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Rams Head To Liberty Bowl
Football to face Louisville of Conference USA on Dec. 29 in Memphis, Tennessee.
Dec. 10, 2000 BATTLE FOR THE BELL: Colorado State and the University of Louisville will battle for the Liberty Bowl Bell trophy at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, named when the classic moved to Memphis in 1965. The bowl pits conference champions of the Mountain West: Colorado State, (9-2, 6-1 MWC) and Conference-USA, Louisville (9-2, 6-1 MWC) against one another. title town: In 100 years of football prior to Sonny Lubick's arrival at Colorado State in 1993, the school won or shared 9 championships. Since Lubick arrived to revive the program, Colorado State has now won back-to-back Mountain West Conference titles in the league's first 2 years of existence. The Rams have under Lubick now won 4 titles in the past 5 seasons and 5 titles in 7 years. Colorado State's journey to the 2000 AXA Liberty Bowl will be the team's 7th in school history - 5 having come during Lubick's tenure. RADIO & T.V.: The game can be heard live on the Colorado State Sports Network including flagship station KIIX in Fort Collins (1410 AM). Wyatt Thompson, Rich Bircumshaw and Susie Wargin form the broadcast crew. The game will also be the Rams' 6th appearance on national television with coverage provided by ESPN. Rich Walz calls the play-by-play and the analyst is Don McPherson. Colorado State is 4-1 in national television appearances this season (2-0 ESPN, 2-1 ESPN2). TRIBUTE TO FUM: Colorado State's football squad is paying tribute to legendary player, coach, and administrator Thurman "Fum" McGraw, who passed away Sept. 6 at age 73 by attaching a sticker to the right rear of their helmets with his three-letter nickname. McGraw was the school's first consensus football All-American (1948, `49) and later served 10 years as the school's athletics director. FIRST TIME SINCE `92: Colorado State's 4 4th-quarter rallies in 2000 for victories is the 1st time since 1992 a Rams' team has come from behind 4 times for wins in the final period. That season Colorado State rallied for wins at LSU (17-14 after trailing 14-10 entering the 4th quarter), vs. UTEP (42-24 after trailing 24-21 in the final period), against Air Force (32-28 after trailing 28-19 in the 4th quarter), and against Ohio (35-24, scoring 21 4th-quarter points). The capsule of the Rams' Rallies in 2000: 3rd Qtr.* Final Game Score Deficit Score Game-Winning Play/Drive Time Game 1: Colorado 24-14 10 28-24 Matt Newton-Jose Ochoa 30-yard pass 10:31 Drive: 8 plays, 64 yards, 2:47 Game 5: New Mexico 14-10 4 17-14 Cecil Sapp 3-yard run 6:13 Drive: 13 plays, 84 yards, 5:17 Game 6: UNLV 13-10 3 20-19 Cecil Sapp 1-yard run 5:16 Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 3:15 Game 7: Utah 17-10 7 24-17 Matt Newton-Pete Rebstock 40-yard pass 3:06 Drive: 2 plays, 42 yards, :43 *Score at conclusion of 3rd quarter. NEWTON SETS RECORD: QB Matt Newton has set a new school career passing touchdowns record, with 41. He threw a career-best 5 scoring passes - 3 to Pete Rebstock - in the Rams' game at Air Force, then broke the record with a 41-yard pass to RB Cecil Sapp during Colorado State's win over Wyoming. WIRE TO WIRE: Colorado State's 2000 MWC title is the 5th under Sonny Lubick, but the 1st where the Rams were never out of 1st place. Colorado State finished the year with a 6-1 record and outright champions. 1ST AT HUGHES: The Rams' 2000 title is the first of the 5 they've won under Sonny Lubick's guidance to be clinched at Hughes Stadium. Titles in 1994 (at Fresno State, 44-42), 1995 (at San Diego State (24-13), 1997 (at San Diego State, 38-17), and 1999 (at UNLV, 35-17) were clinched on the road. TITLE TEAMS: Colorado State has won or shared 14th football championships in school history, including 5 during Sonny Lubick's 8 seasons. The Rams have now won or shared conference titles the past 2 seasons, 4 times in 5 years, and 5 times in 7 seasons. It is also the 2nd time in Lubick's 8 seasons the Rams have won or shared back-to-back titles. ONE WITH ONE: Senior WR Frank Rice, who was 2nd on the team with 40 receptions, is the only player on the team who caught at least 1 pass in all 11 games. Rice had 3 receptions in the final regular season game, a 37-13 win over Wyoming. REBSTOCK CENTURY: WR Pete Rebstock had the top night of his career at Air Force, with 9 receptions for 168 yards and 3 touchdowns - all career highs. Rebstock has now become the first Rams' receiver Geoff Turner in 1996 to have 3 consecutive 100-yard receiving games, and 4 in a season. Rebstock's 100-yard games in 2000 are shown at left. Rebstock enters this week's game 9th nationally in punt return average (16.75 per return), 16th in all-purpose yards (145.30 per game), and 37th in receiving yards per game (76.80). Rebstock's 168 receiving yards last week ties for the 8th most in a game in school history. It is also the highest total by a Ram since Paul Turner's 169 yards at Fresno State in the final regular-season game of 1994. SAFETY FIRST Colorado State in Sonny Lubick's 8 seasons has historically featured strong safety play. The safety tandem of John Howell and Aaron Sprague have combined for 176 tackles. Here's a list of the season totals for the safety tandems: 1996: Eric Olson (98), Myron Terry (92) 190 2000: Aaron Sprague (83), John Howell (93) 176 1999: John Howell (91), Eric Olson (73) 164 1995: Greg Myers (83), Steve Standifer (45) 138 1997: Myron Terry (66), Eric Olson (61) 127 1993: Greg Myers (76), Scott Lynch (26) 102 1998: Myron Terry (67.5), Eric Olson (40.5) 108 1994: Greg Myers (40), Scott Lynch (36) 76 TACKLE BOX: Starting defensive tackles Jamie Bennett and Mike Mackenzie are the only two defensive linemen who have started every game the past 2 seasons. Safety John Howell joins the tandem as having been the only defensive players to have started every game over that span, 23 in a row. JUST 5: Colorado State limited Wyoming to just 5 total yards in the 4th period of the final regular season game, a 37-13 win by the Rams which clinched the MWC title outright and a Liberty Bowl bid. LINE STREAK: Colorado State's starting 5 interior linemen concluded the 2000 regular season by combining for 125 career starts, including 35 in a row by OT Tim Stuber. The list of career games started includes: Player Starts Tim Stuber 35 Justin Borvansky 30 David Shohet 23 Broderick Lancaster 19 Broc Finlayson 11 Morgan Pears 7 Total 125 LINED UP: The Rams featured a solid linebacking corps, led by all-star Rick Crowell. He and fellow starter David Vickers finished 1st and 3rd, respectively, on the team in total tackles. Crowell led the Rams with 125 whole Vickers had 91, a total of 216 from the pair of veterans. Crowell started the 10 games in which he played during the regular season, while Vickers started all 11 games. BROTHERLY LOVE: Identical twins Jason (jersey #22) and Justin (#26) Gallimore etched their names in college football lore during the team's win over Wyoming to conclude the regular season. Justin started every game at cornerback, while Jason is a reserve safety and plays in "nickel" situations. Both are special teams stalwarts. In the win over Wyoming, Jason returned a fumble 52 yards for a score and brother Justin, born just a few minutes later than his brother, intercepted a pas that he returned 63 yards for a touchdown - the first time since 1985 when Kevin and Keith Cobb of the University of Memphis - identical twins who played defense - scored in a Division I game. However, both of those scores came on special teams: one on a kick return (Kevin) and one on a blocked punt (Keith). QUARTERLY REPORT: Only 4 opponents have scored in the 1st quarter against the Rams this season: Nevada (7), Utah (10), San Diego State (3), Air Force (7), and Wyoming (3), a total of 30 points. DAYLIGHT SAVINGS: When the Rams and Cardinals face one another in the 42nd Annual AXA Liberty Bowl, it will mark only the 3rd time in 12 games the team kicks off before 4 p.m. Colorado State had early-afternoon games with East Tennessee State (3 p.m.) and New Mexico (1 p.m.) at home, and Nevada (1 p.m.) on the road. All other games started at 4 p.m. or later. The Rams were 4-1 overall in 2000 in day games, and are 42-16 in 58 day games during Sonny Lubick's 8 seasons at Colorado State. TURNOVED OVER: Colorado State faced a 6-0 deficit in the title clinching win over Wyoming before erupting for 27 consecutive points - 20 scored by the defense covering a 12-minute span of the 2nd and 3rd quarters, respectively. The offensive score came on RB Cecil Sapp's 41-yard catch-and-run play from QB Matt Newton. The defensive barrage: Qtr. Time Play 2nd 6:48 Jason Gallimore, 52-yard fum. return 2nd 4:49 Rick Crowell, 32-yard int. return 3rd 10:34 Justin Gallimore, 63-yard int. return sapp 100: RB Cecil Sapp had the top night of his career at Air Force, gaining 158 yards on just 10 carries and setting a new school record with an 89-yard touchdown run - the longest scoring jaunt in school history. The previous record was 80 yards for a scoring run. Including Sapp's totals, Colorado State has had 54 100-yard rushing performances during Coach Sonny Lubick's eight -year career including three this season. The Rams are 42-4 in eight seasons under Lubick in games where a back breaks the century mark, including a 3-1 record in 2000 Colorado State is 24-25 the past eight seasons in games where a back does not gain 100 or more yards. The breakdown of Colorado State's record from 1993-99 when a player gains 100 or more yards includes: Year Total Record 2000 5 3-1 1999 6 6-0 1998 5 4-0 1997 10 8-1 1996 13 8-1 1995 8 6-1 1994 4 4-0 1993 3 3-0 Totals 54 42-4 1999 100-Yard Rushing Summary Player, Game Att-Yds-TD Cecil Sapp at Air Force 10-158-1 Cecil Sapp vs. ETSU 11-119-2 Cecil Sapp vs. Brigham Young 19-119-2 Rahsaan Sanders at Nevada 19-116-1 Duan Ruff at Nevada 15-106-2 The three losses in games where a back surpassed 100 yards include: * Nov. 11, 2000, Air Force 44, Colorado State 40, RB Cecil Sapp, 10-158-1 * Oct. 20, 1997, Air Force 24, Colorado State 0 RB Damon Washington, 16-155-0 * Oct. 12, 1996, Tulsa 20, Colorado State 14 RB Damon Washington, 19-188-1 * Nov. 16, 1996, Wyoming 25, Colo. State 24 RB Calvin Branch, 38-158-3 IN NOVEMBER: Colorado State continued its November magic in 2000. Since Sonny Lubick's arrival, the Rams are 19-3 in games played in November (10-1 on the road, 9-2 at home). AT HOME: The Rams are 31-10 at home during Sonny Lubick's tenure including a 5-0 record in 2000. It marks the 1st time in Lubick's 8 seasons the Rams were undefeated in home games. Colorado State is 8-2 under Lubick in home nonconference games since 1993. The losses came at the hands of Oregon (1993) and Colorado (1996). Colorado State's year-by-year home record under Sonny Lubick includes: Year Record Loss(es) 2000 5-0 -- 1999 4-1 San Diego State 1998 3-1 Wyoming 1997 4-1 Air Force 1996 4-2 Colorado, Wyoming, 1995 3-2 BYU, New Mexico 1994 5-1 Utah 1993 3-2 Oregon, BYU Totals 31-10 ON THE ROAD: Colorado State was 3-2 on the road in 2000. The Rams are 31-15 in road games, 4-4 in neutral site games during Sonny Lubick's tenure. Four times in Lubick's six years at the helm (1994, `95, `97, `98), the Rams won five road games, the school record. Year Record Road Loss(es) 2000 3-2 Arizona State, Air Force 1999 3-2 BYU, Fresno State 1998 5-2 Air Force, Rice 1997 5-1 Colorado 1996 3-3 Oregon, Nebraska, Tulsa 1995 5-1 Colorado 1994 5-0 -- 1993 2-4 Nebraska, Kansas, San Diego St., Utah Totals 31-15 HOME RECORDS: Colorado State finished the 2000 with a 5-0 record at home, only the 7th time in school history the Rams have been undefeated in home games, and only the 2nd time in the history of Hughes Stadium, which opened in 1966. Top home records include: just say yes: Starting safety Aaron Sprague was part of the postgame festivities after the Rams clinched the MWC title and earned a Liberty Bowl invite. Sprague, a junior from Holyoke, Colo., proposed marriage on the field among his teammates to Amber Einspahr, his girlfriend of 6 years. She accepted. WHERE THERE'S A WILL: WR Will Layne was a starter throughout the 2000 season. He saved his best for last: in his final home appearance, Layne had the top night of his career, with 8 receptions for 100 yards - the 6th 100-yard game of the year by the Rams. BENNETT NAMED: Colorado State DT Jamie Bennett was named to the first-team academic All-District VII football squad as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America and sponsored by Verizon. Bennett, a senior from Cleveland, Ohio, boasts a 3.48 grade point average while majoring in Technical Education. Bennett will receive his bachelor's degree during graduation ceremonies next spring. Bennett has three times been named to the conference all-academic team, and now has twice been named academic all-district. His name will now automatically appear on the academic All-American team. in November: The Rams under Sonny Lubick have been nearly unbeatable in November games. Colorado State has an 18-3 record in November contests, 10-1 on the road and 8-2 at Hughes Stadium. The 1st and only road loss came at Air Force Nov. 11. The 2 home losses came to Wyoming, in 1996 (25-24), and 1998 (27-19). TOUGH DEFENSE: Colorado State has 21 times in Sonny Lubick's 8 seasons as head coach the Rams held an opponent to 290 or fewer yards including 6 times in 2000. The Rams have a 18-3 (losses: ASU-2000, San Diego State and So. Mississippi-1999) record in games where they have allowed 280 or fewer yards. The fewest yards allowed by the Rams in a game since `93 includes: Year Game Rush Pass Total 1995 Hawaii 106 20 126 1994 UTEP 23 116 139 1993 Air Force 112 41 153 1994 Utah State 38 119 157 2000 Brigham Young 57 120 177 1999 So. Mississippi 62 125 187 1999 New Mexico St. 117 76 193 1999 San Diego St. 135 67 202 1998 SMU 129 73 202 1997 Hawaii 71 131 202 1994 Arkansas St. 92 110 202 1995 UTEP 107 97 204 1997 Fresno St. 57 155 212 1998 Michigan St. 133 97 230 1995 Utah 86 159 245 2000 Utah 110 142 252 1997 Nevada 40 217 257 2000 Arizona St. 184 77 261 2000 New Mexico 73 203 276 2000 UNLV 200 80 280 2000 Wyoming 146 144 290 Turnover table: Colorado State, in the past 8 seasons since Coach Sonny Lubick's arrival, is a "plus 48" in the turnover ratio. The Rams in 1997 led the nation in turnover ratio. Colorado State converted 4 Wyoming turnovers into 3 touchdowns - 20 points - in the title-clinching 37-13 win Nov. 16 in Fort Collins. The team's turnover ratio in Lubick's 8 seasons at the helm include: Year Giveaways Takeaways +/- 2000 24 24 Even 1999 25 23 -2 1998 23 30 +7 1997 13 39 +26 1996 28 28 Even 1995 26 31 +5 1994 22 25 +3 1993 19 26 +7 Totals 180 228 +48 STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: Colorado State's year-by-year offensive and defensive per-game averages include: power streak: Colorado State, in the final 4 games of the regular season, scored a total of 156 points in winning the MWC title, an average of 39.0 per game, twice topping the 40-point mark. AVERAGE 5TH: The Rams in 2000 drew an average of nearly 28,000 per home date, 5th most in school history. Seven of the top 10 figures have come during Sonny Lubick's 8 seasons, including: STARTING STREAKS: Eleven players projected to be in the starting lineup the Liberty Bowl for the Rams have started at least 19 games in a row. OT Tim Stuber leads the list by making his 36th start in succession. Of the 12 players listed, 8 are seniors and the remaining 4 juniors. The list of starting streaks includes: Player Class Starts Tim Stuber, OL Sr. 35 Justin Borvansky, OL Sr. 29 Jamie Bennett, DL Sr. 23 John Howell, DB Sr. 23 C.W. Hurst, K Sr. 23 Mike Mackenzie, DL Sr. 23 Matt Newton, QB Sr. 23 Jose Ochoa, TE Jr. 23 David Shohet, OL Jr. 23 Ameer Lowe, DB Sr. 22 Justin Gallimore, DB Jr. 19 MWC HONORS: Mountain West Conference player of the week award winners include: Sept. 4 Matt Newton, offense Sept. 11 Pete Rebstock, special teams Sept. 18 Rick Crowell, defense Oct. 2 Pete Rebstock, special teams Oct. 16 Rhett Nelson, special teams, Rick Crowell, defense Oct. 30 Dexter Wynn, special teams Nov. 18 Justin Gallimore, defense CROWELL LEADS: LB Rick Crowell led the Mountain West Conference in tackles, with a regular-season total of 125. Crowell played in 10 of the team's 11 regular season games, and was been in double figures in tackles 8 times in those 10 games played. He missed the team's opening-game win over Colorado while sitting out as part of an NCAA petition to restore a year's eligibility after he was injured early in 1999. He enters is 5th in career tackles with 368. His 125 tackles in 2000 is the 11th best season total. Career Tackles 1. Willie Taylor, LB, 1995-98 410 2. Ron Cortell, DB, 1985-88 404 3. Jeff Harper, LB, 1980-83 401 4. Nate Kvamme, LB, 1995-98 371 5. Rick Crowell, LB, 1996-2000 368 HURST SCORES: K C.W. Hurst scored 143 career points, 10th most in school history, and scored 69 points in 2000, 10th most:: Career Scoring (*Denotes kickers) 1. Steve Bartalo, 1983-86 294 2.*Mike Brown, 1988-90 254 3. Todd Yert, 1987-90 228 4.*Steve DeLine, 1984-86 212 5.*Jon Poole, 1980-83 183 6. Lawrence McCutcheon, 1969-71 164 7. Oscar Reed, 1965-67 156 8. Ron Harris, 1974-77 150 9.*Derek Franz, 1996-98 149 10.*C.W. Hurst, 1997-00 143 Season Scoring 1. Calvin Branch, 1996 132 2. Steve Bartalo, 1986 114 3. Todd Yert, 1990 96 4. Derek Franz, 1998 91 5. Kevin McDougal, 1997 84 6. Steve DeLine, 1986 82 7. Mike Brown, 1989 81 8. Steve Bartalo, 1985 78 8.Frank Faucett, 1947 70 10. Matt McDougal, 1996 69 10.Clark Kemble, 1974 69 10.C.W. Hurst, 2000 69 NEWTON'S LAW: QB Matt Newton enjoyed one of the finest careers in Colorado State history, and is the school's record holder for passing touchdowns with 41. He also ranks among the career leaders in total offense and passing: Career Total Offense 1. Anthoney Hill, 1991-93 7147 2. Kelly Stouffer, 1984-86 6680 3. Moses Moreno, 1994-97 6443 4. Terry Nugent, 1980-83 6350 5. Matt Newton, 1997-00 5004 Career Passing 1. Kelly Stouffer, 1984-86 7141 2. Terry Nugent, 1980-83 7103 3. Moses Moreno, 1994-97 6689 4. Anthoney Hill, 1991-94 6020 5. Scooter Molander, 1987-88 5400 6. Matt Newton, 1998-00 5223 Passing Touchdowns 1.Matt Newton, 1998-00 41 2. Kelly Stouffer, 1984-86 40 3. Terry Nugent, 1980-83 39 3. Moses Moreno, 1994-97 39 5. Anthoney Hill, 1991-94 36 Season Passing 1. Terry Nugent, 1983 3319 2. Scooter Molander, 1987 3168 3. Moses Moreno, 1996 2921 4. Matt Newton, 2000 2609 Season Total Offense 1. Terry Nugent, 1983 3043 2. Moses Moreno, 1996 2903 3. Scooter Molander, 1987 2754 4. Anthoney Hill, 1994 2715 5. Matt Newton, 2000 2271 RECEIVING END: WR Frank Rice is 6th on the school all-time list for career touchdown receptions with 13. Dallas Davis remains tied for 8th. Pete Rebstock in 2000 caught 6 scoring passes, tying for 7th all-time. The career and season lists for scoring receptions includes: Career Receiving Touchdowns 1. Mark R. Bell, 1975-78 23 2. Jeff Champine, 1980-83 21 3. Willie Miller, 1972-74 18 Paul Turner, 1993-97 18 5. Greg Primus, 1989-92 15 6. J. D. Brookhart, 1985-87 13 6. Frank Rice, 1996-99 13 8. Keil McGregor, 1981-84 8 Todd Tyrrell, 1984-87 8 Dallas Davis, 1997-99 8
RAMS RETURN: Colorado State features some of the top special teams performers in the nation. Pete Rebstock sits atop the career punt return list and teammate Dallas Davis is 3rd (he has missed nearly all of 2000 due to injury). Teammate Dexter Wynn has set a new record for kick return average. The top figures include: Career Punt Returns 1. Pete Rebstock, 1998-00 (28-495-1) 17.7 2. Jack Christiansen, 1948-50 16.9 3. Dallas Davis, 1997-00 (43-626-2) 14.6 Career Kick Returns 1. Dexter Wynn, 2000 (12-382-1) 31.8 2. Randy Beverly, 1964-65 29.6 3. Brady Keys, 1959-60 27.9 4. Phil Jackson, 1962-63 24.8 5. Pete Rebstock, 1998-00 (12-294-0) 24.5 Season Punt Returns 1. Dallas Davis, 1999 16.9 2. Pete Rebstock, 2000 16.8 3. Greg Myers, 1995 15.9 4. Jake Green, 1970 15.7 5. Geoff Turner, 1997 15.2 Season Kick Returns 1. Dexter Wynn, 2000 31.8 2. Randy Beverly, 1965 31.1 3. Phil Jackson, 19693 26.2 4. Jake Green, 1970 25.1 5. Alvin Lewis, 1980 25.0 6. Johnny Square, 1974 24.6 7. Pete Rebstock, 2000 24.5
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