ROCK SPRINGS, WYOMING (Nov. 19, 2019) — The annual Border War game between the Wyoming Cowboys and Colorado State Rams will kick off Friday night this week from War Memorial Stadium in Laramie. The first 5,000 fans will receive a special Wyoming branded Alpine Hat.
Not only will it be the 111th meeting in the series between the two border rivals, but for the 52nd consecutive year, the two teams will battle for the Bronze Boot traveling trophy.
For more information regarding tickets for Friday’s game, visit GoWyo.com/Tickets; email [email protected]; call 307-766-7220, or stop by the UW Athletics Ticket Office on the west side of the Arena-Auditorium located on Willett Drive.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=45]
Cowboy OffenseÂ
Sophomore running back Xazavian Valladay rushed for 114 yards in the contest at Utah State. It marked his fourth-straight game rushing for 100 or more yards. He has 869 rushing yards this season for 96.6 yards per game
Senior Austin Conway was solid for the Pokes at Utah State grabbing a season-high five catches for a season-high 64 yards. He also had two rushes for 12 yards.
Wyoming used eight different offensive linemen in the contest, as Zach Watts appeared in his first game of the season along with the return of Alonzo Velazquez.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=39]
Cowboy Defense
Senior linebacker Logan Wilson now has 395 career tackles after recording eight at Utah State, ranking fifth in Mountain West History. He also has nine career interceptions, tied for fifth in school history. He is tied for the active lead in the NCAA with four defensive touchdowns.
Sophomore nickel Keyon Blankenbaker led Wyoming with nine tackles against Utah State, tying a career-best. For the season, Blankenbaker is third on the team with 49 tackles. He is the Pokes leader in pass breakups this season with nine.
Junior defensive tackle Javaree Jackson recorded his first career interception at Utah State. Wyoming’s defensive line has recorded seven interceptions since the 2016-17 season with five different players grabbing an interception.
The Pokes have recorded 30 sacks for the season to lead the Mountain West and rank No. 19 in the nation. The Pokes have had 14 different players record a sack this season.
Wyoming allows 98.3 yards rushing per game, good for third in the Mountain West and ninth in the nation. Wyoming allowed 105 yards on 44 carries against Utah State.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=34]
Seniors
Wyoming will see 15 seniors play their final game inside War Memorial Stadium on Friday evening. Those seniors have had an impressive run, playing in two bowl games and being a part of a Mountain West – Mountain Division title.
About The Rams
Colorado State enters this week with a 4-6 overall record and a 3-3 record in the Mountain West Conference. CSU lost its most recent game at home versus Air Force by a score of 21-38.
The Rams have faced four common opponents with the Wyoming Cowboys thus far this season. CSU and Wyoming each defeated New Mexico and UNLV, while both the Rams and Cowboys have lost to San Diego State and Utah State.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=30]
Ram Offense
Offensively, quarterback Patrick O’Brien has started the last seven games after senior Collin Hill was injured earlier in the season. O’Brien has thrown for 2,297 yards this season, 10 touchdowns and four interceptions.
His top target has been wide receiver Warren Jackson, who has 63 catches for 940 yards and has six TD receptions. Wide receiver Dante Wright has also been very productive, catching 52 passes for 731 yards and four TDs.
CSU’s top active rusher is running back Marcus McElroy, who has 322 yards rushing on 69 carries, with three rushing touchdowns.
 [bsa_pro_ad_space id=20]
Ram Defense
On defense, the Rams’ leading tackler is safety Jamal Hicks. The senior has 94 tackles on the season, with four pass breakups.
Linebacker Dequan Jackson has recorded 73 tackles and has recovered two fumbles.
Safety Logan Stewart is third on the team in tackles, with 65, and he shares the team lead in interceptions with cornerback Andre Neal. They both have two picks.
The top pass rusher on the CSU team is Jan-Phillip Bombek, a senior defensive lineman from Hamburg, Germany. Bombek has 5.0 sacks and 6.0 tackles for loss on the season.
Ram Special Teams
On special teams, Colorado State features junior punter Ryan Stonehouse, who is ranked No. 1 in the Mountain West and No. 9 in the nation averaging 46.5 yards per punt.
As a team, the Rams rank No. 1 in the Mountain West and No. 4 in the NCAA in net punting, averaging 43.05 net yards per punt.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=36 delay=5 max_width=800]
