Darius Curry will be the third starting quarterback for Colorado State this season when the Rams travel to Boise State on Saturday.
The redshirt freshman will start in place of Jackson Brousseau, who was listed as out with an injury on the first availability report ahead of Saturday’s game in Boise, Idaho. Brousseau left last week’s game against New Mexico after getting hurt.
Curry saw significant time in the Rams’ 20-17 loss to New Mexico following Brousseau’s injury. He completed 26 of 34 passes for 248 yards, but he also threw three interceptions. He became the first CSU quarterback to throw for more than 200 yards in a game this season.
“Darius came in and threw for almost 250 yards and somewhere between 60, 65, 70% with his completion percentage,” Summers said. “I thought he came in and did really, really well and provided a spark for us.
“The kids have got confidence in him, they believe in him. As he moves forward, I think he’s going to be a really good player.”
The contest against the Lobos was the fourth time Curry made an appearance in a game this season. He entered a game for the first time in his CSU career against San Diego State on Oct. 3 and went 5 for 5 with 51 yards and a touchdown.
In his four appearances overall, he has completed 44 of 61 passes for 447 yards and three touchdowns, along with four interceptions.
Curry spent the first half of the season as the scout team quarterback, where he faced CSU’s top defense led by coordinator and now interim coach Summers. He also worked with assistant quarterbacks coach Carson Strong.
“I think DC has done a great job of being prepared and being ready,” Summers said. “I think having to come down there and see the variety of defenses we play, and coverage and all those things, really helped. Carson was coaching him like he was getting him ready for a game every week.”
In high school, Curry was rated as a three-star recruit out of Long Beach Poly in California. He threw for 6,608 yards and 80 touchdowns in his high school career.
He takes over for Brousseau, who replaced Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi prior to the Rams’ game against Washington State on Sept. 27. Fowler-Nicolosi has since left the team.
In seven games as the team’s starter and the Rams’ loss to UTSA in which he made a late appearance, Brousseau completed 100 of 164 passes for 1,031 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions.
Summers had said Monday that if he was healthy enough, Brousseau would start against the Broncos. However, as the week progressed, it was determined Brousseau wouldn’t be able to play.
It is just another change for the 2-8 Rams, who have had three starting quarterbacks, three play callers and two head coaches this season.
Scouting the Broncos
Boise State enters Saturday’s game with a 6-4 overall record and a 4-2 mark in the Mountain West. The Broncos are coming off back-to-back losses, to Fresno State (30-7) on Nov. 1 and San Diego State (17-7) last Saturday.
Offensively, the Broncos are led by quarterback Maddux Madsen, who has passed for 1,994 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. However, he was injured two games ago and will miss Saturday’s game against the Rams. Max Cutforth has played in his place and has passed for 277 yards and a touchdown. Boise State always has a stout running attack, and this year is no different. Dylan Riley has rushed for 824 yards and eight touchdowns, while Sire Gaines has run for 551 yards and five touchdowns. The Broncos have three receivers with at least 325 yards and two touchdowns this season.
Ty Benefield leads the defense with 79 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss. Braxton Fely leads the team with five sacks, and A’marion McCoy leads the squad with four interceptions.
CSU and Boise State have only played seven times, with the Broncos leading the series 6-1. The teams last met in 2023 when the Rams ended a six-game losing streak to Boise State with a last-second, 31-30 victory at Canvas Stadium. CSU has never defeated the Broncos in Boise.
Injury report
The Rams had 23 players listed on the first availability report released Thursday ahead of Saturday’s game.
Three of those players are questionable: tight ends Rocky Beers and Carlos Anaya, and offensive linemen Alex Foster.
Players listed as out for Saturday’s game besides Brousseau are: offensive linemen Chandler Brown and John Holthaus; wide receivers Jordan Ross, Kory Hall and Petey Tucker; and defensive back Ayden Hector.
New to the list of players out for the season this week are: wide receiver Kojo Antwi; tight end Ryan McConnell; and defensive back Dagan Myers.
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