Rams’ focus remains in right place TUCSON, Ariz. — Colorado State had four days off, and in that period, the Rams defensive coordinator parted for another program and the defense is short two starting safeties. The beat still goes on. “I mean, I’m looking forward to getting out of here with a ‘W’ hopefully. I don’t really know what they have planned for us,” center Jake Bennett said about his expectations for the Arizona Bowl. “I think that’s the only thing you should be worried about. You’re still here to play football. If you’re coming down here for something other than that, you got the wrong message.” From what CSU head coach Mike Bobo has seen from the first two practices, it’s not just lip service. Even with all the items on the list the Rams could point to as excuses, there’s been nothing on the field to suggest the Rams aren’t focused on keeping the current winning streak of four games rolling. Bobo set that very tone from the day the team accepted the invitation to the inaugural Arizona Bowl, where they will face Mountain West foe Nevada. It was an odd twist, and while Nevada’s players still expressed anger and a feeling of being slighted, Bobo’s team has moved forward with a goal in mind. “I think so. I told them about my goal experience and having been in a lot of bowls, and the one I remember, the ones I thought were good bowls are the bowls that you won,” he said. “(The bowl has) been great since we’ve been here, very accommodating, very hospitable, and we appreciate that. At the end of the day we want to win the ball game. More than ever, the importance of bowl games has gone up with the coverage and the exposure and how recruiting plays out. You want to end on a good note and go into the offseason and into next season on a high note.” To the point — The Arizona Bowl is still being looked at as an oddity for the matchup of two conference teams, just the third time in bowl history. Naturally, conference like to boast of their success in the postseason, but Colorado State center Jake Bennett was quick to state the obvious. “I think the Mountain West will come out of here with a win and a loss,” he said. Ticket sales — Colorado State said as of Saturday the school had sold 1,650 tickets for the game. It’s a jump of 650 tickets since first releasing sales figures a week after the announcement. There was no update on student sales, which sat at 100 at the first release. Schedule — Colorado State will practice Sunday morning, then select players will visit the Banner Diamond Children’s Medical Center from 2-4:30 p.m., along with players from Nevada. They will also be fitted for custom-made boots — a unique gift from the bowl — from 3-5 p.m. at the team hotel.

TUCSON, Ariz. — For the second bowl season in a row, Colorado State’s football team is dealing with a coaching change. The difference is this year it’s not coming from the top and the Rams were prepared for news.

On Dec. 20, defensive coordinator Tyson Summers was named the head coach at Georgia Southern, the final day head coach Mike Bobo’s team practiced in Fort Collins. While the announcement caught some off guard, Summers had already informed his defense he was a candidate for a position, though not being specific.

“He sat with the defense and told us what the situation was,” defensive end Joe Kawulok said. “He got the job and we’re all happy for him, and I hope he does a real great job down there. I know he will.”

Not long after the Rams finished Saturday’s practice, Summers had his introductory press conference at Georgia Southern. Back in Tucson, it was business as usual for Colorado State and the defensive players for their second practice on site.

Just the way Bobo expected and anticipated.

“Marty (English) is still going to call our stuff that we’ve done this year,” Bobo said before Saturday’s workout. “He’s going to run practices and run the meetings, and he’s going to call the game. Like I told him and told the defensive staff, I expect y’all to take over and get our guys prepared this week, and they’re doing a great job.”

Linebackers coach Marty English will step into the defensive coordinator’s role during the game, one he held as a co-coordinator last year at CSU, and the players say that familiarity will help.

“I’m confident things are going to work out just fine,” linebacker Kevin Davis said. “We’re staying together as a team, we still have Coach English leading us a D-coordiator going into this game. Not too much has changed for us.”

Summers was also in charge of the secondary, a group that graduate assistant coach Andrew Dodge is leading for the bowl.

Bobo said the plan for now is English will call the defense from the field, communicating with Dodge up in the booth. The key, Bobo said, is leaving English where he’s most comfortable, so it could still change.

In effect, the two sides are even, as Nevada offensive coordinator Nick Rolovich departed the Wolf Pack program earlier to become the head coach at Hawaii.

Colorado State expected no real changes in the Nevada offense with the move, nor will there be any shakeup with the Rams’ defense. The only real concern the unit has going into the game has nothing to do with who is calling the defense, but the players executing it in the back end.

Three days out from the game, the Rams are without their starting safeties — Trent Matthews with an injury, Kevin Pierre-Louis with an academic issue. The latter still has a chance to arrive and play, but he wasn’t on the field Saturday.

Behind them, sophomore Jake Schlager was slowed with an injury, and Bobo was hoping to see improved movement out of him Saturday. Calling him one of the toughest players on the squad, he added, “I’m sure he’ll be out there.”

For right now, senior Nick Januska, who has started two career games and recorded his first interception this season, and sophomore Justin Sweet are in line to start.

“It’s an opportunity for guys to step in. Justin Sweet had that opportunity against Fresno, played some nickel and played well and made some plays,” Bobo said. “Now he’s going to be backed up a little bit playing safety. Hopefully that game gave him a little confidence to come in and play well this week if he’s got to play.”

Mike Brohard: 970-635-3633, mbrohard@reporter-herald.com or twitter.com/mbrohard