Oumar Diomande intercepted Tyler Hughes immediately after an illegal-formation penalty erased Wyoming’s third-down completion. Two plays later, Hauss Hejny found RJ Vick for a 57-yard touchdown, and Colorado State scored on its next two possessions. The Rams beat Wyoming 35-13 as Hejny threw five touchdown passes without an interception, reclaiming the Bronze Boot in Jim Mora’s debut.
That sequence made the opener feel bigger than a comfortable final score. Transfers Hejny and Vick immediately occupied the starting-quarterback and lead-receiver roles, while former UConn linebacker Diomande made 11 tackles and produced the interception that preceded the touchdown that extended CSU’s lead. Hejny finished 23 of 33 for 214 yards, and Vick caught six passes for 75 yards and three scores. Those performances gave Mora’s enormous rebuild, 38 transfers and 26 high-school signees, credible first-game substance.
Now comes the less glamorous part. Doing it again when the Bronze Boot is no longer at stake.
Southern Utah can make the Rams defend patiently
Colorado State hosts Southern Utah at 5 p.m. Mountain on Saturday, Sept. 12, on CBSSN. The model gives the Rams a 97% chance to win, so the tension is whether CSU can control the game like a heavy favorite.
The schools are meeting in football for the first time, with Southern Utah occupying the middle date of CSU’s three-game homestand before BYU visits. The Rams will also host Oregon State in their first Pac-12 game before their only bye, making this early concentration of home dates their best chance to turn a promising debut into some stability.
Southern Utah can challenge CSU by controlling the ball on the ground. The Thunderbirds have averaged 313.5 rushing yards and 6.2 yards per carry through two games; Floyd Chalk has gained 283 yards with four touchdowns, and quarterback Will Burns has added 267 yards and two scores. CSU cannot treat Burns as a passer who merely scrambles when a play breaks down. He is one of the offense’s primary runners.
Watch the Rams’ response on the first couple of Southern Utah possessions. Mora said Wyoming moved CSU with the run early before the Rams adjusted, and his film review emphasized making those adjustments faster and improving sideline communication. Against Burns and Chalk, cleaner recognition of quarterback runs and quicker communication would say more about the defense’s progress than simply holding an FCS opponent below its average.
Southern Utah has already shown why slow corrections could become irritating. The Thunderbirds generated 510 yards, 31 first downs and 43:34 of possession in a seven-point loss at No. 2 Montana. They can shorten Colorado State’s opportunities if the Rams let the quarterback run sustain drives.
Hejny does not need another five-touchdown show
Hejny’s debut was spectacular, but the better Week 2 development would be controlled repetition. That means correct protections, manageable third downs and drives that do not rely on sudden takeaways. Hejny acknowledged that the Wyoming performance still included three-and-outs and miscommunications, even as Mora praised his composure, situational command and care of the ball.
That distinction matters because CSU is installing a run-first offense built around its backs, tight ends, line and quarterbacks. Five touchdown passes can coexist with that identity; they do not establish it by themselves. The encouraging sign Saturday would be Hejny taking available throws, the line keeping the offense on schedule and the running game making favorable game state feel routine.
There is no secondary scoreboard result worth borrowing anxiety from this week. The full interactive guide and methodology provide the broader numbers. At Canvas Stadium, CSU must contain Burns and Chalk before they control the pace, then look for Hejny to show that one electric rivalry night was the beginning of an offense rather than the exception.