NOTEBOOK : Players Make a Believer Out of Bruce

Colorado State’s football players gathered with Coach Earle Bruce in August to hammer out goals for the season.

Bruce, in his second year at Colorado State after nine seasons at Ohio State and one at Northern Iowa, had his own ideas. His goals were simple and, he figured, well within reach.

He wanted the Rams to win all six home games at Hughes Stadium in Ft. Collins. He also wanted to beat neighboring Air Force and Wyoming.

It seemed a logical step in his efforts to bring the Colorado State program into the national limelight.

But then he asked his players about their goals.

“Bowl game,” they shouted in unison.

Bruce wasn’t so sure.

The Rams hadn’t played in one in 42 years. In the 10 years before Bruce arrived, they had only two winning seasons, 1980 (6-4-1) and ’86 (6-5).

Colorado State’s record in the two years before Bruce arrived was 2-21.

“I liked the idea of winning our home games and winning all the front-range games--Wyoming and Air Force are right down the road,” Bruce said Friday. “But a bowl game?”

As it turned out, the players knew what they were talking about.

An 8-4 record and a second-place finish in the Western Athletic Conference landed Colorado State a berth in the Freedom Bowl, its first bowl appearance since it lost to Occidental, 21-20, in the 1948 Raisin Bowl.

Add Rams: Colorado State arrived Thursday in Orange County and went right to work, practicing that afternoon at Orange Coast College.

Colorado State held only three workouts before leaving snowy Ft. Collins.

The Rams are healthy. Cornerback Chauncey Sims, who broke his leg in the team’s Nov. 3 victory over Wyoming, is the only Ram expected to be unavailable for the Freedom Bowl.

For what it’s worth: Oregon beat Brigham Young, 32-16, Sept. 29 in Eugene, Ore. Colorado State lost to BYU, 52-9, Oct. 13 in Provo, Utah.

Oregon beat Arizona State, 27-7, Oct. 20 in Eugene. Colorado State lost to Arizona State, 31-20, Sept. 15 in Tempe, Ariz.

Bruce comments: “I guess by the comparative scores, you wouldn’t think it would be much of a game.”

Said Oregon Coach Rich Brooks: “The scores are there, but they don’t mean anything now.”

Oregon is a 9 1/2-point favorite for next Saturday’s game at Anaheim Stadium.

Oregon visited Knott’s Berry Farm Thursday, and some of the players conned Brooks into riding Boomerang and Montezuma’s Revenge, two of the amusement park’s roller coasters.

Brooks reported Friday no serious injuries but said his neck was a little sore.

“They thought the old man couldn’t ride ‘em,” Brooks said. “By golly, I showed them.”

Oregon quarterback Bill Musgrave said Friday his first taste of athletic success came as a locally ranked juniors tennis player in Grand Junction, Colo. He was only “10 or 12” at the time.

Later, he hoped to get a college scholarship as a basketball player, but that dream faded quickly.

“My high school had a lot of success in football,” Musgrave said. “Most of the attention was on the football.”

So he stuck with that.