FORT COLLINS — After months of anticipation, the Colorado State football team finally made its debut under first-year head coach Jim Mora on Saturday.
The game just happened to be against the Rams’ biggest rival as Wyoming traveled south of the state line to battle for the Bronze Boot in the earliest Border War contest since the teams opened the 1964 season against each other.
As the sun set over Canvas Stadium, the boot was securely back in CSU’s possession and Mora was 1-0 as the Rams’ head coach.
CSU was able to extend and hold on to an 11-point halftime lead in a 35-13 victory over the Cowboys, their first against their northern rival since 2024 while avenging last year’s 28-0 shutout loss in Laramie.
“I’m really proud of our players,” Mora said after the game with the Bronze Boot sitting in front of him. “They showed character. They were connected. They fought through some adversity. They handled the hard things. They stayed focused. They never got too high. They never got too low. And they brought this baby home, and it’s going to stay here for a while.”
The Rams led 14-6 to begin the second half, but the Cowboys wasted little time driving 55 yards in seven plays and cutting CSU’s lead to 14-13 on a 9-yard run by Tyler Hughes with 10:59 left in the third quarter.
Midway through the third period, the Rams got the momentum swing they needed. Oumar Diomande came up with CSU’s third interception of the night at the CSU 40 with 4:45 left in the period. Roughly 40 seconds later, Hauss Hejny found RJ Vick wide open down the middle for a 57-yard touchdown — the second scoring connection of the game between the two — and the Rams led 21-13.
“I was impressed that they stayed composed and focused on their training and trusted each other,” Mora said of CSU’s response to Wyoming’s early second-half touchdown. “The moment wasn’t too big for them. The momentum could have changed, but they just kept playing the next play and that’s what we preach, and that’s where our culture is.”
CSU extended its lead early in the fourth quarter when Hejny threw his fourth touchdown pass of the game, a 24-yarder to Jackson Harper that made it 28-13 with 11:22 remaining in the game.
With 1:05 remaining, the Rams added one more touchdown. Hejny’s fifth scoring pass was his third to Vick as CSU increased its lead to 35-13.
Hejny finished the game with 214 yards passing, and he also rushed for 39 yards. Vick had 75 yards receiving in his breakout performance. Mel Brown led the Rams on the ground with 57 yards, and Durrell Robinson added 52.
Defensively, Diomande finished the game with 11 tackles and an interception as the Rams allowed only 88 yards to the Cowboys in the second half.
“I’d like to thank our offense,” Diomande said of the defensive effort. “Because during fall camp they gave it to us a little bit. They help us prepare for these games like this and when we went out there, that made it easier for us.”
The Rams received the opening kickoff and looked sharp as they drove 65 yards in 10 plays and scored the game’s first points on a 6-yard pass from Hejny to Cedric Ross to give CSU a 7-0 lead just minutes into the contest.
Wyoming countered with a 13-play drive that took more than eight minutes off the clock and concluded with a 37-yard field goal by Erik Sandvik to cut the Rams’ lead to 7-3.
Then, the teams got defensive in the second quarter. Neither team scored, and the Rams came up with a pair of interceptions.
The first, by Jaylen King, gave the Rams a first down at their own 20-yard line with 12:52 left before half. However, the resulting drive ended with a punt.
The second, by CJ Blocker, gave CSU a first down a yard shy of midfield with 4 1/2 minutes left in the first half. The Rams were able to capitalize when Hejny competed a 3-yard pass to Vick to go ahead 14-3.
Wyoming was able to put three more points on the board before the break when Sandvik made a 48-yard field goal as time expired. That came after CSU’s Kali Nguma missed a 54-yard field goal with 33 seconds remaining.
Hejny completed 16 of 21 passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, showing Mora chose him as opening game starter. Brown rushed for 40 yards on four carries and Tommy Maher led the receivers with three catches for 43 yards.
Then in the second half, the Rams outscored the Cowboys 14-7 to secure their 60th win in the 118th edition of the Border War.
“I just feel blessed, to be honest,” Hejny said. “We talked about it nine months ago, going and handling business versus Wyoming. We put our heads down to work the past nine months, so we didn’t focus too much on the noise, just going out and executing and taking it play by play. That’s what we did today and I’m so proud of this team.”
CSU will be back home next Saturday when they host Southern Utah at 5 p.m. at Canvas Stadium.
