TUCSON, Ariz. — The 2024 season ended with a thud for the Colorado State football program.
The Rams lost 43-17 to Miami (Ohio) in the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl.
Here’s what CSU coach Jay Norvell said after the defeat.
“I just want to congratulate Miami. They did what they normally do. They played a very similar game that they’ve played all year. We talked a lot about what we had to do to win this game and we didn’t execute what we needed to do. We talked about we wanted to run the ball effectively, we wanted to play field position and we didn’t want to turn the ball over and we didn’t do any of those things tonight. I know there’s a lot of analyzing of this game. It’s pretty simple. We turned the ball over, we had too many penalties and you can’t win when you do that. I think if you look at the yardage and all that, we probably came out on top on a lot of those stats but the most important stats that matter are the turnovers. Proud of our seniors. There’s a lot of tears and a lot of hugs in that locker room. We’ve talked about the 27 seniors we’ve had that have sacrificed so much, been through so much in their career at CSU and they’ve done some amazing things. Disappointed that we didn’t send them out with a victory tonight. We had an amazing turnout here with our fans. So grateful for our fans being here and how they handled themselves here down in Tucson. We’re very grateful for that. Disappointed on how we played tonight. It wasn’t typical of how we’ve played this year, particularly taking care of the football.”
“That’s a difficult question to answer. I thought we were prepared for this game. We fumbled the football and we turned it over. You can’t do that and win. There’s things that happened and they are what they are. You just have to overcome them. Guys get sick, guys have this happen, the bottom line is we have to focus and execute and that’s my responsibility and we didn’t get it done tonight.”
“It’s very difficult. We talked about this opportunity and how rare it was and we didn’t take advantage of it. We need to find out why and get to the bottom of it. Very disappointed in that. Upset, angry, all the above emotions that you can have after a game like this. I have to take a step back and think about our seniors and really appreciate what they’ve done. We’ll take a look at the game and all the preparation for it and try to get down to the reasons why we did some of the things that we did. We’re accountable for it. It is what it is. I’m really proud of a lot of those guys in that locker room. There’s a lot of disappointed seniors in there.”
“We did a lot of the same things we did all year, we just turned the ball over tonight. We called a screen pass early, which is a very safe play and we put it in a guy like Avery (Morrow’s) hands and he fumbles. The interception that Brayden (Fowler-Nicolosi) had, we have to do a better job on those. There’s a lot of things we could have done better. We have to take accountability of that. It’s something we have to live with and try to do better with. Very disappointing because I think those are plays we can make. Wasn’t typical of what we’ve been able to do this year. Wasn’t a performance that was indicative of what we could do this year. We have to do better. We’re going to go back to work and build on this and build a better football team in ’25.”
“I thought the defense was fine. We didn’t score enough points to make it a game. We gave up a couple big plays in the second half. We gave up a big play in the kicking game as well. I’ll have to look at the film. Bottom line is we didn’t respond offensively and score enough points to make it a game. I thought our defense hung in there and did a good job.”
“There’s a lot of things. We have to show more consistency. We have to develop playmakers. We have to develop playmakers in the passing game as well as in the running game. We’ve traditionally had that. We were young this year, in my opinion. We were really young at receiver. We were inexperienced at tight end and we’ve got to play more consistently at those positions. Brayden has got to be more consistent as well. It’s a combination of all those things that will help us be more productive offensively. We’ll look at that. I’ll spend some time looking at that here this week. We’ll really dive in and see how we can improve and be better. That’s something that’s got to get better in ’25 for sure.”
“For me, offensive style has a lot to do with players. Our style is going to reflect our players, just like on defense. I think we will be better in a lot of positions next year. We’ll take a look at the style. We did what we felt like we needed to do this year to win and we’ll evaluate that as we move through the offseason and address that.”
“I’m old enough to where I appreciate football. Every single day I get to go to work I appreciate it. I just think that’s getting lost. The gratitude and the appreciation of being on a team and coaching college football and playing college football and being appreciative of your scholarship and the things that this University gives to you is what we’re trying to emphasize here at Colorado State. It’s getting lost. We’re going to lose it and I don’t know what you guys are going to write about, to be honest with you, because the greatest thing about college football are these young kids and when they put themselves on the line for each other. That’s why people come see it. It’s hard. It’s becoming hard to coach and to put organizations together with people that care and that are respectful and appreciate the opportunity that they have. We’re fighting like crazy to keep that. There’s a lot of different things that come into play and you try to manage it the best way you can. These two guys (Morrow and Henry Blackburn) are the greatest examples of college football. They’ve overcome obstacles, they’ve led their teammates, they’ve been leaders and I’m just so proud to have coached both of these guys. We have a lot of guys in that locker room like that. It’s what we’re building here is that appreciation for going out and wearing that CSU jersey and representing this University. We’ll keep doing that.”
Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on X and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.
