Border War Rivals Clash Friday in Laramie

IT’S BEEN A ROUGH LAST FEW WEEKS FOR THE WYOMING COWBOYS FOOTBALL TEAM. AFTER LOSING STARTING QUARTERBACK SEAN CHAMBERS TO A SEASON ENDING INJURY THE POKES FIND THEMSELVES ON A TWO SKID AFTER LOSSES TO BOISE AND UTAH STATE. ALL THAT CAN BE RECTIFIED TONIGHT WITH A WIN VS. BORDER WAR RIVAL COLORADO STATE. HEAD COACH OF THE COWBOYS CRAIG BOHL SAYS HE’S KEPT A CLOSE EYE ON COLORADO STATE BECAUSE OF THE CONFERENCE IMPLICATIONS AND THE RIVALRY.

“WATCHED THEM AS THE SEASON PROGRESSED. I THINK THEY’VE GONE THROUGH A LOT OF ADVERSITY. I KNOW THEY LOST THEIR QUARTERBACK AND O’BRIEN’S PLAYING WELL, THEY’VE GOT SOME BIG PLAY PLAYERS BACK THERE. JACKSON I THINK IS MAYBE THE MOST DYNAMIC RECEIVER IN THE CONFERENCE, BIG STRONG GUY AND THEN MCELROY IS A GUY THAT WE’VE KNOW ABOUT IN DENVER. RUNNING THE BALL WELL, THEY’VE IMPROVED ON DEFENSE AND THEY’VE GOT A GREAT PUNTER IN STONEHOUSE. SO THE MAKINGS OF A GREAT GAME ARE THERE.”

WITH SUCH A BIG RIVALRY COMES ALL SORTS OF PASSION AND EMOTION. COACH BOHL ON CHANNELING THAT EMOTION WITH HIS PLAYERS.

“OUR GUYS ARE EXCITED ABOUT IT, PARTICULARLY THE COLORADO GUYS AND THE WYOMING GUYS. AND SO WHAT WE REALLY FOCUS ON IS PLAYING WITH THAT PASSION BUT THEY’VE GOTTA EXECUTE AND DO YOUR ASSIGNMENTS. AND THAT’S GONNA COME ABOUT HOW WE BUILD THINGS IN PRACTICE.”

AND SPEAKING OF PRACTICE THE POKES WILL HAVE THEIR HANDS FULL PREPARING FOR COLORADO STATES DYNAMIC RECEIVER WARREN JACKSON.

“IT’S A BIG CHALLENGE. YOU KNOW WE’LL LOOK AT DOING SOME THINGS TO DOUBLE HIM. WE’LL CERTAINLY BE OUT THERE IN SINGLE COVERAGE SOMETIMES BUT HE’S SIX-FOOT-SIX AND GOES UP AND GETS THE FOOTBALL. HE’S A GREAT TARGET AND YOU KNOW WE’VE GOTTA MAKE SURE WE’RE IN GOOD POSITION. YOU KNOW WE GOT CALLED FOR A COUPLE OF PASS INTERFERENCE’S LAST WEEK AND SOME OF THAT WE’VE GOT TO BE IN BETTER POSITION. THE CALLS ARE WHAT THEY ARE BUT HE’S A BIG TIME RECEIVER AND WE’VE GOTTA BE ABLE TO NEUTRALIZE HIM.”

FOR MANY PLAYERS THIS WILL BE THE LAST TIME THAT THEY SET FOOT INSIDE WAR MEMORIAL STADIUM AS A COWBOY ATHLETE. COACH BOHL ON THIS YEAR’S SENIOR GROUP.

“YOU KNOW THEY CAME HERE WHEN NO ONE WOULD GIVE US A PLUG NICKEL AND WE WERE IN A STRETCH WHERE I DON’T EVEN KNOW IF WE’D WON A GAME AND THESE GUYS BELIEVED IN WHERE WE WERE GOING. YOU KNOW THEY’VE REALLY BEEN SPECIAL. THEY PLAY TOGETHER. IT’S ALWAYS SPECIAL FOR ME AS A HEAD COACH WHEN THEY GET INTRODUCED ONE AT A TIME, IT’S THE ONLY TIME WE INTRODUCE THEM ONE AT A TIME. IT’S KIND OF A SPECIAL DAY, NOT KIND OF, IT IS. IT’LL BE A SPECIAL NIGHT.”

THE 111TH EDITION OF THE BORDER WAR BETWEEN THE WYOMING COWBOYS AND COLORADO STATE RAMS WILL KICK-OFF TONIGHT FROM WAR MEMORIAL STADIUM IN LARAMIE BEGINNING AT 7:30 P.M. THE FIRST 5,000 FANS WILL RECEIVE A SPECIAL WYOMING BRANDED ALPINE HAT. YOU CAN HEAR ALL THE HARD HITTING ACTION ON KODI AM 1400 AND 96.7 FM, WITH PRE-GAME AT 6:30.