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No looking back Rams' Houston awaits facing ex-mates at ColoradoPosted: Thursday August 07, 2003 6:18 PMUpdated: Thursday August 07, 2003 7:16 PM
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) -- Marcus Houston was all smiles as Colorado State held its annual football media day. Houston, who transferred from Colorado in January, avoided questions about his past Wednesday -- even though the Rams' first game is against CU on Aug. 30. "I don't want to look in the rearview mirror," Houston said. "When it's game time, it's game time. I'm not shying away [from questions about CU]. I'm just not looking back." The Rams posted a 10-4 record last season and are favored to win their fourth Mountain West Conference title in five seasons. CSU, which has 15 returning starters, is tied with Penn State for 25th in the preseason coaches' poll. "We have more potential than any other team since I've been here," senior quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt said. "It's a prime time for our program to go and put everything together." Coach Sonny Lubick also reminded his players that the 1998 team, with four future NFL draft picks, had a lot of preseason expectations but ended up 8-4 and out of the rankings. Last year's team was 10-2 before losing at home to UNLV and to TCU in the Liberty Bowl. "It really, really hurt when we lost those last two," senior running back Rahsaan Sanders said. "We didn't play the way we know we can play and it cost us. But [those losses] made us come back and work even harder in the offseason." First up for the Rams is Colorado, the in-state rival they have beaten three times out of the last four times. "Of course I'm looking forward to it," senior linebacker Drew Wood said. "CU is always a big game. They live right down the road from us -- we hate them and they hate us. It's a great rivalry." Van Pelt said: "We expect to beat CU. We expect to win the Mountain West. That's the attitude we need to have going into the season. That doesn't mean we will be cocky." Houston, who played at Denver's Thomas Jefferson High School, was approved to play this season and next by the NCAA. In most cases, transfers must sit out a full season and lose a year of eligibility. The junior was listed third on the depth chart released in June. "Our team chemistry is really good; I think we can be a really special team," Houston said. "But the coaches also have been careful to remind us that it's important to be humble and continue to work hard. That's going to be important for this team."
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