Colorado State’s loss to Oregon State turned messy in a hurry, and not just because of the final score.
The Rams fell 56-26 at Canvas Stadium in Collins, Colorado, but the biggest development came on the sideline. Second-year defensive coordinator Tyson Summers left the team in the middle of the game, disappearing into the locker room at halftime and not returning. Afterward, Colorado State announced that Summers was out, and head coach Jim Mora Jr. later confirmed the move.
Summers’ departure was the flashpoint in a night that already had plenty of heat. Colorado State was gashed for 35 first-half points by the Beavers, and that was enough to end Summers’ run with the program. He was replaced as defensive play-caller, with assistant head coach and defensive line coach Kenny McClendon set to take over, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz.
Mora addressed the situation on social media and made the split sound final. “Tyson was relieved of his playcalling duties,” Mora wrote, according to Zenitz. “He left the field and is no longer with this football program.”
Summers had spent two seasons as Colorado State’s defensive coordinator, and his coaching background also includes stints in the same role at UCF, Colorado and Western Kentucky. He also previously served as head coach at Georgia State, where he went 5-13 in two seasons with the Eagles.
His time in Fort Collins had already taken another turn once this year. After Jay Norvell was fired, Summers was promoted to interim head coach, and the Rams went 0-5 under his guidance before finishing 2-10. Mora kept him on staff when he took over, but the defense’s results kept sliding.
Colorado State opened the season by allowing just 37 points across its first two games. Since then, the unit has unraveled, giving up 100 combined points in losses to BYU and UTSA before Oregon State piled on again.
The Rams are now 2-3 and sitting second-to-last in the Mountain West. Their next game comes against San Diego State, which enters at 1-3.
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The adjustment did little to change the evenings direction, as Colorado State still gave up 56 points. Tyson Summers left the sideline after being relieved of his duties and is no longer with the football program, a sign of just how badly things had broken down for the Rams. For Oregon State, it was the kind of game that exposed a defense in free fall and left the Beavers with plenty to build on, even if the bigger story in the box score was what happened on the other side. [Read more 🡒]
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Aaron Butler added one of the more memorable moments of the afternoon with a touchdown run, a reminder that this offense is finding production in a few different ways. And after building an early cushion, Oregon State never really let the Rams get comfortable, which is exactly the sort of control that makes a rebuilding team start to feel like a legitimate one. [Read more 🡒]