Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
Wyoming
Rams nearly spoil Cowboys' bowl hopes, but lose 17-16
11/27/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 27, 2009
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By Zach Balside
Athletic Media Relations
FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- Wyoming kicker Ian Watts gave the Cowboys a 17-16 lead on a 33-yard field goal with 1 minutes, 27 seconds left in the game and Wyoming held on to win and become bowl eligible in the 100th installment of the Border War Friday at Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium.
The Rams (3-9, 0-8 MWC) took a 16-14 lead with 6:57 left in the final frame on a 23-yard Ben DeLine field goal, but despite a valiant effort, could not grab their first conference win of the season.
Wyoming (6-6, 4-4 MWC), picked up its first Fort Collins win since 1998.
Leonard Mason ran for 119 yards on 20 carries against a Wyoming defense that knew it needed a rare win in Fort Collins to keep its bowl hopes alive.
CSU (3-9, 0-8 Mountain West) finished the day outgaining the Cowboys 352-233 but could not convert the effort into a win.
The Rams put the first points of the game on the board with Lou Greenwood’s 8-yard touchdown at the 7:13 mark in the second quarter. However, Wyoming defensive tackle John Fletcher blocked DeLine’s extra point attempt, which proved pivotal in the one-point loss.
The Rams found themselves down 7-6 at halftime but regained the lead early after the break on a 4-yard Zac Pauga touchdown reception from Jon Eastman, who made his first Division I start for the Rams in place of an injured Grant Stucker. The score gave CSU a 13-7 lead.
Eastman looked strong , completing 22 of 30 passes, including each of his first nine, for 185 yards as the Rams showed they could move the ball early. Eastman tried to not let the early success get to his head.
“I don’t think about it too much, other than the fact we were moving the ball,” Eastman said.
CSU Head Coach Steve Fairchild was impressed with Eastman’s first start, but left room for improvement.
“I thought he did good,” Fairchild said. “He did some nice things. We left some stuff on the table out there and perhaps if he’s more experienced we’d have converted.”
Eastman also had an important 22-yard run to get the Rams near midfield as CSU was driving down the field late to try to win the game.
Three plays later, the Rams faced a fourth-and-3 with 38 seconds left. Eastman tried to find Matt Yemm on a slant route but the ball slid through Yemm’s hands and into the mitts of Wyoming linebacker Ghaali Muhammad, which clinched the victory for the Cowboys.
Fairchild emphasized that Yemm alone did not lose the game for the Rams.
“There’s no one play,” Fairchild said. “Matt Yemm did a tremendous job for us. No one play won or lost that game.”
Wyoming had taken the lead on Watts’ field goal with 1:27 left. Watts said he feels comfortable kicking in clutch situations, even though he knew this one was the biggest yet.
“I am pretty much used to it by now, so that is a good thing,” Watts said. “If I missed this one, we would lose, so this was a lot more pressure and I actually felt more nervous on this one than any other kick I’ve taken this year.”
Earlier in that drive, the Rams had the Cowboys pinned deep at their own 14-yard line and facing a third down and 11. Cowboys quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels found a lane and ran 14 yards for the first down. CSU cornerback Nick Oppenneer was also called for personal foul after officials claimed he hit Carta-Samuels out of bounds, which put Wyoming near midfield.
Later on that same drive, the Rams had a chance to secure the win when Wyoming had a fourth-and-6 at its own 47. Carta-Samuels completed a 7-yard pass to Greg Bolling to narrowly get the first down.
“We were thinking, just grind this out,” Carta-Samuels said. “There was so much, and I didn’t even realize it until I was watching our defense try to hold them at the end, that there was so much on the line and so much to play for.”
The Rams’ defense held the Cowboys to 17 points on the day, matching their best defensive performance of the season, against Colorado when the Rams pulled out a 23-17 victory. Mychal Sisson had eight tackles and two sacks and freshman lineman C.J. James also pitched in, recording the first two sacks of his career.
The Rams finished the season 3-9, losing nine straight to end the year. The last time the Rams went 3-9 was in 2007, which was followed by a 7-6 2008 season, including a victory in the New Mexico Bowl.
Fairchild hopes to have a similar breakthrough next season.
“We’ll get it going,” Fairchild said. “I’m confident there’s some good, young talent in that locker room, and some good coaches. We’ll get roaring here in January. I can’t wait, to be honest with you.”
