What we're watching for in Border War, plus CSU vs Wyoming prediction

It’s been a long wait for Colorado State football fans for this moment. Jay Norvell was fired last October. Jim Mora was hired before Thanksgiving.

After all that time, CSU fans finally get to see the new-look Rams. And it’s in a nice little battle known as the Border War.

What a spicy way to start the season! Here’s what I’m watching for as Wyoming plays at CSU (4 p.m. Sept. 5) and a score prediction for the Border War.

CSU fans have been through it watching bad offenses. It was just 18.5 points per game last year. Even CSU’s eight-win team in 2024 had just a so-so attack.

It’s been since 2017 for the Rams to average 30 points or more per game. Forty-six teams in FBS averaged 30 or more last season, including Mora’s UConn at 35.3.

This offense probably shouldn’t be expected to match that one because UConn was an established program with a QB (Joe Fagnano) and receiver (Skyler Bell) who are both in the NFL now, but it is fair to expect a real uptick.

Pryce Tracy follows Mora from UConn and makes the step up to offensive coordinator and play-caller for the first time. Mora has called him a very smart and aggressive play-caller.

We don’t know yet if it’s Hauss Hejny or K’saan Farrar starting at quarterback, but both can be dynamic passing and rushing. The running back room should be very good, as should the tight ends. The inexperience of the offensive line is a point of caution.

It’s probably not likely to expect CSU to be dropping 40 points right away, but some big, explosive plays would be a good early sign.

<1 / 19

<2 / 19

<3 / 19

<4 / 19

<5 / 19

<6 / 19

<7 / 19

<8 / 19

<9 / 19

<10 / 19

<11 / 19

<12 / 19

<13 / 19

<14 / 19

<15 / 19

<16 / 19

<17 / 19

<18 / 19

<19 / 19

It’s a fascinating first test for this somewhat new, somewhat familiar CSU defense. Tyson Summers returns as defensive coordinator, and there are some holdover players who will be on the field such as Mukendi Wa-Kalonji, Kenyon Agurs, Jaseim Mitchell and others.

There’s a lot of new, too, with linebacker Oumar Diomande a centerpiece player.

Wyoming has pledged a new-look offense under new coordinator Christian Taylor, a former offensive coordinator at William & Mary. Quarterback Tyler Hughes is a true dual threat player and he threw for 2,330 yards and rushed for another 670 last season.

It should look a lot different than Wyoming offenses of the past.

We know the Summers defense means plenty of aggressive attacking to try and disrupt offenses. It’s a strategy built to cause chaos and, ideally, turnovers. This group is significantly bigger up front than CSU defensive lines in the past, which can help create lanes for attack.

Does the defense have all the layers? Multiple areas where pressure can come from reliably? Can the back end hold up in tough one-on-one battles?

How different will game operations look for CSU? Mora was brought in partly because of his detailed nature. This is a coach hyper-fixated on details big and small.

It’s no secret CSU fans spent years frustrated over in-game mishaps from poor use of timeouts, curious go/don’t go for it decisions, communication issues, substitution problems and more. Some of it was overblown in the social media sphere, but some of it was very, very real.

There are countless examples from the offseason showing Mora’s difference in these areas. For one, Mora isn’t a play-caller. He’ll have an analytics guru analyst (Rob Kamara) on his hip in critical situations to help on decisions involving timeouts, going for it, going for two, etc.

Just this week, Mora has talked multiple times about the work staff does to teach players how to properly run scout team to help the main players prepare to face Wyoming.

This isn’t to say it will all be smooth. There will be penalties (it’s still Week 1 and football). There may be turnovers. There may be blown coverages. That’s all part of the game.

But there will be some smoother game-day operations even noticeable to fans in the stands.

So many unknowns. CSU has a new staff and about 3/4 of the roster is new. Wyoming is trying to shift to a completely new style of offense.

No Week 1 game is a “must win” (I hate that phrase, by the way), but this game will certainly have a profound impact on the energy around CSU’s new era. Lose and plenty of casuals quickly tune out. Win? The positive hopes launch.

I think CSU will find ways to get its top athletes in space for a few huge plays. Wyoming’s new offense will cause problems but will also face some teething problems that the Rams take advantage of in the form of turnovers.

Sports reporter Kevin Lytle can be found on social media on X, Instagram and Threads @Kevin_Lytle and on Bluesky.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: What we’re watching for in Border War, plus CSU vs Wyoming prediction