The 111th Border War kicked off in Laramie Fri. night amid frigid temperatures and a raucous crowd at War Memorial Stadium.
Crowd turnout was high at 21,152 attendees despite temperatures well below freezing – a stubborn frost was coating the field and sideline equipment by kickoff. Friday’s rivalry game was also senior night for Wyoming’s departing players.
Like oil and water, the two teams could not have played more differently. The Cowboys were like an old pickup – big, slow and hard to stop. The run game was there for Wyoming all night, and offensive coordinator Brent Vigen embraced a low-risk play style of power runs, screen passes and quarterback keepers.
Colorado State, on the other hand, delivered one mid-range pass after the other, moving the ball efficiently through the air. Their weakness was apparent early, however, as they were completely unable to move the ball on the ground throughout the game.
After being locked in a scoreless game through the 1st quarter, the Cowboys pulled ahead after Tyler Vander Waal capped off an 11-play drive with a QB sneak, putting Wyoming up 7-0 over Colorado St.
The Rams answered with a strong drive of their own, racking up 75 yards on 13 plays and bringing the ball within 1 yard of the Cowboy goalline. CSU was driven back by penalties and solid defensive play by Wyoming before an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Wyoming returned the Rams to first-and-goal.
O’Brien made short work of the Cowboys defense following the penalty, connecting with wide receiver Warren Jackson on a 4-yard touchdown pass, tying the game with 4:52 remaining in the 2nd quarter.
The Cowboys’ response was steady as they methodically marched the ball into Rams territory. Wyoming was unable to respond, however, as a dropped pass by Dontae Crow forced a punt. Able to find a silver lining, punter Ryan Galovich was able to pin the Rams on their own 3-yard line.
In a strong defensive stand, Wyoming forced a 3-and-out with 0:18 remaining, giving electric punt returner Austin Conway the chance to bring the ball to midfield with 0:07 remaining in the half. Wyoming’s hail mary attempt fell incomplete, sending the rival teams to halftime tied at 7-7.
Wyoming owned the ground game early, notching 93 first-half rushing yards behind tough play by Cowboy running back Xazavian Valladay compared to just 20 for Colorado State. Valladay racked up 82 yards, 29 of them coming in one explosive second-half run.
Conversely, the Rams ruled the air through the first half, riding the hot hand of Patrick O’Brien as he raked in 124 yards on 12 attempts. The Cowboys, on the other hand, accumulated only 56 yards through the air on 11 attempts.
Seniors Logan Wilson and Alijah Halliburton led the Cowboys defensively with 6 and 7 first-half tackes, respectively. Senior Tron Folsom led the Rams defensive effort with 4 tackles, 3 of which were unassisted.
The Rams kicked off to start the second half as temperatures continued to drop, and the Cowboys got off to a rough start. CSU was able to force an opening 3-and-out and began their first drive of the second half on their own 35 yard line.
Unable to get anything of their own going, the Rams went for an early 4th-and-1 and failed, turning the ball over to Wyoming on their own 44 yard line with 11:45 remaining in the 3rd quarter.
As Wyoming’s second drive of the latter half got underway, emotions visibly re-escalated, requiring referees to repeatedly separate players.
After avoiding another 3-and-out on the following drive, the Cowboys were bailed out by another critical personal foul against the Rams that put them within striking distance of the endzone – and strike they did. Scoring on their second QB sneak of the night, Wyoming took a 14-7 lead with 6:04 remaining in the 3rd quarter.
O’Brien continued to move the ball well through the air throughout the game, but the Rams were unable to rely on their rushing attack to produce in 3rd-and-short situations. As the 3rd quarter closed out, offensive coordinator Dave Johnson further embraced the air attack. O’Brien had only 4 incomplete passes on the night at that point.
The 3rd quarter ended after a pass play that would have put CSU in Wyoming’s redzone was called back on penalty, continuing the trend of critical penalties that persisted all game. The Rams did manage to salvage the drive into a 50-yard field goal attempt for Braxton Davis, but the attempt missed wide left, keeping the game locked at 14-7 in favor of Wyoming.
Unable to capitalize on the miss, the Cowboys went 3-and-out once again, returning the ball to the Rams. After driving into Wyoming territory, the Rams went for it on 4th-and-6 and were unable to convert for the second time.
Marching down the field on the subsequent drive, Wyoming converted a crucial 3rd-and-7 on a Levi Williams pass to Austin Conway. Williams was injured on the play and Wyoming committed a personal foul negating the yardage gain. Williams returned to play shortly after, but the Cowboys’ momentum had stalled, forcing a 48-yard field goal by Cooper Rothe.
The Cowboys extended their lead to 17-7 with 3:33 remaining in the 4th quarter, and a late interception by Wilson sealed the Rams’ fate.
Alijah Halliburton finished with a game-high 13 tackles in Wyoming’s stellar defensive effort, and Logan Wilson added 8 tackles and the game-clinching interception.
Wyoming kicker Cooper Rothe became the Cowboys’ all-time leading scorer on his senior night against the rival Rams, and running back Xazavian Valladay became the fourth running back in head coach Craig Bohl’s six years at Wyoming to surpass the 1,000 rushing yard mark.
Wyoming heads back on the road next week to take on conference rival Air Force, who are currently ranked second in the Mountain West at 8-2 overall.
