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| Colorado Aggies.Com |
| Dedicated to the Preservation of Athletic History at Colorado State University |
| Recap of the 2009 CSU Rams Football Season |
| Aggies to Rams Epilogue (Addendum 1): The Lost Season |
| The Rams took home the Centennial Cup trophy after beating CU in Boulder to open the 2009 season. |
| Grant Stucker opened the 2009 season as quarterback and remained as the starter until a late season injury |
The Rams opened the 2009 season with the annual Rocky Mountain
Showdown to take place in Boulder rather than Denver. On August 31,
CSU athletic director Paul Kowalczyk and CU athletic director Mike
Bohn hammered out a deal to return the annual game to Denver's
Invesco Field for another 10 years with the 11th year an option for
CSU to hold the game in Fort Collins or Denver. The new deal
guaranteed the greatest in-state football rivalry would be played every
season through the year 2020, making 26 consecutive seasons the
schools played one another, the second longest streak in the rivalry's
116-year history.
With the news of the 2009 game to be the last in Boulder for many
years, the Rams came out on a Sunday night fired up and ready for
upset. Behind Stucker and Mosure along with the hard hitting of
Eljah-Blu Smith on defense, the Rams beat the Buffaloes in Boulder for
the first time since 1986. Ben DeLine, CSU kicker, provided the
kicking duties to beat CU on the same field his father, Steve DeLine,
beat the Buffs on 23 years to the day as a Ram. Fans rushed the field
and the Rams carried their 2008 winning streak into 2009 well.
Showdown to take place in Boulder rather than Denver. On August 31,
CSU athletic director Paul Kowalczyk and CU athletic director Mike
Bohn hammered out a deal to return the annual game to Denver's
Invesco Field for another 10 years with the 11th year an option for
CSU to hold the game in Fort Collins or Denver. The new deal
guaranteed the greatest in-state football rivalry would be played every
season through the year 2020, making 26 consecutive seasons the
schools played one another, the second longest streak in the rivalry's
116-year history.
With the news of the 2009 game to be the last in Boulder for many
years, the Rams came out on a Sunday night fired up and ready for
upset. Behind Stucker and Mosure along with the hard hitting of
Eljah-Blu Smith on defense, the Rams beat the Buffaloes in Boulder for
the first time since 1986. Ben DeLine, CSU kicker, provided the
kicking duties to beat CU on the same field his father, Steve DeLine,
beat the Buffs on 23 years to the day as a Ram. Fans rushed the field
and the Rams carried their 2008 winning streak into 2009 well.
The second season for Steve Fairchild as head coach of his alma mater
opened with several questions, especially at Fairchild's former position
of quarterback. One season as starter for Billy Farris gave way to
another season with a senior quarterback who had never started a
season. Grant Stucker, the great-nephew of Raisin Bowl player Lyle
Stucker, appeared to be the front-runner at the quarterback position
ahead of Junior College transfer quarterback Jon Eastman. Stucker
showed well in spring drills and in the summer workouts came out as
leader at the top position.
The next question on offense centered around the running back position
after the graduation of Gartrell Johnson III and Kyle Bell. Although John
Mosure appeared to have the job, no clear-cut person loomed as the
starter. On defense, Klint Kubiak returned, but an off-season
disciplinary action by Fairchild on linebacker Ricky Brewer left the
middle of the defense with a hole. Although 2008 Freshman
All-American Mychal Sisson returned healthy, he found himself without
extra help.
opened with several questions, especially at Fairchild's former position
of quarterback. One season as starter for Billy Farris gave way to
another season with a senior quarterback who had never started a
season. Grant Stucker, the great-nephew of Raisin Bowl player Lyle
Stucker, appeared to be the front-runner at the quarterback position
ahead of Junior College transfer quarterback Jon Eastman. Stucker
showed well in spring drills and in the summer workouts came out as
leader at the top position.
The next question on offense centered around the running back position
after the graduation of Gartrell Johnson III and Kyle Bell. Although John
Mosure appeared to have the job, no clear-cut person loomed as the
starter. On defense, Klint Kubiak returned, but an off-season
disciplinary action by Fairchild on linebacker Ricky Brewer left the
middle of the defense with a hole. Although 2008 Freshman
All-American Mychal Sisson returned healthy, he found himself without
extra help.
Steve Fairchild
returned in 2009
for his second
season as the head
coach at Colorado
State.
returned in 2009
for his second
season as the head
coach at Colorado
State.
Tim O'Hara
With momentum on their side, the Rams came home to Hughes
Stadium to face Weber State in a game meant to be a warm-up for the
rest of the season. With a bit of a CU hangover the Rams did not
dominate the FCS school as many thought they should and thanks to a
fumbled snap with little time left on the clock, the Rams preserved the
win.
The next week it was the University of Nevada at Hughes Stadium for
legends weekend. The 1999 championship team was honored at
halftime to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Mountain West
Conference's first season and the team that won the first MWC title.
This time the Rams came out strong and continued to lead the
Wolfpack behind Stucker and running back Leonard Mason. A trick
pass play had Dion Morton passing for a touchdown and later in the
game he caught a touchdown pass as well. The Rams came out on top
for their third win of the season and the sixth win in a row dating back
to the 2008 New Mexico game. For the first time in years CSU had
been mentioned in the national polls and the team was high heading to
Provo.
Stadium to face Weber State in a game meant to be a warm-up for the
rest of the season. With a bit of a CU hangover the Rams did not
dominate the FCS school as many thought they should and thanks to a
fumbled snap with little time left on the clock, the Rams preserved the
win.
The next week it was the University of Nevada at Hughes Stadium for
legends weekend. The 1999 championship team was honored at
halftime to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Mountain West
Conference's first season and the team that won the first MWC title.
This time the Rams came out strong and continued to lead the
Wolfpack behind Stucker and running back Leonard Mason. A trick
pass play had Dion Morton passing for a touchdown and later in the
game he caught a touchdown pass as well. The Rams came out on top
for their third win of the season and the sixth win in a row dating back
to the 2008 New Mexico game. For the first time in years CSU had
been mentioned in the national polls and the team was high heading to
Provo.
| Mychal Sisson emerged as a rising star on defense in 2008 and continued in 2009. |
| Dion Morton passed for a touchdown and caught a touchdown in the Nevada Game on September 19. |
| Rashaun Greer had two passes bounce out of his hands at BYU that resulted in Cougar touchdowns. |
A 3-0 start on the season and upset in the air accompanied the Rams
to Provo to take on BYU. Three turnovers, including two interceptions
and a blocked punt in the first half resulted in 21 Cougar touchdowns.
Although the Rams out-scored BYU in the second half, they could not
get past the turnovers and bad breaks in the first half as CSU dropped
their first game of the season.
The Ram collapse continued in another heart breaking loss at Idaho
State in a hostile dome. The Rams returned home for homecoming
against the defending conference champion Utah Utes on a cold and
snowy afternoon. Once again the defense fell apart and this time
injuries began to mount. What had opened as a 3-0 start to the season
found its way to 3-3 very fast.
The Rams then traveled to Fort Worth, Texas to take on the TCU
Horn Frogs and in a game in which CSU was never in it, they were
thumped hard. By this time the losses became as much mental as they
were mistakes on the field.
The Rams then lost two more home games to San Diego State and
then Air Force before traveling to UNLV for yet another heart breaker
loss. They carried a seven-game losing streak to Albuquerque to take
on the hapless Lobos who had not won a game in 2009. Hope that the
streak could break against New Mexico on the same field the Rams
won the New Mexico Bowl on 11 months earlier fell apart.
On November 27, the Rams came home for the final home game and
regular season game against the Cowboys in the 100th Border War
game played. (The 1899 forfeit by Wyoming nullified the game in the
record books and the actual 100th game was played in 2009.) On one
of the nicest days of weather for the season, fans turned out in droves
to watch the Rams hopefully upset the Cowboys and spoil their
chances of gaining a New Mexico Bowl berth.
Although the game was played well, without an injured Grant Stucker,
Jon Eastman took over as quarterback. Both teams see-sawed for the
lead, but a long punt return by Wyoming and a failed comeback drive
by the Rams sent CSU into the off-season with a nine-game losing
streak.
The 2009 season was a larger disappointment than any Ram fan could
imagine. After the initial win over CU and promise that the team from
2008 was not a fluke, the Rams fell to bad circumstances and many
injuries. During the off-season Steve Fairchild and his staff went to
work to gain recruits and re-align the coaches. After Greg Peterson
was removed from the coaching staff, Pat Meyer became the new
offensive coordinator and Fairchild brought in his old friend and fellow
CSU alum, Dan Hammerschmidt, who had landed at Wyoming after
being released from Sonny Lubick's 2007 staff. Lubick's son Marc
was named the new recruiting coordinator.
The best hope lay in the hands of one of the finest recruiting seasons
CSU had seen in years. Most notably was the Christmas break signing
of four-star quarterback recruit Pete Thomas who enrolled for the
spring 2010 school-year. Thomas, a San Diego area quarterback
decided to attend CSU after a coaching fallout at Arizona State. Pat
Meyer, the Florida recruiter landed more Florida high school recruits
than any other college outside the state of Florida. Steve Fairchild's
NFL experience and commitment to gain the best players made the
nine-game losing streak forgetable when fans began to look at the new
recruits and new talent for 2010.
to Provo to take on BYU. Three turnovers, including two interceptions
and a blocked punt in the first half resulted in 21 Cougar touchdowns.
Although the Rams out-scored BYU in the second half, they could not
get past the turnovers and bad breaks in the first half as CSU dropped
their first game of the season.
The Ram collapse continued in another heart breaking loss at Idaho
State in a hostile dome. The Rams returned home for homecoming
against the defending conference champion Utah Utes on a cold and
snowy afternoon. Once again the defense fell apart and this time
injuries began to mount. What had opened as a 3-0 start to the season
found its way to 3-3 very fast.
The Rams then traveled to Fort Worth, Texas to take on the TCU
Horn Frogs and in a game in which CSU was never in it, they were
thumped hard. By this time the losses became as much mental as they
were mistakes on the field.
The Rams then lost two more home games to San Diego State and
then Air Force before traveling to UNLV for yet another heart breaker
loss. They carried a seven-game losing streak to Albuquerque to take
on the hapless Lobos who had not won a game in 2009. Hope that the
streak could break against New Mexico on the same field the Rams
won the New Mexico Bowl on 11 months earlier fell apart.
On November 27, the Rams came home for the final home game and
regular season game against the Cowboys in the 100th Border War
game played. (The 1899 forfeit by Wyoming nullified the game in the
record books and the actual 100th game was played in 2009.) On one
of the nicest days of weather for the season, fans turned out in droves
to watch the Rams hopefully upset the Cowboys and spoil their
chances of gaining a New Mexico Bowl berth.
Although the game was played well, without an injured Grant Stucker,
Jon Eastman took over as quarterback. Both teams see-sawed for the
lead, but a long punt return by Wyoming and a failed comeback drive
by the Rams sent CSU into the off-season with a nine-game losing
streak.
The 2009 season was a larger disappointment than any Ram fan could
imagine. After the initial win over CU and promise that the team from
2008 was not a fluke, the Rams fell to bad circumstances and many
injuries. During the off-season Steve Fairchild and his staff went to
work to gain recruits and re-align the coaches. After Greg Peterson
was removed from the coaching staff, Pat Meyer became the new
offensive coordinator and Fairchild brought in his old friend and fellow
CSU alum, Dan Hammerschmidt, who had landed at Wyoming after
being released from Sonny Lubick's 2007 staff. Lubick's son Marc
was named the new recruiting coordinator.
The best hope lay in the hands of one of the finest recruiting seasons
CSU had seen in years. Most notably was the Christmas break signing
of four-star quarterback recruit Pete Thomas who enrolled for the
spring 2010 school-year. Thomas, a San Diego area quarterback
decided to attend CSU after a coaching fallout at Arizona State. Pat
Meyer, the Florida recruiter landed more Florida high school recruits
than any other college outside the state of Florida. Steve Fairchild's
NFL experience and commitment to gain the best players made the
nine-game losing streak forgetable when fans began to look at the new
recruits and new talent for 2010.
| John Mosure became one of the two outstanding running backs in 2009. |
| Top Left: Elijah-Blu Smith was one of the young defensive players to shine in the 2009 season. Steve Fairchild's play-calling and intense coaching style brought about changes to the coaching staff in November when offensive coordinator Greg Peterson was relieved of his coaching duties. (Bottom) Grant Stucker played well in his first season as a starting quarterback, but an injury in the New Mexico game allowed for junior college transfer Jon Eastman to finish in the Wyoming game |
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| Leonard Mason became the surprise running back for the 2009 Rams. |
| Pete Thomas, a four-star quarterback from San Diego signed a letter of intent to attend CSU in December of 2009. |
| Jon Eastman finished the 2009 season as Quarterback when Stucker was injured. |
| Top: The Rams in the mist, a foggy year in 2009. Below: Lou Greenwood was one of the new players in 2009 that began to show signs of what kind of future the 2010 Rams could have. Right: Nick Oppeneer and (far right) Guy Miller were two of the outstanding defensive players that held it together in 2009. Below: Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium in its 42nd season. |
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John Hirn