2004 Week 10

FORT COLLINS, Colorado - Everyone in the state of Colorado knew that Colorado State was going to try and set the tempo of the Border War early by establishing the run, and wearing down the Wyoming defense. They did exactly that, and nothing the Cowboys tried could even slow them in the first half, as the Rams exploded for 24 second quarter points, and took a comfortable 31-7 lead to the locker room at the half.

The Cowboys' lone score in the half came a mere nine seconds before the break, when the Rams gave up consecutive long passes as they scrambled to cover the Cowboys' no-huddle offense.

The Cowboys made a number of adjustments in the locker room, and held Colorado State scoreless in the third quarter. Unfortunately, the Cowboys were unable to take advantage, as the Rams defense continued to dominate Wyoming.

The Wyoming offense finally got on track in the fourth quarter, mounting two scoring drives to close the gap to 21-31 with 2:09 remaining, but the onside kick was recovered by the Rams and they scored from 38 yards out on the next play.

Wyoming kept throwing the ball downfield, but freshman cornerback Emmitt Dennis stepped in front of Wingate's throw and returned the ball 68 yards for the score to seal the win for Colorado State.

After the game, Wyoming head coach Joe Glenn Spoke with the media. "Obviously, it hurts to lose any game, and it hurts more to lose to your rival. We didn't put up as good a fight as we did last year, but I'm proud of the way the guys never gave up, and battled back to make a game of it.

"Not to say it wasn't abundantly clear why we lost this game. Fact is, we can't run the ball worth a damn, and most of our opponents can. The Rams, well, they ran it well, and they ran it with authority.

"I've said it all year, but we're not going to get any better until we can find a running game worth hanging our hat on. And finding it will be a team effort. I'm still looking for somebody who can carry the load and the ball, and I'll be damned if I don't find some big farm boys to come knock some guys on their butts next fall."

Glenn is probably right. By way of illustration, just look at the yards gained on the ground by each team. Colorado State carried the ball 39 times for 191 yards, while Wyoming managed only 39 yards on 29 carries. With numbers like that, Wyoming is lucky to be 5-4.

The next game is November 13, at home versus a struggling Utah, who bring a 2-7 record into War Memorial Stadium. Game time is 12:30 p.m.