Three Things You Need to Know about Colorado State

The top ranked Alabama Crimson Tide has found success so far in their first two games with solid wins over Florida State and Fresno State.

Colorado State come in to Tuscaloosa as the Crimson Tide’s third non-conference opponent of the season and their final contest before the start of Southeastern Conference play.

The clash between Alabama and Colorado State will be the second meeting in program history. In 2013, the Crimson Tide took home a 31-6 decision over the Rams.

Kickoff is at 6 PM from Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Find out the three things you need to know about the Colorado State Rams.

Plenty of SEC Flavor in the Program

Over the past few seasons, former players and coaches with SEC ties have affected the direction of the Colorado State football program.

One past tie from Alabama to Colorado State was former Rams head coach Jim McElwain. The former Crimson Tide offensive coordinator led Colorado State to a 22-16 record along with two bowl appearances in his three seasons in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Following the departure of McElwain to Florida, former Georgia quarterback and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo accepted the head coaching spot at Colorado State.

Bobo has a 16-13 record three games into his third season as the head coach of the Rams.

In addition to Bobo, three assistant coaches on the staff have ties to SEC schools. Former Alabama offensive guard Will Friend is Colorado State’s offensive coordinator. Former Georgia quarterback Joe Cox coaches the tight ends and former Tennessee defensive back Terry Fair coaches the cornerbacks.

Colorado State’s Offensive Line

In football, the classic way to put your team in position to score points and win games is to have excellent play along the offensive line.

Under offensive coordinator Will Friend, the Rams have possessed one of the top offensive lines in the Mountain West Conference. Last season, the Colorado State offensive line allowed just one sack per game ranking as the eighth best in the country in that category.

So far this season, Colorado State’s offensive line has shown some vulnerability in pass protection allowing seven sacks through their first three games.

Aggressive Secondary

Coming into Saturday’s game, Alabama has not committed a turnover in each of their first two games.

The chances of remaining turnover free could plummet thanks to an improved Colorado State secondary.

Last season, the Rams defense intercepted eight passes in 13 games. This season, they have nearly matched last year’s total with seven interceptions in three games.

Jamal Hicks and Kevin Nutt, Jr. are tied for the team lead with two picks. Both players have a multi-interception game this year. Hicks picked off two passes last week against Abilene Christian while Nutt, Jr. intercepted a pair of aerials against Colorado.