Did Jim Mora fire Colorado State's defensive coordinator mid-game?

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It's not uncommon in college football for a head coach or coordinator to lose their jobs after a particularly poor performance, even in the middle of a season.

This weekend, Jim Mora opted for something even more immediate.

The first-year Colorado State head coach dismissed defensive coordinator Tyson Summers on Saturday, Oct. 3, the same day the Rams fell to 2-3 with a 56-26 loss to Oregon State at Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins, Colorado.

More: CSU defensive issues come to a head in blowout loss to Oregon State

What makes Summers' ouster unique is how it unfolded. Mora confirmed after the game he relieved Summers of his duties during the game and that his now-former defensive coordinator elected to leave the field.

After Summers left, cornerbacks coach Trent Matthews was signaling plays in to the defense. Kenny McClendon, Colorado State's co-defensive coordinator, associate head coach and defensive line coach, was holding a play sheet while the defense was on the field. Mora confirmed after the game that McClendon will be the Rams' primary defensive play-caller moving forward. McClendon was Mora's defensive line coach at UConn the previous four seasons.

"He was put in a very difficult situation and he responded well and the players responded well," Mora said. "Very first play he called as a defensive coordinator in his entire life was a sack, caused fumble. We’re going to get better. We’re going to get a lot better. He’s a good football coach."

With Saturday's loss, Colorado State has allowed at least 50 points in back-to-back games since 1984. In the loss to the Beavers, the Rams gave up 639 yards and 9.0 yards per play. Oregon State threw for 436 yards and averaged 14.1 yards per completion, with starting quarterback Braden Atkinson completing 30 of 34 passes and throwing for five touchdowns.

Even beyond the ghastly defensive stats, Saturday's move didn't exactly come out of nowhere. Last Saturday, in the first quarter of a 56-26 loss at UTSA, Mora and Summers were shown getting into a heated exchange on the Colorado State sideline.

Summers was in his second season as the Rams' defensive coordinator, having been retained by Mora after he replaced Jay Norvell as head coach. After Norvell was fired seven games into the 2025 season, Summers served as the interim head coach, going 0-5 during that stretch.

Summers was previously the head coach for two seasons at Georgia Southern, where he went 5-13 from 2016-17.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Did Jim Mora fire Colorado State's defensive coordinator mid-game?

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