FACTS & STATS: Site: War Memorial Stadium (30,514) -- Laramie, Wyoming. Television: The Mtn. Home Record: CSU 4-2, Wyoming 3-3. Away Record: CSU 1-3, Wyoming 1-4. Neutral Record: CSU 0-1, Wyoming 0-0. Conference Record: CSU 3-4, Wyoming 1-6. Series Record: Colorado State leads, 54-40-5

GAME NOTES: With an opportunity to become bowl eligible still a reality, the Colorado State Rams hit the field at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie this weekend to challenge the Wyoming Cowboys in a Mountain West Conference bout. Although the Rams are just 3-4 in conference so far this season, there's still a chance the group could make it to the postseason. Somewhat sporadic over the last two months, CSU managed to snap a two-game slide last Saturday with a 20-6 win over New Mexico, making the squad 4-2 at home and needing to win the season finale to earn that crucial sixth victory of the campaign. As for the Cowboys, they entered their last game against UNLV still with a slim chance of earning bowl eligibility after beating both San Diego State and Tennessee in back-to-back efforts. However, the Cowboys surrendered 22 points to the Rebels in an eight-point setback, leaving them just 1-6 versus the rest of the conference. Last season, the Rams picked up a 36-28 victory in the annual clash, one of the oldest on record for both squads, which means CSU is now ahead in the all-time series by a mark of 52-40-5.

Billy Farris survived a pair of interceptions against the Lobos as he converted 16-of-27 passes for 237 yards and a touchdown in the win for Colorado State the last time out. Also having a strong effort for the Rams was running back Gartrell Johnson who took 30 carries and turned them into 127 yards and a score, while the rest of the squad managed to come up with just 25 total rushing yards on 13 attempts. As expected, Johnson is one of the top running backs in the MWC this season with his 96 ypg, ranking him third in the league entering the week. Considering the rest of the squad has accounted for less than half his total on the ground and has just five rushing touchdowns to his nine, Johnson is certainly a key part of the offense. Farris, who is averaging 222 ypg passing, has two favorite targets in Rashaun Greer and Dion Morton, the former leading the team with 58 catches for 995 yards and the latter accounting for a team-best seven TDs.

More than anything else, the Rams defense came up big against New Mexico last week, limiting the visitors to a mere two field goals. Forget the fact that the Lobos rolled up 155 yards on the ground and 204 yards through the air, because in the end it's all about the numbers on the scoreboard anyway. From an individual standpoint, Jeff Horinek played as well as anyone for the Rams with his seven tackles, one of which resulted in a loss for the Lobos. Tackles for loss are a rare commodity in Fort Collins these days with the Rams averaging just four per game to rank last in the conference and 117th in the nation at the moment. What's worse is that the team is dead last in college football when it comes to recording sacks, averaging 0.73 per game. Because of that inability to get a strong push at the line of scrimmage, the Rams are allowing 183.1 ypg on the ground (99th) and are 98th in the nation in total defense with 406.2 ypg given up.

Chris Stutzriem tossed a couple of touchdown passes to Greg Bolling and Chris Johnson, but other than that the offense for the Cowboys made little noise in the loss to UNLV at Sam Boyd Stadium. Stutzriem converted 12-of-21 passes for 143 yards and was picked off twice as head coach Joe Glenn stuck with the signal-caller for the entire outing. Devin Moore chipped in 91 yards rushing and Wynel Seldon 47 yards, but other than that the rushing attack had little to do with the outcome. The fact that Stutzriem was allowed to stay in the game and no other signal-caller was used is news in itself in Laramie with how much the Pokes have played musical quarterback this season. Nevertheless, Stutzriem has been only serviceable really, completing 57.6 percent of his attempts for five touchdowns and as many interceptions. Put all of the quarterbacks together and the Cowboys have tossed a total of 17 picks, against just seven TDs, which means that Moore (1,225 yards, seven TDs) and Seldon (530 yards, two TDs) have had to shoulder much of the load.

Perhaps the biggest problem for the Cowboys was that the defense was forced to remain on the field for almost two-thirds of the game. The second quarter was especially taxing for the group because the Rebels controlled the ball for 12:22. When it came time to limit UNLV on third down the Cowboys just couldn't get the job done, allowing the Rebels to convert 12-of-23 opportunities. While that doesn't sound too bad, consider that the Wyoming offense converted only 2-of-9 on such plays. While it is not entirely the fault of the offense this season, the Cowboys are having serious problems in the turnover department. The squad ranks last in the MWC and is 118th in the nation this week with a turnover margin of minus-2.0 per outing. With two interceptions and a forced fumble over the course of 11 games, Ward Dobbs has tried to reverse that trend, but he can only do so much, seeing as how he is also the team leader in tackles with 90.

Colorado State has had enough trouble playing on the road this season and against a Cowboys team that may be trying to preserve the job of coach Glenn, the chances of the Rams getting out ahead and staying in the lead in Laramie are slim.