Star receiver Tory Horton pays homage to John Mosley before leaving Colorado State's win over Northern Colorado with injury

FORT COLLINS • A celebratory night at Canvas Stadium got off to a storybook start before an injury soured the ending.

Before Colorado State’s 38-17 win over visiting Northern Colorado, the university honored the late Lt. Col. John Mosley, who was on the Rams’ football and wrestling teams before becoming a member of the Tuskegee Airmen. In addition to adding his name to ring of Rams greats at the stadium, Mosley’s No. 14 will be retired across all sports as soon as the current student-athletes sporting the number conclude their collegiate careers.

“It was really a special, special weekend getting to know the Mosley family,” Colorado State coach Jay Norvell said after his team’s first win of the season. “What an amazing family, what an amazing group of people that have accomplished so much. I just thought it was outstanding how our administration honored them. It was great to be a part of. I was humbled to be able to spend time around them.”

Tory Horton, the current Ram football player to wear No. 14, continued the celebration by returning a punt for a touchdown on his first touch of the game. After starting to his left, Horton found a seam up the middle, weaved away from a couple of tacklers and raced to the end zone for a 78-yard touchdown that gave the Rams the lead before their offense’s first snap. After scoring, Horton threw his right index finger and four fingers on his left hand to the sky, as the sellout crowd of 36,573 — mostly wearing orange to celebrate the university’s roots on Ag Day — continued the celebration.

“It was loud,” sophomore wide receiver Caleb Goodie said. “They turned us up.”

Horton’s first catch came on Colorado State’s second offensive play and set up a short field goal, getting the Rams off to a 10-0 lead. He rushed for 22 yards on the Rams’ third possession but added just one more catch the rest of the way. After hauling in a Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi pass in the third quarter, Horton had more room to run on a 31-yard gain but limped out of bounds with what appeared to be a leg injury. He did not return, finishing with two catches for 43 yards to go with the special-teams touchdown.

“I don’t have his status right now. I know he did not come back into the game,” Norvell said.

“Hopefully, it won’t be serious enough where he misses too much time, but it’s too early to tell right now.”

With their star receiver sidelined, the Rams relied even more heavily on the run, finishing with 246 yards. Keegan Holles led the Rams with 89 rushing yards on 10 carries and scored the second of the Rams’ three rushing touchdowns, putting the hosts ahead 24-7 at halftime.

Fowler-Nicolosi ran for the first, and Avery Morrow capped the celebration with a short run in the final minute.

“It just shows you what kind of place CSU is where people like John Mosley can come and accomplish all the amazing things he accomplished,” Norvell said. “Pretty special weekend. Pretty special night.”