The Rams are back at home to take on San Diego State this Saturday for their annual Homecoming game. This game is not only special for the players but for the fans as well. Family is encouraged to come and celebrate this special occasion and be with their loved ones while watching the Rams play.

To celebrate Homecoming week, let’s do a little time traveling back to the 1999 season when these two teams faced each other almost 20 years to the day.

On Oct. 16, 1999, San Diego State traveled to Fort Collins to duke it out with the Rams. Carrying a 3-2 record on the season, the Rams looked to continue their early success against the Aztecs and grab a win in front of their home fans.

Anything can happen on any given week in college football. That’s why it’s so fun.” – Clark Haggans, CSU defensive end 

The Aztecs, on the other hand, were dealing with some early season struggles of their own. They carried a 2-4 record into the game and wanted to steal a victory on the road and leave the Ram faithful speechless.

Heading into the game, the Rams were the superior team. Not only did the Rams boast a better record on the season, but they were also statistically better on offense than the Aztecs. The Rams on paper were better at passing and rushing and had a better total point average on the season.

However, the Aztecs were a top 20 defense in yards allowed in the country at the time. They were very stingy when it came to giving up big plays and yards in general.

Their best chance of stunning the Rams needed to come via the defense. If they were able to make it a dog fight, the Aztecs could be victorious — and that’s exactly what happened.

The Aztecs pulled off the upset against the Rams in a freezing fight in Fort Collins. Throughout the first half, the temperature dropped down to nearly 30 degrees with snow falling. The Aztecs led the Rams 10-3 heading into halftime.

When the action picked back up in the second half, the Rams were able to get back on the board and knot the game up at 10-10. As the snow continued to fall, both teams fought hard to pull out a gritty victory.

In the fourth quarter, the Aztecs were able to put together a long drive that ended with a 40-yard touchdown pass with 11 minutes remaining in the game. With their backs against the wall, the Rams were unable to complete the comeback and fell short in the snowy battle.

Let’s head back to the present, shall we?

Twenty years later, the Rams have a chance to rewrite history in front of their home fans and take down the Aztecs. Who knows, we might even see an appearance of some snow. I mean, it is Colorado, right?

Junior Guerrero can be reached at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @juniorg45.