* University of Wyoming press release

LARAMIE -- For the 114th time, rivals Wyoming and Colorado State will face each other in “The Border War” this Saturday.

This year’s game will kick off from Sonny Lubick Field at Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins, Colo., at 5 p.m., Mountain Time. It will mark the 77th consecutive year the two schools separated by 65 miles have played each other in football and will be the 55th time the two old rivals will play for the Bronze Boot traveling trophy.

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Wyoming enters the game with a 6-3 overall record and a 4-1 mark in the Mountain West Conference. Colorado State is 2-7 overall and 2-3 in league play. The Cowboys are coming off three consecutive wins at New Mexico (27-14), at home vs. Utah State (28-14) and at Hawai’i (27-20).

The Rams have lost their last two games on the road at Boise State (49-10) and at San Jose State (28-16), but CSU did win its most recent home game against Hawai’i (17-13).

Where to Watch and Listen

Every Cowboy Football game is broadcast live on the 26 affiliates of the Cowboy Sports Network. Announcers are Reece Monaco, Play-by-Play (1st year), Kevin McKinney, Color Analyst (25th year) and Erick Pauley, Sideline Reporter (1st year).  The pregame show begins 90 minutes prior to kickoff.

Saturday’s Wyoming-Colorado State game will be televised by CBS Sports Network.  Calling the game for CBSSN will be John Sadak (Play-by-play) and Randy Cross (Color Analyst).

The Oldest Rivalry for Both the Cowboys and Rams Has Been Played in Three Different Centuries 

The Wyoming Cowboys and Colorado State Rams will be playing for the 114th time this week in “The Border War”. The series is the oldest rivalry for both schools. Here are some notes on “The Border War” rivalry.

  • ”The Border War” series has been played in three different centuries, dating back to Nov. 30, 1899, when CSU won the first meeting 12-0 in Fort Collins, Colo.
  • This year is the 123rd anniversary of that first meeting.
  • Since 1968, the two schools have battled for the “Bronze Boot” traveling trophy. This year will be the 55th meeting in the “Bronze Boot” portion of the series.  Wyoming leads the Bronze Boot portion of the series 29-25.
  • The Bronze Boot trophy was created from an actual boot worn in Vietnam by Dan Romero, a CSU ROTC instructor.
  • Since the end of World War II, Wyoming and CSU have played every season for 77 consecutive seasons from 1946 to this season.
  • Over the past 76 consecutive meetings, dating back to the 1946 season, Wyoming leads 44-32.
  • Colorado State leads the overall series 59-49-5.

 

Where Does the Difference in the Series Record Come From? 

Thanks to the research of author John Hirn, who wrote a history of CSU football, the one-game difference that appears in the series history between Wyoming and Colorado State has been explained.

Wyoming’s media information indicates that this year’s meeting is the 114th. Colorado State indicates that they don’t officially recognize the first game in the series on Nov. 30, 1899. The issue surrounding the original meeting between the two schools in 1899, which Hirn discovered in his research, was that the first game was a forfeit victory in favor of CSU.

CSU has chosen not to recognize that game in their official series record, following NCAA rules that don’t recognize forfeits. But we, at Wyoming, have chosen to leave the game in our series history. After all, how many schools can say they’ve played each other in three different centuries.

 

The Annual Bronze Boot Run -- Running of the Game Ball

On Friday, Nov. 11, the annual running of the game ball by the ROTC detachments of each school will take place on U.S. 287 between Laramie and Fort Collins. A brief ceremony will take place on the state border at Noon, M.T., including the schools’ head coaches, athletics directors and spirit squads.

Cowboys Earn Bowl Eligibility for the Sixth Time in Seven Seasons

The Wyoming Cowboys earned their sixth win of the 2022 season on Saturday, Oct. 29 with a 27-20 road victory over the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors, and with that victory earned bowl eligibility for the sixth time in the past seven seasons.

MORE UW FOOTBALL NEWS FROM 7220SPORTS:

* 'Don't send my boy to Wyoming U'

* Cowboys in the NFL: Week 9

* Wyoming Football: News and notes ahead of CSU

* Week 10: Around the Mountain West Conference

Under the direction of head coach Craig Bohl, Wyoming has appeared in the 2016 Poinsettia Bowl, the 2017 and 2021 Famous Idaho Potato Bowls and the 2019 Arizona Bowl. Wyoming was also bowl eligible in 2018 with a 6-6 record but did not receive a bowl bid.

Coach Bohl and his coaching staff are the only coaching staff in school history to win three consecutive bowl appearances in 2017, ‘19 and ‘21 and are the only coaching staff to take Wyoming to four bowl games in a six-year time span (2016-21).

Mantra of Going 1-0 Each Week Continues for Cowboys -- Those 1-0 Weeks are Growing Into Streaks 

Wyoming’s mantra this season has been to go 1-0 each week, and that remains the focus. But the 1-0 weeks have led to a couple streaks developing. Wyoming currently has a three-game winning streak, second longest in the Mountain West to Fresno State’s four-game streak.

The Pokes also have a two-game road winning streak entering this week, having won their last two road games -- at New Mexico and at Hawai’i.

John Hoyland Named a Midseason All-American by PFF 

Pro Football Focus (PFF) has named its Midseason College Football All-America Teams and Wyoming place-kicker John Hoyland has been named to PFF’s Second Team All-America squad. N.C. State place-kicker Christopher Dunn was PFF’s First Team selection.

Hoyland is currently No. 1 in the nation in field goals made this season, averaging 2.11 per game. He is also ranked No. 17 in field-goal percentage (90.5) and is No. 23 among all Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) players in scoring, averaging 8.7 points per game.

The sophomore from Broomfield, Colo., has made 19 of 21 field goals this season or 90.5 percent. He has also made 21 of 21 point-after-touchdown attempts. Among Hoyland’s made field goals this year are kicks of 51 and 55 yards. His only two misses on the season came from 44 and 55 yards.

For his career, Hoyland has made 42 of 49 field goals (85.7 percent) and 77 of 77 PATs.

Hoyland earned Second Team All-Mountain West Conference honors in 2020, and he was also the only place-kicker named to the 2020 Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) Freshman All-America team.

Hoyland Nearing the Wyoming School Record for Most Field Goals in a Single Season

Cowboy sophomore place-kicker John Hoyland will enter this week’s Colorado State game with 19 made field goals for the 2022 season.

With one more field goal, Hoyland will tie the school record of 20 made field goals in a single-season currently held by Cory Wedel, who made 20 field goals in the 1996 season, and J.D. Wallum, who made 20 in 2001.

The Border War Rivalry Will Include Several Current Cowboys From the Two Border States of Wyoming and Colorado

There are 21 players on the 2022 Wyoming roster from the state of Colorado. That ties with California for the most players on the Cowboy roster from a single state. There are 11 Cowboys who hail from the state of Wyoming.

11 Current Cowboys From the State of Wyoming

  • Six have played in games this season for the Wyoming Cowboys and Four have started
  • The six who have played are: Jordan Bertagnole (DT), Parker Christensen (FB/TE), Frank Crum (OT), Caleb Driskill (FB), Will Pelissier (WR) and Nic Talich (LB).
  • Bertagnole, Christensen, Crum and Driskill are the four who have started games this season.

21 Current Cowboys From the State of Colorado

  • 11 have played in games this season for the Wyoming Cowboys and seven have started
  • The 12 who have played this season are: Ethan Drewes (DT), Wyett Ekeler (SS), Deron Harrell (CB), John Hoyland (PK), Ryan Marquez (WR), Nick Miles (TE), Emmanuel Pregnon (OG), Braden Siders (DE), Kevin Sjogren (DE), Zach Watts (OG) and Wyatt Wieland (WR).

     

  • Ekeler, Harrell, Hoyland, Pregnon, Siders, Watts and Wieland are the seven who have started.

Cowboys Will be Playing for Their Third Consecutive Traveling Trophy 

For the third consecutive week, the Wyoming Cowboys will be playing for a traveling trophy.

On Oct. 22, Wyoming defeated Utah State, 28-14, in Laramie to retain the Bridger Rifle traveling trophy. The Pokes then traveled to Hawai’i and recaptured the Paniolo Trophy, with a 27-20 road win.

This week, UW will play for the oldest of its traveling trophies, the Bronze Boot, when the Cowboys travel to Fort Collins, Colo., to face their oldest rival, Colorado State.

Coaching Crossover

There are two coaches participating in this week’s Wyoming-Colorado State game who have been on both the Wyoming and Colorado State sidelines during their college football careers.

Wyoming defensive ends coach Marty English has coached at Wyoming two different times -- for nine seasons from 2003-11 and for the last three seasons from 2020-Present. In between his stints at Wyoming, English coached at CSU for six seasons from 2012-17.

Current Colorado State linebackers coach Adam Pilapil, was of course a former linebacker for the Wyoming Cowboys from 2015-18. He is in his first season as an assistant coach at CSU.

A third coach, Colorado State defensive coordinator Freddie Banks, did not play for either Wyoming or CSU, but he did play for Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl at North Dakota State from 2008-10.

 

Common Opponents

Wyoming and Colorado State have played three common opponents this season -- Hawai’i, San Jose State and Utah State.

The Cowboys and Rams both defeated Hawai’i. Wyoming also defeated Utah State, while CSU lost to the Aggies. Both UW and CSU lost to San Jose State.

Common          Wyoming         Colorado State

Opponents       Versus              Versus

Hawai’i             W 27-20 (A)      W 17-13 (H)

San Jose State   L 16-33 (H)        L 16-28 (A)

Utah State        W 28-14 (H)      L 13-17 (H)

About the Colorado State Rams 

Colorado State will enter Saturday’s “Border War” game with a 2-7 record and a 2-3 record in the Mountain West Conference.

Colorado State began the season with four losses in September. The Rams then posted a 2-2 record in October, recording wins over Mountain West opponents Nevada (17-14) and Hawai’i (17-13). The Rams nearly won a third game before losing a close game at home to Utah State (17-13).

CSU began the month of November with a 28-16 loss at San Jose State on Nov. 5.

Next Up

After traveling to Colorado State, Wyoming will return home to host Boise State on Saturday, Nov. 19 in the final home game for the Cowboys this season. That game will kick off at 5 p.m. from Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium and will be televised by CBS Sports Network.

University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players

During the summer of 2021, 7220Sports.com counted down the Top 50 football players in University of Wyoming history, presented by Premier Bone & Joint Centers, Worthy of Wyoming.

The rules are simple: What was the player's impact while in Laramie? That means NFL stats, draft status or any other accolade earned outside of UW is irrelevant when it comes to this list.

This isn't a one-man job. This task called for a panel of experts. Joining 7220's Cody Tucker are Robert GagliardiJared NewlandRyan Thorburn, and Kevin McKinney.

We all compiled our own list of 50 and let computer averages do the work. Think BCS -- only we hope this catalog is fairer.

Don't agree with a selection? Feel free to sound off on our Twitter: @7220sports - #Top50UWFB

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players

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