Rams Continue Prep for Boston College

With the game just over two weeks away, the Colorado State Rams continued practices as they get ready to face Big East member Boston College in the Diamond Walnut San Francisco Bowl on New Year's Eve.

The big question surrounding the Rams heading into the game is the status of star quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt, who underwent surgery for a broken right hand following the final game of the regular season. Van Pelt is back at practice, and was to begin throwing lightly this weekend. Baring a setback, he is slated to start against Boston College.

Van Pelt's presence - and performance - are keys to the Rams success. He leads the team in rushing with 889 yards and threw for more than 2,600 yards. The senior was chosen as the Mountain West Conference's offensive Player of the Year for the second season in a row.

When the versatile Van Pelt has been in the line up, and on top of his game, the Rams offense has been almost unstoppable. When he has struggled, the Rams have lost. Not only has he teamed up with recievers David Anderson, Chris Pittman and Eric Hill to lead the air assault, but he has been almost all of the Rams running game as well.

Senior running back Rashaan Sanders and highly touted transfer Marcus Houston have been largely ineffective all season, forcing Van Pelt to carry the load. Sophomore Uldis Jaunarajs stepped into the starting lineup late in the year and did okay, but he, like Sanders, was injured and able to make only a limited contribution.

With the Rams at 5-5, and needing two wins to get into a Bowl game, in stepped sophomore Jimmy Green. He suddenly supplied some punch from tailback spot. He iced the game with San Diego State with a long TD run, and then rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown in the Bowl-clinching win over UNLV to earn Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors. If Green can stay hot against BC, Van Pelt may have a little more margin for error, as well as more room to operate.

The running game is nothing new for Boston College. The Eagles, who beat Virginia Tech and Penn State this season on their way to a 7-5 record, love to run the ball, with the school's all-time leading rusher, Derrick Knight, getting the bulk of the carries. Knight, a semi-finalist for the Doak Walker Award, led the Big East in rushing and was fourth nationally with 1,599 yards. He runs behind an offensive line that features two all-Big East first team selections, Augie Hoffman and Chris Snee.

The Rams defense was not the teams strong suit during the season, and they will have to improve greatly to handle Knight and the Eagle offense. On the other side of the ball, if Van Pelt is healthy, the Rams should be able move the ball on the Eagle defense, too.