Colorado State University Athletics

It's Game Day for The Rocky Mountain Showdown
9/16/2023 7:00:00 AM | Football
We'll see you in Boulder for the 92nd meeting with Colorado.
IT'S GAME DAY FOR THE SHOWDOWN! |
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Back for the first time since 2019, it's time for the Showdown! |
GAME DAY DETAILS
Colorado State (0-1) at 18/21 Colorado (2-0)
Saturday, Sept. 16 - 8 p.m.
Folsom Field - Boulder, Colo.
Tickets/Parking » Buy Now
How to Track the Game:
📺 Television » ESPN
(Mark Jones, Louis Riddick, Quint Kessenich)
📻 Radio Tuning » CSU Sports Network
📻 Radio Stream » The Varsity Network App
📊 Live Stats » StatBroadcast Feed
GAME DAY PRIMER
Weekly Press Conference
» Watch Coach Norvell
» Watch Players
» Read
Weekly Game Notes
» Read
CSU Insider Podcast
» Listen
Jay Norvell Coach's Radio Show
» Listen | The Varsity Network App
⏰ Wednesday - 6 p.m.
📍 C.B. & Potts Collindale
ESSENTIAL READING
» Fowler-Nicolosi Sees Assignment as Old Hat
For the first time in Boulder, the Rams will start a freshman at quarterback.
» Turner Looking to Brighten Dark Places
Punter Paddy Turner is helping to raise funds to support mental health.
» Defense Out to Prove it is Up to the Challenge
Colorado State's defense was expected to be one of the Mountain West's best.
» The Rocky Mountain Rivalry that Nearly Ended in 1958
It's one of the nation's oldest rivalries, but it almost ended over 50 years ago.
» Setting the Stage: Rocky Mountain Showdown
Join us today for the 92nd edition of the Rocky Mountain Showdown.
GAME NOTES
- The Rams enter year two under head coach Jay Norvell who was named the program's 24th head coach on Dec. 6, 2021. Norvell led his Wolf Pack team onto Sonny Lubick Field in the season finale on Nov. 27 and returned to Fort Collins nine days later as the Rams new head coach.
- Over his five years in Reno, (2017-21) he compiled four-straight seven-plus win seasons and led the Wolf Pack to four bowl games. Colorado State last won seven games in a season in 2017. Norvell is the fourth Colorado State head coach in the last 10 seasons, dating back to Jim McElwain's final season in 2014.
- Colorado State last won a conference championship 21 seasons ago this year. That 2002 team won the third title in four seasons under coach Sonny Lubick, a four-year run that included a combined record of 35-15. However, since then, the program has not been able to replicate that level of sustained success.
- The roster has undergone a radical transformation in just one full season under Norvell and his coaching staff. Of the 112 players currently on the roster, just 19 have been at Colorado State since 2021 or earlier. Of those 19, just 12 were scholarship signees. There are 56 overall newcomers on the 2023 roster including 45 new scholarship players.
- This season marks the 10th consecutive season Colorado State will play at least two P5 opponents in the non-conference schedule, and future schedules have the Rams setup to continue that streak through at least 2028. The Rams are one of seven MW teams this season to do so and hold the longest active streak of seasons with two-plus P5 opponents (next: six seasons).
- Since 2006, when the NCAA moved to a 12-game regular season, Colorado State has never had a bye week as early as they do in 2023: Week 2. The span of 11 consecutive games is also a first since that 2006 schedule change.
- It's the Rocky Mountain Showdown this week as Colorado State travels to Boulder for the first time since 2009. The match up has not been played consistently on-campus since 1997 as 18 of the previous 22 match ups were played in Denver.
- Since 1993, the Rams are 13-37 vs. ranked opponents. CSU has not beaten a ranked team since beating No. 6/7 Colorado in the second game of the 2002 season. Overall, the Rams are on a 24-game slide vs. ranked opponents.
- Continuing, of those 50 match ups, only seven have come against Power 5 opponents outside of the Top 10. In those seven match ups, the Rams are 4-3.
- It might be the Rocky Mountain Showdown, pitting the state's top two universities on the field, but it's hardly two rosters full of Colorado kids. The Rams' roster features 29 players from the state, the most of any FBS program in the country, while Colorado has 12.
NEXT UP
Colorado State at Middle Tennessee
Saturday, Sept. 23 - 5 p.m. (ESPN+)
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Players Mentioned
Colorado State Football: Jay Norvell Weekly Press Conference - Week 5 (2025)
Monday, September 29
Colorado State Football: Jay Norvell Post-Game (Washington State, 2025)
Saturday, September 27
Colorado State Football: Karas (L) and Evans (R) Postgame (Washington State, 2025)
Saturday, September 27
Colorado State Football: Jay Norvell Weekly Press Conference - Week 4 (2025)
Monday, September 22