FORT COLLINS — The checklist was almost complete.

Colorado State was physical on both fronts, able to run the ball and stop it, as well. Offensively, the Rams were able to play with tempo, at least in the first half of Saturday’s 26-7 win over Wyoming, until coach Mike Bobo applied the breaks himself.

By design, it was nearly the way Bobo envisioned his teams would play. There’s still more to it, but it was a sign of progress.

“Stop the run, be physical, impose our will, let them know we’re at the ball park,” Bobo said of the way it looked. “I’d still would like to be more balanced offensively and take advantage of some of those one-on-one matchups that you have outside, because you are running the ball, they are committing more people to the box. It was one of those games going in we were going to do everything possible not to put ourselves in any bad situations as far as turnovers and protect the ball.”

The final numbers looked pretty good. The Rams rushed for 228 yards in the game, with Dalyn Dawkins going for a career-best 140. Better yet, they didn’t have a rash of turnovers — just one, a Nick Stevens interception, but it did come in the red zone.

Bobo said afterward the offensive line has played really well since the Utah State game, creating momentum in the running game and protecting Stevens. Since having the run game shut down by Boise State and Utah State, the Rams have continued to improve on the ground, rushing for at least 160 in the next two games, jumping to 228 last week, the best total of the season.

Center Jake Bennett feels the line has been physical all year, it’s just more noticeable now they’re on the right page.

“I think it’s just knowing when to call things; I think it’s just getting a firmer grasp on the offense itself,” Bennett said. “This staff does a bunch of different stuff. It’s week nine, finally getting that firm grasp on stuff, knowing when to call things and when to check out of things.”

All that was really missing was balance. Despite hitting 11-of-15 passes, Stevens only threw for 120 yards. There were no explosive plays despite getting a lot of single coverage, but because of the turnover issues, Bobo wasn’t about to take any chances with a game the Rams had in hand.

It also kept him from pushing the pace any longer. The first drive of the game was as quick as the Rams have gone in quite awhile, and most of the damage came in the run game. The offensive line was creating holes, backs were finding the next level and everybody was set and ready to go for the next play.

It even worked on fourth down.

“I thought us playing fast for a quarter and half, almost the first half, helped us,” Bobo said. “Kept them off balance. We were fast, but we were playing physical. We slowed down a little bit in the second half. After that pick, I just basically shut it down, to be honest.”

The goal now offensively is to be able to push the pace without running the risks of game’s past, results that have led to a negative turnover margin for the team. Stevens has thrown interceptions in each of the past three games, with five of his 10 on the season coming in that stretch.

Over the same span, Stevens has been accurate, hitting 59 of 71 passes, also throwing for five touchdowns. The sophomore first-year starter understands he has to eliminate the mistakes, but he heads into games confident, not scared to make an ill-advised throw.

“It does really get to me, because I feel like I’m having a good game. I think a couple of the last four games, the first incompletion was an interception,” Stevens said. “It’s frustrating. I’ve got to focus on not making those mistakes. Everybody is going to make mistakes, it’s just those have turned into very big mistakes.

“I’ve got to focus on taking care of the ball.”

But honestly, it felt good to be that offense the coach wanted, even for a short spell. It provided some confidence, as well as encouragement to keep up the standard.

“It felt great, especially coming off a loss and then coming out and playing like that,” Bennett said. “We’ve just got to pin up a few more things from the second half, but other than that, it felt awesome.”

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