The Colorado State Rams don’t have time to feel sorry for themselves.
It’s understandable why they might feel a bit down. They fell to the Air Force Falcons 45-28 last Saturday in what was their first conference loss of the 2017 season. The Rams (6-3, 4-1 MW) were unable to shut down the Falcons’ triple-option offense, which gobbled up 413 of their 477 yards on the ground.
But as the Rams don’t have time to get down. They move away from one rivalry game and right into another, as they head up to Laramie to take on the Wyoming Cowboys (5-3, 3-1 MW) in the 107th edition of the Border War.
“It’s going to be a huge test for our football team,” Colorado State head coach Mike Bobo said on Monday. “We’re going to have to play really, really well to win this ballgame. If we’re feeling sorry for ourselves and what happened last week, then it could be a long, long day in Laramie.”
One player who will do his best to make Saturday a long one for the Rams is Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen. Despite somewhat of a down year, Allen is thought to be one of the top quarterbacks ahead of the 2018 NFL Draft, and Bobo knows that he can cause the Rams problems.
“I can’t say enough about their quarterback,” Bobo said. “This kid is [6-foot-5], 240-plus pounds. He is about impossible to tackle. He makes plays after plays with his legs and his arm. When he scrambles he scrambles to throw, and throw the ball downfield. I’m not talking about in the flat, I’m talking about deep shots – 40, 45-plus [yard] ropes to backside receivers. Countless times over and over in the last two years this guy has made plays to win ballgames. Truly, truly an impressive kid.”
The Rams are in the middle of a tough stretch that will ultimately determine whether or not they’ll have a shot at the Mountain West Championship in a few weeks.
The loss to Air Force dropped CSU to 4-1 in Mountain West play and second in the Mountain Division behind 4-0 Boise State. The Rams and Broncos play in Fort Collins on Nov. 11. That game could very well decide the division, if both teams continue their dominant play within the conference.
While a win this Saturday would certainly help their shot at a conference championship, it would also give CSU some bragging until the next time these two teams square off. Someone has to take home the Bronze Boot, and the Rams would certainly like to bring it back to Fort Collins.
Like last week’s matchup with Air Force, the tradition adds a little extra fuel to the fire for Bobo and the Rams.
“That’s one of the reasons I’m here is because there is tradition at this school and part of that tradition is the rivalry with Wyoming,” Bobo said. “There’s a lot of great storied games. A lot of hatred between the two teams. Wyoming doesn’t like Colorado State and vice-versa. I think there is a mutual respect between coach [Craig] Bohl and us of how our teams play.”
As with any conference opponent, especially one that the Rams share a rivalry with, they have to come out ready to play football.
“We’ve got to be ready to play,” Bobo said. “They’re going to be ready to play like they were the first two years we’ve played.”
