Border War could be turning point for Colorado State

To quote the late Dennis Green, the Rams are who we thought they were.

Colorado State enters Mountain West play Saturday with an unremarkable 2-2 record. They were drubbed by the University of Colorado to begin the season, which currently points more to the Buffaloes’ improvement than anything else. And last week, CSU came up just short of possibly sending the Big Ten’s University of Minnesota to overtime for the second straight season.

Sandwiched in between those games were wins against Northern Colorado and Texas-San Antonio. That’s two wins against teams CSU should have beat and two losses against teams from a Power 5 conference.

Raise your hand if you really thought CSU would be better than 2-2 at this stage with all the uncertainty at quarterback, receiver, defensive line, and secondary.

A lot of good has come out of the first month of the season for the Rams. Quarterback Collin Hill looks to be a legitimate answer for head coach Mike Bobo, receiver Michael Gallup continues to make more plays every week, and Braylin Scott has all of a sudden turned into a ballhawk.

Fast forward to Saturday, where the 107th all-time meeting between CSU and Wyoming could be the turning point for the 2016 season.

“I’m excited for this game,” Bobo said during his Monday press conference. “There’s a lot of tradition in this game. It means a lot to both programs and both communities. I’m really expecting a full house. I’m expecting a competitive football game. We know it’s going to be a 60-minute fight.”

Take a look at CSU’s schedule. Following next week’s home game against Utah State, the Rams go on the road for four of their final six games. Three of those come against Boise State, Air Force and San Diego State, all traditionally challenging venues to play in for any team.

Lose to an inferior Wyoming team and the Rams very likely could see their streak of bowl games end. That’s why beating their rival to the north is all but essential for postseason aspirations.

“I know it means a lot to them and it means a lot to us,” said Bobo. “It’s a big game and we know it’s a big game. We’ll approach it like we would any other game but we don’t lose sight that it’s a rivalry game and we’re going to get their best shot.”

Defensive coordinator Marty English, who coached at Wyoming from 2003-2011, echoed Bobo’s words, saying that Wyoming will be ready and the Cowboys would like nothing more than to spoil one of the final home games at Hughes Stadium.

“I still remember being there (at Wyoming) and an administrator saying we could go 1-11,” said English. “But as long as we beat those guys (CSU), it’s a good year.”

A true rivalry makes its way into the fanbases. As the longest continuous rivalry west of the Mississippi River, it’s apparent that no love is lost between Fort Collins and Laramie with their football teams.

English, with experience on both sides, understands the passion of this game.

“They still come here for all their fun, their luxuries, all that kind of stuff,” explained English, speaking of the differences between the communities. “It’s just not the same there. I know when that happens, it’s like anything and you kind of look around at what everybody else has and you don’t have and those kinds of things. There’s some jealousy and stuff and there’s some want. And then those harbor tough feelings. You have a different mindset when you have to live there (Wyoming) and when you have to live here (Fort Collins).”

So while this game could serve as a turning point for the Rams, CSU will surely get a hungry, well-prepared Wyoming team.

“This is their Super Bowl,” said English. “This is their everything game.”