Colorado State football mailbag: Does fixing the offense start at QB? Norvell takes blame
We’ll get into a mailbag in a minute, but first a bit of an analysis to lead into the questions.
Not surprisingly, the Colorado State football offense, play-calling and quarterback play was the main topic of queries.
To that end, Jay Norvell opened his Monday press conference with comments about the offense.
“I want to take responsibility for like what happened this weekend. We called the game a certain way. We had some real issues a year ago where we made a lot of negative things happen. We were really wanting to go into this season not beating ourselves. I probably have got to take the brunt of that responsibility. In doing that, we kind of played a little close to the vest,” he said in the wake of a frustrating 50-24 loss to Washington State.
Norvell went on to stress that he should have done a better job of finding ways to get CSU’s playmakers involved.
So, what to make of his comments? Some fans appreciated him taking the blame. Others were furious, claiming he was admitting fear. Can't make everyone happy.
It was clearly a thought-out message. It’s a classic veteran coach move to, in bad times, heap blame upon themselves in order to protect players.
Do I think Norvell feels he could have called a better game? Yes. Do I feel he believes there were times his QB missed chances downfield? Yes. Do I think he made those comments in part to deflect public blame away from Clay Millen? Yes.
With all that in mind, let’s head into a mailbag. Strap in, it’s a big one.
Who will start at QB vs. CU and what are your thoughts on the OL after watching the first game? (@CSUTrimble)
Who is your starting QB vs CU? Do you stick with Millen or do you make the change knowing BFN has 2 weeks to prepare? (@CSURamT)
Who should start at QB? (@freedompimp2012)
Quickly, on the offensive line: I thought they were decent. Not great, but OK, which is an improvement.
I think there's real competition at QB right now in practice, but if I had to guess I would say Millen would start against CU, so long as there are no injury problems. I would be a bit surprised if Norvell publicly blamed himself for the offensive struggles against Washington State and then went and benched the QB. That said, it's a winning business and if coaches are certain a change is needed they will do it. A bye week gives a chance to give something new a try.
Who is getting the No. 1 reps next week will be telling.
Who should, in my mind, start? I honestly could argue both ways, but I think I would still go with Millen. Here’s why:
He is still only 11 starts into his career and can still grow. Making a radical change after one game could send a message of panic. Plus, asking Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi to take over in the chaos of Boulder could be setting him up to fail, too, and if that happened you have your top two QBs wavering.
I would start Millen, but with a shorter lease and limited time window. If he’s not better against CU, it's time to go in on Fowler-Nicolosi, who clearly provided a spark Saturday.
Norvell said both Saturday after the game and again Monday that better QB play is needed, so there's clearly room for movement.
Without having watched the game I’m curious what was holding Millen back, (physical or mental issues?) and how hopeful it made you for him being QB1 moving forward, or if BFN is legitimately looking to have a chance of taking that starter role. (@ehoatson2)
What's the bigger issue in regards to the offense: QB execution or play-calling? (@DSahimi)
How can we expect the play-calling on the offensive side of the ball to change and reflect the Air Raid concepts we were sold on? (@KevSportsBurner)
Well, we’ve heard Norvell say it’s his fault for the play-calling (also, people need to stop tweeting me about Matt Mumme’s play-calling because Norvell calls the plays, not Mumme). Truth? Somewhat.
CSU clearly was conservative at times. The rushing attempt on second and 15 from the Washington State 22 on the first drive screamed “make sure to get some points” to me.
That said, there were some downfield possibilities available that just weren’t taken. There’s no doubt Millen often took the conservative option. Fowler-Nicolosi was more aggressive. It's a tiny sample size, but Millen averaged 4.6 yards per attempt on 24 throws and Fowler-Nicolosi averaged 10.5 yards per attempt on 20 tries.
It’s human nature to seek a singular point of blame on any issue, but that's typically not the case.
It would be natural for Millen to be a bit overcautious given how often he was hit last season. Maybe he’ll grow in confidence with the improved line and start to unleash a bit. Millen must be more aggressive and the staff knows it. Play-calling can help, though, too.
I think the pressure is on Millen to open up the offense. If it doesn’t come soon, Fowler-Nicolosi will take over.
How can there not be a qb competition. Current not a runner and passing game not strong. Need another dimension. (@DaveH1923)
Millen actually is quite agile, albeit he's not usually looking to run. Fowler-Nicolosi has a bit more of that, but it’s not really part of the design of the offense. Fowler-Nicolosi is now in the mix.
Why did we think Millen would be any better this year? Does he show differently in practice? No O-line excuses, you can call plays to eliminate the (line of scrimmage) in college. (@TheBlazinBronco)
Lack of downfield throws by Millen. Is that him checking down, or was that the intent? If so, why? (@mayerander)
I may be missing them, but why not run more slants to take advantage of WRs' size and speed, and get Millen into a quick groove? (@Going2shabooms)
I mean, there have been six months of practices and workouts since last season, so yeah, staff thinks Millen (and other QBs) have grown. No doubt he needs to improve, but it’s not like we’re talking about a guy who doesn’t have the ability to throw.
The downfield threat is what’s missing and there are times Millen is not making the throw.
CSU threw some successful quick screens early in the game, but, you’re right, not many slant-type passes connected on. I think Norvell’s comments about seeking to utilize weapons better includes the idea of finding more ways to get them the ball in space.
What’s the biggest thing that needs fixing? (@rstash)
The offense. The defense got beat up (more on that below) more than I expected, but I think they’ll end up fine. CSU needs to score more points early in games.
Pass defense was soft and lost. 450 yards to a less than elite QB. What happened? (@mayerander)
First, I feel that’s too dismissive of Cameron Ward. The guy has more than 10,000 college pass yards and more than 100 total TDs. He’s a pretty darn good player and probably one of the best two QBs CSU will face this season.
That said, the defense was not good enough. Lacking pressure allowed Ward to be comfortable and CSU too often lost receivers on routes across the middle, not only allowing catches but room to run. It was a full breakdown.
It was alarming, but also one of the better offenses and QBs CSU will face this season. CU's Shedeur Sanders up next will be another big test.
How do we calm down the fan base so they’re not calling for (Joe) Parker or Norvell’s head? IMO, this loss was on the players not the coaches (@ericmaxwell28)
Fan base calm down? As if! I’ve covered a fair few number of “CSU fan base social media meltdown” games and this was high (but not at the top) on the list. The reality is the program has struggled for far too long and there’s won’t be a calming down until the wins come.
Do I think some (or lots) of people went way overboard? Yes, absolutely. But I don’t know how to stop it other than win.
I'm seeing a lot of comparisons to Mac's first 13 games. What's your opinion on how they are similar and how they are different? (@Kevinkuhnen)
To summarize, Jim McElwain went 4-8 in his first season at CSU (2012). His second season (2013) started with an ugly 41-27 loss to Colorado (followed by a loss to Tulsa), a 2-4 start before rallying for a 7-6 regular season.
Similarities: McElwain and Norvell both inherited pretty broken programs, but ones that did have a few leftover stars to help in a rebuild. Both had a poor Year 1 and a bad start to Year 2. Both had relatively young QBs trying to figure it out (Garrett Grayson was a junior in 2013, but entered the season with 10 career games, the same as Millen).
Now, that 2013 CSU team had one of the best running back seasons of all-time from Kapri Bibbs. But CSU of today has some stars, too.
It’s an interesting comparison. While Mac did have a rebuild on his hands, I don’t think it was as significant as what Norvell was up against. Norvell has the benefit of the transfer portal.
We’ll see how it plays out, but I do expect this CSU team to be much better by the end of the season than what Week 1 showed.
What are the chances CSU starts 0-3? And doesn’t this almost guarantee a losing season? (@RandallNett)
Do our final 10 games of the season feel just as winnable as they did before 9/2? (@TaylorDesch)
The first three games were always going to be tough. Washington State is quite good. Going to Boulder, especially given how CU looked in Week 1, will be a hornets nest. And Middle Tennessee is a solid mid-major. All three of those are tricky.
It’s a tough hole to dig out of 0-3 if it happens. I think CSU likely needs a win in the next two games to keep a path to reach a bowl.
CU’s performance at TCU (although I think TCU was a fraud No. 17) and Wyoming’s vs. Texas Tech in particular make those games look more difficult. That said, San Diego State’s lackluster start is making that one seem more gettable.
It was Week 1. Don’t read too much into it.
Which of your Bold Predictions do you want to take back? (@jdncarlsbad)
None! I’ve had a number of people on and offline ask me this. Not going to overreact to let one game wipe out what I feel I’ve learned in the six months leading up to it. A quick recap of my predictions and where they stand after Week 1:
Prediction: Mo Kamara 10 sacks. He had one against WSU and is right on track.
Prediction: CSU breaks 20-point barrier Week 1. Not how I envisioned it, but I’m officially one-for-one! Within, I also loosely predicted CSU to average 24 points per game. Guess where the Rams are at? I’m on fire.
Prediction: Kobe Johnson to lead CSU in rushing. Avery Morrow led CSU with 29 rusing yards and Johnson had 16 against Washington State. A negligible rushing day, but Johnson’s kick return TD shows the explosiveness that led to this prediction. I still feel fine here.
Prediction: Louis Brown and Nuer Gatkuoth breakout players. Both had quiet games, but it’s very early.
Prediction: CSU earns a bowl bid. This is the main one people are looking to tear down. Certainly, Week 1 looked bad and some other games (mainly CU and Wyoming’s wins) make the schedule look tougher. Week 1 is built for overreactions. I still think we’re going to see a CSU turnaround, plus I had Wazzu as a loss anyways (even if it looked worse than I expected). I’m not jumping ship after one game.
Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on Twitter and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado State football mailbag: How to fix the offense and addressing the quarterback situation
