Live updates: Colorado State football hosts Nevada as Rams hunt bowl eligibility

The quest for a bowl game continues.

The Colorado State football team is just 4-6 overall but the Rams can win out and qualify for a bowl.

The next step comes at 1 p.m. Saturday when CSU hosts Nevada in the final home game of the 2023 season at Canvas Stadium.

It's the second time for Norvell to face his former team.

Stay tuned here updates throughout Saturday's game.

Final

Colorado State 30, Nevada 20

Read more about it here:

3 takeaways: Colorado State football overcomes mistakes to beat Nevada, keep bowl alive

Defense gets a stop

Nevada gets just inside CSU territory but Chase Wilson with a third-down sack and Rams force a punt.

CSU ball at own 27 with 7:23 to go and Rams up 10.

Colorado State touchdown

Yeesh, the offense needed that drive! It started with a huge 3rd-and-9 completion to Tory Horton. Then a big screen to Justus Ross-Simmons.

Quick-strike drive ends with a beautiful route from Louis Brown to get wide open and Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi hits him wide open for 38-yard TD.

Rams really needed that. It's 30-20 with 10:44 to go.

Missed field goal

Mohamed Kamara gets a big sack for CSU to push the Nevada field goal back and Brandon Talton misses from 43 yards.

CSU still leads, 23-20 with 12:41 to go.

End third quarter

CSU 23, Nevada 20

Pretty awful quarter for the Rams. Nevada has had the ball almost the whole third (11:12 of the 15 minutes).

Potentially huge play upcoming. Nevada has 4th and 1 at CSU's 26. Go for it or tying field goal?

Nevada touchdown

CSU can't stop former CU quarterback Brendon Lewis. He runs in from 9 yards out to cap a 75-yard drive in 12 plays (5:46). He now has 77 rush yards and is 8-11 for 81 yards passing.

CSU is sure making tough work of this one. Rams lead 23-20 with 6:54 left in third.

Colorado State field goal

Rams go gutsy early in second half. On 3rd-and-1 Rams do a risky flea-flicker but it works and connects with Tory Horton for 53 yards.

Rams stall in the red zone, though, and Jordan Noyes hits a 31-yard FG.

CSU up 23-13 with 12:40 left in third quarter.

Halftime

CSU 20, Nevada 13.

Rams will receive second-half kick. What felt like a comfortable CSU lead is now anything but.

Rams have run the ball well but a couple key drops and Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi is once again off the mark.

Nevada pick-six

An absolute disaster for CSU. Rams attempt to get into field goal position late in the half and Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi is picked off by Richard Toney Jr., who runs it 66 yards back for a touchdown as time expires.

BFN was throwing to Tory Horton, who was still running downfield on a route and never looked back.

A horrible miscue and all of a sudden CSU's lead is down to just 20-13 at half. That's officially 10 points in the final 27 seconds for Nevada.

Nevada field goal

Wolf Pack drive inside CSU's 15 late in the half, but Rams hold. Talton hits a 31-yard field goal.

CSU lead is 20-6 with 27 seconds until half.

Fake sniffed out?

Looked like CSU had the fake field goal in. Giles Pooler lined up at holder as he did at MTSU where he threw a touchdown. It was also Bryan Hansen at kicker, not Noyes.

Nevada must have seen it because Wolf Pack called timeout.

Rams then run normal kick unit out and Noyes hits a 42-yard field goal. Rams lead 20-3 with 9:48 until half.

Jack Howell hits 100

With six tackles already in the first half, CSU safety Jack Howell is at 100 and counting for the season.

He's the first Ram with back-to-back 100-plus tackle seasons since Josh Watson (2017-18) and first DB to have multiple 100-plus tackle seasons since defensive stats became official in 2000.

Colorado State field goal

Rams end up with a field goal. The 30-yard attempt from Noyes is off the post and in.

Rams up 17-3 with 14:12 until half.

End first quarter

CSU 14, Nevada 3.

Rams have a 3rd and 4 at Nevada's 15. Pretty much a perfect first 15 minutes for the Rams.

Important finish to the drive here. A TD here would really have the Rams in control

Nuer Gatkouth interception

What a play but young defensive lineman Nuer Gatkouth!

Nevada pass on third down is tipped and Gatkouth makes a contested, leaping catch for an interception. Looked like a rebound in basketball for his first career INT. Henry Blackburn hit QB AJ Bianco as he was passing to lead to the pick.

Mohamed Kamara is hit with an unsportsmanlike penalty after the play. CSU ball at own 49.

Colorado State scores again

Tory Horton enjoyed that one! An 8-yard TD pass from Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi to Tory Horton, who really enjoyed that one and the former Nevada player had something to say to the visiting bench.

The drive had been extended on a pass interference on third-and-long to give the Rams first-and-goal at the 8. It was a 11-play, 75-yard drive.

CSU leads Nevada 14-3 with 3:24 left in first quarter.

Nevada field goal

Nevada responds with a good drive built on the run game. Wolf Pack go 56 yards in 10 plays (4:57) but Rams hold in the red zone.

Brandon Talton hits a 37-yard field goal. CSU lead is 7-3 with 7:48 left in 1Q.

Colorado State touchdown

Rams quickly take advantage of interception. Rams go 24 yards in four plays (all runs) and Avery Morrow with a 2-yard TD rush to finish it off.

CSU quickly up 7-0 at 12:45 to go in first quarter.

Perfect start for CSU!

Rams force a third-and-long on Nevada's first drive and pass from AJ Bianco is way high and Henry Blackburn picks it off. It's his third interception of the season.

He returns it to Nevada's 24. Rams in business.

CSU to kickoff

Rams win the toss and defer. CSU will kick to Nevada to begin the game.

A tame handshake

The 2022 version of the Jay Norvell-Ken Wilson handshake was very intense. The 2023 version was much tamer.

A quick hello and that was all.

Jay Norvell talks Nevada

CSU coach Jay Norvell spoke with Chris Murray of Nevada Sports Net giving a detailed look at why he left Nevada. It echoed a lot of what he's previously said, but worth a look:

Key numbers CSU is chasing

CSU's putrid recent history is reflected in some of the markers the Rams would hit with a win vs. Nevada. A win would:

• Give CSU five in a season, the most since 2017

• Give CSU four home wins, tied with 2017 for most in Canvas Stadium history (opened in 2017)

• Give CSU two wins in November, the first time the Rams have won multiple November games since 2016

• Be the second two-game win "streak" of the season. CSU hasn't had two multi-game winning stretches in a season since 2016

More bad blood?

It was hostile last season when Jay Norvell and CSU visited Reno in his return to Nevada after leaving the Wolf Pack to coach the Rams.

The rhetoric has been mostly toned down this season, but there's sure to be some feuding on the field and you can be sure the players are tuned into it. CSU's former Nevada players did not like the messaging from Reno a year ago.

Read up more on it here:

More: What will new rivalry between Nevada and Jay Norvell, CSU football look like this year?

Tory Horton's Senior Bowl invite

CSU star receiver Tory Horton has received an invite to the Senior Bowl.

Horton has 81 catches for 872 yards and six touchdowns this season. He is a senior, but is eligible to return next season with his COVID season. No decision about next year has been made and it's not out of the realm of possibility for him to have another season as a Ram.

Senior day

It's senior day at Colorado State, but as always as we're in the last stretch of the COVID era it means it's not all crystal clear.

The Rams will honor 10 seniors Saturday but for ones like Horton who can still return, no determination on next season has been made.

The 10:

• Horton

• Chigozie Anusiem

• Ron Hardge III

• Tony Pierce

• Andrew Cannon

• Justin Sanchez

• Mohamed Kamara

• Bobby Lawrence

• Oliver Jervis

• Matt Thomas

Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on Twitter and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Live updates: Colorado State football hosts Nevada as Rams hunt bowl eligibility