Toby McBride • Defensive Line • Redshirt Senior • Fort Morgan, CO

So far: Toby McBride came to CSU as the quintessential Colorado Recruit^TM: Overlooked kid from the eastern plains, only offers from State, Wyoming, and Air Force. The type of recruit that a Top Booster like myself never shuts up about. He initially lived up to the hype, playing in all 12 games as a freshman and recording 9 TFLs and 4 sacks.

The sky seemed to be the limit, but then the injuries came. McBride didn’t play more than six games in a season for the rest of his career. We all thought his time on the football field had come to an end but then…

What’s ahead: Look who’s back! In a surprise announcement (well, at least for the uninformed such as myself) the school confirmed that McBride will be back for a Redshirt Senior year. I don’t know where to even start when trying to project his 2020 season. Where will he play? Will he be on a pitch count? Is he really up to 280 from 265? I don’t know and I really don’t care, I’m just happy to see him back.

In the meantime, Toby is smoking fools in Call of Duty:

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Brewery nearest to Fort Morgan, Colorado: Crabtree Brewing Company (Over 50 miles away in Greeley!)

Worst Yelp review for Crabtree Brewing Company:

So this fucking guy had to walk ten miles in the snow, uphill both ways, and you couldn’t even give him a beer? That’s a well-deserved one star review!

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Ranking Every Game of the Mike Bobo Era, #62

2016 Idaho, The Ice Bowl

• Score: Colorado State 50, Idaho 61
• Line: Colorado State -16
• Venue: JuCo Activity Field, Boise, Idaho

This game man…. this fucking game.

One of the joys of Mountain West Conference membership is knowing that at some point your team has to bite the bullet and play in the Idaho Potato Bowl. December 22nd, 2016 was Colorado State’s turn.

There are a lot of things not to like about Boise as a bowl destination, but as a Top Booster like myself, the worst part is their crap airport. With limited flights and short notice, tickets out of Denver were $500. And driving during that time of year isn’t an option, you’re just asking to get snowbound in Rawlins, Wyoming watching the game from your room at the Motel 6.

In the run up to the game, Coach Bobo didn’t use all his practices (I’ll never understand that) and only practiced indoors after arriving in Boise (I’ll never understand that). Word also came down that our good friends at Boise State “University” advised the equipment crew on what types of shoes to wear for the icy conditions. They wouldn’t lie to us, right guys?

The game turned out to be a sub-zero, slipping-sliding, shit-show. Idaho raced out to a 41-7 lead (41-7!!!) and never looked back.

To make the loss even more painful, at one point the geniuses at ESPN messed up the scoreboard and put CSU in the lead:

I was three sheets to the wind at that point and actually believed that we had come back to take the lead. I had to experience the loss all over again after the ESPN crew quickly corrected their score widget.

Idaho would end the year at 9-4. They would drop down to FCS after the following season.

Fun fact: Starting in the third quarter, CSU and Idaho combined for eight straight drives ending in touchdowns, a Potato Bowl record.

The full game is here if you hate yourself and want to watch it:

Ellison Hubbard • DL • Senior • Loganville, GA

Brewery nearest Loganville, Georgia: Slow Pour Brewing Company (10 miles away in Lawrenceville)

Worst Yelp Review for Slow Pour Brewing Company:

Braeden B from Vail, checking in! This is definitely the kind of review you’d expect from someone named Braeden from Vail. I hope his fantasy team was shit.

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Ranking Every Game of the Mike Bobo Era, #63:

2017 Boise State, The Ultimate Choke Job

• Score: Colorado State 52, Boise State 59
• Line: Boise -6.5
• Venue: Multipurpose Stadium

Here it is, the worst game of the Mike Bobo era. Using my proprietary game-ranking technology, this game ranks as the worst due to the stakes of the game, the irritating opponent, and the “come-from-ahead” style of defeat.

The Rams came into the game on a two-game losing streak, but remained mathematically alive for the Mountain Division title with a win and some help elsewhere. The Rams also entered the game 0-6 all time against the Broncos, and this represented a glorious chance to get that monkey off their back.

CSU started quickly, getting out to a 28-3 lead and eventually going into the half up 35-17. Boise made their inevitable comeback in the 3rd quarter, but CSU still held a 52-38 lead with three minutes to go in the game. Unfortunately, two major events occurred early in the 4th that would come back to bite them: settling for a field goal from the 1-yard line and Dalyn Dawkins (268 yards from scrimmage, 2 TDs) leaving the game with an injury.

Boise would score on their next drive to make it 52-45, then execute a miracle on-side kick over Michael Gallup’s head, then score again.

In overtime, Boise scored right away and Dawkins’ replacement Rashaad Boddie fumbled, ending the game.

The loss felt even worse when Wyoming and Boise lost in the following weeks, meaning CSU would have clinched a berth to the MW Championship. (And would go into the championship game coming off a Week 13 bye.)

Boise State finished the season 11-3 (22nd), with wins over Fresno in the MW Championship and Oregon in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Fun fact: In the three overtime games of the Mike Bobo era, CSU failed to score a point. As my guy Braeden B from Vail would say, unbelievable.

Here’s a video of the game if you hate yourself and want to watch: