Rants and Raves: CSU Rams Edition

FORT COLLINS, Colo., -- Critical mistakes piled up in this one.

Tyler Hughes, in his first start in a Wyoming uniform, tossed three interceptions and was strip-sacked late in the fourth quarter of a miscue-filled 35-13 loss at Colorado State.

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The Cowboys committed six penalties for 47 yards Saturday, including Bart Edmiston's opening kickoff of the season sailing out of bounds. That wasn't the worst of it -- by far. An illegal-man-downfield call on Braylon Jenkins erased what would've been the team's only third-down conversion of the afternoon.

And that happened late in the third quarter.

Hauss Hejny, two snaps later, connected on a 57-yard touchdown pass to Reginald Vick Jr., giving the Rams a 28-13 advantage. To make matters even worse, the wideout was running down the middle of the field all by his lonesome.

That was a blown check at the line, according to head coach Jay Sawvel.

There would be others.

Wyoming's defense is typically a strength. Not tonight. Hejny tossed five touchdown tosses and picked apart an inexperienced secondary, finding open receivers in the flat throughout. CSU finished 7-of-15 on third down and converted both opportunities on fourth.

We're not done quite yet.

Jones Thomas was flagged for roughing the kicker midway through the fourth quarter, giving the home team and automatic first down and all but salting this one away.

There was plenty of bad luck, too.

The Rams were successful on a halfback pass play on their initial drive of the day. Terrance Smith found, of all people, Hejny down the west sideline and lofted a throw into double coverage. The ball bounced right off the hands of linebacker Gary Rutherford and the sophomore signal caller hauled it in. Ian Bell was also called for pass interference during that sequence.

Kyle Frendt, on Wyoming's opening possession, hauled in a catch and cruised up the sideline. He was knocked out inside the 5-yard line and the visitors were in business. That is until video replay determined the sophomore tight end stepped out of bounds at the 38. Instead of a 35-yard completion and the ball resting at the Rams' six, Erik Sandvik would have to boot through a 37-yard field goal.

Two of Hughes' interceptions were the result of Eric Richardson slipping out of his break. The third was a lack of concentration by running back Nico Hamilton.

It was yet another stinker in what has become the norm around these parts.

"There's a lot of things, coaching-wise, that needs to get cleaned up," Sawvel said postgame.

That's an understatement.

Here's this week's rants and raves:

FIRST HALF:

SECOND HALF:

- Just The Facts: Size Doesn't Matter For Wyoming's War Memorial Stadium