FORT COLLINS – K.J. Carta-Samuels stood on the sideline alone. Not a single teammate within 7 yards as he watched Colorado State’s final, futile scoring drive from 50 yards downfield.

That had been him out there taking shotgun snaps to start the game. He threw for two touchdowns and was never sacked, utilizing his athleticism to spark the only signs of life the Rams’ offense had all afternoon. OK, “spark” is an overstatement. He did, though, provide the only life the Rams had, and now he’s standing here in timeout as his understudy leads an ultimately meaningless fourth-quarter drive while trailing an FCS opponent by three touchdowns.

Carta-Samuels didn’t pout. He didn’t cheer. He stood there emotionless as Colorado State lost 35-19 to Illinois State. Alone.

Carta-Samuels never should have been in this position. He didn’t deserve to be. This offense is his offense. He earned that in fall camp by beating out Justice McCoy and Collin Hill in open competition; remade his case by throwing for five touchdowns and a school-record 537 yards in a loss to Hawaii; proved it again by leading a gutsy 18-point comeback over Arkansas; and one last time by holding his own with 217 yards passing in last weekend’s loss at Florida. But despite all this, despite ranking in college football’s top 10 for passing yards per game entering Saturday, he is spelled at least once a week by Hill, killing any rhythm his offense might have mustered.

KJ Carta-Samuels deserves to be Colorado State’s quarterback. He has earned it. #ColumnComing pic.twitter.com/qRoXwjaZtu — Matt L. Stephens (@MattStephens) September 22, 2018

“That’s up to (coach Mike Bobo),” Carta-Samuels said of his benching. “It doesn’t really matter what I think. I’m just going to try to play the way I can play, and whoever puts us in the best position to win should be out on the field, and that’s all that matters.”

The past four games, Colorado State has allowed Collin Hill to play at least a series, and every time, it has failed spectacularly. Hill was 0-for-1 in the first half Saturday after sailing a pass to a wide-open running back in the flat; the next play, he was ganged up on and sacked — the last thing anyone wants to see happen to a kid who has already torn his ACL twice in the past two years.

Hill was a freshman phenom in 2016. In limited action since, he has been anything but phenomenal — and he shouldn’t be. He tore his ACL in March playing basketball. What reasonable mind thinks he should be able to turn these Rams around?

Look, Carta-Samuels threw a pick in the third quarter that should have been a touchdown. Bisi Johnson had his man beaten on the deep post, and KJCS waited a whole two beats too long before letting it fly, allowing the cornerback to slide underneath for the interception. The very next drive, the Rams’ starting quarterback threw a touchdown pass to get them back within eight points. Two drives after that, he’s walking the sideline, helmet in hand, watching Hill lead the Rams to another quick punt.

Hill finished 9-of-17 for 115 yards with a touchdown and an interception while nearly adding a highlight-reel catch from a pass by receiver Warren Jackson during a point-after attempt … down by 16 points with 61 seconds to play.

Carta-Samuels was 15-of-27 for 147 yards; he was hurried seven times (knocked down on four occasions) and attempted only three passes of 20 yards or more: a 40-yarder placed perfectly between two defenders and dropped by Preston Williams, a 38-yard completion to Johnson and the interception. Despite making some bad throws, he was still the best quarterback at Canvas Stadium on Saturday wearing green.

“In the second half, I just wanted to make a change. K.J. wasn’t playing bad, but we missed some receivers on that drive when we had it in plus-territory there that could have brought the game closer and given us a little bit of energy,” said Bobo, who called the loss an “embarrassment” and added there’ll be an open competition at quarterback this week. “I decided to make a change. I thought both of them did some good things. I thought both of them did some bad things.”

Carta-Samuels transferred to Colorado State from Washington to play quarterback. He was tired of sitting behind Jake Browning and thought Fort Collins would provide the best opportunity to end his career as a full-time starter. Carta-Samuels earned that opportunity, but Bobo’s decision to play Hill for most of the fourth quarter provided clarity heading into the bye week. Related Articles CSU Rams, Mountain West shift gears, now playing football in fall

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The Rams have given up on Carta-Samuels.

K.J. refuted this notion and affirmed his faith that his arm can turn this season around, but Bobo has been here before. The last time he let Hill finish a game he didn’t start was in Week 2 of 2016, and he was Colorado State’s man under center seven days later.

Colorado State’s 2018 season is kaput; the shouting matches between fans whose “taxes pay your scholarship” and players only made Saturday’s scene harder to watch. But by placing a senior quarterback in timeout and putting a trick play on film for your seven remaining opponents during a game that has long been decided, the Rams appear to only have one thing on their mind.

They bark their marching orders of “going back to work,” and it’s becoming clear that means for next year.

Sorry, K.J. Sorry, Bisi. Sorry, seniors who helped build this program. Enjoy what’s left of the ride — 2019 can’t get here soon enough.