The Border War rarely needs much buildup.
The Rocky Mountain Collegian spoke with Wyoming football beat writers Mason Riding and Jeremiah Miller of The Branding Iron to get an inside line on the Cowboys ahead of Saturday’s game against Colorado State. The matchup comes at a strange time for both programs. CSU just fired head coach Jay Norvell after a 2-5 start, while Wyoming has battled through inconsistency that’s left them unsure which version of their team will show up.
“Like I said, the linebackers, Brayden Johnson and Evan Eller, are the leading tacklers this year,” Riding said. “They’ve been really good. Both have interceptions.”
He added that the front has been just as reliable.
“The linebacker room has been really, really good,” Riding said. “And then Tyce Westland at (defensive) end has been really good. He had a really nice day yesterday, and got I think 12 tackles or something. He was really, really good.”
The Cowboys’ defense has kept them competitive, even when the offense has sputtered. Riding said the secondary has been serviceable, if shaky at times.
“They’ve been exposed a couple times, I think, like (against) Colorado, there were a couple of really big passing plays, but the secondary has been, you know, good enough as well,” Riding said.
Miller followed by pointing out that turnovers have often made the group’s job harder.
“Our secondary got burned early in that game, and then after the second quarter, they didn’t allow a single score,” Miller said. “Throwing an interception on your side of the field, and then the other team scores. Is that really the defenses fault, or is it the offense?”
This season, UW has faced issues trying to contain dual-threat playmakers.
“Colorado’s quarterback, (Kaidon Salter), was really good at just getting out of the pocket and making a play,” Riding said. “And then Air Force’s quarterback had over, like 130 rushing yards. … we’ve kind of struggled taking care of those dual threat mobile quarterbacks this year.”
The question for both programs has been consistency. Riding admitted UW could easily be in CSU’s spot if not for a few key breaks.
“It really does just depend on what kind of team shows up. Because, honestly, it feels like we should be 2-5 right now,” Riding said. “That San Jose State game kind of was a miracle.”
But recent results have shaken the outlook on UW’s program.
“Before, I had confidence going into Air Force, and now it’s shaky a little bit. I thought if we could get a win against Air Force, Nevada and then maybe one more, we could be bowl eligible. And then we lose (against) Air Force. I think it’s going to be really tough to get to six wins,” Miller said.
For Riding, the inconsistency has been frustrating to watch.
“You don’t really know what to expect,” Riding said. “Play call-wise, you know, what are the players going to do? Like, who’s going to catch the ball, whatever. It’s just been super inconsistent, and that’s been kind of the hardest part of this season.”
Miller echoed that but said the Cowboys’ highs make the lows sting more.
“Because there’s really some good glimmers of, man, the offense is doing really good, and our defense is doing some great stuff,” Miller said. “But then there’s also times where our defense is getting exposed, or the offense just can’t drive the ball and (is) turning it over all the time.”
The Border War, however, carries its own weight regardless of postseason chances.
“I think that no matter how the season’s going, when it comes to playing CSU, it’s almost like people forget,” Miller said. “And it’s just like, let’s just win this one game.”
That motivation may prove especially important for a roster leaning on young contributors.
“The easiest one to point to is Samuel “Tote” Harris, true freshman running back,” Riding said. “He earned that starting job after Utah. He’s been super consistent, really good as a receiving back too, and just does a lot of the little things really well. He’s easily been probably the best player on offense in general.”
As for Saturday’s result, both said it might come down to mistakes.
“For me, I feel like this game, it’s not going to be who’s going to win, it’s who’s not going to lose,” Riding said. “Both teams have just been shooting themselves in the own foot.”
Miller predicted Wyoming’s usual script of slow starts and late rallies.
“I think that we’re probably going to get down early — our offenses come out flat almost every game,” Miller said “So, I think at half it could be like 21-7 CSU. Then in the second half, we kind of put something together. So I could see it being 24-21 CSU coming down the stretch, and then, yeah, I don’t know who’s going to win it.”
Both sides have been sporadic. Both have had defenses kept them afloat. Both have shot themselves in the foot.
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Reach Michael Hovey at sports@collegian.com or on social media @michaelfhovey.
