Colorado State's defense had a rough Saturday as Oregon State rolled up 56 points on the Rams in a 30-point victory in Fort Collins, and new head coach Jim Mora Jr. didn't need to see all of that performance to know a change needed to be made.
Rams defensive coordinator Tyson Summers was replaced as playcaller in the first half by Kenny McClendon, who will take over as the Rams' new defensive coordinator, sources told CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz. Summers then decided he wasn't going to stick around and left the sidelines, never to return.
"Tyson was relieved of his playcalling duties," Mora told reporters after the game. "He left the field and is no longer with this football program."
Summers departure is a rare mid-game coaching change. He began the game on the sidelines calling plays and sending signals into the defense but once the play-calling duty change was made by Mora, he left.
On the USA Sports game broadcast, via The Coloradan, sideline reporter Dalen Cuff stated that "co-defensive coordinator Kenny McClendon is calling the plays on the defensive side of the ball and has been since about midway through the first quarter. Tyson Summers, the normal DC and play-caller, has not been on the sideline since the first quarter."
The Rams gave up 14 points in the first quarter, but the change at play-caller did not yield any better results as they gave up 21 in the second quarter and another 21 in the second half in what became a blowout loss to the Beavers.
The defensive struggles for the Rams weren't isolated to just this game. Colorado State's defense has been among the worst in the country to start the season, coming into this week 129th in the nation allowing 34.3 points per game and that will only get worse after allowing 56 to Oregon State.
Mora, who is in his first season as head coach after leaving UConn for Colorado State, decided he'd seen enough and would be making a change to get a new voice leading the defense and wasn't willing to wait until the end of the game to do so.
