2021 Border War Preview: Steve Addazio has a chance to be the first coach since Sonny Lubick to beat Wyoming in his first two seasons at CSU

DENVER — Steve Addazio knows the importance of beating Wyoming. The longstanding rivalry with “the team from the north” was something he brought up during his introductory press conference nearly two years ago and it’s been a big point of emphasis for the veteran head coach ever since. 

“This is what college football is all about. It’s why it’s different (from) pro football,” Addazio said on Monday. “There’s something really special about this Border War.” 

Currently 1-0 against the ‘Pokes’ at CSU, Addazio has a chance to beat Wyoming for the second year in a row, which hasn’t been done since Jim McElwain in 2013 and 2014. He would be the first to accomplish the feat in his first two seasons on the job since Sonny Lubick back in 1993 and 1994 though; and that would certainly be noteworthy. 

Nothing matters more in college football than topping your rivals. It’s why despite making the postseason in three of his five years at CSU, Mike Bobo’s tenure is pretty much viewed as a failure. If he had even beaten CU and Wyoming a handful of times, his stint with the Rams would have been viewed much differently. But that’s the nature of the beast — it’s a results business — and Bobo himself would tell you that. 

For Addazio, another victory over the Cowboys wouldn’t necessarily change the minds of his critics, but it would obviously put him in rare company. More importantly, in the context of the 2021 season, it would keep the Rams’ postseason hopes alive and bring them one win closer to bowl eligibility. 

As the line currently stands the Rams are favored by 3.5 points in Laramie this weekend. After starting the year 4-0, Wyoming has now lost its last four games and has really struggled to create any type of offense. Even with the Pokes struggling, though, this is a matchup that the Rams cannot afford to overlook. While there have been dominant stretches by each program along the way, since 2000 the series has basically been a coin flip, with the Rams winning 11 and the Cowboys winning 10. CSU currently leads the all-time series by a margin of 58-48-5. But as the stats show, you can never count out either side in a game that means so much to both schools. 

With Wyoming basically playing to keep their season alive, the Rams are going to be facing a desperate team and that’s something that shouldn’t be discounted in a rivalry game. They also legitimately have talent on the roster, especially on defense, so this is likely going to be a four-quarter brawl between two squads that hate each other. 

Highlighting some of Wyoming’s best individual talents, linebacker Chad Muma is a stud. He also should have been a Ram but that’s a side tangent. Anyways, Muma currently leads Wyoming with 78 total tackles. The Colorado native also tops the Pokes with a pair of interceptions and seven tackles for loss. He flies all over the field and is the type of player that can completely disrupt an offensive game plan. 

“Chad’s a great player,” Trey McBride said of Muma at Mountain West Media Days in July. “I know he got an offer from CSU and is a Colorado guy — so I’m sure he has some extra fuel and goes a little bit harder when he plays against us — but it’s awesome. I want to play against the best and Wyoming always has really good linebackers.”

On offense, Xazavian Valladay is extremely talented as well. The Cowboys may not score a lot of points but it’s to no fault of their veteran running back. Valladay is averaging 5.3 yards per attempt and leads the team by far with 684 rushing yards. 

When the Cowboys win, it’s usually because Valladay played a big factor. He scored a touchdown in each of the first four weeks and Wyoming went undefeated over that stretch. He’s been kept out of the end zone in each of the last four losses. Really, he’s what makes their offense tick. The Cowboys wouldn’t have even kept last week’s game against San Jose State close if it hadn’t been for 172 rushing yards from Valladay. He and Isaiah Noyer (WR) are the two guys you really have to worry about on defense. 

“This is a good football program,” Addazio said of Wyoming. 

Finally, while he may have won the 2020 matchup, Addazio is looking forward to experiencing the rivalry at its full potential. The win was special last season, particularly when you consider everything the team had to go through to even get to that point, but an empty stadium just doesn’t have the same feel. That’s why Addazio is excited for this year’s edition of the Border War up in War Memorial Stadium, with the fans rocking, the pageantry present, and the environment hostile. 

“I’ve never been on their campus. I’ve never even stepped foot in the state of Wyoming,” Addazio said. “It’s a fun week and it’ll be a heck of a football game. I sure hope we have a bunch of fans that travel up there. It’s not very far and it means so much to the school. We’ve got to keep the boot where it belongs. Right here.”