Colorado State came out solid, just like they did against Arkansas, but then fell flat on their faces to lose 48-10 on Saturday.

For the Rams, beating a second straight SEC team would’ve been a nearly impossible feat — especially on the road this week — but it was even less likely when the green and gold missed many opportunities throughout the contest. And, CSU’s special teams were anything but special, giving up two touchdowns while making many more mistakes.

Let’s take a look at the five biggest takeaways from the loss:

1. Missed opportunities: Colorado State could’ve tied the game up 3-3 early, but Wyatt Bryan missed his first field goal, from 40 yards out. Then, after the defense came up with another stop, the Rams kicker missed a 53-yard field goal, this time to the left, leaving CSU trailing 6-0 after the first quarter. And after a huge interception by V.J. Banks, K.J. Carta-Samuels fumbled the snap to give the ball right back to Florida.

Later in the first half, Ryan Stonehouse boomed a 58-yard punt, but that was negated by an illegal shift by the Rams. A second punt meant instead of the Gators having the ball on their own 20 yard line, they had it on the Rams 44 yard line and turned that short field into a touchdown.

2. Rams punted themselves in the foot: After their first drive resulted in a 3-and-out, Jeff Taylor allowed the middle rusher to force a fumble and Florida got the ball at the Rams seven yard line. The defense stepped up that time, allowing only a field goal. But, later in the first half, CSU allowed another rusher free on a punt, this time resulting in a punt-block-6 to push Florida ahead 27-0. Those types of errors will kill a team against a Mountain West opponent, but to do so on the road, against an SEC team, spelled doom for CSU.

Then, on a punt in the second half, Ross Reiter had a snap infraction which set up the 85-yard punt return TD by Florida.

3. Colorado State’s offensive line struggled mightily: The young offensive line knew they had to play well today — Carta-Samuels excels when they block for him — but they couldn’t block efficiently against Florida. In the first half, the offensive line allowed three sacks, six tackles for a loss and the Rams ran the ball for a mere 3 yards.

In the second half, Carta-Samuels was smashed by a corner blitz as Ben Knox missed a block and that drive ended when multiple D-linemen got through to pressure CSU’s QB. That lack of blocking prowess meant CSU ran for a mere two yards through the first three quarters of the game. In the fourth quarter, T.J. Rountree gave up his second sack of the game as he completely whiffed on a defensive end and allowed him to sack Carta-Samuels and force a fumble.

At the end of the game, the )-line gave up five sacks and eight TFLs.

4. Rams defense bent, but then broke: Colorado State started the game hot on the defensive side of the ball, holding Florida to two field goals. But on the Gators’ final two drives of the first half, the defense gave up multiple explosive plays, including the 30-yard touchdown run by Jordan Scarlett. Those two TDs put CSU down 20-0 before the punt-block-TD. In the second half, the 68-yard touchdown run by Dameon Pierce was the nail in the coffin.

5. Preston Williams is still a beast: Williams, who came into this week with the second-most receiving yards (391) in the nation, added to his total today. He had nine catches for 106 yards and continued to prove he’s the best player on the team. And, if it weren’t for Carta-Samuels overthrowing him on multiple deep balls, that total could be much higher. Unfortunately, he was injured late, though it did seem minor.

Overall, the Rams special teams were absolutely terrible in the game. They gave up two touchdowns, missed two field goals and allowed another turnover on a punt turned into a fumble.

Next week, Colorado State (1-3) faces Illinois State before the Rams first bye week of the season.