Colorado State coach Sonny Lubick has enjoyed tremendous success in his nine seasons with the Rams.

Lubick-coached teams never quit, and the 2001 season was a perfect example. Once 2-4 overall and 0-1 in the Mountain West Conference, CSU won four of its final five to finish 6-5 overall, 5-2 in the league and earn a berth in the inaugural New Orleans Bowl against North Texas.

It was the third straight postseason appearance for CSU, a first in school history.

In a season filled with close games, CSU was 4-3 when the outcome was seven points or less. In the New Orleans Bowl, Colorado State turned what was supposed to be another close game into a 45-20 rout of the Mean Green.

In nine seasons under the direction of Lubick, the Rams have:

• Earned six bowl invitations, more than any other MWC school.

• Won or shared five conference titles between 1994 and 2000, more than any other program nationally except Florida State over the same span.

• Won more conference games since 1994 than any other current MWC program.

• Ranked among the top 15 programs nationally in total victories since 1994, ahead of programs such as Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Alabama.

• Won eight or more games in a season six times since 1994. Three times the Rams have won 10 or more games.

• Helped attendance at Colorado State reach an all-time high.

The 2001 season led to more coaching milestones for Lubick, who is 73-34 at Colorado State. He won his 70th game last year and the 19-17 victory over Utah in late fall was his 50th conference victory.

When Lubick came to Colorado State, the football program had posted just six winning seasons in two decades and two bowl game invitations in a century of competition. The success is expected to continue in 2002.

Seven Colorado State players were chosen on The Sporting News Preseason All-Mountain West Conference football team. The list includes punter Joey Huber , running back Cecil Sapp , offensive lineman Morgan Pears , and four defenders -- linebackers Eric Pauly and Drew Wood , defensive end Peter Hogan , and cornerback Dexter Wynn .

Huber, a senior from Littleton, Colo., earned first-team all-league honors a year ago by averaging 43.1 yards per punt and was a finalist for the Ray Guy Award presented to the nation’s top punter.

Sapp gained 1,000 yards in 2000, including 160 in the Liberty Bowl win over the University of Louisville when he was chosen the game’s MVP. Sapp earned first-team all-league honors that season. He missed the 2001 season after undergoing surgery in August to remove a benign tumor from his left heel.

Pears has started the last 21 games for the Rams, including every game last season. Pauly led the league in tackles on his way to first-team All-MWC honors. Wood was second in the league in tackles and tied for top team honors with three pass interceptions. Pauly was selected second-team Academic All-America, and Wood was chosen to the District 7 All-Academic team.

Hogan earned honorable mention all-league honors a year ago and tied for top team honors with three quarterback sacks. Wynn earned all-conference honors last year as a return specialist. He led the league by averaging 15.3 yards on punt returns and ranked fifth nationally in that category, and also intercepted two passes, including one in the team’s New Orleans Bowl victory.

Four Rams also earned national recognition by The Sporting News. Huber is listed as the nation’s No. 4 punter in 2002. Pauly is ranked as the nation’s 12th best outside linebacker. Wynn is rated the fifth best kick returner, and Sapp is listed as the 25th best running back.

Once again, Lubick’s coaching staff remains intact. Only six assistant coaches the last nine seasons have left Lubick’s staff for another position. Of those six changes, three coaches became coordinators, another moved to the staff of an NFL team, and the other joined the staff at Notre Dame.

Returning to direct the offense will be junior Bradlee Van Pelt (6-3, 220), who started the final nine games last year, including the New Orleans Bowl.

Last season, Van Pelt threw for 1,247 yards and eight touchdowns and rushed for 546 yards and tied for team honors with four rushing touchdowns. Against BYU, Van Pelt had the top rushing game in school history with 174 yards and two touchdowns. He is the only Rams’ quarterback to rush for more than 100 yards in two games in the same season.

In the victory over North Texas in the New Orleans Bowl, Van Pelt ran for 34 yards and a touchdown and threw for 106 yards and another score.

Van Pelt rushed for 44 yards and threw for 117 including a touchdown in leading the Gold team to a 14-7 win over the Green squad in Colorado State’s spring game.

Van Pelt’s father, Brad, was an All-American at Michigan State and later an All-Pro with the New York Giants. Brad Van Pelt was inducted into the College Football Foundation Hall of Fame on Dec. 11, 2001.

Backing up Van Pelt will be red-shirt freshman Justin Holland (6-3, 190), who was a four-time letter winner at Bear Creek High School in Lakewood, Colo. He broke the state and high school records for passing yards (10,567) and touchdowns (108). He was selected a Parade All-American and Gatorade Player of the Year in 2000.

In the spring game, Holland drove his team down the field and nearly sent the game into overtime. On second and goal at the Gold team’s 3-yard-line, Holland dropped to pass and scrambled out of the pocket, but was stopped near the goal line by linebacker Jeff Flora to preserve the 14-7 victory.

The Rams return two outstanding running backs in Sapp (6-1, 225), a junior, and senior Henri Childs (6-2, 217).

Sapp didn’t play last year after being diagnosed with a benign tumor in the left heel that required surgery. He broke his right lower leg during he spring of 2001.

In 2000, Sapp was voted first-team all-conference by coaches and Football News. He had four 100-yard rushing games and led the team in rushing with 841 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Sapp was back in top form though his duty was limited in the spring game. He rushed twice for five yards and caught one pass for a 29-yard game.

"Cecil looked good," Lubick said. "He looks strong, and showed a bit of speed. He caught that swing pass and split the defense. Cecil is a load, and he brings a lot to the table when he is in the lineup."

Childs led Colorado State last year with 841 yards rushing and four touchdowns. He ran for 97 yards in the New Orleans Bowl. Childs had the third highest single-game rushing total in school history with 237 yards on 30 carries against BYU.

In the spring game, Childs scored the game-wining touchdown in the second quarter on an 8-yard run set up Pauly’s interception of a Holland pass that he ran back to the 1-yard line. Two plays later, Childs scored. Childs led all rushers with 58 yards on 12 carries.

The starters at wide receiver are senior Joey Cuppari (6-1, 180) and junior Chris Pittman (6-1, 185).

Cuppari’s final three pass receptions in 2001 went for at least 31 yards. Pittman had a career-high 41 yards receiving against Louisville.

The backups will be junior Eric Hill (6-0, 185), who ran a reverse for 36 yards to set up a touchdown at Wyoming, junior Russell Sprague (6-4, 210), who suffered a knee injury late last season, and red-shirt freshman Derek Haverley (5-11, 185).

The starter at H-back will be sophomore Joel Dreesen (6-6, 247), who tied for second with 22 receptions last season. Childs will also play some at H-back. Providing depth will be red-shirt freshmen Brandon Alconcel (6-4, 235) and Matt Bartz (6-3, 225).

Starting at tight end will be junior James Sondrup (6-6, 251), who was mostly a backup last year before seeing extensive duty in the Rams’ win at New Mexico and in the New Orleans Bowl. Sophomore Matt Baldischwiler (6-3, 250) was also a reserve last year.

Brothers Morgan (6-8, 309) and Erik Pears (6-8, 310) form the nucleus of the offensive line.

Morgan, a senior, has started 21 straight games for the Rams, while his brother, a sophomore, made three starts a year ago. Erik missed the regular-season game against New Mexico and the New Orleans Bowl with a shoulder sprain.

Another returning starter is junior center Mark Dreyer (6-4, 281), who was selected to the MWC All-Academic team last year.

Senior offensive tackle Aaron Green (6-5, 275) started four games last year, the first of his career, and saw spot emergency duty at tight end.

The starter at strong-side guard is junior Jamie Amicarella (6-5, 290), who red-shirted last year after transferring from Montana State. Backing him up will be red-shirt freshman Albert Bimper (6-2, 300) and junior Kelly Wall (6-4, 300).

Moving over from the defense to the line was junior Kelesio Howard (6-3, 305), who will provide backup at weak-side guard and strong-side tackle.

The Rams signed junior Zeke Hacker (6-3, 280) out of Butler County (Kansas) Community College.

Kent Naughton made 11-of-16 field-goal attempts last year and 26-of-26 extra-point kicks, but he is gone. He will be replaced by sophomore Jeff Babcock (5-10, 180), who battled Naughton last year as a red-shirt freshman.

Leading the way in the line will be Hogan (6-3, 265), a senior who had 37 tackles in 2001 and tied for third on the team with four tackles for losses. He tied for team honors with three quarterback sacks.

Hogan has made 21 career starts, including nine last year. He made eight tackles, the best in his career, last year against Colorado.

Junior nose tackle Bryan Save (6-2, 270) started the final four games last year. He made his first start against BYU, and returned a fumble 28 yards for a touchdown.

Sophomore tackle Patrick Goodpaster (6-3, 285) battled ankle injuries but was the 2001 opening day starter and wound up starting seven games.

Starting at right end will be senior Wallace Thomas (6-3, 245), who started last year against Utah.

Sommersell played defensive end his first two seasons at Colorado State but shifted to linebacker for the 2002 season.

Sophomore Mike Vomhof (6-3, 235) was moved to defensive end and was impressive during the spring. He was projected to play linebacker upon arriving at Colorado State, but shifted to running back in 2001.

Colorado State will feature one of the nation’s top linebacking corps in 2002.

Four players who have been starters for a least a season return. They combined for 279 total tackles last season, 33 percent of the team’s total.

Three of the four are juniors -- Pauly (6-4, 230), Wood (6-2, 230) and Adam Wade (6-1, 220).

Paul, on the outside, started all 12 games last year and led the league in tackles with 115. Wood had 96 and ranked second in the league. Wade had 54 stops and Vickers, the opening day starter, had 14 stops but was limited by injuries.

In a spring scrimmage, Pauly led all players with eight tackles, while Flora (6-2, 245), a junior, had six.

"The defense, I thought, played very well," Lubick said. "We’re happy with the position changes that we made. We know that we have some work to do when we come back in the fall, but overall, I was pleased."

The starter on the depth chart at strong side linebacker is junior Andre Sommersell (6-3, 210), who moved from defensive end to linebacker during spring drills. He made eight tackle last year and was credited with two sacks.

Another key player at linebacker will be senior Doug Heald (6-2, 230), who is listed as a backup at strong side and in the middle.

The leader of the secondary will be Wynn (5-9, 175), a junior cornerback who was seventh on the team with 52 tackles and second with five tackles for loss. He started 10 games, including the New Orleans Bowl, and led the MWC in punt-return average at 15.1 and was sixth nationally. He was third in the league in kick returns at 26.1.

The other cornerback will be senior Rhett Nelson (6-1, 194), who started in two games last year and made seven tackles against Air Force.

Two players who changed positions are listed as starters in the secondary -- senior David Vickers (6-0, 208) and junior Rahsaan Sanders (6-0, 212). Vickers moved to strong safety after starting two years at linebacker. Sanders, a running back his first two seasons at Colorado State, is listed as the starter at free safety.

The backups are sophomore Jason Sanchez (5-10, 187), who was a reserve and special teams player last year; sophomore Landon Jones (6-2, 235), junior Jason Hepp (6-2, 191); junior Guy Porter (6-1, 200); junior Lenzie Williams (6-1,210); and red-shirt freshman David Foley (5-11, 195).

One signee, junior defensive back Travis Campbell (6-0, 190, enrolled early after playing last year at Cal State-Northridge, a Division I-AA program that dropped football after the 2001 season. He made a big impact as a sophomore, finishing second on the team with 92 tackles, including a team-high 55 solos. He also led the team with five interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns.

In his second year at the Colorado State punter, Huber (6-6, 223) burst on the scene by averaging 43.0 yards per punt, good enough for second in the MWC. The senior’s net punting average was fifth best in the nation.

In 2001, 16 of Huber’s punts were downed inside an opponents’ 20-yard line. He enters the season with a 41.1-yard career average, fourth best in school history.

The Rams led the conference in kickoff returns (26.5), net punting (40.3), punt returns (12.8) and were 26-of-26 on extra-points last year.

A blocked punt led to a fast start for Colorado State in the New Orleans Bowl.

"It seem like I’m always waiting for special teams to do something," Lubick said. "Their quarterback was getting hot. That blocked punt ... deflated them. From that point we took control."

The Rams signed only one quarterback on national signing day -- Marshall Tharpe (6-2, 185) from Santa Margarita High School in Coto de Caza, Calif. He set a school record for completion percentage at 62.9 and was one of the most highly sought after quarterbacks in the nation.

Tharpe threw for 1,601 yards last year and was rated one of the top-10 quarterbacks by Student Sports, and was chosen one of the top-25 pro-style quarterbacks by Rivals.com.

"Marshall is overall a more complete player than any of my past quarterbacks and should be at least as successful, if not more, than any of my previous quarterbacks in college," Santa Margarita coach Jim Hartigan said. "He has the athletic ability of Chris Rix [Florida State], the arm of Carson Palmer [USC] and the smarts and decision-making ability of Matt Dlugecki [Illinois]. He arguably ran the offense better than any of the previous quarterbacks."

The Rams also signed three running backs -- Jeffrey Gales (6-1, 190), Jimmy Green (6-0, 220) and Tristan Walker (6-1, 225).

Gales ran for 1,476 yards last year at All Saints Episcopal High School in Fort Worth, Texas. He was selected league player of the year and two-time team MVP.

Walker was considered one of the nation’s best running backs. He was rated the No. 10 fullback recruit and No. 76 overall by PacWestFootball.com. He gained more than 1,150 yards as a senior and has a 40-yard dash time of 4.5 and a vertical leap of 39 inches.

The Rams also signed three outstanding wide receivers in David Anderson (5-11, 190), Joey Flores (6-3, 195) and Julien Petit (6-3, 190).

Anderson was chosen All-West Regional by SuperPrep after catching 83 passes for 1,130 yards and nine touchdowns at Thousand Oaks High in Westlake Village, Calif. He is considered one of the finest wide receiver prospects to sign with the Rams.

Flores played at Fountain Valley High School in Anaheim, Calif., where he was also a standout defensive end.

One of the top signees on defense was Lukas Davis (6-2, 190), a defensive back from Eaglecrest High School in Aurora, Colo.

Colorado State got off to a rough start last season, and the same thing may happen in 2002.

Four of the five losses last year came at the hands of teams ranked in the top 25, three of which won their respective conference titles.

In 2001, Colorado State’s 2002 opponents won 84 games and lost 60. Five of the teams -- Colorado, Fresno State, Louisville, Brigham Young and Utah -- played in bowl games. Six of the teams were ranked in 2001, including. Seven finished the year above .500, and four won 10 or more games.

Under Lubick, the Rams have won at least seven games in a season for a school-record eight seasons in a row. Seven times, the Rams have won eight or more games in a season.

Look for it to be either eight or nine victories again in 2002.