Wyoming Cowboys @ Colorado State Rams Football Preview

Season finales aren’t always meaningful in relationship to the journeys that they bring to a close. Sometimes, the last game of a gridiron campaign is significant not for what it ends, but for what it begins. This statement is particularly true for the Colorado State Rams, a team that will try to emulate what its Rocky Mountain rival has done this season.

When Wyoming travels to Colorado State this week there is little to play for in the overall picture of the full season—Wyoming is already bowl eligible, while Colorado State cannot be. This fact will have little meaning to the game, as Wyoming (7-4) and Colorado State (3-8) wage the 103rd “Border War” in the battle for the Bronze Boot.

Colorado State leads the overall Border War series 55-42-5 since its beginning in 1899. Since the Bronze Boot trophy was given to the winner in 1968, Wyoming leads the series 22-21. This year it would seem Wyoming is poised to retain the trophy with a third straight win as the Cowboys have impressed, while the Rams have not.

Wyoming’s offense has come of age with freshman Brett Smith. Despite struggling last week against Boise State, the Cowboys score 28 points per game as Smith completes 61 percent of his passes and has thrown only six interceptions on the year. Smith has also hurt teams with his legs as the team’s second-leading rusher (555 yards). Alvester Alexander (591 rushing yards) takes on a bigger role in the run game as Ghaali Muhammad was sidelined three weeks ago.

One can see the larger storyline of this game with ringing and unmistakable clarity: Wyoming has attained heights that many pigskin pundits couldn’t have reasonably foreseen a year ago. Therefore, Colorado State will try to use this game as a springboard to 2012 and a Wyoming-like revival of its Mountain West football fortunes. The very leap Wyoming made from 2010 to 2011 is the same cross-the-threshold movement Colorado State hopes to make in the coming year. That’s why this game is important for the folks in Fort Collins, Colorado.

The Rams have been led by a freshman too, as Garrett Grayson took over three weeks ago for an injured Pete Thomas. Grayson has completed 54 percent of his passes and thrown three interceptions in 2.5 games of work—okay for a freshman, but not enough to produce wins. Despite a seven-game losing streak, Chris Nwoke has been a bright spot for the Rams. The sophomore running back has exploded onto the scene, posting rushing efforts of 156 yards, 232 yards, and 269 yards in the last four weeks. Wins will come when Colorado State complements Nwoke’s efforts with consistency in the passing game and with better defense.

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By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer