Colorado State Vs. Utah State: Rams Out For Bounce Back Following Loss To Colorado Buffaloes

The 2011 Rocky Mountain Showdown wasn't much of one when all was said and done. The Colorado St. Rams stood defeated on Sports Authority Field at Mile High last Saturday. The Colorado Buffaloes had picked up a 28-14 victory over the Rams for Jon Embree's first win as a head coach.

For the Rams, this was the first loss the 2011 season. After a sloppy win over New Mexico and a crushing victory over Northern Colorado, the Buffs proved too much. The Rams might not have an easier time this week with a road game against the Utah State Aggies.

The Aggies played the Auburn Tigers to the brink on the road in Auburn, but two late touchdowns by the Tigers secured the victory. The Aggies shredded the ground for 227 yards and five touchdowns. With their defeat of Weber State two weeks ago, the Aggies are fourth in the nation with 333.5 yards per game. The Rams haven't been particularly strong on the ground, and last week they allowed Rodney Stewart a breakout game of 98 yards rushing.

Raymond Carter and Chris Nwoke have the Rams averaging 133 yards on the ground, but sophomore quarterback Pete Thomas is still looking for that breakout game of the season. He did throw three interceptions against Northern Colorado before the Buffs held him to 18-of-28 passing for 157 yards and no scores or interceptions last week.

Colorado State owns the series record at 35-30-2, but the last game between the two came in 1997. The Rams won that one and the two other contests (1994-95) that were played in the 90s.

This game kicks off at 6:00 p.m. MT and can be seen on ESPN3.