No. 19 Colorado State (2-0) at UCLA (0-0)
This game features the surprise team of the week versus the team that hopes to surprise the rest of the Pacific-10 Conference.
Colorado State’s victory over then No. 6 Colorado, 19-14, Saturday in Denver could easily rank among the most important wins for any single team this season. The Rams were expected to come out of Invesco Field torn and tattered, but instead made the Buffaloes look like the underdog.
“Before the game, we knew we would win if everybody stepped up and played their assignments, everybody did what they had to do to win the game,” Colorado State quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt said. “We knew going into the game that this CU team wasn’t unbeatable.”
The Rams return just four starters on offense and six on defense from a team that finished 7-5 in 2001. But one starter, Van Pelt, will be the key to Colorado State’s offense this season. He should provide matchup problems with the UCLA defense, which is not accustomed to athletic quarterbacks.
Colorado State could roll to 3-0 after its game against the Bruins.
UCLA, meanwhile, has yet to strut its stuff this season, and it now plays its first game two weeks after the Rams and Cavaliers touched off the 2002 year.
Running back DeShaun Foster is gone, quarterback Cory Paus is a question mark in terms of playing ability and desire, and Rickey Manning Jr., the team’s top defensive player, was arrested on Aug. 27 for his part in a bar fight in April.
Head coach Bob Toledo has got to be up to a challenge. Last season’s 7-4 finish looked to be as bad as it could get. Maybe not.
“You talk about chemistry and attitude; two of the problems that we had off the field affected this football team (last year),” Toledo told the Daily Bruin. “When you had as many seniors as we had and as many good football players as we had who are going to go onto all-star games and professional football, they start focusing on the future and forget about now.
“Our goals (this season) are team unity and to win the upcoming game.”
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