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Wyoming vs Colorado State: 3 Keys For Wyoming To Keep The Bronze Boot
Cowboys Season On The Line
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Who will lead the Cowboys offense against the Rams?
WEEK 9: Wyoming Cowboys (2-6, 0-4 MW) vs. Colorado State Rams (3-5, 1-3 MW)
WHEN: Friday, October 26 — 8:00 PM MT
TV: CBS Sports Network
STREAM: FuboTV – Get a seven-day free trial.
SERIES RECORD: 58-46-5 Colorado State
ODDS: Wyoming +1.5
The success of Wyoming’s season in the eyes of their fans can be answered by 2 questions; did you beat Colorado State and did you make a bowl game. Both of the questions could be answered on Friday night against the Rams. The Cowboys enter the game 2-6 and need to win out to become bowl eligible. If the Pokes come up short against CSU, they will miss bowl season and will have lost all 3 rivalry trophies, the other 2 are the Paniolo Trophy vs Hawaii, and the Bridger Rifle vs Utah State.
Wyoming made a change at quarterback during the second half of last weeks game against Utah State and inserted true freshman Sean Chambers. After a fumble on his one drive in the first half, Chambers took advantage of his second chance and eventually led the Cowboys to within a touchdown against the Aggies before getting benched on the final drive in favor of starting QB Tyler Vander Waal. Both quarterbacks are listed as starters against CSU.
Let Chambers Play
Josh Allen took a lot of criticism on his ability to lead an offense last season. His passing yardage and percentage were low while the offense struggled to score. Making things worse for his image was the outstanding play of the Cowboys defense and the perception that they were carrying Allen and the offense.
During Allen’s absence in their final two games, a close home loss to Fresno State and a road loss to San Jose State, it became pretty clear that the talent level surrounding him was pretty low. Those games were a preview of what the Cowboys would look like in 2018.
As bad as the offense was last season, Allen was able to make them competitive during conference play with his ability to run the ball and his ability to make plays outside of the pocket. Allen’s replacement last season, Nick Smith, and this year’s starter, Tyler Vander Waal, both struggled to replicate those play making abilities.
Chambers entered the game for Wyoming last week and the offense instantly had a spark that it had lacked since the bowl game against Central Michigan last season.
Run The Ball
With Chambers on the field, they have an additional weapon in the run game. This coaching staff wants to be able to run the ball and now they can if they are willing to accept a non-traditional attack. Chambers also had a nice completion to Evans that went for a big gain and that was possible by forcing Utah State to commit to stopping the run. If the Cowboys can run the ball against Colorado State, they have the potential to gain a lot of yards.
Defense Stays Confident
For all of the struggles that the Wyoming defense has encountered this season, it would have made sense if they started to put their heads down. Last week against the Aggies, that didn’t happen. In a game that got chippy in the second half, Wyoming’s defense stepped up their intensity without losing their composure. Games between CSU and Wyoming can bring out the worst in players. If they can bring their swagger and play from last week to Fort Collins, it will keep their focus away from the distractions that can happen in-between plays in this rivalry.
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