2014 Las Vegas Bowl Rapid Recap: Utah Tramples Colorado State 45-10

LAS VEGAS – Travis Wilson led the Utes to a 45-10 win over Colorado State. His arm and his legs contributed to 320 of the 548 yards in what was an utter domination of a good Rams team.

Garrett Grayson was not his usual self, as the MWC Offensive Player of the Year finished out his season 20-34, 227 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception. The aggressive Utah defense also sacked him three times. Rashard Higgins, the Biletnikoff Award finalist, finished off the day with 7 receptions for 109 yards before having to come off the field after a nasty hit.

Whether it was the effect of losing now-Florida Head Coach Jim McElwain, or Utah's understanding of how to best expose CSU's defense, the Rams seemingly could not get a stop on defense and many times were either slow to the ball-carrier or consisting missing tackles.

The pro-Utah crowd did not help the Rams case either, as there were many times when Sam Boyd Stadium felt like Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Kevin Pierre-Lewis and Max Morgan led the Colorado State defense with 9 tackles a piece, while Aaron Davis followed close behind with 8 tackles.

While this loss does leave a bitter taste in the Rams mouth, Colorado State should be very proud of this consistent turn-around the past two seasons.  They won 10 games for the first time in 12 years and have a strong running back corps to build on for the future.  The next step for the Rams, is to find a new head coach who can help continue that upward trend for the future.