Recap: Turnovers prove costly in Border War loss

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Oct. 2, 2016

By Grant Larson
CSU Athletics Communications

FORT COLLINS, Colo.- The Colorado State Rams fell to 2-3 on the season (0-1 Mountain West) with a 38-17 loss to the Wyoming Cowboys on Saturday night before a sell-out crowd at Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium. The 8:21 p.m. MT kickoff marked the latest start time for a home game in CSU history, and the crowd of 33,500 was the 11th-largest and the most since 2004.

"You have to give Wyoming credit," said Colorado State Head Coach Mike Bobo. "They came out and played better than us tonight and won the ballgame. It was a game of momentum, especially early on. We gained momentum but couldn't keep momentum. We couldn't capitalize, and from that point on they physically dominated the game. We did what teams that aren't very good do. We turned the ball over, didn't tackle and didn't execute. That's how you get beat 38-17."

Colorado State jumped out to a quick start, opening up a 14-3 lead in the first quarter, but was outscored by Wyoming 35-3 from that point on, including a scoreless second half for the Rams. The Rams had two first-half turnovers that resulted in 14 points for the Cowboys, including a 55-yard interception return for a touchdown. On two occasions, the Rams offense moved inside the Cowboys' 30-yard line but came away with no points.

In spite of the lopsided score, the Rams outgained the Cowboys 477-430 in total offensive yardage and had 20 first downs to Wyoming's 19, but were plagued by turnovers and untimely mistakes. Cowboys running back Brian Hill had a big night on the ground, rushing for 166 yards and a touchdown on just 19 carries (8.7 avg.), and became Wyoming's all-time leading rusher.

Rams freshman quarterback Collin Hill had another solid outing, completing 23-of-41 passes for 370 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Junior wide receiver Michael Gallup led the Rams in receiving yards with 75 on four catches, while Danny Nwosu caught a team-leading and career-high six passes for 68 yards and Robert Ruiz hauled in four catches for 49 yards. Sophomore running back Izzy Matthews led the Rams on the ground with 38 yards, while Detrich Clark and Dalyn Dawkins each added 35 rushing yards.

Defensively, the Rams were unable to force any turnovers, but did record three sacks and eight tackles for lost yardage. Sophomore linebacker Josh Watson's 12 tackles led the Rams, and senior captain Kevin Davis added 10 tackles including a tackle for a loss.

"You don't make excuses for what happened, as a coach or as a football player," Bobo said on moving forward. "You take a hard look at what you're doing, and how you fix it. That's the only way I know how to do it, and that's what we'll do."

The Rams will look to bounce back next week against the Utah State Aggies in the final homecoming game at Hughes Stadium. Kickoff is at 8 p.m. and the game will air on CBS Sports Network and across the CSU Rams radio network.

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