Ah, a nice September Saturday in Laramie.
We can only hope the weather cooperates when Air Force visits Wyoming for what figures to be an exciting Mountain West Conference football game at War Memorial Stadium.
Call it the Rocky Mountain Showdown II, north of the border.
The Falcons (1-0) and Cowboys (1-0) delivered season-opening victories at home, with Air Force routing Southern Utah 41-7 and Wyoming rallying to beat Ohio 21-20. The MWC’s biggest season-opening win was Utah’s 25-23 victory at Michigan.
Air Force is piloted by senior quarterback Shea Smith, a first-year starter who fueled a 508-yard attack in the Falcons’ opener. Wyoming, led by new quarterback Dax Crum, gained 271 yards against Ohio.
The AFA-Wyoming game won’t be the MWC season’s first. Texas Christian opened impressively Saturday, routing New Mexico 26-3 in Albuquerque.
Wyoming got a big test from Ohio, which should help the Cowboys this week.
“We had the first-game jitters and a slow first half, but we’d been here before, so we got things going in the second half,” Wyoming safety Quincy Rogers said. “It was great to open with a win. Now we are ready to get back to work for next week.”
In other Front Range games Saturday, Colorado State hosts Sacramento State and Colorado welcomes Eastern Washington.
Northern Colorado opens its season Saturday against Purdue of the Big Ten in West Lafayette, Ind.
It’s also the season opener for Purdue, which finished 8-5 last season after beating Central Michigan 51-48 in the Motor City Bowl.
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
Falcons at Cowboys
When: Saturday, 1:30 p.m., Laramie
Series: Air Force leads 23-20-3 TV: CBSCS
BIG-TIME RAYS
Tampa Bay staying hot.
Don’t look now, but the Tampa Bay Rays are threatening to finish with Major League Baseball’s best record.
They are the Rockies of 2007, only better. The Rockies barely made the postseason a year ago, needing a remarkable run to do it. But the no- name Rays are on track to get there with ease.
Tampa Bay has baseball’s 26th-ranked home attendance average. But the Rays went 21-8 in August and are 84-51 overall after waxing Baltimore 10-4 in Florida on Sunday. The Rays have won five in a row and extended their American League East Division lead to 5 1/2 games over the Boston Red Sox and 12 1/2 over the New York Yankees.
Tampa Bay has baseball’s best winning percentage (.622). The Chicago Cubs are second (.620).
TV GAME OF THE WEEK
NFL season opener.
The defending champion New York Giants, led by Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning, host the Washington Redskins on Thursday, starting the league’s 89th season. The NBC-televised game begins at 5 p.m. on KUSA-9.
SAKIC IS BACK
Captain Joe scheduled to talk about return.
Avalanche center Joe Sakic will discuss his decision to return for a 20th season Tuesday at the Avs’ practice facility in Centennial. Sakic, 39, signed a one-year contract last week, but the club didn’t want to conduct a news conference during the Democratic National Convention. The Avs begin training camp next week, but if you’re persistent, hang out at the Family Sports Center this week and you will see plenty of the guys training on their own.
KICKOFF CLASSIC
No, we’re not talking football.
The University of Colorado Kickoff Classic — a 5-kilometer running race — is today at Boulder’s Franklin Field. Adults will start at 8 a.m., followed by the kids race at 8:30. If you haven’t registered, it’s probably too late.
FRONT ROW JOE
Local team sets record.
Kudos to Furniture Row Racing, the Denver- based NASCAR team that qualified for its record 22nd Sprint Cup race of the season last weekend. The third-year team qualified for 21 races in its rookie 2006 campaign. “The record is a team accomplishment, and I am both happy and proud for every member of this organization,” driver Joe Nemechek said. He has qualified in 13 straight Cup races and 22-of-25 this season. Next up: Saturday’s regular-season finale at Richmond, Va. After the Richmond race, the top 12 drivers in the standings will be reseeded for the 10-race playoffs.
