Site—Invesco Field, Denver.
Kickoff—10 a.m. MDT
TV—Fox Sports Net (Joel Meyers play-by-play, Gary Reasons analyst, Emily Jones sidelines).
Records—Colorado State (0-0), Colorado (0-0).
Coaches—Colorado State, Sonny Lubick (126-84 career, 105-65 at CSU), Colorado, Dan Hawkins (55-22, 2-10 at CU).
Last Meeting—Colorado State won 14-10 at Invesco Field last season.
Series—Colorado leads 57-19-2.
Key Players—CSU RB Kyle Bell missed last season with a knee injury but is back and out to prove that he can return to his previous dominant form. He gained 1,288 yards and scored 10 times in 2005. … Rams QB Caleb Hanie, who started all 12 games last year, leads a group of 20 returning starters—nine each on offense and defense and two kickers. That’s the most experience Lubick has ever had since coming to CSU in 1993. … CSU punter Jimmie Kaylor is a preseason all-Mountain West Conference selection. … CU QB Cody Hawkins is the coach’s son and beat out juco transfer Nick Nelson for the starting job. He’s never lost a game that he started but said he’ll know how to handle it when it happens because he’s lost plenty of basketball and baseball games over the years.
Extra Points—Rams lost their last seven games last season. … Hanie is the seventh QB under Lubick to return as a senior starter. Five of the previous six led the Rams to a bowl game. … This is the eighth time in the last decade that the Rocky Mountain Showdown will be played at a neutral site. … The last five games have been decided by a total of 22 points and none by more than a touchdown. … Last year, CSU held the Buffaloes to 28 second-half yards and Hanie completed his first 14 passes.
