Colorado State’s defense was so dismal on Saturday that first-year coach Jim Mora Jr. did not wait for the final whistle to make a change to the coordinator.
Defensive coordinator Tyson Summers was removed as the Rams’ play-caller during the first half of a 56-26 loss to Oregon State in Fort Collins. Summers left the field and is no longer in the program, Mora confirmed to reporters after the game.
“Tyson was relieved of his duties to play,” Mora told reporters. “He walked off the field and is no longer with this football program. That’s permanent.”
Kenny McClendon, who had been co-defensive coordinator, will is said to take over as the Rams’ defensive coordinator and playmaker. Mora said Summers made the decision to leave on his own.
“He made his own decision to leave the field,” said Mora.
“(McClendon) was put in a very tough situation tonight, and he responded well, and the players responded well,” Mora said. “The first game he called as defensive coordinator, his whole life was a sack-induced mess. So we’re going to get better. We’re going to get a lot better.”
Mid-game coaching changes are rare. According to the Coloradoansideline reporter Dalen Cuff said McClendon had been calling plays since midway through the first quarter and that Summers had not been on the field since the first quarter.
The turnover didn’t slow the Beavers’ offense as Oregon State scored 14 points in the first quarter, 21 in the second and 21 more in the second half.
It was the latest sign of trouble for a unit that has struggled all season. Entering Saturday, Colorado State ranked 129th nationally in scoring defense with 34.3 points allowed per game, a number that will increase after this performance.
Now, in his first year at the helm at Colorado State after leaving UConn, Mora has given the unit a new voice before the season is even halfway through.
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