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CSU football upset at home by FCS Illinois State

FCS opponent Illinois State dealt the Rams a loss in their home stadium Saturday, dropping their record to 1-4.
Illinois State Redbirds defensive end Romeo McKnight (8) hits Colorado State Rams quarterback K.J. Carta-Samuels (1) in the first half at Canvas Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

FORT COLLINS — There was no trying to hide the disappointment for Colorado State football coach Mike Bobo.

He knew it, as did everyone else -- this one was bad.

The Rams had been defeated by two Power 5 schools and one conference opponent earlier this season. But their latest was delivered by an FCS team, as Illinois State came into Canvas Stadium and dealt CSU a 35-19 loss on Saturday afternoon.

The RedBirds were guaranteed to be paid $375,000 for playing the game, too.

"First of all, I'd like to apologize to all of our Ram fans who came out to support us today. It was an embarrassment for our football team," Bobo said in his post-game press conference.

"We're not very good right now. That's the bottom line."

Illinois State's offense ran wild in Saturday's game, racking up 538 total yards that was a near-even split among passing (271) and rushing (267) efforts. RedBirds quarterback Brady Davis completed only 14 of his 29 attempts, but also finished with two touchdowns without throwing an interception.

Their rushing game was spearheaded by running back James Robinson, who racked up 184 yards and two touchdowns on 22 attempts, including breaking free for a 57-yard score in the fourth quarter to secure his team's victory.

"Football is blocking, tackling, throwing and catching; and we're not very good at any of that right now," Bobo said.

Offensively, CSU went back to switching between quarterbacks K.J. Carta-Samuels, who started the game, and Collin Hill as they split time under center.

Carta-Samuels finished with 142 yards, two touchdowns and interception; while Hill had 115 yards, one touchdown and one interception also. Their passer ratings were incredibly similar (116.8 and 117.4, respectively).

"You would think it's tough (adjusting to different quarterbacks), but honestly I adapted to it pretty easy," wide receiver Olabisi Johnson said. "I think we all do."

The Rams trailed just 14-6 at halftime, but the RedBirds continued to pile onto their lead after the break. Illinois State scored on the first possession of the second half, which set the tone for the rest of the game.

"We should have won that game. Their team came in and whooped us," safety Jamal Hicks said. "We were just playing soft. We didn't want it bad enough."

Now CSU is 1-4 (0-1 MW) on its 2018 season and is finally done with non-conference play. The Rams will get the first of their two bye weeks (one extra for playing a Zero Week game against Hawaii).

After the chance to regroup, CSU will return to Mountain West play with a road game at San Jose State on Oct. 6.

"We're going to figure out what we can do, in all three phases," Bobo said. "We're going to get the right guys on the field."

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