Denver, CO
Keeler: Jay Norvell’s CSU Rams ain’t easy to find. But unlike Deion Sanders’ CU Buffs, they ain’t hard to watch in November
FORT COLLINS — Joe Parker’s dented too many fenders to point fingers. But the more CSU’s athletic director thought about that fiery 12-car pileup in Pullman, the one that lit up college football’s express lane Friday night, the more he appreciated his call to keep the Rams trucking along the local.
“I love what (coach) Jay (Norvell) is doing,” Parker told me Saturday after CSU’s 30-20 win over Nevada pulled the Rams (5-6) to within one win of a bowl berth with a game to play. “I believed in him the moment that we had our first conversation through the (interview) process.
“And every day he just affirms that he’s got an incredible way to kind of focus on the things that matter. And what matters most is culture, building a program where every player in the locker room understands the points that they’re going to be held accountable for. And when it becomes less of coach leading those conversations, but more of the players really holding themselves and each other accountable, in a way, that’s healthy.”
CSU football’s coming. Loveable. Flawed. But still coming. The Rammies are creeping in the slow lanes, lurching ever forward. In September, Norvell’s squad averaged 10 penalties per game. In November, that number’s been trimmed to 6.3 flags a week. Giveaways have dipped from 2.5 per game in September to two per tilt in November.
That said, It feels as if the Rams are sometimes throwing the ball to try and prove a point when running it more might actually score them. You’d prefer to see the game in the hands of freshman tailback Justin Marshall — he’s piled up 217 rushing yards on just 37 carries the last two weeks — than in the mitts of fearless but erratic quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, truth be told.
That said, the latter’s strung together a quietly nice year (20 touchdowns thrown and 3,143 passing yards) with all kinds of upside bubbling underneath that skinny frame. When BFN is on, the kid’s touch is sublime. When he’s off — the Texan’s tossed 15 picks, and his two at Wyoming proved fatal — or gets locked into “hero mode,” best hide the sharp objects.
“I think he has to really get a handle on his process of playing,” Norvell said of Fowler-Nicolosi. “And when you’re a young player, I think you kind of think you’ve got it handled. But you really have to prepare yourself for all those situations. And he’s a young excitable guy. He’s full of confidence. We don’t want to take that out of him. But he just has to control his process to be a more consistent player week-in and week-out.”
Most nights, the Rammies are an enigma strapped to a roller-coaster. Yet this is also the healthiest CSU has been come late November in six years. That’s both a compliment to Norvell and a scathing indictment of the mess he inherited, a program at 5,003 feet fighting rug burns.
The hosts were far from superlative against Nevada, but the superlatives kept rolling in anyway. CSU just capped its first November with multiple victories since 2016. Its four wins at home were the most since 2017, when Canvas Stadium opened. Attendance for the woebegone Wolf Pack — 20,121, roughly 55% of capacity — was the highest for a CSU home football finale in six years.
Basically, the Rams are clearing some awfully low bars. Which is still good, even if the good’s hugging an asterisk. The next step?
Raising them.
“We really want to go undefeated (at home), to be honest with you,” said Norvell, whose postseason fate hinges on a sneaky-tough tussle at Hawaii (4-8) next Saturday. “But we want to play well in front of our home fans. We want to play well and get that good feeling when we’re in the stadium.
“And I’m gonna be honest — at the beginning of the year, it wasn’t (there). We did not have that good feeling in Canvas. But we’ve developed it and we’ve worked for it, and I believe we have it now.
“We want people to have a hard time when they come here. We want it to be a tremendous atmosphere. And I think we can be. And we have a lot to look forward to next year, (given) the schedule, and the type of atmosphere this place can be. And we’re excited about that.”
CSU lost by 26 points at home to Washington State in Week 1. CU just lost by 42 to those same Cougars in Week 12. Discuss.
“I think Jay has built a really strong model,” Parker said. “I see it every day.”
He smiled. Slow and steady doesn’t always win the race. Then again, what’s the point of being easy to find if you’re so dang hard to watch?
SAN ANTONIO – Two roaming dogs in the Denver Heights neighborhood nearly ripped a cat apart. The cat’s owner, Aaron Salinas, said she survived, but he still has questions.
“It’s just one of those things you really don’t know how to process in the moment,” Salinas said. “It’s not one emotion. It’s pretty much all the emotions.”
Since the attack, Chai, a 4-year-old cat, has gone into surgery three times. The incident happened on the East Side, and the attack only stopped after a neighbor threw a water bottle at the animals.
Salinas said he found Chai about an hour later and immediately took her to get help.
“There is a systematic problem within the city,” Salinas said.
This animal attack is far from the first dog attack in San Antonio, a topic KSAT 12 has reported on in the past. In some cases, dog attacks in the city have led to the loss of limbs. Some have also died.
“I put all accountability on the lack of human response or human prevention,” Salinas said.
After the incident, Salinas said he called 311 and shared his story online. After that happened, it caused a community uproar, Animal Care Services said.
ACS said for a week, it searched through the Denver Heights neighborhood for those dogs.
Michael Shannon, the interim ACS director, said they found seven roaming dogs. Two of those matched the description of this attack.
“It’s a big problem,” Shannon said. “We’re out there every day addressing dangerous situations and bringing in aggressive dogs off the street.”
ACS confirmed that one of the dogs involved in this attack was chipped, but a spokesperson said the owner did not reclaim it. Shannon said both of those dogs have since been euthanized.
The agency said it expects to add two new spay and neuter clinics by early 2025. Shannon said he hopes this helps with ongoing issues.
The photo used as a thumbnail in the video is courtesy of Aaron Salinas.
Copyright 2024 by KSAT – All rights reserved.
Denver, CO
Broadway in downtown Denver shut down for more than an hour during morning rush, but nobody knows why
Slow traffic on Broadway isn’t unusual on weekday mornings, but Thursday was particularly frustrating for drivers as they approached the state Capitol. Despite a sign warning of only an approaching left lane closure, it turns out the entire street was closed between Colfax and 14th Street.
Broadway was closed from approximately 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Denver police officers routed drivers east and west on Colfax to get around the closure.
CBS News Colorado asked the Denver Police Department why Broadway was closed, but the media relations unit told us they had no calls for service and that perhaps the closure was due to an event. CBS News Colorado checked with the Civic Center Conservancy, but they were unaware of any events on Thursday morning.
DOTI, which is Denver’s Department of Traffic and Infrastructure, has not yet responded to requests for information. Neither has RTD, which operates the Civic Center Station a block-and-a-half away.
Colorado State Patrol has jurisdiction over the state Capitol, but they also had no knowledge of the closure.
CBS News Colorado will continue to seek answers, but it’s looking like this closure may remain a mystery.
Denver, CO
Broncos 2024 NFL power rankings tracker: How national experts rank Denver entering Week 4
It took six games, but the Broncos finally won a game in September under head coach Sean Payton.
Denver beat Tampa, 26-7, on Sunday and for the first time all season, every aspect of the team seemed to be clicking. The defense came up with a season-high seven sacks and a pair of takeaways. And running back Tyler Badie may be the answer to the team’s stagnant run game.
Now, can they replicate that performance against the Jets on Sunday?
Here’s a look at how various national experts rated the Broncos in their power rankings entering Week 4:
The Athletic (No. 28) | Last week: No. 30
“Bo Nix was Sunday’s best rookie quarterback”
“And he’s been the second-best this season. The competition is not as tough as we imagined it would be in April, but still. Nix is second among all quarterbacks this season in rushing (107 yards) and was efficient from the pocket Sunday as Denver got its first win. With Caleb Williams’ struggles, Nix is behind only Jayden Daniels in terms of rookie quarterback value so far,” Josh Kendall writes. See the full rankings.
Bleacher Report (No. 27) | Last week: No. 30
“The first two professional starts for rookie quarterback Bo Nix of the Broncos were rough. But Sunday in Tampa, the former Oregon and Auburn standout gave Denver fans some signs of what the future might hold under center in the Mile High City.” See the full rankings.
CBS Sports (No. 22) | Last week: No. 30
“Sean Payton showed he owns the Bucs with Todd Bowles as coach. That was a clinic. Bo Nix is getting better,” Pete Prisco writes. See the full rankings.
ESPN (No. 27) | Last week: No. 30
“Coach Sean Payton admitted it has been difficult finding a running back rotation that works, especially if Tyler Badie’s flashes are a sign of something bigger. Badie leads the team’s backs with 86 yards on only 10 carries, while Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin are each averaging just 2.2 yards per carry. Much like we saw from Badie in training camp, he patiently waits for openings before popping a big run — such as the 43-yarder in Sunday’s win over the Buccaneers. But Payton has said he typically leans on two-back rotations, whether it’s ‘right, wrong or indifferent.’ Trying to kick-start an inconsistent run game with three backs has proved challenging,” Jeff Legwold writes. See the full rankings.
NFL.com (No. 22) | Last week: No. 30
“Bo Nix played his best NFL game, top to bottom, and he looked remarkably comfortable at times — especially compared to the more chaotic feel the offense had in Weeks 1 and 2. The offensive line protected Nix well, and he made quality snap decisions and delivered very catchable balls more often than not. The run game did just enough, thanks to Nix’s scrambling, Jaleel McLaughlin’s miracle TD early and Tyler Badie’s fine work in the fourth quarter. And how about Denver’s defense? Patrick Surtain II clamped down on Mike Evans, and the front pressured Baker Mayfield relentlessly, to the tune of seven sacks and 18 pressures, per Next Gen Stats. Mayfield threw 33 times, but the longest pass play Denver allowed was for just 13 yards. This win was much-needed after the Broncos let a pair of close games slip away to start the year,” Eric Edholm writes. See the full rankings.
Pro Football Focus (No. 28) | Last week: No. 27
“The Broncos got off the mark in the win column with a competent and convincing win against the Buccaneers, with rookie quarterback Bo Nix earning a 74.1 grade. The defense has been equally impressive through three games and is eighth in EPA per play allowed (-0.173),” Thomas Valentine writes. See the full rankings.
Pro Football Talk (No. 21) | Last week: No. 29
“Well, now things are getting interesting,” Mike Florio writes. See the full rankings.
Sports Illustrated (No. 27) | Last week: No. 31
“I appreciated Sean Payton’s willingness to take the ball off the coin toss and place the game on Bo Nix’s shoulders. Nix has had by far the most ruthless start for rookie quarterbacks in terms of opponents — Seattle, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, and the Jets in Week 4 — and he has turned in two close losses and Sunday’s win,” Conor Orr writes. See the full rankings.
USA Today (No. 22) | Last week: No. 30
“Maybe they’re due a little more respect after facing three teams with a combined 8-1 record, the lone loss the Broncos’ shocking shellacking of the Bucs on Sunday,” Nate Davis writes. See the full rankings.
Yahoo! Sports (No. 28) | Last week: No. 30
“Running back Tyler Badie had 70 yards on nine carries Sunday. Javonte Williams has 52 yards on 24 carries through three games. Bo Nix had a nice breakout Sunday. He still needs support from the run game, and maybe Badie will be the next man up for that job,” Frank Schwab writes. See the full rankings.
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