Despite a lopsided loss in the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl, the Colorado State football team made significant strides in 2024.

The Rams went into the season with several goals in mind and they were able to achieve most of them, including the team’s first bowl game appearance since 2017 after going 8-4 in the regular season. However, they will have to wait to get their first bowl win since 2014, after losing to Miami (Ohio), 43-17, nearly two weeks ago.

It wasn’t the way the Rams wanted their season to end, but even after the loss in Tucson, there were a lot of positives to reflect on after their first eight-win season since the team went 10-3 in 2014.

“I’m so proud of this team,” CSU graduate defensive back Henry Blackburn said after the bowl game. “We challenged this team in January to give everything they possibly can every single day. Do everything you can, and we’ll live with the result. We’re still grateful. We worked for this. We’re going to be grateful no matter what.”

The Rams got off to a rocky start to the season, losing two of their first three games — to Texas, a semifinalist in the College Football Playoffs, and to Colorado — after getting their first win of the year against Northern Colorado.

After defeating UTEP, the Rams ended nonconference play with a double-overtime loss to Oregon State. The setback, however, was a turning point in CSU’s season.

The Rams opened Mountain West Conference play with five straight victories. Included in those wins were rivalry triumphs over Air Force, the first since 2015, and Wyoming, the first since 2020. It was the first time since 2015 that the Rams were able to capture both the Ram-Falcon Trophy and the Bronze Boot in the same season.

A loss at Fresno State hurt the Rams’ hopes of playing for a conference championship. Despite a regular-season-ending win over Utah State, CSU didn’t get the help it needed to clinch a spot in the Mountain West championship game.

With eight wins, however, the Rams earned a bid to the Arizona Bowl, where their season ultimately ended in a game CSU head coach Jay Norvell said afterward made him, “upset, angry, all the above emotions that you can have after a game like this.”

The season will also be remembered for a change in offensive style for the Rams. After two years of showcasing a pass-heavy attack, the Rams reverted to a more run-oriented plan. One player who benefitted the most from that was running back Avery Morrow.

With 50 yards in the Arizona Bowl, Morrow eclipsed 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. It was a milestone not reached by a CSU running back since 2017, and the first-ever 1,000-yard season for a running back with Norvell as the team’s head coach.

After achieving the feat, Morrow made sure he gave credit to his teammates and his coaches after overcoming a couple of years of adversity.

“We accomplished it,” Morrow said. “There is no ‘I’ in team. I couldn’t have had that 1,000-yard season without the 10 people on the field. I love each and every person on our team. I don’t feel like I have anything sad to say. Me personally, I could have been somewhere different. I’m just grateful to be here, I’m grateful for all the relationships I’ve made, I’m grateful for all the hard times I’ve been through. It’s made me the man I am today.”