FORT COLLINS, Colo. – They want more. They want to prove they are more than just an outstanding group of starters.
Quite simply, they want to dominate and set the tone for a defensive uprising.
Colorado State's defensive front returns all of its starters from a season ago, one in which the group led the charge as the Rams led the nation by averaging 10.5 tackles for loss per game and sat fourth in sacks per game (4.0). The defense also ranked 12th in stopping the run, allowing just 108.5 yards per outing, again, the initial clogging of the holes taking place up front.
They were better, but they heard the subtle jab. Good job, but it was only four games. Fair enough, and it gives them a bit of a chip to play with when the season opens Friday at home against South Dakota State (7 p.m.).
"That's the scary thing about the whole thing," said Manny Jones, who ranks 10th in program history with 27 tackles for loss. "It's not that we don't know that we're good, it's the fact of trying to block out the outside noise and all the hype, trying to get past that and get to just playing ball.
"I feel like there's a lot more pressure this year. Everybody saw a glimpse of what could happen in a full season. Not only do we have to match that energy, but take it to a higher level with everybody coming back and everybody trying to live up to the hype and live past the hype."
Jones has been a force to move for years, be it when he started as a defensive end or where he is now, a bigger version of himself but still creating havoc in the middle. Toby McBride was healthy most of the season, and when he is, he's a proven run stopper. Same for Devin Phillips, who has started inside in all 24 college games he has played. And Scott Patchan transferred in and provided thunder from the outside, with a team-leading 5.5 sacks (at least one in each game) and 7.5 tackles for loss.
Listen to them, and they'll tell you there is more. Ellison Hubbard has started 20 games in his career, Mohamed Kamara seven. Mike Ciaffoni moves to Fort Collins to provide punch, and the group will tell you there is youth coming up the ranks to keep legs fresh and momentum on their side.The culture has taken a turn in the room the past two years, and while it has resulted in present-day results, the goal is to see it extend year by year as players make their natural exits from the program. It's not just how they play in terms of attitude and physicality, it begins with how they prepare.
"Absolutely. I come back to watch film every day at 5 p.m., and I encourage them all to come with me," Patchan said. "It started with Ciaffoni is a film junky, and then we'd grab Mo and say let's go back. That group of a few turned into the entire defensive line coming back for a second session that's optional. We want to do it because being great is an option; you have to put in the work. If you want to be a great player and back up all the things you say, then you have to put in the extra work. If you're doing just the bare minimum, you can expect bare-minimum results."
Head coach Steve Addazio has made it no secret he believes his team has the best defensive front in their conference, and he's positive they stack up well across the country. He also believes they are a deeper group.
But now the talk has to stop.
"I hope to see obviously a defensive front that's going to dominate the point and play relentlessly and have enough depth to keep coming at a football team," he said of his expectations. "We have talent up front. We've got to make plays, we've got to make tackles, we've got to get after the quarterback and we have to shut down the run. If you don't shut down the run on this team, you're going to be in for a long evening."
South Dakota State is used to running the ball, and the Jackrabbits did so all the way to the FCS National Championship game, falling to Sam Houston State in an intriguing matchup last spring. Bolstered by two strong running backs, they find room to move behind an offensive line which has proven to a load to handle as the team averaged 231.7 yards per game on the ground, 403.1 yards per game overall. On film, Hubbard compares the group to what they see all year in the Mountain West.
Right out of the gates, the Rams feel they have a place to start proving a point. And the next week brings in an SEC front with Vanderbilt.
There's not time like the present to make a mark.
"We're going to see good offensive linemen across the schedule. Look down the road and we have Iowa, too," Patchan said. "It's not like you can go into a game and sleep on a certain opponent or underestimate them. I've been burned in the past doing that. You have to literally give everybody the respect they deserve and you're full attention that week. We're underdogs right now. I love that.
"We have to set a standard week one and carry that throughout the season. That's the goal. That's what we look forward to doing."
The four games a year ago were impressive. The results represented a turnaround, and if Colorado State's defense is going to improve as a whole, the linemen say they have to lead the charge.
It begins with them, and they want to finish what they start.
"At the end of the day, it all starts in the trenches, up front in the offensive line and defensive line," Jones said. "Everything starts at the line of scrimmage. If we can control that, the rest of it should follow along."
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