Vol. 128, No. 28 Friday, September 14, 2018

INSIDE THE LINES Vol. 128, No. 28 Friday, September 14, 2018

Toughest test of the year in Boulder

page 4

The slow starts that have plagued CSU

page 6

Playing in The Swamp

page 12

9 9 . $9 12PK CANS

2 inside the lines

Power Five Pick ‘Em Game #4

Luke

Eddie

5-5

5-6

Mamadou Sydney 4-1

5-5

Mack 4-1

#15

vs TCU #7

Ohio State #12

vs LSU

Auburn

#22

#24

vs Boise State #22

Oklahoma State

vs Texas

USC

vs CSU

Florida

COVER ILLUSTRATION BY ASHLEY POTTS, PHOTOS BY ELLIOTT JERGE AND ASHLEY POTTS COLLEGIAN

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Corrections may be submitted to the editor in chief and will be printed as necessary on page two. The Collegian is a complimentary publication for the Fort Collins community. The first copy is free. Additional copies are 25 cents each. Letters to the editor should be sent to letters@collegian.com.

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inside the lines

3

CSU volleyball is still adjusting to the loss of multiple key seniors

By Mack Beaulieu @Macknz_James

Even with a group of all-conference juniors, the Colorado State women’s volleyball team is still finding their way this season after losing seniors Jasmine Hanna and Sanja Cizmic last year.

Hanna and Cizmic brought consistent and powerful hitting to the team.

Hanna was an all-conference player and the Rams’ alltime record holder for kills in a career while Cizmic was strong in her own right, earning an All-Conference Honorable Mention and a National Player of the Week award last year.

This season, the Rams are still working on how to replace the two outside hitters by working on a more varied attack this season, led by Breana Runnels.

But it is one with players in unfamiliar positions.

“Skill-wise there wasn’t really a loss,” junior outside hitter Jessica Jackson said. “It was more maturity. Jasmine and Sanja were amazing hitters and they were able to know when to hit, when not to hit and where to hit the ball. I think that’s something we’re all still figuring out.”

Replacing their past production mainly falls on the ability of the teams’ hitters to terminate a volley but with the strategy the Rams are taking, there

has to be more ball movement.

Another option is a more unorthodox attack with the middle hitters being more involved. Runnels is the main key to filling that void, leading the team in kills and taking on more responsibility to feed her teammates.

“Jasmine was given her sets because she has good control of her attacking,” Runnels said.

“So I’m trying to be the same way, but also give more to the team because I’m passing and doing back row and expected to do a lot of different things that I didn’t do last year.”

Runnels is not the only one taking on new responsibilities as the loss of Hanna and Cizmic has forced the Rams to put more wrinkles in their attacks. The change means certain players are learning new skills and others are getting more involved.

Jackson has stepped up at the outside hitter position, adding new shots to her repertoire and junior setter Katie Oleksak has been entrusted to help run a different style than most teams are used to seeing.

“Jessica Jackson has done a pretty great job of playing really low error,” Assistant Coach Emily Kohan said. “Our middles have returned also, so we’re trying to figure out creative ways to get them the ball more often.

They’re two of the best middles in the country so we want to use them on more than just the per-

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Kirstie Hillyer goes up for a kill during the Rams 3-1 win against Texas Christian University Sept. 2. PHOTO BY JOE OAKMAN COLLEGIAN

fect situation.”

Kirstie Hillyer has helped incrementally with that, being one of the team’s leaders in kills from the middle position. So far, it is still a growing process for the Rams as they are 6-3 after losing only four matches last year.

“There’s still hitters trying

to find their comfort zones,” Runnels said. ‘Last year we had returning hitters, this year it’s kind of different because last year they didn’t play in this position. They’re kind of expected to be the aggressors and be the Jasmine Hannas and the Sanjas, so I would say it’s a growing experience for all of us.”

The Rams play their final out-of-conference matches of the year this weekend against Indiana State Sept. 14 with Portland State in the morning and a nightcap against Colorado Sept. 15.

Mack Beaulieu can be reached at sports@collegian. com.

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4 inside the lines

CSU volleyball embraces the challenges that come on the road

By Luke Zahlmann @lukezahlmann

Hitting the road is commonplace in college volleyball. Considering their top-ten home attendance, Colorado State volleyball has a unique challenge when they stray.

Following their trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan where they went 2-1, the Rams will hit the road once again to face in-state rival the University of Colorado as part of their co-hosted Colorado Challenge.

In their previous four matchups on the road this year, the Rams are 3-1.

A positive trend has developed for the Rams as their road record is 28-10 over the last three season when adding in this year’s results.

The difficulties when playing on the road are twofold in volleyball. The crowd is against a visiting team, and the travel and warm-up procedures are conducted in an hour

to warm-up due to NCAA volleyball rules. That hour serves as the time for the visitors in a tournament to adapt to the new environment as teams are not given time in the gym to practice prior to the majority of tournaments.

When teams come to Colorado, that factor plays a distinct role.

“The serve drops a little bit more (on the road),” junior Katie Oleksak said. “Teams that come here struggle with that as well. They hit a lot of their serves out because of the altitude, so it does have a big effect on the games.”

With the altitude serving to allow balls to fly further at home, the Rams are forced to adapt when away from Moby Arena. That hour to warm up serves as the lone moment where the Rams are able to complete the process.

A lack of moments to prepare in practice leading up to the games forces many of the Rams to change their playing

style on the fly.

In their sweep at the hands of Michigan in the final game of their tournament Sept. 8, the Rams were unable to adapt.

“We were affected in Ann Arbor,” Coach Tom Hilbert said. “The jump spin serves, for example, drop more in Ann Arbor and that messed us up.

Usually, that’s the problem in someone else’s gym.”

The Mountain West Conference poses few matchups with similar altitude, forcing the conference season to be one of constant adaptation for the Rams.

Constant adjustments allow the Rams to gain a leg up on several other teams including the NCAA Tournament in which several teams are brought to a host arena and forced to adapt or be eliminated, even if they have not traveled far from their own arena for road games.

Home-court advantage is another factor the Rams face on the road. Fortunately for

them, Moby Madness results in their home crowds often being the loudest they appear in front of.

“The hardest part is playing in a new gym,” redshirt junior Kirstie Hillyer said. “We average two to three thousand fans and other gyms average two to three hundred.”

As one of the few volleyball programs in the nation that has their volleyball team compete in their official arena, the Rams are able to house several more fans than most.

A prime example is their tournament last season at Florida State University.

Placed in the Bobby Tully Gymnasium, the Seminoles competed in front of a third of the crowd capacity, with the volume levels being minuscule compared to Moby.

“We go to some places that are big arenas that don’t get fans, those are sort of a sterile environment,” Hilbert said.

“Florida State was like that.

Then there are some smaller

Setter Katie Oleksak (22) celebrates a good play during the home opener against Illinois Aug. 24. PHOTO BY ASHLEY POTTS COLLEGIAN

places like Wyoming where they pack a lot of people in there and it’s hostile.”

With such a variance in venues, the Rams have honed their focus into their own gameplan, tuning out the outside noise.

The ability to ignore the conditions and focus on the game plan has allowed the Rams to compete at a high level, regardless of the arena.

“We just try and focus on the little things,” sophomore Maddi Foutz said. “We make the little things great and then all of the details and it’ll all come together.”

The Rams face both Portland State and Colorado on the road in a doubleheader in Boulder, Colorado Sept. 15. The pair of road matchups wraps up the Rams’ out-of-conference schedule.

Luke Zahlmann can be reached at sports@collegian. com

The Rocky Mountain Collegian | Friday, September 14, 2018

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5

6 inside the lines

CSU’s offense searches for answers for faster starts

By Mack Beaulieu @Macknz_James

Slow starts have plagued the Colorado State Rams to start the season, but there is still hope for a more productive starts as the inexperienced team starts to come together.

The NCAA cited CSU as the most inexperienced team before the season kicked off, and while both sides of the ball have struggled, the offense has been less consistent overall. As a team, the Rams think it is starting to come together and hope that chemistry will help lead to faster starts and a more balanced offense.

“Anytime you get a chance to get a quick start, it gives you a little bit of momentum,” Coach Mike Bobo said. “Anytime you can start fast it might put a little doubt in your opponent’s mind

of what’s going on.”

The Rams have scored only 26 of their 81 points this year in the opening half. Only three of those second-half points came against University of Colorado, but the Showdown is not a mulligan in terms of getting the offense where it needs to be.

“We struggled with (communication) against CU,” running back Izzy Matthews said.

“None of us were on the same page, but this last game we were definitely able to bring ourselves together and play more as a unit.”

The CU game exemplifies the first-half struggles CSU has had. The Rams rushed only 2.6 yards per carry. K.J. Carta-Samuels targeted only four receivers in the first half, and CSU barely used their running backs in the passing game. The performance is identical to the first half against Arkansas

where the run was nonexistent and only three receivers were targeted more than once.

In the second half against Arkansas, Carta-Samuels targeted nine receivers, targeting five of them multiple times and four members of the backfield had receptions. Tight end Cameron Butler had most of his 106 yards in the second half of the game against Arkansas.

“As an offense, sometimes we get in our own way,” Butler said. “As you saw Saturday night though, we kind of realize what we’re doing, you can really tell by the scoreboard. We start executing, guys get hot and things just connect.”

Having that variation and having the running backs involved is huge. The running game still struggled, but the Arkansas defense had a lot more options to cover. The slow starts could be due to an inex-

perienced quarterback that is often under pressure defaulting to his top receivers early on in games.

“Sometimes we’ve self destructed and not made the play that could’ve been the fast start in the ballgame,” Bobo said.

“Some of that’s youth and some of that’s a new quarterback that’s playing for his first time.

A lot of factors are in that.”

At least a couple of the factors in that slow start, aside from inexperience on Carta-Samuels part, is the relatively ineffective play of the offensive line and running backs over the first couple of weeks. “(The running game has) been pretty nonexistent,” Matthews said. “It’s definitely something that can be there.

We have the talent at running back, we have the talent on the front line and it’s just about executing early so we don’t get in

those holes.”

Matthews said Carta-Samuels needs be better protected, which was on him and the offensive line. Matthews said with a clear pocket, one can only imagine how effective the Rams’ offense could be. For Butler’s part, he thinks the Rams are starting to get there.

“We made a lot of crucial mistakes against Colorado and we tried to fix that,” Butler said.

“I feel like we did a little bit as far as up front. We just got to continue to have that confidence and play together as a whole collective unit and nothing but success can happen after that.”

The Rams next opportunity comes on the road in Florida, a venue that will make the task difficult to accomplish.

Mack Beaulieu can be reached online at sports@collegian.com.

The Rams celebrate and sing the Alma Mater after upsetting the Arkansas Razorbacks and overcoming an 18-point deficit. PHOTO BY JOE OAKMAN COLLEGIAN

inside the lines

7

CSU volleyball set for toughest road game of the season in Boulder

By Sergio Santistevan @TheRealsSergio

Two teams 62-and-a-half miles apart, one rivalry.

The Colorado State volleyball team will travel to the University of Colorado Sept. 15 for possibly its most illustrious road game of the season.

CSU (6-3) is coming off a trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan in the Michigan Challenge that resulted in wins over both Louisiana State University and Oakland University. CU (5-3) also picked up a pair of big wins last weekend over the University of North Carolina and Oklahoma University.

Both teams have been ranked at some point this season, but that will not be the case this weekend, as neither team is currently in the American Volleyball Coaches’ Association poll.

CSU is starting to take form with the return of their libero, Amanda Young as CU is still trying to find things out. The Buffs do have a talented, well-balanced lineup, led by senior Alexa

Smith.

Before both teams go headto-head on the court, they each will have to matchup with Portland State University and Indiana State University in the Colorado Classic. The tournament will pay dividends for both teams as they prepare for conference play beginning next week.

Normally the case in many rivalry games, emotions will be high. Coach Tom Hilbert will not approach the game any different than usual as a coach, but he knows his team will be fired up.

“When you play a high-level opponent, you need to get your game at a certain level of comfort for you and stay there,” Hilbert said. “We need to get to a certain level and hold it there.”

As a team leader, reigning Mountain West Player of the Year Katie Oleksak will be relied upon to calm those emotions before the game.

“Before the match, just being very calm and composed really helps you during the match,”

Oleksak said. “Playing it like we would play any other game.”

Hilbert hopes his team can improve on limiting aces and winning in close-game situations but knows his team is capable of competing with the best in the country.

Team-leader Oleksak is also looking for the Rams to “finetune” some things, such as ball control, consistency and getting into a rhythm before the weekend.

Revenge Game Last season, CU stunned the Moby Faithful by taking the last three sets from the Rams to win 3-2, something the Rams have not forgotten about.

Sticking to his personality, Hilbert downplayed the idea of revenge, but realizes any time his team goes head-to-head with CU, they have to play their best.

“There’s nothing extra about it,” Hilbert said. “It’s just a rivalry game and people will be fired up.”

Oleksak, on the other hand, is excited about the opportunity of getting revenge in Boulder

and looking forward to the opportunity of playing in a hostile environment on the road.

“It’s going to be especially fun to play in Boulder, at their arena,” Oleksak said. “It’s going to be harder for sure because we won’t have our crowd. But I think it will be fun to play on their court and hopefully get that revenge that we want.”

Common Opponents Number11 Illinois is the only team that has met both the Rams and Buffs this season. Illinois swept CU in a neutral site game on Aug. 31 in the Pac 12/ Big Ten Challenge. The Rams opened their season, in attendance-breaking fashion, with a loss to Illinois in five sets.

Interestingly, fellow Mountain West rival, the University of Wyoming beat CU in five sets in Laramie, Wyoming on Aug. 25.

The Rams have yet to play Wyoming, but have two battles set for later this season.

Matchup to Watch CSU’s Kirstie Hillyer and Paulina Hougaard-Jensen against CU’s pair of Smiths.

The Rams huddle for a pep talk between plays during the game against Florida State. PHOTO BY ASHLEY POTTS COLLEGIAN

Smith leads the Buffs with 126 points and 108 kills this season.

“Alexa Smith is a fantastic volleyball player, (an) all-around player,” Hilbert said. “The more she touches the ball, the better off they are.”

Anyse Smith, a redshirt freshman, recorded 14 kills and a career-high .619 hitting percentage against Oklahoma. In the Buffs Invitational tournament, she totaled only five attacking errors in three matches.

CSU’s middle blockers Hillyer and Hougaard-Jensen will be tasked with stopping the duo.

Hillyer and Hougaard-Jensen lead the Rams in blocking with 45 and 40, respectively. If Hillyer and Hougaard-Jensen can limit CU’s offense attack then the Rams can be successful.

The Rams will play the Buffs in the concluding match of the Colorado Classic on Sept. 15 at 8 p.m.

Sergio Santistevan can be reached at sports@collegian. com.

8 Friday, September 14, 2018 | The Rocky Mountain Collegian

The Rocky Mountain Collegian Friday, September 14, 2018

9

10 inside the lines

CSU football prepares to take on a new challenge: “The Swamp”

By Eddie Herz @Eddie_Herz

Colorado State football is ready to embrace the challenge of “The Swamp.” Also known as Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

The University of Florida packs over 90,000 fans suited in Gator gear for each home game in the largest venue in Gainesville, Florida.

The stadium, which Florida has been playing its home games at since 1930, earned its nickname for a number of reasons including the swamplike and humid conditions that Gainesville provides. Another is that, just like in a swamp, enemies who dare to enter get swallowed up by the Gators who reside there.

“When you see that size and speed, it always felt like when you played Florida that the field was almost 200 yards instead of 100 yards long,” Coach Mike Bobo said. “You are fighting for every yard when you play a de-

fense like Florida.”

The name is fitting. Rarely do opponents escape the murky, unforgiving waters of “The Swamp” triumphant.

Florida has gone 150-29 at home since 1990. Its home winning percentage of 83.8 over that span ranks third in the FBS behind only Ohio State and Florida State.

Defeating Arkansas last week improved CSU’s overall record against SEC opponents to 2-12 all-time. The Rams’ record on the road against SEC foes is 1-11 with the lone win coming against Louisiana State University in 1992.

The Rams are coming off of a monumental victory over an SEC opponent just as Florida is coming off of a loss as the Gators simply are not as good as they have been in years past. All of these factors bode in CSU’s favor. But, playing at “The Swamp,” which the Rams have never done, is difficult nonetheless.

Simply hearing play-calls

PHOTO COURTESY OF PABLO CORREDOR

will be a whole new complexity that CSU will be forced to overcome given the level of crowd noise.

“The crowd noise bars none,” senior running back Izzy Matthews said. “You literally can’t hear three inches in front of you. It’s the whole game too.

It doesn’t matter what the score is. It’s loud the entire game.”

No Mountain West road environment comes close to matching the intensity that “The Swamp” provides. Fortunately, playing in Tuscaloosa against the Alabama Crimson Tide does, a challenge the Rams encountered last season and nearly succeeded in before losing 41-23.

Playing Alabama last season helped prepare many current CSU players for some of the challenges they will be faced with Saturday.

“Anyone that was there last year knows what it’s like to go out and play in front of 100,000 people,” Matthews said. “They know the feeling when you step

on the field and see nothing but opposing fans and to not be intimidated, but to be excited.”

The Rams are aware of the significance that beating Florida would hold. Though some nerves will most likely be felt on game-day, the general feeling around the locker room is excitement. Excitement because of the opportunity to play on a big stage as well as the potential impact that could be made on the program.

“Two SEC teams in a row, two SEC teams in a season is huge for any non-Power 5,” senior wide receiver Olabisi Johnson said. “(Winning) would be awesome especially because last week was monumental. It would be very exciting.”

CSU could not be blamed for falling to Florida. After all, the Gators currently stand as 19.5-point favorites to win the game, the largest line against them this year.

Bobo isn’t intrigued because of the $2 million cash prize for participating, but because of

how his team will benefit, regardless of the final score.

“Those (SEC teams) tend to get bigger bodies and faster bodies,” Bobo said. “It’s a challenge. It’s not an excuse. If we can stay healthy, I think that is going to help us on the backend of this schedule.”

With that being said, the ultimate goal for the Rams is to steal a victory in a hostile environment. Sophomore fullback and team captain Adam Prentice believes doing so begins with sticking to a simple idea.

“I really think we just need belief,” Prentice said. “Belief that we can do it and go out and execute and play to the best of our abilities. Just let go and play.”

The belief will be tested as the Rams take the field in their midday matchup with the Gators on Saturday, with kickoff shortly after 2 p.m. for fans who stay home, two hours later for those who make the trip.

Eddie Herz can be reached at sports@collegian.com.

The Rocky Mountain Collegian | Friday, September 14, 2018

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11

12 inside the lines

Arkansas victory needs to be a stepping stone for Bobo’s legacy Eddie Herz @Eddie_Herz

Team morale, fan interest, and having a realistic chance to make a bowl game this season were all on the line.

There is no question that Colorado State football’s most recent victory over Arkansas was a win the Rams needed for a magnitude of reasons.

However, it may be overlooked that Coach Mike Bobo desperately needed to defeat the Razorbacks for the sake of his job.

That is not to say that Bobo would have been fired had CSU lost. But, after beginning the 2018 season 0-2, the questioning of Bobo increased. A loss to Arkansas would have given doubters more reason to dislike Bobo.

In turn, a loss would have been yet another black mark on Bobo’s work with the Rams since 2015.

The Razorbacks may not be the most formidable Power-Five opponent. In fact, they are probably one of the weakest. Despite that, CSU’s fans stormed the field after the comeback victory. The reaction reflects how little success the Rams have had in major games under the spotlight since Bobo took over.

In fact, CSU had lost seven of eight games against Power-Five opponents under Bobo before defeating the Razorbacks. The other win came against Oregon State to begin the 2017 season.

Considering the Mountain West has regressed since 2015 and the Rams do not stack their non-conference schedule, they have little opportunity to gain national respect. That’s what made the Arkansas game so significant to Bobo’s resume.

Even beating Boise State would be something to admire.

Colorado State University head coach Mike Bobo helps lead his team while the team sings to CSU fans after the game on Friday night.

PHOTO BY FORREST CZARNECKI COLLEGIAN

But, that is something Bobo hasn’t done. The Rams have gone 0-3 against the Broncos since 2015 and will be major underdogs in Boise this season.

Though beating rivals such as Colorado, Wyoming and Air Force does not really do anything for CSU’s image in the eyes of the Associated Press, it will at least win the fans over. The Rams won two of three rivalry games in Bobo’s first season with the Rams.

They began by losing to the Buffaloes and then bounced back to defeat the Cowboys and Falcons.

But, that is the last time Bobo had success in large conference matchups. Bobo and CSU are

currently in the midst of a seven-game losing streak in rivalries. This gives Bobo an unideal 2-8 rivalry record.

Most of the games haven’t been close either. Within the seven-game skid, the Rams have lost by an average of 18.1 points per game.

Bobo should be praised for his efforts and dedication to his team while enduring lingering medical issues. But, the sympathy will only last so long. CSU has also fallen below expectations in each of Bobo’s previous three seasons. Each year Bobo has been at the helm, the Rams have come out and lost a bowl game

that they simply did not look like they wanted to win.

The ice under Bobo was getting thinner and thinner before beating Arkansas. Now, he has a bit of solid ground. But, there still should not be much room for error from Athletic Director Joe Parker.

Even if Bobo was truly a good coach, it wouldn’t mean anything if he didn’t generate positive results. Beating major opponents, winning rivalry games and winning bowl games are necessary for Bobo’s job security.

The Arkansas victory was a good start, but Bobo needs to build off of it. If he fails to do

so, he will still lack the desired amount of respect from the country, and more importantly, CSU fans.

CSU heads to Gainesville to play the Florida Gators this weekend. A win would be immensely more significant than beating Arkansas. In addition, the Rams still have two rivalry games left this season.

The opportunities are on the table. Only the final results will show if Bobo can finally produce positive results when it matters most.

Eddie Herz can be reached at sports@collegian.com.

Filling in for the Rams is second nature for Maddi Foutz

By Sergio Santistevan @TheRealsSergio

Measuring at only 5-foot-5 inches, Maddi Foutz stacks up against the Colorado States’ largest opponents on the court.

Foutz hails from Bayfield, Colorado where she was a fouryear letter winner in volleyball at Bayfield High School.

During her high school career, Foutz was featured on the American Volleyball Coaches’ Association Under Armour All-American watch list and was awarded the 2015 CHSAA 3A Intermountain League Player of the Year.

Foutz has even had the opportunity to play overseas where she won gold in the 2016

Gold Championship at the EU Global Challenge in Croatia.

It was only fitting that once her high school career wrapped up, Foutz started a new one at the same place she’s been attending volleyball camps since sixth grade. Colorado State University is where fellow Bayfield High School teammate Kirstie Hillyer was attends.

As a true freshman, Foutz saw playing time from the start.

CSU opened their 2017 campaign against Duke where Foutz recorded 13 digs, which ended up being her season-high. Throughout the season, she started 12 games, mainly as a defensive special-

ist and tallied four other double-digit dig matches, finishing with 1.59 digs per set. Foutz received Mountain West Academic All-Conference honors as well.

Heading into her sophomore season, Foutz was still expected to have a limited role coming off of CSU’s bench as a defensive specialist with Amanda Young serving as the team’s libero. “(Maddie) was actually recruited to be a libero,” Coach Tom Hilbert said. “Amanda’s a very, very solid serve receiver and that’s why she plays (over Foutz).”

But, Young went down with an injury at the beginning of the season. As a result, the

Bayfield native was inserted into the starting lineup, where she has started for the Rams as the libero.

“I try and be consistent no matter what my role on the team is,” Foutz said. “Whether I’m going in for three rotations, six rotations or zero rotations, I like to be that positive person on the team.”

Foutz showed her ability to step up for Young during a four-game span where she averaged 19.25 digs per game, including 25 digs versus the University of Northern Colorado. The career-high total also stands as one of the highest totals in a game in Rams’ history.

On Sept. 7, Young returned

to the Rams’ starting lineup at the Michigan Challenge. As expected, Foutz’s playing time decreased, but she was still able to provide quality minutes when called upon.

“It just goes to show how deep our bench is,” junior Katie Oleksak said. “So when injuries do hit us, we can rely on girls on the bench to come in or Maddie who is already in to take the libero spot.”

Foutz might get her chance to step into the starting lineup again this weekend as Young has been unable to practice most of the week due to illness.

Foutz is not shocked she has been relied upon this season to

see FOUTZ on page 15 >>

The Rocky Mountain Collegian | Friday, September 14, 2018

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INDIANA STATE

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13

14 inside the lines

Tale of the Tape

CSU (1-2)

Florida (1-1)

Points Per Game:

27

Points Per Game:

34.5

Opponents’ PPG:

38.33

Opponents’ PPG:

16.5

Passing YPG:

369

Passing YPG:

236.5

Rushing YPG:

86.3

Rushing YPG:

166.5

Opponent’ YPG:

550

Opponent’ YPG:

339.5

3rd Downs: 23-50 (46%)

3rd Downs: 9-22 (40.9%)

Line: FLA -20, O/U: 58.5 Odds courtesy of oddsshark.com

inside the lines

Foutz >> from page 12 been relied upon this season to step up, but gives credit to her teammates’ competitiveness for helping her prepare for this moment.

“I think that in practice me, Amanda and Jenna Heinemyer are all very competitive and we like to push each other every single day,” Foutz said. “We like to try to be consistent in practice and in games.”

Hilbert feels confident that

if Foutz plays how she practices, the Rams will be in good shape and acknowledges the depth he has on the defensive positions.

“Sometimes you have less depth in that area (defense),” Hilbert said. “I think we are one-deep in those defensive spots.”

Whether or not Foutz starts again this season, the defensive specialist has proven to be ready whenever her number is called.

Sergio Santistevan can be reached at sports@collegian. com

KCSUFM.COM

Maddi Foutz celebrates her service ace that won the Rams the final set of the game against Florida State. PHOTO BY ASHLEY POTTS COLLEGIAN

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