Border War: Jasen Oden likely out for Rams, Izzy Matthews will be leaned on

In 30 minutes, the Border War between Colorado State and Wyoming kicks off. It’s more than just a game on chilly November afternoon, this is the oldest football rivalry west of the Mississippi.

It’s also a contest which involves a special trophy; the Bronze Boot.

“That the boot belongs at Colorado State,” Rams senior safety Kevin Pierre-Louis. “It was worn by a Colorado State student. You’ve got to let them (younger players) know the importance of the boot. The boot doesn’t belong to Wyoming, it belongs to Colorado State. And that’s something you instill in those young guys.

“Every game is an important game but this is a special game,” he continued.

Offensively, the Rams need to find consistency at the quarterback position, but also need to find blance between the run and passing game. Nick Stevens will start, Bobo said during the week, and he’ll look to bounce back after a dismal three-interception game last Saturday in the loss to San Diego State. We would’ve like seen a heavy dose of Jasen Oden, but he was injured and standing on the sidelines in sweatpants before the game.

The Rams will be without leading rusher Jasen Oden Jr. today due to a shoulder injury #BorderWar #CSU pic.twitter.com/3lnDYMBOMe

— Travis Green (@ItsTravisGreen) November 7, 2015

That means Izzy Matthews will have to be big today.

Matthews has rushed for 172 yards on the season including a season-high 68 yards on nine carries last week in the loss to San Diego State. That’s an astounding 7.6 yards per carry average which was boosted by a 35-yard run.

“Oh gosh, that kid had to grow up real fast for us,” offensive tackle Sam Carlson said of Matthews. “He’s done a great job just growing up, just being a man and coming in here and running the ball like one. I’m very impressed with him and hope he continues to run the ball for us.”

Also important will be Dalyn Dawkins, the speedy, smallish back. He’s rushed for 359 yards and two scores on the season, but most of that production came in Weeks 2 and 3 for CSU.

And on what Carlson has to do, he knows it’ll be a big game for him today.

“Up front, they’re pretty basic but they’re good at what they do,” Carlson explained. “They kind of have stuck with that. The guy I’m going against is a senior and he’s confident in what he does up front so I’m going to need to play really well on Saturday.”

This is the 106^th meeting – or 107^th if you’re from Wyoming – between the two schools and there’s certainly no love lost. Pierre-Louis said last week, “Wyoming hates us and we hate Wyoming,” and, “Toughness. We expect them to play tough. And a good game.”

The Cowboys may only be 1-8, 1-4 MW, but they’ll give the Rams their best today. You can count on it. One of their top players is running back Brian Hill, who will have to play remarkably to give the Cowboys a chance. He’s already carried for 1,296 yards with a superb 6.2 yard per carry average; the Rams have to stop the explosive play which they’ve been gashed by all year long.

“Brian Hill’s a pretty good running back,” Pierre-Louis said. “We’ve got to continue what we’ve been doing as a defense. If an explosive play happens, good for the offense. We can’t stop what we’re doing because we’ve been giving up the explosive play in the past. The past is the past and we’re moving onto the future right now.”

The game kicks off in 30 minutes and BSN Denver is here in Laramie covering the Rams.