AIR FORCE ACADEMY ? If there ever was a honeymoon period for Colorado State players under new coach Jim McElwain?it?is?over.
Right now.
?This is as low as I?ve been. Okay?? McElwain said, trying hard to keep from blowing his top in his press conference after CSU?s 42-21 loss to Air Force today.
He remained calm. But his players might not be so familiar with Calm McElwain anymore after their fourth straight loss of the season. McElwain called out his team for severely lacking the heart and passion it takes to compete on the football field.
?It?s interesting to watch a team with more heart, that imposes their will on you and actually just reaches down deep inside of you and rips it out,? he said.
Then the first-year coach made it clear this week he plans on weeding out anyone not in sync with the program.
?I do know that we have some guys in that locker room that have heart,? McElwain said. ?And we?re going to get it out of the guys this week and find out who?s committed to being a champion and who isn?t. It?s that simple.
?We?ll come back and we?ll work our tails off tonight and tomorrow and get back to practice on Monday and we?ll get ready for the next game. The guys that are playing in that game are the guys that are going to play with some heart.?
Colorado State was whipped, defensively especially. Air Force ran for 459 yards ? and that was even gaudy for them, the nation?s second-best rushing offense. Normally, the Falcons chew up 375 yards on the ground. AFA had so thoroughly beaten CSU in the trenches that it didn?t even feel the need to pass. Air Force attempted a season-low five passes.
At the center of it all, McElwain says, is a mindset. He came to CSU wanting to build a tough-minded, bully-on-the-block football team; the kind that pounds and pounds and pounds its opponents into submission. But lately it seems to McElwain that his players, some of them anyway, are the ones throwing in the towels.
?It?s about imposing your will on an opponent,? he said. ?And we?re not doing that. And it?s really that simple and that?s what it comes down to. And when guys start worrying about themselves more than they worry about the team, the family, that can?t happen.?
Players, however, are divided on the subject. Quarterback Garrett Grayson and linebacker James Skelton talked after the game about the possibility of calling a player?s-only meeting on Sunday to hash out everything that has become a problem.
?Do something,? Grayson said. ?We?ve got to stop this thing right now. Four straight losses, before it gets too bad. Right now people would say four straight losses is already bad. But we can still do well in conference, it?s only one loss. But we?re 1-4 right now, we know we have to turn this thing around.?
Linebacker Shaquil Barrett acknowledged he sees a lack of passion from some of his teammates as well.
?Yeah, I see it,? he said. ?We just need to step it up. The leaders need to step up and lead by example, and on the field also. I?m out there. I didn?t make no good plays today. I need to do that.
And yet, Barrett noted, ?We?re still very much together. We know our coaches, they are still going to come to work and do everything they can to prepare us, like last week was no different than Week 1. But the guys we?re together, too. We just need to come motivated to practice everyday and just keep bringing people up. If somebody is down bring them up and talk to them.?
Quarterback M.J. McPeek was more subdued on the subject.
?I don?t if there was enough effort, enough passion,? he said. ?I just know that when we got out there we tried to execute. Everybody gave everything they had, and whether somebody was taking a play off or not, I couldn?t tell you. I don?t see it. We made big plays. We made big plays, we?re an explosive offense. Everybody has their chance and I feel like we?re turning that corner. We?re starting to realize how good of a team we can be.?
Follow Chris Dempsey on Twitter @dempseypost or email him at cdempsey@denverpost.com
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