Colorado State has its first real measuring stick of the Jim Mora era, and the Rams’ coach isn’t pretending otherwise.
After Colorado State opened 2-0 with a 35-13 win over rival Wyoming and a 58-24 rout of Southern Utah, Mora turned his attention to No. 11 BYU, a team he called a “powerhouse” and one of the nation’s most complete groups. The Rams and Cougars meet this week with both teams sitting at 2-0.
For Mora, the matchup is more than just a tough early-season test. He sees BYU’s climb from longtime mid-major to College Football Playoff contender as something Colorado State can study.
“They were a WAC team and now they’re a contender for the College Football Playoff. Quite frankly, it’s a little bit of a road map for us here,” Mora told reporters Monday. “Sticking with good people, doing the right things, making good decisions, continuing to elevate in all areas of your program, which are the things that we’re doing here, it’s just a great road map.
“I have a lot of respect for Kalani. He’s tough, he’s demanding, his team can play hard.
They are a reflection of Kalani, that’s been established. Nothing’s been established here yet, but they have established that (at BYU).”
Mora’s perspective carries some weight. He spent 25 years in the NFL before moving into college coaching in 2012, later leading UCLA and UConn before arriving in Fort Collins this season. He also knows BYU well, both from a 2016 win over Sitake’s team while at UCLA and from years of watching the program, including work with Jim McMahon and Ty Detmer in the NFL.
“They were always a little bit of an underdog,” Mora said of BYU. “Well, they’re not the underdog anymore.
I always felt like they were disciplined and tough, like they are now. They played football the right way, like they do now.
“It’s just that in those (earlier) days, there was just a little bit of an underdog feel to (BYU), and now they’re a powerhouse.”
That power starts with quarterback Bear Bachmeier, whom Mora compared to a linebacker in size and praised for his decision-making and versatility. He also singled out LJ Martin, Legend Glasker and BYU’s offensive line while stressing how complete the Cougars look on both sides.
“He’s as big as most linebackers in the country. He’s incredibly bright, he makes great decisions. He can make every throw on the field and he can extend plays with his legs.”
- Colorado State coach Jim Mora on BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier
“... Bear with his size, with the experience, with the fact that he came in as a freshman and showed the maturity that he did throwing 15 touchdown passes, only turned it over seven times as a freshman and leading that team the way he did, that’s very impressive. So you gain confidence when you do things like that, and as a coach, you gain confidence in your players.”
Mora was just as complimentary of Kalani Sitake, whom he called a coach he has known for a long time and one whose team he expects to be sound, physical and disciplined.
“I have a ton of regard for Kalani,” Mora said. “I’ve known him for a long time, and you know his team is going to be tough.
They’re going to play on the edge. They’re going to play with discipline.
They’re not going to do things to hurt themselves. They’re going to be sound defensively.
They’re going to be physical and run the ball offensively.
“I’ve watched their film, they’re about as complete a team as you’ll find in the country. They’re as good as anyone in the country.
They’re a College Football Playoff contender. They’re ranked No. 11 for a reason and they’ve earned it.”
Colorado State hasn’t been in this kind of spotlight often lately, but Mora didn’t shrink from the challenge ahead.
“It’s going to be a great challenge and it’s going to be one that we look forward to. Like I said, we will fight like crazy.”
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For Arizona, the loss came with an awkward footnote: Fifita finished his career 0-3 against BYU. And even after the game, Wildcats coach Brent Brennan had BYU on his mind, urging Arizona fans to try to recreate the kind of atmosphere the Cougars brought for their upcoming game against Northern Illinois. [Read more 🡒]