DENVER — When Colorado State hosts San Diego State in the annual ‘Orange Out’ on Friday night, it won’t be the first time that these programs have faced off in a big-time matchup over the last decade.
On Feb. 13, 2013, the No. 24 Rams hosted SDSU in a sold out Moby Arena and in front of a ruckus home crowd, CSU’s Dorian Green knocked down the go-ahead 3-pointer with a minute to go. CSU won 66-60 that night and all these years later it’s still looked back on as one of the most exciting Mountain West games that the Rams have participated in. Between the Harlem Shake from the students at halftime, Green scoring six straight points in the crunch time to help the Rams take a late lead, and of course, an emphatic breakaway dunk from Jon Octeus to cap it all off, the 2013 Orange Out is the epitome of what Moby Madness can be.
Make Moby Great Again | 🎥: @CSURams pic.twitter.com/TQDEJGE20d
— Justin Michael (@JustinTMichael) January 19, 2020
The 2017 Orange Out against SDSU was also thrilling, really all three meetings between the Rams and Aztecs were in the 2016-17 season.
When they played for the first time that year on Jan. 28, 2017, the Rams, led by 37 points from Gian Clavell, were able to come back from 13 points down and top their conference foes at Viejas Arena. Over the final 3.8 seconds Clavell drove the length of the floor, fought through contact and converted a circus layup to secure a 78-77 road win for the Green & Gold.
The second time CSU played SDSU in 2017, the Orange Out game at Moby Arena, also featured a double-digit comeback from the Rams and ended in a dramatic fashion. After the Rams had battled back from down 13 again, SDSU went up 55-53 with 23 seconds remaining, seemingly putting a damper on the comeback effort. Fortunately for the Ram faithful, Emmanuel Omogobo then drilled a 3-pointer with a hand in his face to give the Rams a 56-55 lead with just 5 seconds left to play. SDSU attempted a half-court shot that missed everything a few moments later and the CSU students stormed the court in celebration.
Final: Rams win a thriller 56-55 & fans storm the court pic.twitter.com/jI4wyQYGCD
— Justin Michael (@JustinTMichael) February 26, 2017
Insanely, when CSU and SDSU faced off yet again in the 2017 Mountain West Tournament, the Rams came back from 13 points for the third time in as many months to beat SDSU 71-63. Although slightly less dramatic than the first two comebacks, the Rams were able to dig themselves out of an early 15-2 hole and ultimately advance to the championship game against Nevada.
The most recent example of a thriller between CSU and SDSU was on Jan. 2, 2021, when the Rams completed the largest comeback in conference history to steal a road win at Viejas Arena (70-67). CSU trailed by as much as 26, but after cutting into the deficit before halftime, they managed to outscore SDSU by 10 over the final 20 minutes to secure the win. John Tonje was the hero that afternoon, converting on a 4-point play with 12.3 seconds on the clock to put the Rams up by 1 (68-67).
John Tonje earned a spot in every CSU Hoops hype video for the rest of time with this shot today.
pic.twitter.com/BXvaDV7Z3h— Justin Michael (@JustinTMichael) January 3, 2021
The last two times these groups have played have not resulted in a favorable outcome for CSU, with the Aztecs winning by 13 and 30 points, respectively. Both of those games were on the road, though, so maybe a return to Fort Collins and the added energy that comes from the Orange Out crowd is exactly what the 2021-22 Rams need to get back on track. It’s expected to be a sell out for the second game in a row. And obviously the stakes could not be higher for CSU after dropping back-to-back league games in the past week.
Topping Brian Dutcher’s squad will obviously be no easy task, there’s a reason that his program has been the face of the conference for the last 15 years. But as we’ve seen over the last decade, the Aztecs have often brought out the best in the Green & Gold.
Friday night should be a fun one.
