Colorado wins weird 2017 Rocky Mountain Showdown

Colorado has historically had a stranglehold over their in-state rival Colorado State. That didn’t change on this night, when the Buffaloes beat the Rams, 17-3.

Running back Phillip Lindsay returned for the Buffs and dazzled early in this game. His 45-yard TD to open scoring looked like he was shot out of a cannon, and he had over 100 yards before halftime. He would finish 140 yards, perhaps the only pretty performance in a mostly ugly affair.

The game devolved into something of a defensive struggle as it wore on. Colorado’s Steven Montez was sharp at QB, and so was Colorado State’s Nick Stevens. But both, especially Stevens, struggled against stout defensive fronts. Defense was a particular concerned for the Buffs after losing defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt to Oregon, but CU stood tall on D.

There was a time when I thought my life would end 17-3, so pervasive was the deadlock the teams entered into after the Rams made a field goal with 9:58 remaining in the second quarter. There were certainly attempts to break it, like the two Colorado State TDs wiped off the board by flags, or the Steven Montez interception thrown in the end zone when he went for it all on a big pass. There was a missed field goals and all sorts of petering out of promising drives. In fitting fashion, the game was clinched by a late interception in the end zone as Colorado State gave its last gasp attempt to win.

College football’s back, and we love it for its imperfections. This game had ‘em, certainly. But it’s a rivalry game, and those that watched Colorado yet again assert supremacy in the state won’t (and shouldn’t) care.

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Colorado and Colorado State will face off on Friday, Sept. 1 from Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, the home site for the Denver Broncos. While the Rocky Mountain Showdown between these two isn’t as high stakes as it once was, Friday evening’s game should be pretty entertaining.

Colorado State is coming off a statement 58-27 win over Oregon State on Saturday, during which the Rams offense put up a whopping 525 yards up on the Beaver’s defense. Not to mention CSU was able to give the home fans of its brand spanking new on-campus stadium in Fort Collins quite the show.

The biggest question for Colorado heading into 2017 is how it rebounds from the Cinderella-like 10-4 season last year. The Buffaloes lost a lot of talent from its team last year, but the Walter Camp Coach of the Year Mike MacIntyre returns with the chance to prove that 2016 wasn’t the last we’ll see Colorado football enjoying recent success.

The Rams offense hummed against Oregon State last week. The aforementioned 527 total yards and 57 points is obviously impressive. But CSU quarterback Nick Steven’s was impressive too in the effort, throwing for 334 yards and three touchdowns on the day. Rams running back Dalyn Dawkins added a touchdown, too. See, offensive coordinator Mike Bob can do more than just run the damn ball!

That gives new Colorado defensive coordinator D.J. Elliot a tough test in his Buffs debut. One of the biggest blows to Colorado staff-wise last season was the loss of defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt, who joined Willie Taggart’s staff at Oregon. Leavitt drastically turned around the Buffaloes defense, which was a big reason for Colorado’s success last season, as well. New DC Elliot, hired to CU from Kentucky, will have big shoes to fill both this week and throughout the season.

This game is expected to be a close one, so this matchup has the formula that might make the Rocky Mountain Showdown exciting again. CU has won five out of the last seven games in this annual series, and fan interest has gone down a bit in recent years. Not too long ago, though, this game had high stakes. From 1995 to 2003, one or both schools were ranked in the top 25 entering the game. From then until 2015, CSU had just three winning seasons in the past 11 seasons and Colorado had just two during that time frame. But given the excitement surrounding both CSU and Colorado in the last couple of years, this game could potentially renew this thing.