Scouting the Opponent: Two Colorado State Players To Watch

Colorado State went 5-7 in the Mountain West last season, but that doesn’t tell the entire story. The Rams were 3-3 in one-possession games, including an overtime loss against in-state rivals Colorado in Boulder. Colorado State would’ve been bowl eligible if another one-possession game had gone its way.

More importantly, Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell runs a true air raid offense, consistently spreading the field with four or five wide receivers to stretch the defense. Texas’ defensive backs, certainly not the team’s strongest unit last season, will be tested not only by the air raid system but by the players running it.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi tended to thrive last year with quick dropbacks and shorter routes, as he was only sacked 12 times in 470 pass attempts in his first season as a starter. Eliminating negative plays on offense will be crucial to the Rams attempting to stay with the Longhorns on Saturday, as the Colorado State defense was poor last season, particularly against the pass.

While Fowler-Nicolosi had a solid 2023 season, his two playmakers on the outside, one of whom Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian recruited, could cause problems for the Longhorns on Saturday.

Related: How to watch, listen and stream No. 4 Texas vs. Colorado State in Week 1

Armani Winfield

Winfield, a redshirt sophomore out of Lewisville, Texas, initially committed to Texas before Sarkisian’s second season with the program prior to flipping his commitment to Baylor. The former four-star recruit didn’t play much for the Bears, however, so he transferred to Colorado State in the 2024 offseason. Sarkisian still thinks highly of Winfield and recognizes the threat he could pose on the outside.

“We know Armani well. We recruited him and he was committed here a couple of years ago,” Sarkisian said. “The addition of him is helpful for them.”

Here’s how 247sports scouting analyst Gabe Brooks evaluated Winfield when he was still in high school:

“Taller, long-framed outside receiver prospect with long-striding gait. Lean build with space to add some mass. Builds speed downfield thanks to stride length, which fuels vertical field-stretching ability. Can get more consistently quick in first step off the line but accelerates well for a bigger wideout and shows requisite top-end speed to provide big-play ability. Good production as a sophomore. Faces terrific competition (Texas 6A) relative to high school level. Can improve suddenness to maximize separation ability and route-running acumen. Will also help in better leveraging DB's into breaks. High-major receiver prospect with tools to become an impact piece at the P5 level. Long-term ceiling includes NFL Draft potential.”

This season, Winfield will finally get to show what he can do on the collegiate level, but Texas fans hope he doesn’t have a breakout performance in Austin on Saturday.

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Tory Horton

Another weapon on the outside Texas will have to mitigate is Tory Horton, the Rams’ leading receiver from a year ago. Horton, who has racked up more than 1,100 receiving yards in each of the past two seasons, received first-team All-Mountain West honors in 2023 as Fowler-Nicolosi’s top target.

The Fresno, California, native will help Colorado State in the short passing game it often employs, as he led all Mountain West receivers last season with triple-digit targets in the passing game, with over 350 yards after the catch on short route targets (between 0-9 air yards).

For the Rams to have any chance of staying with Texas or covering the 34-point spread, Fowler-Nicolosi will have to get Horton, arguably one of the most talented players in the group of five, going early and consistently.

No. 4 Texas and Colorado St. will face off Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. at Darrel K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.