Colorado State literally got in an extra practice on the tarmac at Northern Colorado Regional Airport Friday as a nationwide flight grounding threw their travel plans into total chaos. The Rams were stuck on the runway, and instead of waiting endlessly, they hopped out and did a walk-through. Yeah, you read that right. Talk about a bizarre start to a road trip. This whole mess, with the Federal Aviation Administration grounding all flights from early afternoon until around 6 p.m., is pure pandemonium, and WSU might just be the ones to benefit big time from it.
Tarmac Drills and Travel Turmoil
Imagine you’re prepping for a huge road game, flying across the country, and suddenly, boom, all flights are grounded. That was the scene Friday, as teams scrambled. Some made it, some waited for hours, others ended up on buses. Colorado State, though, ended up on a runway doing drills. It’s wild, chaotic, and definitely not ideal prep for a football team getting ready to play on the road. The Cougars, battling for their first FBS win of the year and trying to snap a brutal six-game losing streak, have to be looking at this situation and thinking, “Could this finally be our break?”
This Is WSU’s Best Shot, Period.
Let’s be real, this Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. kickoff in Pullman on CBS Sports Network is the single biggest opportunity of the season for WSU. Our Cougs are sitting at 1-8 overall, 0-5 in the Pac-12. Colorado State isn’t much better at 3-6 overall, 1-4. But here’s the kicker: Colorado State’s defense is a total mess. We’re talking last in the nation in scoring defense, giving up 45 points per game. Last in total defense, bleeding 542 yards per game. Second-to-last in third-down conversion defense at a whopping 54 percent. And last in yards per play at eight. Seriously, you can’t get much worse. For a WSU offense that’s been scuffling all season, one that has been rightly blamed for our wayward record, this is a golden ticket. Owen Eshelman, in his fourth career start, and the whole offense just came off a bye week. If they can’t get it together against this D, when can they? This is our shot, plain and simple, to get that FBS win we’ve been craving.
Mentality Check and Missing Firepower
Cougar defensive tackle Kaden Beatty hit the nail on the head earlier this week. “You can’t let the results dictate your behavior,” he said. “It’s like Coach Moore says: same guy every single day. I love this. I love playing football. I’m on fire for my work every single day. I come in here with a smile, regardless of our record.” That’s the fire we need, because it won’t be easy. Star wide receiver Darrius Clemons, with his 20 catches for 218 yards, is questionable for Saturday with an ankle injury he picked up against Utah State last month. He’s already missed three games, and his absence makes an already struggling offense’s job even tougher. But with that mentality and the Rams’ travel woes and abysmal defense, this still feels like our time.
After this Saturday, the Cougs face a road game against Texas State and then a home FLEX game, likely against Oregon State. Those two don’t look like clear-cut wins, do they? So yeah, Saturday night against Colorado State? This isn’t just another game. It’s the moment for WSU to finally grab that FBS win, rally the fans in Pullman, and show they can still fight.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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