17 Colorado State

As Colorado state was about to take the field for the Holiday Bowl against Michigan back in December 1994, 22 freshmen ran to the front of the pack and led the charge onto the turf at Jack Murphy Stadium. It had been the best season in the 101-year history of Colorado State football: The Rams went 10-2 in the regular season and won the WAC title for the first time, which was reason enough to go wild. But something more was in the air. Before surging through the tunnel and past their teammates, the freshmen had pledged to each other that their class would surpass the accomplishments of that season's seniors.

"We all kind of looked at each other and went crazy out on the field" says defensive back Myron Terry. "Our entire class had red-shirted, so we knew we had to get our aggressions out then. All of us had a feeling that good things were going to happen from that point on. Colorado State wasn't known as a football powerhouse when we got there, but the senior class had set the school record for wins, and it was up to us to keep it going."

The brief sojourn on the San Diego sod was the only action those freshmen saw that night, but four years later the Rams, bolstered by the class of '99, have now joined the ranks of the nation's elite.

The transformation, under coach Sonny Lubick, has been remarkable. The Rams have won more games (41) in his five seasons in Fort Collins than they did in all of the '80s (36). Last season Colorado State had an alltime-high 11 wins and took its third WAC title in four years. Lubick calls this senior class his best yet, and 17 starters return from a team that ended '97 by winning nine straight.

A major concern, however, is replacing quarterback Moses Moreno, who threw for 2,257 yards and 20 touchdowns last fall. Fifth-year senior Ryan Eslinger, who has thrown just 27 passes in college, will begin the season as the starter. Despite his lack of experience, his teammates have confidence in him. "Ryan is a big part of our class, and with all due respect to Moses Moreno, Ryan is a better athlete," Terry says. Eslinger has the luxury of playing behind 6'4", 285-pound center Mike Newell and 6'6", 310-pound left guard Anthony Cesario, neither of whom allowed a sack last season. He also has a pair of 1,000-yard fullbacks to hand off to in senior Damon Washington, the starter, and junior Kevin McDougal.

"We're really not going to change anything offensively," says Lubick. "We've operated out of the one-back set pretty effectively for several years now, and we return a couple of tremendous runners. But our quarterback has to be confident, because we're not going to run the ball every down."

Colorado State's biggest strength is its swarming defense. Linebackers Nate Kvamme (110 tackles) and Willie Taylor (92) and defensive end Clark Haggans (66 tackles, 11 sacks) are punishing pass rushers, and Terry (six interceptions) is the stalwart of the secondary.

The Rams will be tested early. They open with Michigan State and then play rival Colorado, whom they haven't beaten since 1986. Unlike in previous years, though, these are games Colorado State is supposed to win. "When I took over I hoped to turn this into a .500 program, and I think people would have been happy with that," says Lubick. "But with the success we've had, people are expecting us to win every game. It's time to see if this group can deal with a little success."

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