The nightmare got a little more terrifying after Moss’ latest performance on Wednesday night in Fort Worth.

The junior TCU guard ravaged the Cowboys with 27 points and 10 rebounds–both season highs–helping the Horned Frogs cruise to a commanding 78-60 win.

TCU (10-8, 1-2 MWC) used a 12-2 run at the conclusion of the first half to break open a tight contest, allowing the Horned Frogs to take what would prove to be an indomitable 39-23 lead into the break.

Moss had a Texas-sized hand in the Horned Frogs’ overwhelming performance.

A premier performer against the Cowboys throughout his career–Moss had scored in double figures in three of his previous four contests against Wyoming, playing a crucial role in each of TCU’s 3 victories during that span – Moss took things to another level on Wednesday.

Moss poured on the points, shooting 9-17 from the field and knocking down six shots from beyond the arc, and the 6’2” guard showcased every bit of his athleticism against the Cowboys, creating matchup problems all over the court and concluding the evening as the game’s leading rebounder.

When the Ronnie Moss highlight show wasn’t dazzling the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum, it was a slew of other Horned Frogs who stepped up to pave the way.

Forward Carlon Green dropped 16 points in his best conference performance to date, and Nikola Cerina, Amric Fields, and Greg Hill all were in double figures with 10 points each.

It was a disappointing performance from the Cowboys (8-9, 1-1 MWC), who were coming off their biggest victory of the season – a 67-66 thriller over New Mexico after Francisco Cruz’s buzzer beater nipped the Lobos.

There would be no heroics this time, as a dismal outside shooting performance doomed Wyoming.

The Cowboys hit just four of 18 attempts from beyond the three-point arc, compared to the Horned Frogs’ sharpshooting 10-21 performance.

Cruz led Wyoming with 16 points, and Amath M’Baye added 13, but Wyoming simply could not establish any offensive rhythm against TCU–a poor showing which was due in part to the injury bug which has plagued Wyoming all season.

Senior forward Djibril Thiam did not make the trip due to a nagging turf toe injury, and junior guard JayDee Luster did not travel either as a result of a hip pointer injury he aggravated in practice this week.

Junior forward Adam Waddell, who has been hampered all season with an Achilles injury, showed signs of brilliance against New Mexico on Saturday, scoring 16 points and pulling down eight rebounds in just 23 minutes of play.

Waddell’s effectiveness was limited against the Horned Frogs, though, as the ankle flared up again during the week and slowed the Cowboys’ big man down.

Wyoming took perhaps an even more disheartening shot on Wednesday when it learned that junior guard Afam Muojeke will miss the remainder of the season due to severe knee injury which also ended his 2009-10 campaign and has lingered ever sence.

Muojeke had been severely slowed by the injury whenever he was able to make it onto the court this season, but he apparently reinjured the same knee

Sources indicated that Muojeke will likely undergo surgery next week.

Branding Iron

The Branding Iron is a Student Media project. Student Media gives University of Wyoming students valuable experience in writing, editing, advertising, sales, graphic design, photography and production through its publications with the guidance of professional staff members. If you find a mistake in an article, e-mail us at bi@uwyo.edu. We will make sure to torture the poor soul until it's corrected. Just kidding. We probably won't do anything, since we're busy studying for finals.

More Posts - Facebook - YouTube

Unfortunately for the Cowgirls, the Horned Frogs were too much to handle Wednesday night, giving Wyoming arguably their toughest loss of the season, going down 68-47 to an impressive TCU team.

Senior guard Aubrey Vandiver gave Wyoming their first lead at 7-6 with a fade away jumper on the baseline before TCU went on a 7-0 run to make the score 13-7. The Cowgirls would take the lead again at 18-17 after a crowd-rousing layup from senior forward Hillary Carlson.

TCU would eventually end the first half with a 27-24 lead after a last second lay-in by sophomore forward Starr Crawford.

Crawford led the way for the Horned Frogs in the first half with six points and seven rebounds in just 14 minutes of play.

Vandiver was the star of the first half for Wyoming going 5-8 for 11 points while Carlson added six points and four rebounds.

Wyoming got off to a sluggish start in the second half allowing TCU to expand their lead to 38-26 at the 15:54 mark. TCU’s largest lead of the game was 22 points at the 1:18 mark.

The Cowgirls shot a meager 36.5% from the field and senior forward Hillary Carlson had one of her worst outings of the season, going scoreless in the first half.

Sophomore forward Chaundra Sewell was tops for the Cowgirls in points and rebounds with 18 and 9. Vandiver added 16 points for the Cowgirls.

Head coach Joe Legerski said in his postgame conference that TCU was the best team they’ve played all season and there’s a reason why they won the conference last season. He emphasized the fact that TCU has a very balanced team, seven players had between 6 and 11 points, and is hard to guard collectively.

“You don’t come into this place and think you are going to have a game like this. They have an excellent team and we were fortunate to play really well,” TCU coach Jeff Mittie said after the game. “You know how tough it is to come up here and leave with a win because [Wyoming] has such a quality team… it feels good.”

The Cowgirls head to Salt Lake City to take on Utah squad on Wednesday, January 19th at 3 p.m.

Branding Iron

The Branding Iron is a Student Media project. Student Media gives University of Wyoming students valuable experience in writing, editing, advertising, sales, graphic design, photography and production through its publications with the guidance of professional staff members. If you find a mistake in an article, e-mail us at bi@uwyo.edu. We will make sure to torture the poor soul until it's corrected. Just kidding. We probably won't do anything, since we're busy studying for finals.

More Posts - Facebook - YouTube

Mike Morris:

The Cowboys picked up their most significant win of the season – and perhaps in recent program history – on Saturday when junior guard Paco Cruz hit a desperation shot at the buzzer to give Wyoming a 67-66 win over a good New Mexico team.

Wyoming had been shakier than a first-time snowboarder on a double black diamond in its first 15 contests, but against New Mexico, the Cowboys finally, finally played to their potential and put together a complete 40 minutes. It was the type of performance which – if the Cowboys can find a way to replicate it – gives reason to believe Wyoming can truly be competitive throughout the remainder of the MWC conference schedule. The intensity and toughness of a returning Adam Waddell was especially reassuring, as Waddell put up 16 and 8 against the Lobos in just 23 minutes, and New Mexico simply had no one who could match up with the 6’10 big man on Saturday.

If Waddell’s health continues to improve and the Cowboys continue to develop chemistry and depth – Daylen Harrison had 17 points off the bench against the Lobos – Wyoming men’s basketball will experience a truly exciting spring for the first time in years.

The status of Afam Muojeke’s injured knee still presides over the team’s post-season aspirations, and Muojeke is still nowhere near being able to channel his capability to be one of the most dominant scorers in the entire conference.

The Cowboys will need to continue to improve and develop over the remainder of the conference schedule and try to lock up a five or a six seed for the conference tournament in March.

If by then Muojeke’s knee has healed enough for him to be an effective scorer, Wyoming will be very much capable of putting together a magical 3-game run in the MWC tourney and, yes, dancing with a little March Madness.

As for the Cowgirls, a stellar 11-3 start – by an experienced squad which seems to improve with each game – has expectations soaring in Laramie.

A conference title, 22 or more wins, and an appearance in the NCAA tournament all seem more and more possible with each passing victory by the Cowgirls.

Zach Greubel:

After the men’s basketball team’s embarrassing loss to Colorado State and before their thrilling victory over New Mexico I thought conference play might be the same as it was last season- atrocious. However, the win against the Lobos may spark new life. Granted, they beat San Diego State at this point last season and still had a miserable season in conference play. On the bright side, junior center Adam Waddell is back from injury, hopefully for good, and gives the Cowboys some leadership on the court. Plus, they did just beat one of the best teams in the conference. We’ll see if the win against New Mexico maintains momentum through their conference season.

The Cowgirl basketball team looks primed for another promising season in conference play.  They’ve already beat Colorado State, by 40 points, and New Mexico but have their first big conference test against Texas Christian on Wednesday night. They’re the best team in the conference right now and shouldn’t stray too far from the top of the conference standings throughout the season.

Brad Estes:

The men’s loss to CSU was not encouraging. It reminds me of a team that came up short and couldn’t finish games so many times last year. The buzzer beater New Mexico win is a good win, any win is a good win for the Cowboys. After a non-conference schedule that wouldn’t have scared a high school team, its hard to make predictions for the rest of the year. Losses to teams like South Dakota, North Florida and Green Bay make it difficult to believe that the team can win consistently.

San Diego State and BYU are both impressive teams and ranked in the top 10, and those games might be worth going to see just for that fact. It all depends on how many times the Cowboys decide to show up and play like they did against New Mexico. The losses are more telling than the wins so far, and until the wins start to add up a little more, I will wait to call them even a fifth place finish in the conference.

The Cowgirls are playing well and are coached well, so they will be at the top of the conference all year. Forty point victories over conference opponents are always encouraging. A win against TCU at home tomorrow night would also be big. As a young team, the only thing to be worried about would be consistency late in the year, but so far the Cowgirls have been just that.

Tom Hesse:

I usually peg the Cowgirls for a team that comes on late in the season but they’ve looked like world beaters in their first two conference games. They should have beaten CSU without question but I didn’t see an 83-43 dismantling in them and their ten-point win in Albuquerque showed a convincing road win that I wouldn’t have looked for in a team that is a little on the young side. The Cowgirls haven’t lost in nearly a month and if they take care of the home court this Wednesday, I think they have a real shot at one of those top three spots in the conference.

I was critical of the Cowboys early in the season and I’m still not sure to make of them. All I know is that Francisco Cruz’s intangibles made him a favorite of mine early in the season and his shot to bury the Lobos has made Cruz my favorite player to watch. If the Cowboys can play half as scrappy as they did against New Mexico for the rest of the season then They have a legitimate claim to the upper half of this conference.  That CSU loss still hurts and the MWC is incredibly tough this year but I’m very excited to see this team against UNLV, BYU and SDSU. There are a lot of things to like about this team and they’re still evolving. I’ll optimistically stick them at fifth in the conference with a shot at fourth.

Branding Iron

The Branding Iron is a Student Media project. Student Media gives University of Wyoming students valuable experience in writing, editing, advertising, sales, graphic design, photography and production through its publications with the guidance of professional staff members. If you find a mistake in an article, e-mail us at bi@uwyo.edu. We will make sure to torture the poor soul until it's corrected. Just kidding. We probably won't do anything, since we're busy studying for finals.

More Posts - Facebook - YouTube

As the ball careened off the rim once, and then again, hope faded to an imperceptible glimmer for Wyoming, and it appeared all but certain that the Cowboys and fourth-year head coach Heath Schroyer would once again come up heartbreakingly short in a crucial conference game against a top opponent.  

Sophomore wing Daylen Harrison grabbed a rebound and fired a desperation heave from the corner in the game’s dwindling moments, but Harrison’s shot clanged off the side of the rim and – for the briefest of moments – the ball hovered over the court like an errant balloon.

A forest of arms rose up under the hoop, and the Arena-Auditorium trembled under the tension of the baited breaths of 4,404 people as the clock ticked down to :01.   

With a sea of tumult thrashing about around him, Francisco Cruz grabbed the loose ball and – falling backwards – threw up one final prayer.

The buzzer sounded. The net rippled. A celebration of brown and gold erupted.

And a team’s entire season – and identity – may have undergone a complete transformation in the blink of an eye.

Cruz’s floater over the outstretched arm of New Mexico forward Alex Kirk proved to be the clincher in Wyoming’s 67-66 win over the Lobos on Saturday—ending a thriller of white-knuckle proportions which was anything but just another conference game for the Cowboys.

“It was a big win for our program and our team, and it was great for our kids,” Schroyer said in his press conference following the game.

Photo: DJ Bowman

“New Mexico is an unbelievable program with outstanding players and coaches. For us to get a win over a quality program like this is a big step in the right direction for our team.”

In a season which has been – in its young lifespan – tumultuous at best, and often thoroughly disappointing, Wyoming (8-8, 1-1 MWC) finally played to its potential and put together the signature win it has been searching for – and perhaps the very win Schroyer has been searching for throughout the past four seasons.

Hampered by nagging injuries to two of its top contributors – juniors Afam Muojeke and Adam Waddell – Wyoming had looked shaky in its first 15 contests of its 2010-11 campaign, as inconsistency and youth plagued the team in disappointing non-conference setbacks to Northern Colorado, North Florida, South Dakota, UC Irvine, and Wisconsin-Green Bay. 

The memories of a dismal 2009-10 season began to resurface after Wyoming blew a 13-point first half lead in its conference opener at rival Colorado State, as the Rams outscored the Cowboys 36-21 in the second half and ultimately put Wyoming away by a 73-60 margin.

Against New Mexico on Saturday, however, the Cowboys stood toe-to-toe with a formidable, 12 win team, conceding nothing to the defending conference champions.

Wyoming shot the ball well, hitting on 52.4 percent of its shots, and the Cowboys kept pace with the heavily favored Lobos thanks largely to two gutsy bench performances.

Harrison – who had struggled noticeably from the field in recent performances and did not see action against CSU – had a career afternoon, scoring 17 points on 6-7 shooting and pulling down four crucial rebounds.

“I thought Daylen was spectacular,” Schroyer said. “This was the Daylen we thought he could be. He was aggressive, and made the most of his opportunities today.”

Perhaps even more critical – and encouraging for the rest of the season – was the stellar performance from Waddell.

The 6’10 big man has been hobbled by an Achilles injury dating back to last season – missing a good portion of the nonconference season – but on Saturday he showed up in dominant fashion, even if his health still is not at 100 percent.

Waddell came through with 16 points, eight rebounds, and a pair of blocks in just 23 minutes of action – an impressive performance, which gives renewed optimism to Wyoming’s inside game if Waddell’s health continues to improve over the course of the season.

“We had no post that could guard Waddell,” New Mexico head coach Steve Alford said.

“Waddell did a heck of a job.”

“To have a healthy Adam Waddell, it really makes a difference,” Schroyer added.

Still, despite the efforts of Harrison, Waddell, and Desmar Jackson, who added 15 points of his own, it appeared as though it would be all for naught for the Cowboys when senior Lobo guard Dairese Gary, who led New Mexico with 24 points, sank two free throws to give the Lobos a 66-65 lead in the game’s waning moments.

A year ago in Laramie, UW went the distance with a leviathan New Mexico squad which finished the season 30-5, only to falter in the game’s closing moments and lose a 70-68 heartbreaker.

The Cowboys never recovered from the loss, struggling throughout the rest of the season and finishing with a 3-13 conference mark.

This year was different though, and only time will tell just how significant of a win it was.

Branding Iron

The Branding Iron is a Student Media project. Student Media gives University of Wyoming students valuable experience in writing, editing, advertising, sales, graphic design, photography and production through its publications with the guidance of professional staff members. If you find a mistake in an article, e-mail us at bi@uwyo.edu. We will make sure to torture the poor soul until it's corrected. Just kidding. We probably won't do anything, since we're busy studying for finals.

More Posts - Facebook - YouTube

The real champion of the underdogs is Matt “looks like the manager at Radio Shack, only taller” Hasselbeck and the now 8-9 Seattle Seahawks.

Seattle’s 41-36 victory over the former champions was nothing more than a farce, and as a fan I couldn’t have asked for anything more.

Maybe this win is a sign that Pete Carroll—with the blood of the USC football program still on his hands—and the Seahawks have all bought into the high-energy style that helped propel USC to the top of college football, well, that and numerous NCAA violations.

There was more to this win than a collective spirit of nothing-to-lose and limitless energy. Pete Carroll did not single-handedly inspire this team; although his tactics certainly played a large part in what this team accomplished.

The beautiful thing about what Seattle did on Saturday was that it reminded us that the most dangerous weapon on the football field is a team with something to prove. There is perhaps no feeling that can will a team to win more than a feeling of disrespect.

Since the second week of the season, there was no doubt in the sporting world that the winner of the NFC West was not going to belong in the playoffs. The Rams and Seahawks jockeyed for the position of “worst team to ever make the playoffs” the entire season. Throughout the season, Seattle knew that their success would ultimately be deemed a failure.

On The Onion website there was a story explaining how New Orleans had earned a first round bye since they drew Seattle in round one.

Las Vegas opened the point spread by favoring New Orleans by 10 and a half points at Seattle.

Countless commentators joked about the Seahawks deciding between Charlie Whitehurst and a washed-up Matt Hasselbeck for the starting quarterback position.

The NFL began discussing the implementation of a rule that would require a team to have at least an 8-8 record to make the playoffs.

Seattle’s best receiver was a well-known head case that had been out of football for two years.

Seattle’s best running back was a well-known head case that vanished in Buffalo.

The 7-9 Seattle Seahawks could not beat the New Orleans Saints.

However, Seattle’s washed up quarterback threw four touchdowns, one of which went to former head case Mike Williams and another to 34 year-old Brandon Stokley. Meanwhile, Marshawn Lynch ran for 131 yards including the game-sealing touchdown, when he broke eight tackles and vaulted himself into a permanent place with NFL playoff highlights.

Finally, Pete Carroll coached an incredible game; the same Pete Carroll who floundered in his first attempt to coach in the NFL and who left the USC program in shambles.

Seattle was the most dangerous team during wildcard weekend, and they made a huge statement for the NFL. A team with something to prove is a team no one should want to play.

However, for me, 7-9 Seattle meant something more. Last semester, I wrote a satirical piece diagramming who could win the NFC West.

I desperately hoped that the division would be won with a losing record, and having my wish granted made the season for me.

When the Seahawks made the playoffs, Pete Carroll said that he thought it was “pretty cool” that they were the first team to make the playoffs without a winning record.

I have one last request of the Seahawks and that is for Pete Carroll to stand at the pre-game press conference this week and tell the reporters with a straight face that this is a big game for them because it gives their team a shot to get back to .500 on the season.

Branding Iron

The Branding Iron is a Student Media project. Student Media gives University of Wyoming students valuable experience in writing, editing, advertising, sales, graphic design, photography and production through its publications with the guidance of professional staff members. If you find a mistake in an article, e-mail us at bi@uwyo.edu. We will make sure to torture the poor soul until it's corrected. Just kidding. We probably won't do anything, since we're busy studying for finals.

More Posts - Facebook - YouTube

The Cowgirls were bested by the Cougars in a five-set thriller with final scores of 22-25, 25-23, 25-17, 16-25, and 9-15.

Wyoming could not hold the momentum gained from a two-set lead going into the fourth set as BYU (14-16, 9-7) tied things up at 2-2. The damage had been done as the Cowgirls saw the match slip away with a fifth set loss.

There was no answer for Utah two days later on Senior Night as UW succumbed to a tough sweep in their last match of the season by a score of 27-29, 14-25 and 20-25.

Two Cowgirls recorded double-doubles against BYU as senior outside hitter Lauren Whitney tallied 10 kills and 12 digs and sophomore outside hitter Jodi Purdy racked up 10 kills and 11 digs. Senior middle blocker JennaRae Jester added 11 kills and five blocks, according to Wyoming Athletics.

Senior outside hitter Stephanie Snow led the Cougars with 15 kills and senior right side hitter Christina Measom added 12 kills and six blocks, according to Wyoming Athletics.

The Utes (17-14, 11-5) proved to be too much for Wyoming on Senior Night recording the sweep, 29-27, 25-14 and 25-20.

Wyoming fought hard in the first set before losing a heartbreaker by two points in extra play. They never really regained that intensity from the first set en route to the loss in their final home match of the season.

In the final match of their collegiate career, senior outside hitter Lauren Whitney led Wyoming with 12 kills. Senior middle blocker JennaRae Jester added seven kills and five total blocks and senior setter Barbara Lasic tallied 26 assists and 11 digs in their final match, according to Wyoming Athletics.

Freshman outside hitter Morgan Odale led the Utes with 12 kills and redshirt junior middle blocker Danielle Killpack added 11 kills and seven blocks, according to Wyoming Athletics.

UW finished the 2010 season with its first winning record since 2002 and their most conference wins (seven) since 2006.  The Cowgirls will graduate four seniors in rightside hitter Dani Bedore, setter Barbara Lasic, outside hitter Lauren Whitney and middle blocker JennaRae Jester.

Branding Iron

The Branding Iron is a Student Media project. Student Media gives University of Wyoming students valuable experience in writing, editing, advertising, sales, graphic design, photography and production through its publications with the guidance of professional staff members. If you find a mistake in an article, e-mail us at bi@uwyo.edu. We will make sure to torture the poor soul until it's corrected. Just kidding. We probably won't do anything, since we're busy studying for finals.

More Posts - Facebook - YouTube

The Cowgirls were bested by the Cougars in a five-set thriller with final scores of 22-25, 25-23, 25-17, 16-25, and 9-15.

Wyoming could not hold the momentum gained from a two-set lead going into the fourth set as BYU (14-16, 9-7) tied things up at 2-2. The damage had been done as the Cowgirls saw the match slip away with a fifth set loss.

There was no answer for Utah two days later on Senior Night as UW succumbed to a tough sweep in their last match of the season by a score of 27-29, 14-25 and 20-25.

Two Cowgirls recorded double-doubles against BYU as senior outside hitter Lauren Whitney tallied 10 kills and 12 digs and sophomore outside hitter Jodi Purdy racked up 10 kills and 11 digs. Senior middle blocker JennaRae Jester added 11 kills and five blocks, according to Wyoming Athletics.

Senior outside hitter Stephanie Snow led the Cougars with 15 kills and senior right side hitter Christina Measom added 12 kills and six blocks, according to Wyoming Athletics.

The Utes (17-14, 11-5) proved to be too much for Wyoming on Senior Night recording the sweep, 29-27, 25-14 and 25-20. 

Wyoming fought hard in the first set before losing a heartbreaker by two points in extra play. They never really regained that intensity from the first set en route to the loss in their final home match of the season.

In the final match of their collegiate career, senior outside hitter Lauren Whitney led Wyoming with 12 kills. Senior middle blocker JennaRae Jester added seven kills and five total blocks and senior setter Barbara Lasic tallied 26 assists and 11 digs in their final match, according to Wyoming Athletics.

Freshman outside hitter Morgan Odale led the Utes with 12 kills and redshirt junior middle blocker Danielle Killpack added 11 kills and seven blocks, according to Wyoming Athletics.

UW finished the 2010 season with its first winning record since 2002 and their most conference wins (seven) since 2006.  The Cowgirls will graduate four seniors in rightside hitter Dani Bedore, setter Barbara Lasic, outside hitter Lauren Whitney and middle blocker JennaRae Jester.

Email the author: zgreubel@uwyo.edu 

codyconnor

More Posts

For southeast Wyoming’s snowboarders, riding the Snowy Range Ski Area has its advantages. 

Among the benefits of snowboarding Snowy Range include low prices and close proximity to both Laramie and Cheyenne, its hometown mountain vibe and short lines waiting to catch chairlifts. 

In comparison to the resorts in the region, the cost of riding Snowy Range is relatively low.

Full day adult lift tickets for the 2010/2011 ski season at Snowy Range are $39; adult season passes were being sold in August for $199, with the option of including five lift tickets to Steamboat for an additional $120. 

The cost of a full day ticket at Jackson Hole can cost up to $95 depending on the date you will be snowboarding; adult season passes are priced at $1,570. 

One of the greatest virtues of the Snowy Range Ski Areas is where it lies in Albany County. 

Located roughly 30 miles west of Laramie on Highway 130, Snowy Range is just a little more than a half-hour’s drive from Laramie and less than two hours from Cheyenne. 

“The best part about the ski area is how close it is to town,” Louis Johnston, a 24-year-old Laramie snowboarder and 2010/2011 Snowy Range season pass holder, said. “You’re just 30 minutes away from being able to board.” 

The ski area’s small size gives it a “hometown mountain feel.” In many ways, the snowboarders of southeast Wyoming feel as if the Snowy Range is their boarding home.

“The size of the ski area really allows you to get know the mountain in ways you could never know a large resort,” Corey Cook, a 28-year-old Laramie snowboarder, said. “I know that mountain like the back of my hand.”

Another favorite feature of the ski area among local boarders are the typically short lines to catch a chairlift up the mountain. 

The wait to snatch a lift at Snowy Range usually does not take more than a couple of minutes. It’s not uncommon to wait in chairlift lines for 10 or 20 minutes—if not longer—at resorts like Jackson Hole or Steamboat.

Riding at other ski areas provides southeast Wyoming’s snowboarders with high-speed gondolas, more terrain and other amenities not available here.

But if they had to choose between the charms of Snow Range and not riding at all, they would surely ride the Range.

codyconnor

More Posts

Rivalry.

The venerated tradition of college football; a game between two celebrated foes, where emotions run high as the snow-capped Rocky Mountains, and where the significance of the matchup is transcended only by each team’s inexorable will to win.

All of the antecedent circumstances surrounding Saturday’s Border War matchup between Wyoming and Colorado State would seem to indicate a game of relative inconsequence.

The bowl aspirations of both teams fell along with the leaves weeks ago and have since been swept off in the November wind, leaving both teams with the barren realities of enormously disappointing seasons.

Wyoming (2-9, 0-7) is still winless in conference play this season, and the Cowboys were beaten handily by UNLV last Saturday–one week after falling 34-31 on the road to a previously winless New Mexico team.

The Rams (3-8, 2-5) were crushed 49-10 by BYU in their home finale last Saturday, and a once-proud Colorado State program, which appeared to be on the rise two years ago—after CSU won the 2008 New Mexico Bowl—now stares directly at the prospect of a second consecutive three-win season.

And yet, united by the frustrations of fruitless seasons and by the history and tradition of a rivalry more than one century deep, Wyoming and Colorado State will indubitably step onto the field of War Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon and play as intensely and as passionately as they have all season.

“It’s important because it’s our rivalry game and that makes it the most important game on our schedule,” Wyoming head coach Dave Christensen said in his Monday press conference. “It’ll always be the most important game on our schedule. It’s big to the people of the state of Wyoming, it’s big to everyone in our fanbase, our alumni and the kids in our program.”   

It’s perhaps of escalated importance to Colorado State, as the Rams still feel the sting of last season’s 17-16 defeat to Wyoming – a contest in which then-true freshman quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels guided the Cowboys on a thrilling game-winning drive which culminated in a 33 yard Ian Watts field goal with 1:27 remaining.

Colorado State players, on the other hand, sat at home watching on television as Wyoming celebrated in jubilation, and the Rams could only have been thinking about what could have been if they would have stopped Carta-Samuels and spoiled the Cowboys’ bowl hopes. The Rams, doubtlessly, were thinking ahead to November for another shot at Wyoming.

Pete Thomas has turned some heads in the conference in his first season at the helm for the Rams, passing for 2,565 yards and 11 touchdowns, and although Thomas has been inconsistent at times—also throwing 12 interceptions—he is a formidable challenge for a Cowboy defense, which has been torched each of the previous three weeks.

On the other sideline, Carta-Samuels is still looking for a definitive performance in 2010, a season after winning MWC Freshman of the Year honors.

It isn’t that Carta-Samuels has struggled—he’s completed 59.1% of his passes—but the Cowboy offense has been stagnant for most of the season, and while Carta-Samuels hasn’t surpassed the 200 yard passing mark since week one, it’s in rivalry games where great players often rise to the occasion and etch their legacies definitively into the histories of a program. 

There’s no shortage of reasons to believe that players all over the field – wearing brown and gold and green and gold – will be up to the occasion on Saturday. 

It’s the final time outstanding senior contributors Chris Prosinski (366 career tackles, fourth all-time in Cowboy history), David Leonard (147), and Marcell Gipson will take the field as Cowboys.

It’s the opportunity to hoist the Bronze Boot in triumph and hold bragging rights over a fierce rival. 

It’s the Border War, and it’s still about as good as it gets for college football in November. 

codyconnor

More Posts

The first match of the Cowgirl volleyball team’s final home stand will be against conference-leading and No. 15 Colorado State (23-3, 12-1) at 5 p.m. tonight in the UniWyo Sports Complex.

Wyoming (22-7, 7-6) split their last two matches on the road, beating Texas Christian and falling to New Mexico.  

Head coach Carrie Yerty was content with the split but knows the importance of tonight’s match against CSU. “I expect CSU to be a battle like it always is,” Yerty said. “Sometimes records and scores don’t mean a lick when you’re talking about who’s right across the border.” 

Yerty added that the Border War prospect doesn’t really make a difference as far as the team being excited to play. “I don’t think it takes a lot to fire our team up on a regular basis and it certainly doesn’t take a lot to fire them up for CSU. Any time you can play a top-15 team that’s a natural rival you’re going to be fired up and they’re certainly ready.”

The Cowgirls are led by sophomore outside hitter Jodi Purdy who is averaging 3.30 kills per set. Senior outside hitter Lauren Whitney averages 2.61 kills a set and senior middle blocker JennaRae Jester leads the team with 1.37 blocks per set, according to Wyoming Athletics.

Senior outside hitter Danielle Minch leads CSU this season with 3.32 kills per set while redshirt sophomore middle blocker Megan Plourde averages 1.56 blocks per set to lead the Rams, according to CSU Athletics.

“I know that [CSU Head Coach] Tom Hilbert will have his team prepared,” Yerty said. “I know those seniors will want to avenge [their loss against New Mexico] last weekend. I know they’re getting ready for the postseason and fine-tuning things. We’re going to have to play at the very top of our game to beat CSU.”

Wyoming’s final regular season matches this season will be against BYU and Utah next week in Laramie.

Email: Zach Greubel 

Branding Iron

The Branding Iron is a Student Media project. Student Media gives University of Wyoming students valuable experience in writing, editing, advertising, sales, graphic design, photography and production through its publications with the guidance of professional staff members. If you find a mistake in an article, e-mail us at bi@uwyo.edu. We will make sure to torture the poor soul until it's corrected. Just kidding. We probably won't do anything, since we're busy studying for finals.

More Posts - Facebook - YouTube