Colorado State head coach Jim Mora pulled defensive coordinator Tyson Summers off play-calling duties in the first quarter of Saturday's 56-26 loss to Oregon State, and Summers left the field entirely, with Mora saying afterward that he was no longer with the program. The Rams' defense had just allowed touchdowns on Oregon State's first two possessions when Mora made the change, handing play-calling to defensive line coach Kenny McClendon in the middle of the game at Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins.
Accounts of exactly when and how Summers' departure became official differ. According to ESPN, Summers was fired amid the loss, though the outlet also reported that a source told ESPN he was not actually fired during the game itself. Mora, for his part, said Summers independently decided to leave the field and was no longer with the program, a characterization Colorado State Athletics echoed in its own account of the game. Mora said the decision to relieve Summers of play-calling stemmed from what he called a conglomeration of many things, and he specifically said he would not have considered it acceptable for Summers to leave the team during the first quarter.
A Defense Already in Freefall
The benching capped a brutal stretch for a Colorado State defense that had nowhere to hide. The Rams entered Saturday ranked 129th nationally in scoring defense, allowing 34.3 points per game, and 136th in total defense, according to FootballScoop. Oregon State piled on 727 yards of total offense, a figure the Colorado State Athletics report said set a record for both programs, as the Beavers dominated offensively on the road.
It was the third straight game the Rams had allowed more than 500 yards, and the second consecutive game they had given up more than 50 points — something Colorado State had not done in back-to-back games since 1984, per the same account. The Rocky Mountain Collegian noted that the defense had now allowed 41 points to BYU, 59 to UTSA and 56 to Oregon State across its last three outings, all losses. The Rams allowed at least 41 points in each of those three games.
McClendon's Debut Call Forces a Fumble
McClendon, who had been serving as Colorado State's defensive line coach, took over play-calling during the first half and was formally named the Rams' defensive coordinator going forward, according to FootballScoop. His first play call as a coordinator, late in the first quarter, produced a strip-sack that Colorado State turned into its second touchdown of the game, the outlet reported.
Mora praised McClendon's response to the difficult circumstances and called him a good football coach, adding that he believes Colorado State will improve. Even with the early turnover, Oregon State answered with 28 unanswered points, as detailed by the Rocky Mountain Collegian, pulling away for good after Colorado State briefly tied the score behind quarterback K’saan Farrar before going on to lose.
A Program Mora Has Rebuilt Before
Mora has weathered defensive collapses before. The Denver Gazette reported that he pointed to a 2022 stretch at UConn, when Syracuse, Michigan and North Carolina State combined to beat his team by a margin of 148-24, as a reference point for working through a brutal run. That context came via The Denver Gazette, which also confirmed the Rams now sit at 2-3 on the season, a record also reported by Denver7.
Summers had been with Colorado State for a second stint as defensive coordinator before Saturday's change. The Rams get a bye this coming Saturday before traveling for a Thursday night matchup at Texas State on October 15, giving McClendon nearly two weeks to settle in as the full-time play-caller before his unit faces its next test.
