Quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi will make his first college start on Saturday night when Colorado State faces No. 18 Colorado in Boulder.
Clay Millen started the season-opening 50-24 loss to Washington State on Sept. 2 but was knocked out with a sprained shoulder in the second half. The Rams had a bye last weekend.
After replacing Millen against Washington State, Fowler-Nicolosi completed 13 of 20 passes for 210 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Colorado State scored 21 fourth-quarter points with Fowler-Nicolosi at the helm.
“The time is right for Bray to get an opportunity,” Rams coach Jay Norvell said at Monday’s press conference. “He sparked us, drove for a couple scores. The bottom line is we’ve got to score points and be more effective, and we’ve got to be competitive and lead at that position.
“We’ve got a lot of confidence in Clay, but Brayden played for us last year as well.”
Millen was 15-of-24 passing for 110 yards and one interception before leaving the Washington State game.
Last season, Millen completed 72.2 percent of his 234 passes for 1,910 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions. Fowler-Nicolosi completed just 45.9 percent of his 37 attempts for 194 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
Colorado State has dropped five straight meetings with Colorado, a program suddenly on the rise with Deion Sanders in his first season as coach.
“There’s a lot of history behind this game,” Rams linebacker Chase Wilson said of the rivalry. “It’s bigger than our team, it’s bigger than an individual. It’s been played for awhile.”
