FORT COLLINS — Dalton Fackrell knew what the expectations were, and he really wishes he had the full chance to live up to them.

The goal was for the junior college transfer to lead a small group of inexperienced tight ends, and start that task in spring camp.

First play, he gets hurt.

There went that plan.

The senior has made up for lost time, and right behind him, true freshman Cam Butler has proved to be a quick study. Through four games this season, the duo has proven it can be an effective and productive part of the Colorado State passing game.

“I had such a long time off that it was just kinda knocking the rust off the first few games,” said Fackrell, who feels he’s in the high 90’s percentage-wise coming off a shoulder injury. “I’m starting to pick it back up, the conditioning, everything like that, just to be able to go a full game.

“I have to keep busting it at practice. I have Cam pushing me, which is awesome. He’s a great player, so having somebody like that, a freshman right below me, it’s making me do it faster.”

Between them, they have 10 catches on the year (five each), good for 111 yards and one Butler touchdown. That puts them on pace to be even a bit more productive than the trio Fackrell was part of last year when he had seven catches as the third tight end.

Then again, with both of them making tough catches in the non-conference games, a quarterback takes note.

Fackrell had a great catch, one that was overshadowed by the robbery performed by teammate Warren Jackson in the end zone, but his ability to reach behind Alabama safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and snare a ball on third down was a big play for the Rams.

Fackrell was casual about it, saying it was the way the play is run, with a mix of sharp concentration and strong hands. Even quarterback Nick Stevens wasn’t shocked, though he was appreciative.

“I think just from practicing with him the past few years, I think everybody knows he has one of the best sets of hands on the team,” Stevens said of Fackrell, who was a junior college All-American at Snow College. “He has great hands, and we’ve known it from the beginning. He runs really, really good routes. You kind have known it from the beginning, but it is a different thing to be game tested, and they’ve both made really good catches. They’re both guys you can rely on in a game.”

Catching a ball has always been the easy part for Fackrell. Being an undersized tight end and taking on linebackers and defensive linemen has required the real work.

To combat the pounds they give up, Fackrell said technique has been paramount in position coach Joe Cox’s teachings, and when they’re clean, Fackrell feels they’ve done well.

CSU head coach Mike Bobo agrees, saying the team has run more to the tight end side the past few weeks, and even though some of their assignments were mismatches, they held their own. In some cases, Butler has excelled.

“They’re doing a nice job, and I think they’re only going to get better the more reps they get,” Bobo said. “Dalton is a guy we’re trying to get involved in the pass game a little bit more, and Cam is a guy who can flex out and do some things for us out wide. Cam’s done a great job for us blocking really on the perimeter, in our perimeter screens and our tight-end side running game.”

With a passing attack that features a trio of talented wideouts, one a first-team all-conference pick, the tight ends know they will rarely be a primary option. When the time comes, they have to be ready, even if that’s providing protection.

Or depth. While Fackrell and Butler have held down the primary spot, Bobo noted Griffin Hammer and John Freismuth are both getting looks in the slot to provide depth to a thin wideout spot.

“We’re a different tight end group this year,” Fackrell said. “That just comes with practice. You’ve gotta make plays in practice, you’ve got to practice hard so it shows up in the game. When you get those opportunities in the game, with the weapons we have, you have to make those plays.”

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