Football gameday: CSU Rams at Wyoming, Nov. 7

Nov. 6, 2015

Colorado State travels to Laramie, Wyo., for the 106th meeting of the Border War, the longest continuous rivalry game west of the Mississippi. CSU has won each of the past two meetings.

COLORADO STATE (3-5, 1-3 MW) at WYOMING (1-8, 1-4 MW)
KICKOFF: Saturday, 1 p.m. MT
TV: ESPN3.com/WatchESPN app (online link)
RADIO: CSU Flagship: KJAC 105.5 FM | KRFD 100.1 | KJME 890 AM | KKVT 100.7 FM
LIVE STATS:
TWITTER: @CSUFootball | @CSURamsGameday | @CoachBobo_CSU | CSURams NeverSatisfied

LINKS: Game Notes | Roster | Media Guide | Schedule

COLORADO STATE FOOTBALL HEADLINES
Thanksgiving Day 1899 launched Border War controversy
#TheGrind | Virtues
CSU Athletics announces "Take a Kid to the Game" for Nov. 14 football clash with UNLV Bronze Boot Run scheduled for Friday
Game Notes: CSU at Wyoming, Nov. 7 UP FOR GRABS: THE BRONZE BOOT
Since 1968, the Bronze Boot has become possibly the most famous piece of footwear in college football history. This U.S. Army combat boot, gilded in bronze, is the traveling trophy that goes to the winning football team every year when CSU and Wyoming square off. In the 47 years the boot has been exchanged, Wyoming owns a 24-23 advantage.

Few fans of both schools realize the history behind this famous boot before it became the trophy both schools live for each and every football season. It started as a United States-issued Army combat boot to Captain Dan Romero. Romero, a native of Colorado and 1955 graduate of Pueblo Central High School, attended Pueblo Junior College for two years before he graduated from Adams State College. While at Adams State, he met his wife and played varsity basketball and baseball.

As the war in Vietnam heated up and a draft was imminent, Romero joined the Army before he was drafted. He then attended Officer Candidate School (OCS), where he received his commission to become an officer. Romero was then sent to Vietnam for a tour of duty and in the spring of 1968 he returned to the U.S., where he was assigned to the Colorado State University ROTC Military Science Department as an assistant professor. Since he was at CSU as an assistant professor, Romero enrolled as a graduate student as expected when officers are assigned to ROTC duty.

In 1968, CSU Army ROTC cadre member Major Vic Fernandez came up with the idea of having a trophy fitting of the rivalry between CSU and UW, an authentic, battle-tested combat boot. Romero, by then a CSU Army ROTC graduate and cadre member, donated a combat boot he wore during his 1966-67 tour in the Vietnam conflict. Romero had the boot bronzed and mounted on a walnut base in 1968. The base bears a plaque that holds the history of the Bronze Boot series. Close inspection of the boot will reveal small tears and cuts -- scars of battle that have remained on the 50-year-old boot through the bronzing process and 47 years of travel between the rival universities.

Romero's son, Jeff, is a Rocky Mountain High School graduate and walked onto the CSU football team in 1982 before following in his dad's footsteps in the Army. Jeff now is an FBI agent.

BRONZE BOOT RUN
Every year Army ROTC cadets from CSU and UW run the game ball from the visiting team's stadium to the site of the Border War game and guard the trophy until the game is over.

This year's Border War pits Colorado State against Wyoming for the 106th meeting (CSU doesn't recognize the 1899 forfeit win, or any forfeit in its all-time records), and extends the battle for the Bronze Boot in its fifth decade. On Friday, the CSU ROTC cadets will run the game ball from Hughes Stadium 39 miles to the Colorado-Wyoming border on U.S. Highway 287. The CSU cadets will then hand the ball off to Wyoming Army cadets, who will run the remaining 26 miles to War Memorial Stadium in Laramie.

ABOUT COLORADO STATE

Under the guidance of first-year head coach Mike Bobo, formerly the OC at Georgia.
CSU's first four MW games came against teams with a combined conference record of 17-3.
Has won seven of its past 11 true road games, its best period of success since 2001-03.
Has held the lead in seven of eight games this season, and is out-scoring opponents 78-40 in the first quarter.
Is one of five teams in NCAA FBS to rank in the top 25 for third-down offense (45.6 percent, 22nd) and defense (31.8, 21st).
The team's experienced pass catchers lead the nation with 8,244 career yards combined.
2014 consensus All-American Rashard Higgins has five touchdowns and three games with at least 100 receiving yards.
Junior LB Kevin Davis has 10.5 tackles for loss, and has at least a share of a TFL in 10 consecutive games.
Special teams units are among the best in the nation, ranking third nationally for net punting (42.9) and seventh with 27.00 yards per kick return. Additionally, kicker Wyatt Bryan has made his past five field-goal attempts dating back to Sept. 26.

ABOUT WYOMING

Led by second-year head coach Craig Bohl, who previously won three consecutive FCS national championships at North Dakota State.
Enters Saturday's game 1-8 on the season. Wyoming's lone win was a 28-21 home victory over Nevada on Oct. 17.
Wyoming is 1-3 at home this season, beating Nevada and losing to North Dakota, Eastern Michigan and New Mexico.
Sophomore RB Brian Hill has rushed for 1,262 yards this season, second-best nationally (140.2 per game, 11 touchdowns).
QB Cameron Coffman, a senior transfer from Indiana, is tied for the MW lead (with CSU's Nick Stevens) with 15 passing touchdowns. Coffman is second with 224.9 passing yards per game, 18.43 completions per game and a 151.4 pass efficiency rating.
Junior WR Jake Maulhardt leads the MW with seven receiving touchdowns (14th nationally). He is also second with 96.9 receiving yards per game (15th).
Junior LB D.J. May ranks 16th nationally, averaging 28.1 yards per kickoff return. As a team, Wyoming ranks 35th (23.50).
Despite a talented QB, RB and WR, Wyoming ranks second-to-last in the MW for scoring offense (20.3), and second-to-last for scoring defense (35.1).

BORDER WAR MOMENTS

CSU and Wyoming share the longest continuous rivalry west of the Mississippi, with an unofficial 107th Border War meeting on tap this week. The teams' first meeting in 1899 was a CSU forfeit win, making this week officially the 106th meeting. CSU does not recognize forfeits in all-time won-loss records.
The first meeting between CSU and Wyoming was Thanksgiving Day 1899 and ended in a dispute over rules. The Cowboys forfeited and the game never counted in the official record. The bad blood of 1899 spilled over into 1900 and again the two schools had a disagreement, this time over the eligibility of players. Although the rivalry continued to be cordial until after WWII, the first two meetings between the border schools signaled the beginning of the Border War.
The 1924 game never occurred because Wyoming Governor William Ross died the week of the contest. Out of respect, both schools decided not to play that Saturday and due to scheduling conflicts were not able to make up the game. Since 1929, CSU and Wyoming have only missed playing one another three times, all during WWII.
In 1949 and 1958, Colorado Field was the site of two near riots between fans from Fort Collins and Laramie. When the 1949 game ended, Wyoming fans tried to tear down the goalposts mainly because Colorado A&M fans had done so after the 1948 game in Laramie. When Aggies fans tried to prevent the posts from coming down, fights broke out and tear gas was unleashed on the crowd. In 1958, fans from both schools poured onto the field as they disputed a non-touchdown call that made the difference in the game. Again, tear gas had to be used to disperse the crowd.
CSU Coach Sark Arslanian vowed to his Rams after the 1973 Wyoming game that they (the players in the room that day) would never lose to the Cowboys again. The Rams beat Wyoming in 1974, `75 and `76, winning the Bronze Boot for the first times since the traveling trophy was established in 1968.
In 1990, the Pokes came to Hughes Stadium as a nationally ranked 9-0 team. The Rams were in the hunt for their first bowl bid in 42 years, and needed a win to keep their hopes alive. On that cold November day, CSU beat the Cowboys, 17-8, in what has been called the greatest game ever at Hughes Stadium. CSU also became bowl eligible in 2008, by beating Wyoming in Laramie during the regular-season finale.

#BORDERWAR NOTES IN 140

CSU and Wyoming have met on the gridiron 105 times (in addition to a Wyo forfeit in 1899), with the #CSURams holding a 56-44-5 advantage.
The #BorderWar rivalry is the longest continuous rivalry west of the Mississippi, playing every season since 1946.
CSU has played Wyoming more than any other opponent. Additionally, the Rams' 56 victories are CSU's most wins in a series.
In addition to a 31-21-1 advantage in Fort Collins, CSU also holds a winning record in the #BorderWar in Laramie (25-23-4).
The #CSURams are looking for their third consecutive win in the series, something that hasn't been done since winning four in a row from 1999-2002.
Since the start of the Sonny Lubick Era in 1993, CSU has won 14 of 22 meetings in the #BorderWar series.
A win would mark CSU's first back-to-back #BorderWar victories in Laramie since winning 5 in a row from 1993-2001.
A win Saturday would give CSU its 24th victory in the series since the Bronze Boot became the official traveling trophy (23-24).
CSU has won the rivalry game each of the past two seasons, out-scoring Wyoming 97-53, and totaling 1,067 yards of offense.
CSU's 2014 #BorderWar victory was part of the Rams' school-record nine-game win streak.
CSU's 2013 #BorderWar victory propelled the Rams to a 5-2 finish to the regular season and a bowl berth for the first time since 2008.
TE Kivon Cartwright has played in the #BorderWar three times, scoring a touchdown in both 2012 and 2013 (5 total catches for 97 yards).
WR Joe Hansley has 10 career catches against Wyoming for 174 yards, including 97 and a touchdown in 2014.
HollywoodHiggins caught 5 passes for 174 yards and 2 TDs in last year's BorderWar win. It marked his 4th straight game with 170 yards.
WR Xavier Williams caught his first career touchdown pass in the #CSURams' 2014 victory over Wyoming.
Safety Trent Matthews has 18 career tackles against Wyoming, in addition to a 2013 interception and 2014 blocked kick.
Cory James had a sack against Wyoming in 2014. In three career games, the LB has 4.0 tackles for loss.
CB DeAndre Elliott has 10 tackles, 3 PBUs and a 53-yard fumble recovery in his career against Wyoming.
Tyree Simmons (4 tackles, 1 PBU) and Terry Jackson (3 tackles, 1 TFL) each made their first career starts against Wyoming in 2013.

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