a foul hit. But at the end of the day, they came and squashed the beef. I mean, (there) was no beef. It was good sportsmanship, everybody getting along. And then just coming together and just solving the problem.”

•••

Hundreds of problems, actually. Thanks in part to Hunter and Blackburn, RFC recently filled and distributed 1,005 backpacks full of supplies this summer for local schoolchildren.

Last year, RFC provided emergency funding services for 5,116 children and distributed items to more than 15,000 children and their families while providing youth activities and facilities space for nearly 6,500 kids and guardians.

No child should be forgotten.

No good deed, either.

“I wish I could play for CSU forever,” Blackburn continued. “But I’m lucky to get a fifth year, honestly. I’m really happy that I was able to get five years here. It’s flown by.

“But it’s a blessing. I’ve loved every moment of it. And so it’s good that I’ll be able to kind of leave a legacy and pass on the torch to some of the younger guys when I leave.”

If he could pass them a trophy, all the sweeter. The best legacies are encased for eternity, the best last words engraved.

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Keeler: Broncos, easily. I mean, yeah, the Buffs are as one-dimensional as a Pauly Shore flick, but we’re too far down the stream to change horses now. The worst-kept secret in BoCo is that Shedeur Sanders — not Pat Shurmur, not Sean Lewis — makes the big calls on offense. The takeaway from Nebraska postgame? There’s no one No. 2 trusts more with the ball in his hands than himself. While that might work for CU in the D-optional, pass-happy Big 12, Bo Nix is in a different league. Literally. Bo needs more help, man. A lot of help. From everywhere. Now.

Renck: For me the answer is simple: the Broncos. Why? They are built to run. They guaranteed $126 million in contracts to right tackle Mike McGlinchey, left guard Ben Powers and right guard Quinn Meinerz to win at the line of scrimmage, to create, as center Luke Wattenberg called it, “a physical identity.” Yet Nix threw the ball 44 times in the opener. Worse, he was the Broncos’ most dynamic runner. Javonte Williams averaged 3.2 yards per carry over the final 10 games last season and posted 2.9 yards a pop vs. Seattle. He was more explosive in training camp. But is he better? Is he a starter? The eye test — even in a blink — says Audric Estime could be the team’s most dynamic back. Coach Sean Payton reiterated Monday he “didn’t do a good enough job” but explained the run issues involve scheme, better technique by linemen and improved vision from running backs.

Keeler: The downside of “going young”? Cutting sure things. Cutting veteran sure things, especially. Samaje Perine has lost a step, but at least those steps are usually chugging forward. Think Young Bo could’ve used the sure-handed Tim Patrick to keep the chains moving? It’s Sean’s show. Sean’s locker room. But Sean’s offenses in recent years have looked a heck of a lot better when they’re using the run to set up the pass, and not vice versa. Stat to note: Since 2020, Sean Payton teams are 18-5, and 4-2 with the Broncos, when picking up 120 rush yards or more, and 11-16 when it’s 119 or fewer. If Estime turns this engine over and holds the fort as a pass protector, that might be your guy.

Renck: CU is abysmal on the ground, with its running backs collecting 75 yards on 25 carries through two games. Stop the madness with Charlie Offerdahl. He can pick up a blitz. OK. Cool. Make him the backup and expand his role on special teams. Dallan Hayden needs more reps. Feed him and see if it puts the offensive line in rhythm. The Broncos’ situation is more alarming because they want to run. The Buffs do not. They say they do. But they don’t. And until they value balance over Sanders’ passing stats, nothing will change.

Keeler: I’ve been stomping for Hayden for two weeks now, to no avail. Meanwhile, Dylan Edwards is averaging 9.5 yards per touch at K-State, where he’s already scored three times in two games for the Fighting EMAWs. The Buffs sure would love that kind of explosion out of the backfield right about now. And young Bo could use it even more.

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On Monday, CU and the Big 12 announced at the Buffaloes’ game against Baylor on Sept. 21 at Folsom Field has been slated for a 6 p.m. MT kickoff. The game will be broadcast nationally on Fox.

The matchup against Baylor is homecoming, and it’s also CU’s first Big 12 contest since leaving the conference after the 2010 season. The Buffs spent 13 seasons in the Pac-12 before returning to the Big 12 this year.

Sanders surgery

CU safety Shilo Sanders underwent surgery on Monday morning for an injury sustained in Saturday’s 28-10 loss at Nebraska.

It’s unclear the nature of the injury or how long Sanders would be sidelined, but head coach Deion Sanders said after the game “I know he did something to his forearm that that put him out for the rest of the game.”

Shilo was injured on CU’s sixth defensive play of the game. During the second half, he had his right arm in a sling.

On social media Coach Prime posted photos of Shilo at the hospital on Monday and wrote, “He will be back and ready.”

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DENVER (AP) — Colorado safety Shilo Sanders had surgery after sustaining an arm injury in the team’s loss to Nebraska, his father and coach, Deion Sanders, said Monday in a social media post.

Deion Sanders posted pictures of his son, including one with Shilo Sanders in a wheelchair and another with his arm in a cast as he recovered in a hospital bed. Deion Sanders wrote: “God is Good! Can’t wait to see u back ready to go. Love ya son!”

There’s no timetable for a return. The school doesn’t typically announce injuries.

Deion Sanders said in his NBC halftime interview Saturday he thought his son broke his forearm. He had no update, though, after the game.

Shilo Sanders appeared to hurt his arm in the first quarter Saturday while making a tackle on Nebraska running back Dante Dowdell in a 28-10 loss to the Cornhuskers. Sanders went to the locker room and didn’t return to play.

The loss of Shilo Sanders would be a big blow for a defense that’s trying to get in sync under new defensive coordinator Robert Livingston. Sanders has 11 tackles this season. Sophomore Savion Riley is listed as his backup on the depth chart.

Last season, Sanders was an all-Pac-12 honorable mention selection after finishing with 69 tackles and an interception. He started his career at South Carolina before joining his father at Jackson State and following him to Boulder.

Quarterback Shedeur Sanders was banged up in the Nebraska game, too, after being sacked five times. Behind a shaky offensive front, he threw for 244 yards and one touchdown. He also had a costly first-quarter interception that Nebraska returned for a score.

“There’s nothing that recovery and everything can’t fix,” the quarterback said of his health after the game. “We’re going to get back to the drawing board.”

Colorado beat FCS North Dakota State 31-26 in the season opener. The Buffaloes play at Colorado State on Saturday night.

___

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“Tory is sore, but I think he’s going to be available to play,” the third-year Rams coach said of Horton, who left last weekend’s win over Northern Colorado with what Norvell described during his weekly news conference as a groin strain.

“So we’ll see how he progresses over the week.”

The senior wideout returned a punt for 78 yards in the first quarter against the Bears but left the game in the third quarter and didn’t return.

“Tory, he’s worked really, really hard to build his body up. He was shot out of a cannon on that punt return. … Hopefully he’s able to play.”

The 6-foot-3 California native caught three balls for 65 yards against UNC before exiting the contest.

Horton caught 16 passes for 133 yards against the Buffs last year at Folsom Field in a 43-35 loss in double overtime. Last season, he led CSU in catches (96) and receiving yards (1,136).

CSU hosts CU at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday in a game televised nationally by CBS. It’s the first Rocky Mountain Showdown in Fort Collins since 1996 and the first ever at Canvas Stadium, which opened in 2017.

The Rams have split their first two games of the season, losing big at Texas (52-0) in Week 1 before returning to Fort Collins and beating Northern Colorado, 38-17, last Saturday night on Ag Day.

Norvell walked away from the latter displeased with what he considered an uneven performance against the Bears.

“We are a work in progress as a football team,” Norvell said after the game Saturday. “I was pretty irritated for most of this game because I just want our guys to play up to their potential. We do it at times. We scratch the surface at times, but I was not happy for most of this game. But I’m very proud of some of the efforts we had.”

Corey Masisak contributed to this report.

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After all, over the first two games of the season, CU’s football team in Deion Sanders’ second season has outscored foes by a margin of 24-6 after halftime.

The problem? Those 30 minutes preceding the band break.

The Buffs have “lost” the first half in each of their first two opening games of the 2024 campaign. Against North Dakota State and Nebraska, CU found itself on the wrong side of a combined 48-17 score over the first and second quarters.

The Cornhuskers zipped out to a 28-0 cushion at the break and (largely) cruised to a 28-10 victory this past Saturday night at Memorial Stadium in a loss that felt like a gut punch to fans of the Buffs and of Coach Prime’s rebuild in Boulder.

“Maybe we just (weren’t) ready, you know?” said CU quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who threw for 244 yards but was sacked five times. “But overall, I don’t think the crowd … affected (us).”

That response solicited a follow-up question, a search for clarification. If Saturday’s slow start wasn’t because of the rabid Big Red crowd, were CU players not quite ready, not quite coached up?

“What I’m saying is … you’ve got to understand, you get out there and everybody, you prepare, you do everything the right way, how you’re supposed to,” the Buffs QB continued, “but you’ve got to make sure everybody is (ready) when the big lights and everything come on … But the preparation and everything, that was there.”

For a second straight week, CU showed tangible and strategic improvement after halftime. But the Buffs have has yet to score first over their initial two tilts, and have given up 24 first-quarter points in those games. Which can be a challenging hole for any offense, even one that features the explosiveness of Travis Hunter, Jimmy Horn Jr., LaJohntay Wester and Will Sheppard at wideout.

“I don’t think we got overwhelmed,” Buffs safety Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig said. “The lights didn’t get too bright for us … I feel like (the Huskers) just came out … and played better.”

The Buffs are 2-6 in the Coach Prime Era when the opposition scores first, and 3-3 when drawing first blood.

“(We were) in games last year where we went down 20-0 and we shut it all down, everybody shut it down …  But the defense, we just came in and said, ‘You can get stops,'” Silmon-Craig said. “I think we got like seven (stops) in a row. We did not give up a point in the second half. That’s big. So we’ve got something to build off of. I mean, this is not the end. This is just the beginning for us.”

Despite the defeat, the CU defender said, Lincoln represented a step forward. Even if the first 30 minutes felt like having to endure a few loud, painful steps back first.

“We had every reason to shut it down,” Silmon-Craig said. “Ninety-something thousand people in this game. We’re down 28-0. Nothing falling for our way. I mean, the play before (the end of the) half, the guy tipped the ball four times (and) caught it and scored. We had every reason to shut it down. We came out with a different mentality. We came out and shut the guys out in the second half. So we’ve got something to grow off of. I’m proud of that.”

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A Maybach can’t block. An NIL deal won’t chip an angry defensive end. You can’t microwave what has to be baked, slowly.

The Buffs were built for this moment. A foundation made of glitter, sand and promises, broken like so many hearts. Nebraska punched CU in the mouth. By the time the Buffs got up off the canvas, the bell had rung and the judges had gone home.

“Of course, (it’s better) whenever you’re able to run the ball consistently,” said CU quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who threw for 244 yards but was sacked five times Saturday night in a 28-10 loss at rival Nebraska. “But it’s just like — you’ve got to understand what your team’s good at.”

All true. But then again, what’s the point of a top-10 pick at quarterback if he spends half of the weekend running for his life? What good is a generational talent at wide receiver if nobody has time to find him in the clear?

You can’t nuke what has to be buttered and basted. And if the Buffs (1-1) are going to block like this on the road, their season might already be cooked.

CU-Nebraska wasn’t just a game. It was a referendum on The Coach Prime Method, played out on a national stage. A true freshman quarterback and a primarily home-grown offensive line, playing at home, ran for 149 yards and gave up zero sacks. The team with the senior signal-caller and five new linemen who’d only been starting together for a fortnight netted 16 yards on the ground and gave up six sacks on the evening.

The transfer portal is a finisher, a garnish. Not a base. The football programs with staying power stayed there the old-fashioned way, growing and nurturing a unit together.

You can’t hurry love. Or the trenches. Nebraska grounded and pounded its way to a 28-0 halftime lead before staggering to the finish. Three-fifths of the Huskers’ Week 1 offensive line made at least seven starts as a trio in 2023 for the Big Red.

Last Thursday, conversely, was the first time CU’s rebuilt offensive line — almost an entirely rebuilt room — had ever started together as a group. If North Dakota State was a mixed bag, Nebraska was a train wreck. The Buffs chewed up clock in the third quarter against the Bison, but ran the ball for just 59 net yards on 23 attempts against an FCS opponent. It was a harbinger of what was to come at Memorial Stadium, in all the wrong ways.

Oregon 2023 postgame: You better get us now.

Nebraska 2024: Hold our beers.

“We’ve got a lot of guys who haven’t played with each other,” said Buffs safety Cam’Ron Silman-Craig, who finished with a team-best 11 tackles. “We’re really just feeling each other out … we’re going to get better and better.”

They were better in the second half. Again. Heck, CU’s 2-0 after halftime this year, for whatever that’s worth. Although how much of that was the Big Red running it 18 times over the final 30 minutes, trying to just salt this one away and start the party on P Street?

If there’s a silver lining, underneath the bruising, it’s that the Mid 12 should be more forgiving. With apologies to Utah, the Wisconsin of the West, the Huskers (2-0) fielded arguably the best defense, and most physical offensive and defensive lines that CU will see the rest of the way. The Buffs are built to win 38-31 games, and the Big 12 promises plenty, a basketball league that plays basketball on grass in the fall.

In the macro, most of what Deion Sanders promised is still on the table. Technically. But not the College Football Playoff. Not this fall. Not for a team with more penalties at the half (seven) than first downs (six).

Not for a team that has a former Ohio State tailback in Dallan Hayden, and so rarely uses him.

Coach Prime has been running a program without a huddle, hurrying up to maximize the last collegiate years of sons Shedeur Sanders and Shilo Sanders, trying to milk the pre-NFL time the superlative Travis Hunter has left.

He’s got 10 games. And he’ll probably be missing Shilo for at least some of those.

But as a test? As an affirmation? Saturday wasn’t just telling. It was screaming.

Fire up the portal.

Can we get a new offensive line in here?

New defensive line?

New offensive coordinator, maybe?

This was last September in Eugene without the three-week honeymoon first, Oregon without the fumes. Except for the steam coming from Coach Prime’s ears on the sideline.

“(Expletive) CU!” the Nebraska students chanted.

“Shilo’s broke!” they bellowed during warmups.

By the hosts’ second series, Shilo was on the bench, getting treatment. With 5:51 left in the first quarter, he was seen headed to the locker room with a presumed arm injury. Things for Shedeur didn’t start much better.

CU got the ball first, and the contrast between last fall and this was apparent immediately. Mostly in terms of locale, as the younger Sanders appeared to struggle to be heard. His first play, a screen to Hunter, skipped across the turf. His second, a screen to LaJohntay Wester, was off the mark. His third ended in a sack by Ty Robinson for a 9-yard loss.

On the Buffs’ next possession, given a short field thanks to a 61-yard Jimmy Horn Jr. return, they went for it on fourth-and-1 and the Huskers’ 28. Charlie Offerdahl got stuffed for a 2-yard loss.  Their next shot started at the CU 2, and rather than run to make room, Shedeur dropped back on the first play, firing a pick-6 to Nebraska’s Tommi Hall that pushed the Big Red’s cushion to 13-0 with 5:46 left in the first quarter.

“Why would we keep running the ball if, OK, we’re out there, we’re in a situation where it’s a must-get,” the Buffs QB explained, “and we won’t get it?”

They don’t get it. They might never get it. Deion Sanders could outrun the football gods and dare them to keep pace. Coach Prime can’t. At some point, all that empty catches up with you.

Goin’ deep: Every time the Buffs suit up, they bring the two best players onto the field with them in QB Shedeur Sanders and ironman Travis Hunter. The problem? There are still 20 other guys out there. And when CU faces a team like Nebraska, the pecking order for Nos. 3-22 skews too heavily in favor of the other guys. Sanders and Hunter (10 catches, 110 yards) are legit “Gonna play on Sunday” stars. But at the upper reaches of college football, it takes more than that to win big. One game does not make a season, but Saturday gave us more evidence this team isn’t much better than the last.

Getting defensive: The only thing less encouraging than CU’s leaky defense in the first half? The fact that Coach Prime walked away from it feeling like they were playing “pretty darn good.” The numbers: 126 yards from QB Dylan Raiola on 14-of-17 passing, 88 yards rushing, an average of 6.1 yards per play and one hurt Shilo Sanders. The good news? The second half was much better. Nebraska didn’t score a point in the second half, marking the second straight week CU shut out an opponent in the third quarter. If we’re looking for positives, defensive coordinator Robert Livingston’s ability to adjust at halftime is one of them.

Hunter’s other side: Why do scouts insist Travis Hunter is an NFL cornerback and not a receiver? Consider one three-play sequence in the first quarter. First down, Huskers QB Dylan Raiola attempts a screen to his right, Hunter reads it perfectly and drills Jahmal Banks for a 2-yard loss. Second down, Raiola throws complete short to the middle, Hunter rallies to the ball and limits the gain to 4 yards. Third down, another short throw that produces a gain 1 yard short of the sticks … except that Isaiah Neyor was holding onto Hunter for dear life. Flag, 10 yards back. One player — a DB no less — blows up an entire possession.

Problems up front: Much was made of the offensive line overhaul in Boulder this offseason. Two weeks in, it sure looks a heck of a lot like last year’s Buffs offensive front. It took all of three plays for the Husker pass rush to sack Shedeur Sanders for the first time. Sack No. 2 came on the first snap of the next possession. Three plays later, the Buffs didn’t get the push they needed to convert fourth-and-1 on the Huskers’ side of the field. All told, CU gained 42 yards on 11 non-QB runs. And the Huskers logged six sacks. Same. Old. Story. If this is the kind of protection Shedeur is going to receive, the Buffs are in trouble.

Extra Point

Scarlet vs. Gold: One more reminder that this game needs to be played every year, preferably on Thanksgiving weekend, with both teams in the same conference? Seeing those White-and-Gold CU uniforms clash with those Scarlet-and-Cream duds for the home side. It just looks right. CU and Nebraska don’t have another game on the schedule for the foreseeable future. And, obviously, it’s unlikely they will be in the same conference anytime soon. While the latter may never change, the former has to.

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CSU defeated Northern Colorado, 38-17, in a Saturday performance at Canvas Stadium that will draw mixed reviews in its own right. But the biggest story moving forward could be the availability of star wide receiver Tory Horton for the showdown next weekend with rival Colorado in FoCo.

The all-conference pass catcher left Saturday night’s game in the third quarter and did not return. Horton hauled in his second catch of the game, made a nifty move to shake off a defender along the sideline, but almost immediately pulled up because of an injury. He took a couple of steps with a limp before going down in pain on the CSU sideline.

Horton went into the injury tent and then to the locker room.

CSU coach Jay Norvell didn’t have an update on Horton’s status after the game. Norvell said he hopes the injury isn’t serious, but it is too early to tell.

“We are a work in progress as a football team,” Norvell said. “I was pretty irritated for most of this game because I just want our guys to play up to their potential. We do it at times. We scratch the surface at times, but I was not happy for most of this game. But I’m very proud of some of the efforts we had.”

There were a couple of iffy moments, but beyond the Horton injury scare the Rams (1-1) were never in serious duress while rebounding from a 52-0 loss in Week 1 at Texas. Caleb Goodie hauled in a 40-yard touchdown from Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi two plays after Horton was injured to give CSU a 31-14 lead.

Fowler-Nicolosi finished 17 of 26 for 180 yards. Keegan Holles and Justin Marshall combined for 156 yards on the ground. Ten different receivers caught passes from Fowler-Nicolosi.

“I feel like other people got to step up, so that’s pretty good,” Goodie said. “I’ve just got to be ready when it’s my moment.”

Quarterback Peter Costelli threw for 187 yards and two touchdowns for the Bears (0-2), who are still in the early stages of a long-term rebuilding project with second-year coach Ed Lamb. Costelli was also injured in this game on a rushing play late in the fourth quarter.

After a quiet first weekend in Austin, Horton found the end zone on his first play at home. Horton fielded a punt and raced through the middle of the UNC coverage team for a 78-yard touchdown just 1:42 into this one.

Colorado State’s first offensive series began with big plays but sputtered at the goal line. If there’s one specific area to work on before the rival Buffaloes arrive at Canvas Stadium next weekend, it might be short-yardage situations.

Three plays from the 2-yard line resulted in zero yards and a field goal on the first drive. CSU had no trouble on its second goal-line opportunity — Fowler-Nicolosi jogged in from 2 yards out on a keeper. But it also took three tries after first-and-goal from the UNC 1-yard line late in the half before Holles scored.

Save for a couple of short-yardage hiccups and one lost fumble, the Rams were proficient on offense in the opening half. Beyond the big play to Goodie, it was more of a struggle to string together drives in the second half.

“We’re just getting started as a team,” Norvell said. “We have a lot of improvement to make. We have to get better in a lot of areas. I think we’ll gain confidence from this game, but we’re going to see a lot better opponents as we move forward and we need to improve.”

Northern Colorado had some bright moments on offense as well. Costelli connected on a pair of tough passes in traffic to lead the Bears on a scoring drive after the Rams’ turnover. Costelli found tight end Fisher Clements in the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown despite great coverage late in the first quarter, which cut Colorado State’s lead to 10-7.

UNC was also moving the ball again midway through the second quarter, but tight end Cash Cheeks dropped a 4th-and-2 pass. The Bears had another promising drive in the third quarter end on what looked like a catchable ball as well.

Colorado State appeared to be in control at the half, but Northern Colorado cut the lead to 24-14 on its first drive of the third quarter. Costelli hit Brayden Monroe in stride for a 50-yard catch-and-run touchdown pass.

“I feel like we showed a lot of good things out there, but there are obviously some things we need to improve,” CSU linebacker Buom Jock said. “It’s a big game next week.”

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