FORT COLLINS — For Colorado State football, Friday marked something months in the making — game week.
With the Rocky Mountain Showdown set for an 8 p.m. kickoff next Friday, Aug. 30, the Rams expedited their schedule to prepare for the task they haven’t been able to conquer since 2014.
“It’s always exciting when camp’s coming to a close and you truly start to focus on your first opponent,” coach Mike Bobo said. “We’ve dabbled with some of our opponents this week but (Wednesday night) at the team meeting, I was given the schedule for Friday and the first line said, ‘CU Week’ like a Monday, and the kids got excited. That was a good sign. I’ve been proud of our kids all camp — the energy in practice and excitement coming into this week to get ready for the Showdown.”
Of course, Bobo still admitted his team needs this upcoming week of practice to iron things out as they really begin game planning for the Buffs. They’ll have time to do so with the extended schedule which allows for an additional walk through before taking the field at Broncos Stadium at Mile High.
The players are ready for the change of pace, too. After nearly a month of training camp, the impending Showdown has weighed heavily on their minds.
“I am (excited) but I feel like we’ve been in game-week preparation for awhile,” defensive end Manny Jones said. “We’ve all been anticipating this and this is something we’ve been looking forward to for a long time, so I feel like it’s been a long time coming.”
Following two seasons which began with a Week 0 contest — a loss to Hawaii last year and a win against Oregon State in 2018 — many Rams expressed excitement to begin their season with the rivalry game.
“Especially since we had a not-so-good season last year, you’ve got built up frustration for months now,” tight end Cam Butler said. “So to go out and compete against your rival in the first week, you can let loose and have fun.”
The last time the two teams began their seasons against each other was in 2016, a 44-7 shellacking from CU. That was quarterback Collin Hill’s first taste of the rivalry, and though he didn’t play in the game, he’s learned the importance of it since then, and the opening-season Showdown makes it that much more meaningful.
“It’s one of the most fun games we play, especially down here in Denver,” Hill said. “Everybody knows what it means, how much it means, especially the in-state guys. My freshman year I didn’t really know what to expect. I knew it was a rivalry but I still didn’t know to what extent. It’s an awesome game and everyone’s excited, especially for it to be the first game.”
Hill is set to play his first meaningful minutes in the Showdown this season after making his debut last fall when the game was largely out of reach. The last time the Rams were competitive in the game — a 17-3 loss in 2017 — Hill was on the sidelines recovering from an ACL tear.
And like his teammates echoed Friday, Hill is prepared to make his mark in the rivalry.
“You always want to win, but I think 2014 was the last time we won one,” he said. “Guys know that and are motivated.”
Colin Barnard: cbarnard@prairiemountainmedia.com or on Twitter @ColinBarnard_
