Not long after the start of what turned into a 56-26 loss to Oregon State on Saturday in Fort Collins, Colorado State defensive coordinator Tyson Summers was nowhere to be found.
When the game finally ended, Rams coach Jim Mora said Summers was, in fact, no longer with the team.
“That is a permanent move that was made following tonight’s game,” Mora said.
Mora, in his first year with the Rams, said he had relieved his assistant of his playcalling duties in the first half, though telling him to leave the sideline “wasn’t anything that I would ever consider.”
“He made the decision on his own to leave the field,” Mora said, “and he is no longer with the program.”
A source told ESPN’s Pete Thamel that Summers wasn’t fired during the game. Summers was replaced as playcaller by assistant Kenny McClendon.
The latest defensive debacle came a week after a 59-45 loss to UTSA. Colorado State (2-3) has now allowed 193 points over five games (38.6 PPG).
Summers, who has held jobs at Florida, Georgia and Colorado, among others, over a 20-plus-year career, served as the interim head coach last season for the final five games after Jay Norvell was let go. Mora kept Summers on staff after he was brought on board from UConn to turn around the Rams.
ESPN’s Jake Trotter and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
