INSIDE SLANT

Wyoming, picked to finish last in the Mountain West Conference, has a chance to wind up fifth in the league with a victory over Border War rival Colorado State on Saturday in Fort Collins.

The bonus will be a postseason berth, which would be Wyoming’s first since 2004. As such, the team didn’t stew over its 45-10 loss to TCU in its final game of the season at War Memorial Stadium.

“We put that game to rest before we left the locker room,” first-year coach Dave Christensen told the Casper Star-Tribune. “We know what’s at stake.”

The Cowboys (5-6, 3-4) realize that the battle for the Bronze Boot traveling trophy between the schools will be anything but easy, even though the Rams (3-8, 0-7) enter the game on an eight-game losing streak.

Wyoming, however, denies any pressure on its end, considering the implications of a victory.

“It’s not like we’re supposed to go to a bowl game,” Wyoming senior center Russ Arnold told the Casper Star-Tribune. “The only people we’d be letting down is us, so I don’t feel any pressure. We’re excited.”

The Rams’ confidence may be waning, but Wyoming hasn’t set the world on fire, either, during the second half of the season.

Only a 24-point fourth quarter against San Diego State, in which the Cowboys erased a 27-6 deficit, stands between them and a five-game losing streak. Take away that fourth quarter against the Aztecs on Nov. 14, and Wyoming has scored one offensive touchdown in 19 quarters.

Still, the Cowboys have all the momentum entering the game.

Christensen is starting to use all the motivational ploys he can muster and only now is dusting off the fact that the media pegged his team last in the conference during the MWC Media Day in Las Vegas over the summer.

Finishing no worse than a tie for fifth place already is a huge accomplishment, he said.

Finishing alone in fifth is even better.

Asked how concerned he was about CSU’s desperate state entering the game, Christensen replied, wryly, “I’m desperate for a win, too.”

NOTES, QUOTES

• Coach Dave Christensen promised changes in his kickoff coverage after allowing an 81-yard touchdown return to TCU’s Greg McCoy. With a bowl berth on the line, Christensen told the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle that the best players will be on the field for special teams. So, expect some starters to get less rest on Saturday.

• The Casper Star-Tribune reported late Monday night that the Laramie Fire Department responded to a fire in the luxury suites under construction at War Memorial Stadium. The fire occurred near an elevator shaft in the northeast corner of the $22.3 million project. No one was hurt, the newspaper reported, and Wyoming officials were hopeful that the fire would not delay the project significantly.

Series History:   Colorado State leads Wyoming 53-40-5 (last meeting, 2008, 31-20 CSU)

Scouting The Offense:   The Cowboys have been an inconsistent unit all season, but their up-and-down play can be linked directly to the strength of their opponents’ defense. In games against Big 12 defenses Texas and Colorado, as well as the top four MWC defenses, Wyoming has scored one offensive touchdown (against Utah). In its five other games this season, the unit is averaging 32 points per game. If they can establish the run against a CSU defense that surrendered 270 rushing yards to lowly New Mexico last week, good things are in store on Friday.

Scouting The Defense:   The Rams still have two of the more potent receivers in the conference in Rashaun Greer and Dion Morton, but Wyoming must focus on stopping the CSU running game to have a chance for a victory. RB John Mosure had 177 yards rushing and two touchdowns against New Mexico last week. Wyoming must make CSU beat the defense over the top, something that has been hard for the Rams to do during their eight-game losing streak … and something that could be even harder if starting QB Grant Stucker doesn’t play because of injury. Backup Jon Eastman, however, did have a nice 50-yard touchdown toss to true freshman RB Lou Greenwood last week.

Quote To Note:   “We’re going to get ‘em pretty emotional before the game. That’ll all calm down after a couple of plays. I want them high as a kite. I want them excited to play. I want them to understand everything that they’re playing for, the importance of this game being the rival game, having an opportunity to finish fifth in the league, having an opportunity to play in a bowl game. I want them to be excited about all those things and we’ll make sure they are.”—Coach Dave Christensen on the game at Colorado State.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

This Week  ‘S GAME: Wyoming at Colorado State, Nov. 27—The roles of the Cowboys and Rams are reversed from their 2008 meeting in Laramie, Wyo., in which CSU won 31-20. The Rams were the team that entered the game needing a win to become bowl eligible. The meeting should mark the first time in three years that the losing team won’t make a coaching change. Colorado State fired legendary Sonny Lubick after Wyoming’s win in 2007. The Cowboys let coach Joe Glenn go after the Rams’ win in 2008.

Keys To The Game:   Coach Dave Christensen wants the Cowboys emotional entering the game. If Wyoming gets off to a quick start, the wave of emotion will be harder for a demoralized CSU team to overcome. The Cowboys have to protect against trying to do more than executing the game-plan, especially if they get behind early. Wyoming will have a huge upper hand if it has the lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Players To Watch:  

QB Austyn Carta-Samuels—The true freshman has played wise beyond his years. His poise has come through time and again in his ability to scramble in the pocket and make plays downfield. Will he feel the pressure of his first rivalry game against Colorado State, or will be blissfully immune?

RB Brandon Stewart—He has given the Wyoming rushing attack an added dimension, but he had a costly fumble to start the second half against TCU that basically ended any hopes the Cowboys had of challenging the Horned Frogs. Stewart gives Wyoming a perimeter threat that may become more of a factor as the game wears on with the Rams’ defense playing on tired legs because of the short week.

K Jake Scott—He has a relatively small assignment on Saturday, but it’s critical to the Cowboys’ success. It’s imperative that Scott get as much air and power under his attempts to allow his coverage to contain CSU’s returners.

Roster Report:  

• Sophomore LB Brian Hendricks, who was the team’s leading tackler before he sustained an ankle injury and missed two games, is expected to return to the starting lineup against Colorado State. Hendricks ranks sixth nationally with 11.2 tackles per game, and his presence should help the Cowboys do a better job at the line of scrimmage.

• Sophomore NG Alex Stover should return to action from a lingering groin injury, but he won’t start.