Saturday's game could be 'Hollywood' Higgins' last at Hughes

Rashard Higgins doesn't yet know what his future holds.

But the star CSU receiver acknowledges that Saturday's 5 p.m. game against UNLV might be his last home game as a Ram.

"I'm not trying to think about it as my last game," Higgins said after practice Tuesday. "I'm still just going to go out and execute and do what I have to do to try to win us this game."

Higgins, a consensus All-American and finalist for the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's outstanding receiver a year ago, is likely to become the third star player in as many years to leave Colorado State University's program early to make himself eligible for the NFL draft.

Kapri Bibbs, now in his second season on the Denver Broncos practice squad, did it following the 2013 season, when he ran for a school-record 1,741 yards and led the nation in rushing touchdowns with 31. Last year, it was Dee Hart, a transfer from Alabama, who left early after running for 1,275 yards and 16 touchdowns. He had a free-agent tryout with the Miami Dolphins in May but was not invited back for the team's training camp.

Higgins, who caught a school-record 96 passes last year and led the nation in receiving yards (1,750) and touchdown catches (17), is focused on finishing out this season. So the 6-foot-2, 188-pound junior from Dallas hasn't given much thought yet to whether or not he'll turn pro early. That decision, he said, will be made after the season's over, with input from his mother, Jeanette Jackson, along with CSU coach Mike Bobo and his staff.

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"When the time comes, I'll evaluate it with my mom, coach, see where I'm standing now, how I slip in there (in draft projections), and if that's the best thing for me, then that's what we'll do."

Higgins hasn't been as productive this year as he was a year ago, thanks to injuries that kept him from practicing much while the Rams were learning a new offense under Bobo. Although he leads the Rams with 50 catches for 667 yards and five touchdowns while playing in eight of the Rams' nine games, he's not likely to make the cut next week to be one of the 10 semifinalists for this year's Biletnikoff Award. He had 59 catches for 1,137 yards and 12 touchdowns through eight games last season.

Higgins would have been a sure-fire first- or second-round pick in the NFL draft had he been able to come out last year. Now, he's projected as a third-round selection by most analysts.

"Film don't lie, so when scouts try to break down the film, they'll see that I'm a hard-working player," Higgins said. "I mean I catch everything that comes to me, just about. At the end of the day, you're going to get what you want, which is 'Hollywood' Higgins, man."

Quarterback Nick Stevens, a sophomore, said he and his teammates would obviously like to have Higgins around again next season. He and Higgins have even talked about it some, Stevens said. But players realize the decision is up to Higgins and his family.

"I don't think anybody has really a right to force his hand either way," Stevens said. "He has to do what's best for him. So this could potentially be his last game or it could not, at home. I love the guy either way."

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Higgins said he's been frustrated some by the Rams' move to more of a power running attack under Bobo. CSU threw just 15 passes last Saturday in a win at Wyoming and spends less practice time on the passing game this season than last, Stevens said. That's why Higgins often asks Stevens to stick around for a few minutes afterward to throw him some extra passes.

But the numbers show the Rams are still putting up plenty of passes on game days. Through nine games this season, they've completed 171 of 287 passes compared to 200 of 304 at this point last season. They're just not making the kind of big plays that they were a year ago, with 2,097 yards and 18 touchdowns compared to 2,856 yards and 24 TDs through nine games last season.

So there's no telling yet what next year would bring if Higgins sticks around for his senior season. Bibbs and Hart played just season apiece for the Rams before turning pro. Higgins has already played three seasons at CSU and already holds the school record for career touchdown catches with 28. He's No. 2 in career receptions with 210 (13 behind record-holder David Anderson) and No. 3 in receiving yards with 3,254 (380 fewer than Anderson and 9 fewer than Greg Primus).

He's working toward a degree in human development and family studies that he knows is important to his future after football. But he also knows how rare an opportunity it is to get a chance to play in the NFL.

He's got at least three more games to play for the Rams — four if they can win two more to qualify for a bowl game. The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the 2016 NFL draft is Jan. 15.

He knows he's got a difficult decision to make.

"It'll be pretty tough," he said. "I know I just want to finish and get my degree, that'll go a long ways with me. But you never get an opportunity like this (the NFL). If the time comes …"

He shrugged his shoulders and smiled, but never finished the sentence.

Follow reporter Kelly Lyell at twitter.com/KellyLyell and facebook.com/KellyLyell.news.

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•Next up: UNLV at CSU, 5 p.m. Saturday, Hughes Stadium

•Watch: Root

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