Vol 126 no 33 september 30 2016

Border War

Inside the Lines

CSU and Wyoming face off for 107th time PAGE 10

Stadium

Mountain West

PAGE 8

PAGE 5

CSU following Minnesota’s lead with on-campus stadium project

Get up to date on how CSU’s conference foes have fared so far

Sept. 30, 2016

CSU vs. Wyoming Border War Edition

The Return of Robert Ruiz A year after tearing his ACL, senior wideout Robert Ruiz is making an impact in Colorado State’s passing game PAGE 4

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Inside The Lines Friday, September 30, 2016

Collegian Weekly Staff Picks Chad Deutschman Sports Editor

Colton Strickler Asst. Sports Editor

Record: 21-8

Record: 19-10

Eric Wolf Football Reporter

Justin Michael Sports Columnist

Record: 22-7 Record: 20-9

CSU vs. Wyoming

CSU

CSU

CSU

CSU

Stanford vs. Washington

Washington Texas

Stanford Texas

Stanford OK State

Stanford Texas

Colorado vs. Oregon State Tennessee vs. Georgia Wisconsin vs. Michigan Oklahoma vs. TCU

Colorado Tennessee

Colorado Tennessee

Colorado Tennessee

Colorado Tennessee

Michigan Oklahoma

Wisconsin TCU

Michigan Oklahoma

Wisconsin Oklahoma

Louisville vs. Clemson

Louisville Louisville Boise State Boise State W. Kentucky Houston Baptist Troy Troy New Mexico New Mexico UMass UMass W. Virginia W. Virginia

Texas vs. Oklahoma State

Utah State vs. Boise State Houston Baptist vs. W. Kentucky

Troy vs. Idaho San Jose St. vs. New Mexico

Tulane vs. UMass Kansas St. vs. West Virginia

Inside The Lines

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EDITORIAL STAFF | 970-491-7513 Erik Petrovich | Editor-in-Chief editor@collegian.com Julia Rentsch | Managing Editor editor@collegian.com Chad Deutschman | Sports Editor sports@collegian.com Keegan Pope | Special Section Design Editor esports@collegian.com Colton Strickler | Assistant Sports Editor sports@collegian.com Eric Wolf | Sports Reporter sports@collegian.com Justin Michael | Sports Reporter

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Inside The Lines Friday, September 30, 2016

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Inside The Lines Friday, September 30, 2016

Ruiz back in action after missing 2015 with injury Colorado State wide receiver Robert Ruiz runs through a drill during practice earlier this week. Ruiz missed the 2015 season after tearing his ACL. PHOTO BY LUKE WALKER COLLEGIAN

By Chad Deutschman Colorado State wide receiver Robert Ruiz was preparing to take on a role behind Rashard Higgins and Joe Hansley heading into the 2015 season. After redshirting in 2012, Ruiz played sporadically in his freshman and sophomore seasons.

2015 was going to be the walkon’s shot at seeing the field. It was going to be his turn to have all the hard work, all the dedication pay off. Ruiz tore his right ACL on Aug. 26, 2015 during a fall camp practice, ending his season before it began.

“It was hard. I thought I kept a positive attitude about it when it first happened,” Ruiz said about dealing with the frustrations of his injury. “Football isn’t everything, but sometimes when you put all the hours in that we do, and you put a lot of hard work in that we do, it kind of becomes that in your life. I feel like when I tore my ACL, when I was finally going to get my shot at this program, it kind of felt like I lost a little bit of my identity.”

Six months, minimum. That is the path that faced the El Cajon, California native. A pop in the knee meant at least six months before Ruiz could attempt to step foot on the gridiron again.

Ruiz didn’t call his mother, Denise, until a few days after the injury. He was scared to tell the 24-year Marine Corps veteran the news.

“Currently I have 1,000 Marines that are in my charge, 90 percent of them are between 18 and 23 years old,” Denise said. “I am taking care of all these men

and women from across the country every day all day, and he can call me and tell me about anything. He called me a day or two later (after he tore his ACL) because he was scared to tell me, thinking I was going to be mad because he hurt himself. But when he called it was the absolute opposite, I immediately flew out there.”

When Ruiz began to battle back form his injury, there were no major setbacks in the rehabilitation, but when things didn’t progress as fast as hoped, frustration set in.

“I was a little bit more depressed than I thought I was at first, but I got stronger, and coming back I thought I was ready and then during camp I was watching film and I still wasn’t there,” Ruiz said, speaking about coping with the recovery time. “I was getting really frustrated with myself.”

Ruiz was about to get his chance in 2015, and then it was taken away. The thought of never getting that chance again loomed over him.

The world would not stop turning for Ruiz if he couldn’t get that second chance, but when you spend more time focused on football than anything else, it can be hard to tell the difference.

“Athletes, we are told school comes first, then football. But when your whole life revolves around playing this sport, it kind of makes it hard to concentrate on anything else and not feel selfpity,” Ruiz said.

That is the demon hanging over the shoulder of Ruiz. Will an injury define him as an athlete, or could he return to form? Denise

gave her son only one choice.

“I stayed out there for three weeks during his rehabilitation and surgery,” Denise said. “He did reach out a few times saying he wasn’t sure if he was going to make it back and bounce back, but I just kept giving him positive feedback and stories about Marines that have been injured and how they’re walking again. I just give him combat stories that I have lived with and helped with and just gave him that encouragement…this is not the end all be all.”

Denise wanted Ruiz to fight; she wanted her son to come back from the injury stronger than before. She had seen Marines scratch and claw their way back; she knew her son could do the same. It’s how she raised him, with the mentality and grit of a Marine, every step of the way.

“He didn’t have a choice.

Starting from a young age, I had him at 21 years old when I was a corporal in the Marine Corps, and he has been with me the majority of the time except for my deployments,” Denise said about how her Marine background has rubbed off on Ruiz. “He has (that mentality). I am a loving, care free let’s go have fun mom, but the respect factor, the work hard factor, work hard play hard factor (were instilled at) an early age. Everything you do, you have to go 100 percent. Sometimes you can be lazy and relax, but when it’s time to have the game on, it’s game on.”

Ruiz sat out the entire 2015 season, working his way back. The walk-on watched his team play on the field he was supposed to be on, patiently awaiting a second

chance. Encouragement came in many forms, especially from his mother, but also the team.

“The coaches were really encouraging, saying ‘we know it takes time, we’ve seen a lot of these injuries. People come back, and come back, stay with it, stay with it,’” Ruiz said.

Heading into fall camp for the 2016 season, Ruiz was ready to strap on the helmet once more.

It was time to see how far he had come.

Ruiz didn’t step back onto the field and not miss a beat. It took time, effort, to get back to full speed.

“I lost a little bit of confidence, until finally something just clicked,” Ruiz said. “I was able to push through the pain and I was back to running routes like I was supposed to. I got my speed back up and it’s been great ever since.”

Great ever since might be an understatement for Ruiz.

On Aug. 17 2016, after four years at Colorado State, the redshirt senior was awarded a scholarship. Taking the burden of paying an out-of-state college tuition out of his mother’s hands.

“I knew I was still struggling on the field. But it was definitely a relief,” Ruiz said. “It felt like it was less about the money and more about the respect of getting the scholarship, feeling like you were good enough to be paid to play to play here kind of thing, like the majority of the team that is here that actually touches the field.

Just knowing that my mom is not going to have to pay for this last semester of school, which out of state gets pretty high.”

Marines don’t cry often, but

an exception was made when Ruiz made the call home.

“After the three years of walking on and making it and traveling, he has been so grateful for everything. He just didn’t think this day was going to come,” Denise said. “Every time I see his number call I think, ‘oh God, oh God.’ I’m always afraid it’s going to be a bad thing ever since he called me and told me he ripped his ACL last year. Every time the phone rings I get nervous. I take deep breaths and prepare for bad news. I have had many accomplishments and many proud moments in my career, my son’s career, but that … it is hard to describe the level of pride, the level of relief that he was being recognized for his talents and his hard work. For a badass Marine, I cried.”

Ruiz’s college career is now coming full-circle. From walking on in 2012, to being injured in 2015, to now returning punts and starting as the slot receiver, Ruiz has taken the unconventional path.

“Raising (Robert) by myself being a single mom, he and I have worked very hard and we’re very close. I just know a lot of the frustration he has gone through to get where he is at right now, being a walk-on sometimes you get overlooked,” Denise said. “Knowing that he can compete with the other scholarship kids that were being recognized and not in a selfish way, but just wanting to play. The passion, the pure passion of just wanting to play.”

Chad Deutschman can be reached by email at sports@ collegian.com.

Inside The Lines Friday, September 30, 2016

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No. 19 San Diego State on top of Mountain West

By Eric Wolf The Colorado State Rams open up Mountain West conference play this week against Wyoming in the Border War. The Rams went 5-3 in the Mountain West in 2015, losing conference games to San Diego State, Boise State and Utah State. Here is a look at how CSU’s conference opponents faired through the first month of the season: Utah State Aggies: (3-0, 0-1 MW) 9/1 Weber State: 45-6 9/10 @USC: L 45-7 9/16 Arkansas State: W 34-20 9/24 Air Force: L 27-20 Even with the loss of NFL linebackers Kyler Fackrell and Nick Vigil, the Aggies still boast a stout defense. The team currently ranks 31st in the country in total defense, giving up just over 337 yards per game. On offense, junior dual-threat quarterback Kent Myers returns at the helm. For the season, Myers has run for 109 yards to go along 800 yards passing and six touchdowns. Running backs Devonta Mays (234), Tonny Lindsey (200) and Justin Hervey (118) join Myer to round out the Aggie

rushing attack as four players have at least 100 yards rushing this year.

Boise State Broncos: (3-0) 9/3 @ LA-Lafayette: W 45-10 9/10 Washington State: W 31-28 9/24 @ Oregon State: W 38-25 The explosive offensive trio of sophomore quarterback Brett Rypien, junior running back Jeremey McNichols and senior wide receiver Thomas Sperbeck lead the Broncos again this year.

McNichols earned Mountain West offensive player of the week honors after his 204 yard, four touchdown rushing performance last week against Oregon State.

McNichols leads the conference in total scoring, with nine total touchdowns.

UNLV Runnin’ Rebels: (1-3) 9/1 Jackson State: W 63-13 9/10 @UCLA: L 21-42 9/17 @ Central Michigan: L 22-44 9/24 Idaho: L 33-30 (OT) The Rebels suffered a setback last week when dual-threat juco transfer quarterback Johnny Stanton was injured in the loss against Idaho. Redshirt freshman

quarterback Dalton Sneed takes over an offense with playmakers in running back Lexington Thomas and dynamic junior wide receiver Devonte Boyd. Thomas ranks third in the Mountain West with 453 rushing yards to go along with six touchdowns, while Boyd, a preseason first team All-conference selection, has caught 15 balls for 283 yards and 3 scores through four games.

Fresno State Bulldogs: (1-3) 9/3 @ Nebraska: L 43-10 9/10 Sacramento State: W 31-3 9/17 @ Toledo: L 52-17 9/24 Tulsa: L 48-41 (2OT) The non-conference slate has not been too kind to the Bulldogs, whose lone win came against an FCS foe in Sacramento State. The team actually held a 31-0 lead in the game against Tulsa before the Golden Hurricane came back and won the game in double-overtime.

Fresno State’s defense ranks as one of the worst statistical groups in the country, currently sitting 112th in scoring defense (36.6 points-per-game) and 105th in total defense (456.8 yards-pergame).

Air Force Falcons: (3-0, 1-0 MW) 10/3 Abilene Christian: W 37-21 10/10 Georgia State: W 48-14 10/24: @ Utah State: W 27-20 The Air Force rushing attack has been rolling to start the season, and the team ranks second in the nation in rushing yardsper-game at 359.3. Running back Jacobi Owens leads the team in rushing yards with 202, but it’s a communal approach in Colorado Springs as six players have ran for over 100 yards through the first three games. It’s not just the offense from the Falcons though.

The defense leads the Mountain West in scoring defense, giving up just over 18 points-per-game.

New Mexico Lobos: (1-2) 9/1 South Dakota: W 48-21 9/10 @ New Mexico State L 32-31 9/17 @ Rutgers L 37-28 The Lobos potent ground attack once again leads the way for this team. Through three games, the Lobos are averaging 314 rushing yards per game, good for 6th in the nation. Five different players have run for over 100 yards through three games this season.

The group is led by senior running back Teriyon Gibson whose run for 243 yards on 20 carries this season. Good for a 12.5 yards-percarry average. Senior linebacker Dakota Cox (20 tackles) is on his way to leading the team in tackles for the fourth straight season.

San Diego State Aztecs: (3-0) 9/3 New Hampshire: W 31-30 9/10 California: W 45-40 9/17 @Northern Illinois: W 42-28 The defending conference champions are off to a hot start, ranked 19th in AP poll through the first four weeks. Returning Mountain West offensive player of the year in senior tailback Donnell Pumphrey entered the Heisman trophy conversation after posting 599 rushing yards through four games to lead the country in the category. Pumphrey has also scored six touchdowns on the ground. Returning Mountain West defensive player of the year, senior cornerback Damontae Kazee, has two interceptions through three games, while 2015 first team all-conference linebacker Calvin Munson leads the league in tackles with 34.

Inside The Lines

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Friday, September 30, 2016

When the Rams are on defense...

Colorado State Wyoming 94 - Darnell Thompson, LDE, 6-4, 270, Junior

17 - Josh Allen, QB, 6-5, 222, Sophomore

92 - Josh Lovingood, NT, 6-4, 290, Junior

5 - Brian Hill, RB, 6-1, 219, Junior

91 - Jakob Buys, DT, 6-4, 265, Junior

36 - Drew Van Maanen, FB, 6-1, 241, Junior

43 - Evan Colorito, RDE, 6-4. 245, Junior

83- Jake Maulhardt, WR, 6-6, 230, Senior

15 - Kiel Robinson, SLB, 6-2, 225, Junior

4 - Tanner Gentry, WR, 6-2, 210, Senior

55 - Josh Watson, MLB, 6-2, 235, Sophomore

88 - Jacob Hollister, TE, 6-4, 239, Senior

33 - Kevin Davis, WLB, 6-2, 240, Senior

72 - Zach Wallace, LT, 6-7, 297, Sophomore

11 - Jordon Vaden, LCB, 6-3, 195, Senior

55 - Gavin Rush, LG, 6-3, 301, Freshman

8 - Jake Schlager, SS, 5-11, 195, Junior

73 - Chase Roullier, C, 6-4, 313, Senior

18 - Braylin Scott, FS, 6-3, 185, Sophomore

61 - Kaden Jackson, RG, 6-2, 294, Sophomore

5 - Tyree Simmons, RCB, 5-11, 190, Senior

59 -Ryan Cummings, RT, 6-6, 319, Junior

When the Rams are on offense...

Wyoming Colorado State 15 - Collin Hill, QB, 6-5, 210, Freshman

53 - Josiah Hall, DE, 6-1, 237, Freshman

1 - Dalyn Dawkins, RB, 5-9, 175, Junior

87 - Conner Cain, DT, 6-4, 279, Sophomore

81 - Olabisi Johnson, WR, 6-0, 190, Sophomore

57 - Chase Appleby, NT, 6-0, 268, Senior

4 - Michael Gallup, WR, 6-1, 195, Junior

91 - Carl Granderson, DE, 6-5, 243, Sophomore

89 - Robert Ruiz, WR, 5-10, 170, Senior

30 - Logan Wilson, OLB, 6-2, 225, Freshman

32 - Nolan Peralta, TE, 6-3, 245, Senior

45 - Lucas Wacha, MLB, 6-1, 230, Senior

61 - Zack Golditch, LT, 6-6, 295, Junior

7 - D.J. May, OLB, 5-11, 216, Senior

51- Colby Meeks, LG, 6-3, 305, Sophomore

5 - Rico Gafford, CB, 5-11, 180, Junior

77 - Jake Bennett, C, 6-3, 290, Junior

28 - Andrew Wingard, FS, 6-0, 207, Sophomore

54 - Fred Zerblis, RG, 6-3, 305, Senior

6 - Marcus Epps, SS, 6-0, 203, Sophomore

60 - Trae Moxley, RT, 6-6, 325, Junior

21 - Antonio Hull, CB, 5-10, 188, Sophomore

1405 W Elizabeth St (970) 484-7131 719 S Lemay Ave (970) 493-3041 3710 S College Ave (970) 223-4399 www.Wendys.com

GOOD LUCK RAMS! Proud supporter of the CSU Rams for 35 years!

Inside The Lines Friday, September 30, 2016

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Inside The Lines

Inside The Lines

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Friday, September 30, 2016

LOOKING AHEAD Minnesota road trip offers Colorado State a glimpse into the future with similar on-campus stadium

By Eric Wolf When Minnesota Golden Gophers Senior Associate Athletics Director Marc Ryan walks past TCF Bank Stadium on the University’s campus in Minneapolis, he still has to pinch himself.

Only eight years ago, the Golden Gophers did not have such a home for their football team. Sure, they had a home stadium, the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, but that stadium belonged to the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League, and it was 2.5 miles off campus.

It was roughly the same distance Hughes Stadium is to Colorado State University’s central campus.

But now, the Gophers are back home on campus, and in just under a year, the CSU Rams will find themselves in the same position.

Minneapolis

Before moving to the Metrodome, the Gophers had an on-campus facility, Memorial Stadium, where the team played its home games for 58 years. Ryan, a native Minnesotan attended games at Memorial stadium growing up when the on-campus game day atmosphere was “electric.”

Then, the Metrodome opened up in 1982 as a brand new home for the Vikings and the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball. The Gophers made the trip too.

Minnesota thought the stadium’s size and climate-controlled atmosphere would give the team a distinct advantage, but once the “newness” of the Metrodome began to wear off, the Gophers were left in want of a return to their own campus.

The Metrodome was a pro-football environment, and it lacked the college atmosphere and the campus connection that the Gophers had with Memorial Stadium.

“I didn’t take many years to get off campus to realize the need for coming back and bringing football back to campus,” Ryan said. “And how important that was not only to the University of Minnesota and certainly our football program, but the

community as a whole.”

Ryan said discussions about moving back to campus opened up fairly recently once the team made the move to the Metrodome.

In the early 2000’s the talks heated up, and by 2005, Minnesota had secured a pledge of $35 million from TCF Bank for the naming rights. On September 12, 2009 the team played it’s first game in the new stadium, a 2013 win over Air Force.

The changes in the football program and the community were immediate.

“It was a huge game changer,” Ryan said. “It was like night and day. It’s really energized this campus and game day is electric. Campus is alive. Game day is special. It’s just energized this campus on many fronts.”

The TCF Bank Stadium experience is exactly the kind of game changer the CSU Rams are looking for when the new on-campus stadium opens up for the 2017 football season.

Fort Collins

Throughout its own stadium process, CSU has a lot to learn and has already learned a lot from the Gopher’s transition.

The Rams frequently cited TCF Bank stadium when looking at other new stadium builds, and they share the same design and construction partner on the project.

“We have almost been on a parallel track,” Colorado State athletic director Joe Parker said while in Minneapolis for the game. “Our design partner is Populous, our construction partner is Mortenson. We had a facility with Hughes that was off campus and we are bringing the football experience back.”

While TCF Bank stadium is larger and holds 10,000 more people than CSU’s on campus stadium will hold, the two stadiums share a similar aesthetic. Both stadiums are designed with a traditional horseshoe build with an open walk-in section in an end zone.

Both stadiums come complete with loge boxes, a minisuite with outdoor seating options, TCF Bank stadium has 57 loge boxes, whereas CSU’s new stadium will have more than 40.

One man has lived through

it all closer than anyone else in CSU Senior Associate Athletics Director for development, David Crum, who plays a major role in stadium fundraising and premium seating sales for the CSU on campus stadium.

Crum, who worked in the Minnesota athletic department from 2007-2012, served in a similar role when the Gophers were in their own stadium process.

“He knew the design team, the construction team he was able to point out things as we were going through our process,” Parker said of Crum.

“Certainly, when we brought the concept to our fan base and started soliciting commitments for premium seating he went though that process while he was here at Minnesota.”

Premium seating was one of the few aspects where Crum thought the Minnesota process could have went smoother. At Minnesota, the process of selling premium seats and resettling season ticket holders from the Metrodome to TCF Bank stadium overlapped far too often and made the process more difficult.

In 2016, CSU put the focus on selling it’s premium seats and has now come only three suits away from selling out all of the new stadium’s premium seats.

“That allows us more time to take our resources and our staff and really focus on moving the other 3000 ticket holders (Hughes stadium season tickets) accounts that we have,” Crum said. “And make sure that the process of moving from their seat location in Hughes to the new stadium is as smooth as possible.”

From his experience at Minnesota, Crum has a basis of which to place CSU’s new build.

“We are following a lot of how Minnesota designed, opened, and utilized their stadium,” Crum said. “We are trying to do the same thing. It was very successful and it continues to be very successful at Minnesota.”

Ryan, who said TCF BANK stadium was never meant to be a one-dimensional facility, covered part of that utilization.

“It’s a lot more than just seven home football games,” Ryan said. “It’s been a campus and a

community asset when you look at it.”

Ryan said that on any given day, four or five events are going on somewhere across the stadium. When the team opened up the facility, it did not take long for the Minnesota staff to realize the need to hire additional staff members just to manage events.

The stadium has seen everything from weddings to bar mitzvahs, classes and corporate conferences and even intramural sports. The Rolling Stones, U2, Luke Bryan and Beyonce have made appearances. The Vikings even played two years of home football games there while they were transitioning out of the Metrodome and into US Bank Stadium, which opened in 2016.

“Internally and externally the stadium is alive 365 days a year, not just on seven Saturdays a year,” Ryan said. “(It’s a) tremendous community, campus, and state asset on many levels.

It’s been really special for seven football home games but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

Crum said that he wants “everybody” to be able to utilize the new CSU stadium space, and for now the plan matches TCF Bank stadium somewhat, as Crum called the new stadium a “365 days a year facility.”

Crum cited weddings, parties, conferences, reunions, and use by CSU academia as foreseeable multidimensional use at CSU’s new stadium, and as time goes on, the event list should only get bigger.

Back to Campus

In the end, the stadium is being built for seven football Saturday’s a year.

For Ryan, the Gophers’ transition back to campus was night and day. The college gameday electricity that had been lacking in the Metrodome returned with TCF Bank stadium. Students and fans were no longer being shuttled off campus for a football game. The team was playing in a stadium in the heart of everything that was the University of Minnesota. There were drawbacks in moving back to campus to be sure. It was a massive logistical process and in some areas the negatives will match up with the CSU experi-

ence.

For instance, one of the tailgating lots in Minnesota is a 12 minute ride away from the stadium, and the Minnesota staff is still looking at ways to refine game days on campus.

But for Ryan, the stadium is invaluable to the University and community.

It’s exactly what CSU is looking for.

“It is in fact bringing football back to campus, and I think we can expect so many positive outcomes from that,” Parker said.

Parker expects attendance and gameday atmosphere to immediately shift when the new stadium is opened up. Students no longer have to make a decision when they wake up on whether or not they want to drive out to Hughes stadium.

Now, all they have to do is take the short walk.

With increased participation, Parker thinks that campus will come alive on game day, and with that, fans will be able to develop a closer connection with the University and the community.

“I think many many people that attended our games the last 48 years at Hughes have not really had a direct relationship with the University because they never get to campus,” Parker said. “Now, the football experience is embedded in the University. There is no other option other than to experience CSU, and there is so much to experience.”

The tailgating experience won’t have the feel or the space that Hughes had, but by opening up different areas on campus for game day experiences, like live music near the Lagoon, or “Ramtown” centered on the intramural fields, CSU has their own plans to liven up campus for game day.

And Minnesota’s campus is surely alive on game day. Driving down University Avenue two-and-a-half-hours before kickoff, the streets were already lined with maroon and gold clad fans headed towards the stadium center. Fraternity members crowded the lawns in front of their houses near the stadium in anticipation as they celebrated early morning football.

Tent cities sprung up along

Friday, September 30, 2016

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campus streets as fans indulged in food, music and Gopher spirit while awaiting entry into TCF bank stadium.

Not only do Parker and Crum expect this type of closer relationship with fans and the campus, but the overall Fort Collins community as a whole.

Ryan and Crum both talked about the flourishing business districts surrounding TCF Bank stadium because of the high volume of people in the area on game days.

At CSU, there is more to see and more to do around central campus than Hughes Stadium, and because of that, Parker expects that CSU fans will want to stick around campus and connect with the different areas of Fort Collins.

It’s a hope for business operations and community involvement just like what is going on in Minneapolis on game day.

While Parker was in Minneapolis for last Saturday’s game he also had the opportunity to connect with various Ram club members as well as those who have supported the department and have made financial contributions to the new stadium.

“It was nice of them to see first hand what reality will be for us in 2017 when our project is done,” Parker said of the CSU fan experience in Minnesota. “It’s nice to be on a Big Ten campus, and it’s nice to see that they have accomplished some- Golden Gopher fans cheer as Minnesota takes the field at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. PHOTO BY ELIZABETH FLORES MINNEAPOLIS STAR-TRIBUNE/TNS thing that we are looking to do ourselves when the project is finished and we have a chance to bring football back to the CSU central campus.”

And Ryan has received the Hughes stadium experience, as the teams met in Fort Collins in 2004 and again in 2015.

Ryan said the outdoor venue in Fort Collins was a nice change of pace compared to the Metrodome and the tailgating setup was “real nice,” but in the end, “it was not on campus.”

The last thing Ryan had to say about bring football back to campus was, “the excitement is building and it’s pretty special.

On those football Saturday’s, the game is just a big part of it.

It’s a community-building event surrounding a football game. It’s pretty special it’s pretty hard to beat.”

For Crum, well, he gets to go through the process twice.

“Quite honestly I’ve been in this business for 25 years and the most exiting day I’ve ever had was when we opened a brand new on-campus Stadium at Minnesota,” Crum said. “I think a lot of people are going to realize that when we open up a new on campus stadium at CSU. People are going to remember it for a long long time.”

Eric Wolf can be reached at sports@collegian.com.

A rendering of Colorado State’s on-campus stadium expected to open in September 2017. PHOTO COURTESY OF CSU ATHLETICS

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Inside The Lines Friday, September 30, 2016

History of Border War runs deeps

Schools have played 107 times since rivalry started in 1899

By Justin Michael

Out of all opponents to come to Hughes for a final time this season, none compare to the historic rivalry that has been shared between Colorado State and Wyoming. The Rams’ oldest rival and closest geographic foe, the Border War has provided some of the most memorable moments in the history of both programs.

The Rams hold a slight edge in the total series (5744-5), but historically this game has been a coin flip, especially since the Bronze Boot was introduced in 1968.

107th Border War Colorado State vs. Wyoming Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium Saturday, 8:15 p.m.

ESPNU

Since the inception of the Bronze Boot, each team has won 24 times, with CSU winning the previous three.

There is no opponent the Rams have played or defeated more than the Cowboys, and the programs have met continuously since 1946, making it the one of the oldest rivalries west of the Mississippi River. The Border War rivalry dates back to 1899, when the Cowboys forfeited to the Rams due to a dispute over the rules and bad blood between the programs began to brew.

In 1949, following an 8-0 Wyoming victory, Cowboys fans attempted to tear down the goal posts at Colorado Field. When Aggies fans attempted to prevent the opposing fans from messing with their home turf, a riot broke out and tear gas was used on the fans.

In 1958, fans from both schools entered Colorado Field, as they disputed a non-touchdown call that made the difference in the one-score game. Again, tear gas had to be used to break up the mob.

After losing to Wyoming for the seventh consecutive time in 1973, head coach Sark Arslanian famously vowed that they would never lose to Wyoming again.

The players in the locker room responded and the Rams went on to win the next three games against Wyoming.

In 1990, arguably the most famous game in Hughes Stadium history took place between these two programs. The Pokes rolled into Fort Collins undefeated and nationally ranked. CSU would ultimately upset Wyoming 17-8 and carry the momentum towards their first bowl appearance in 42 years.

Recently the game has been decided in streaks, with Wyoming winning in 2009-2012 and the Rams winning 2013-15. During the past three CSU victories over Wyoming, the Rams have never trailed and have outscored the Cowboys 12360, totalling just north of 1,400 yards of offense in the winning streak.

A win in 2016 would mark a fourth consecutive for the Rams and would be the first conference opener CSU has won since 2011.

“Being able to play a rivalry game at night, under the lights, it adds to the excitement in practice,” CSU head coach Mike Bobo said.

Any conference game is important because of implications in the standings, but the Border War brings a certain atmosphere that other games do not live up to. With local bragging rights on the line and over one hundred years of history between the programs, this game means more to the communities than any other.

Justin Michael can be reached at sports@collegian.com.

Inside The Lines Friday, September 30, 2016

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Inside The Lines Friday, September 30, 2016

Cowboys Spotlight

Rams Spotlight

Michael Gallup, WR

14 Catches

Brian Hill, RB

97 Carries

173 436

Receiving Yards

THEY SAID IT: “When a ball comes your way, do you have the ability to make the catch? And that’s what (Gallup) has done. He hasn’t done everything perfectly, (but) when he plays he has production and that’s what we’re looking for offensively.”

2

Touchdowns

-CSU head coach Mike Bobo

Rushing Yards

6

Rushing TDs

THEY SAID IT: “Brian’s been a real joy, not only for me as a head football coach but our whole coaching staff. He’s worked hard in school. Certainly last year’s yardage was something that’s garnered a lot of attention nationally, but Brian is about the team and we’re finding more and more guys that are about the University of Wyoming as opposed to themselves.”

-Wyoming coach Craig Bohl

Freshman Phenom Collin Hill has been impressive in his first two career starts, helping to jumpstart a sluggish Colorado State offense that averaged just 15 points over its first two games.

INFOGRAPHIC BY KEEGAN POPE COLLEGIAN

38-for-63 523 passing yards 6 total touchdowns

2016 Season Statistics

Inside The Lines Friday, September 30, 2016

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Colorado State opponent spotlight: Wyoming Cowboys

By Eric Wolf

Record: 2-2 (0-0 MW) Previous Results: Northern Illinois: W, 40-34 (3OT) @Nebraska: L, 52-17 UC Davis: W, 45-22 @ Eastern Michigan: L, 27-24 In their third season under head coach Craig Bohl, the Cowboys enter the CSU game with a 2-2 record. Last year, the Cowboys finished 2-10 (2-6 MW) and lost to CSU 26-7 in Laramie. In 2016, Wyoming returns 16 starters from last year’s team, with eight on defense and eight on offense.

“I’m expecting a competitive football game,” CSU head coach Mike Bobo said. “We know they are going to be ready. We know it is going to be a sixty-minute fight.

Coach Bohl does a nice job. He coaches physical football teams that are going to play hard and play for sixty minutes and that’s what we expect.”

Offense: Points per game: 31.5 Rushing: 181.8 yards per game Passing: 216.7 yards per game

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Josh Allen heads the Wyoming offense as he returns from an injury suffered during week two last season that kept him out for the rest of the year.

Bobo called Allen athletic and a little bit fearless during Monday’s press conference and at 6-feet 5-inches 225 pounds, the quarterback brings a physical presence similar to that of Minnesota’s Mitch Leidner last week. Allen has shown the ability to beat defenses with his arm and his legs, rushing 32 times for 97 yards and two scores, while throwing for 866 yards and six touchdowns through four games.

The Wyoming offense runs heavily through preseason All-Mountain West first team running back in junior Brian Hill, who now sits 74 yards away from becoming Wyoming’s alltime leading rusher. Hill has run for 2,890 yards in his career, and for the season, he has carried the ball 97 times for 463 yards and six touchdowns.

Of the 6-foot-1, 220-pound running back, defensive coordinator Marty English said, “He is a talented running back. (He’s) big, strong, he gets his pad level down and he wants to run through you.”

On the outside, the Cowboys are led by 6-foot 2-inch 215 pound senior wide receiver Tanner Gentry. This past week, the Aurora, Colorado native was named to the Biletnikoff watch list, the award of which goes to the nation’s the

top wide receiver. For the season, Gentry has caught 29 balls for 388 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Upfront, Wyoming returns three starters from last season’s team in junior tackle Ryan Cummings and sophomore tackle Zach Wallace, as well as senior guard Chase Roullier (28 career starts) who was tabbed as a firstteam All-Mountain West offensive lineman heading into the season.

Defense: Scoring defense: 33.8 PPG

dle linebacker making his 27th career start on Saturday. May (5-feet 11-inches 216 pounds), is a speedy linebacker who also specializes as the teams “nickel” cornerback. In evidence of his speed, the “strongside” linebacker is also the team’s featured kickoff returner.

The Cowboy’s front seven has recorded seven sacks on the year and five different players have at least one sack through the first four games.

Eric Wolf can be reached by email at sports@collegian.com.

Rushing yards per game: 146 Passing yards per game: 297.8 The Wyoming defense runs primarily through standout sophomore safeties Marcus Epps and Andrew Wingard. Epps currently sits second on the team in total tackles with 31. Against Eastern Michigan last week, the safety intercepted two passes and ran one of them back for a touchdown.

Wingard returns off a freshman All-American season in which he led the team and ranked 12th in the country with 122 total tackles. The preseason All-Mountain West selection has picked up right where he left off last season, as he leads the team in tackles with 41, to go along with one interception.

“Andrew Wingard just makes

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plays,” Bobo said of the sophomore. “I think he averages over ten tackles per game. He is very aggressive it the box. He does a great job of getting guys down.”

As a whole, the team has intercepted six passes on the season.

In front of Wingard and Epps, senior linebackers Lucas Wacha and D.J May control the middle for the Cowboys. Wacha (28) and May (25) currently rank third and fourth on the team in total tackles.

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Collin Hill 15 | Quarterback | Freshman | Moore, SC

PHOTO BY JAVON HARRIS COLLEGIAN

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

Across 1 Illusions in a stage act, collectively 6 Muslim leaders 11 Place for a massage 14 Twist 15 French Revolution radical 16 Put a strain on 17 *Cost of shares on the exchange 19 Tip jar denomination 20 Miffed 21 Gizmos 23 __ buco: veal dish 26 Director Lee 28 Student’s workplace 29 Guttural “Psst!”

30 Wedding vows 32 Condemn 34 Most rational 36 Nobel Peace Prize city 38 Jack-in-the-box sound 40 Drips in the ICU 41 *U.S./USSR conflict 43 Give it a go 44 Witness 45 Yankee slugger, to fans 46 Area of expertise 48 Sound from Leo 50 Twist, as water-damaged

floorboards 52 Sharpen 53 World Cup soccer org.

55 “__-hoo!”

56 1946 N.L. RBI leader Slaughter 57 Part of a chess match when most of the pieces are off the board 60 “__ the mornin’!”

62 Sch. run by Mormons 63 United stand ... and what the first part of the answers to starred clues literally can have 68 Track transaction 69 Wabbit-hunting Fudd 70 Fragrant wood 71 Pig’s home 72 Officials who have their faculties 73 Hit hard, biblically

Inside The Lines Friday, September 30, 2016

8 Very dry 9 Sprayed in defense 10 Longshoreman 11 *Element in an executive compensation package 12 Window glass 13 Lumberjacks’ tools 18 Double agent 22 Prefix with metric and bar 23 Desert retreat 24 Norelco product 25 *Drive to do the responsible thing 27 *”So long” 31 U-turn from NNE 33 Rita with an Oscar, Emmy, Tony and Grammy 35 Like Al Capone 37 Ridicule satirically 39 Combustible funeral piles 42 Under a quarter-tank, say 47 Geometry proposition 49 Bailed-out insurance co.

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Yesterday’s 66 __ Kingsolution Cole 67 Italian three

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Inside The Lines Friday, September 30, 2016