Anderson proving to be unstoppable
Not only is sophomore wide receiver David Anderson tearing up
teams in the Mountain West Conference like he did against Air Force
on Thursday night, but he is also making his mark around the nation
as well.
“David Anderson, I’ve never had anyone like him,” CSU head coach
Sonny Lubick said.
In eight games, Anderson has 45 receptions for 908 yards and an
average of 20.2 per catch. He has scored seven touchdowns and has
an average 113.5 yards a game. Those numbers are good enough to
rank him among the best in the nation, including first in receiving
yards. He is also averaging more receiving yards per game than any
other MWC wide receiver
“I was hoping for a season like this but you can’t go out and
expect to break records or do this and that,” Anderson said. “I
just gotta go out there and keep playing hard.”
Anderson added eight more receptions for 199 yards against Air
Force, which are both career highs. The yardage is fourth most in
CSU receiving history. It also marked the fourth time this season
Anderson has gone over 100 yards. The Falcons’ failure to change
their coverage led to one touchdown and six first downs for
Anderson.
“I caught that same route six times and they kept staying
inside,” Anderson said. “If they aren’t going to change, we aren’t
going to change.”
Anderson made a 22-yard diving catch in the third quarter to
give the Rams a critical first down at the CSU 47-yard line.
Although the Rams were later forced to punt, the catch prevented
Air Force from attaining good field position and started another
unsuccessful drive from their own 14-yard line.
“You gotta pride yourself on catching those ones,” Anderson
said.
Anderson attributes much of his success to quarterback Bradlee
Van Pelt who has also put up impressive numbers this season. In
addition to his 506 rushing yards, he is 30 yards away from
obtaining the 2,000 passing yard mark and has thrown for 15
touchdowns.
“Bradlee has a lot of confidence,” Anderson said. “He is going
to put the ball where you can get it and you gotta catch the ones
that come your way.”
Van Pelt went 14-for-22 for 258 yards and one passing touchdown
against Air Force. He also added 125 yards on the ground and two
rushing scores. He capped one drive with three minutes remaining in
the second quarter by scoring the Rams first touchdown on a 13-yard
run followed by a headfirst leap into the end zone. The play ran
several times on ESPN and was one of many that caught the attention
of Air Force head coach Fisher DeBerry.
“Bradlee Van Pelt was outstanding. He is a fine football
player,” DeBerry said. “He did a great job of getting Anderson the
ball.”
Van Pelt helped lead the offense to 564 yards and the Rams have
now scored 34 points or more in their past three games. Being back
in conference contention and riding a three-game winning streak,
Van Pelt also realizes how strong CSU’s offense has become.
“We are gelling together as a team,” Van Pelt said. “We are
doing what they (the coaches) are telling us to do and it feels
good to get it done. We are bringing in packages and teams don’t
know what to do with us.”
The next challenge for the Rams awaits in Laramie, Wyo., for a
Nov. 1 game against the Wyoming Cowboys in the CSU-Wyoming Border
War.
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