Devin Phillips • Defensive Line • Junior • Monroe, LA

So far: If only recruiting the d-line was always this simple: recruit a 3-star DT, plug him in and have him start every game of his career. Phillips who has played in and started 22 games during his Freshman and Sophomore seasons. He doesn’t get the glory of filling up the box score, but the guy occupies blockers and is always healthy. One of the most important guys on the defense.

What’s ahead: More of the same. It remains to be seen exactly what role he’ll play in Coach Heater’s new defense, but it’s safe to say that he’ll be the centerpiece of the defensive line. It’s a little worrisome that Devin’s brother isn’t currently on the roster, so hopefully everything with the Phillips family is okay and Devin is still here in the fall.

Brewery nearest Monroe, Louisiana: Flying Tiger Brewery

Located in downtown Monroe, the brewery is named after the Flying Tigers air squadron from World War 2.

Worst Yelp review for Flying Tiger:

Well this isn’t very fun, the lowest review is four stars. I chose this one because it mentions a street magician and I think it’s time to start a dialogue about that: are street magicians really entertaining? Like… really? Does some guy wearing eye liner, dressed up like Robert Smith from The Cure, guessing the card behind my back count as “entertainment”?

And if you’re a magician, at what point do you consider yourself “street”? When you grow up in a rough neighborhood you either learn to fight, join a gang… or master the art of magic? I’m not buying it.

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Ranking Every Game of the Mike Bobo Era, #60

2017 Wyoming, The Snow Game

• Final Score: Colorado State 13, Wyoming 16
• Line: -4
• Venue: Hoth Stadium

I hate losing to Wyoming. Truly fucking hate it. More than Colorado, more than Air Force, more than FCS teams. I remember falling in love with Coach McElwain when he told a story that after he lost his first game against Wyoming, he put the newspaper clipping on his wall and wrote “NEVER AGAIN” on it. Unfortunately, the Bobo regime could never fully duplicate that type of passion for the series. (Or at least make it translate to the field.)

The 109th version of the Border War saw the Rams at 4-1 in the Mountain West, controlling their own destiny for their first conference title since Sonny Lubick roamed the sidelines.

I won’t go through the details of the game because it was mainly a defensive struggle, so lets fast forward to 10 minutes left in the 4th quarter. Rams up 13-9, Wyoming with the ball. Wyoming’s All-Universe Pretty Boy All-Star Quarterback Josh Allen runs a keeper to the right when all of the sudden:

BOOM! Shun Johnson and Jordan Fogel team up to separate Allen from the ball and Max McDonald recovers. CSU ball! At that moment our win probability was 82% according to the big brains at ESPN, but CSU fans knew better. After a first down, CSU got stuck with a 4th-and-6. Deciding that he cant kick a field goal or throw a pass in the weather, Bobo decides to… run Rashaad Boddie up the middle? Why not punt there? There aren’t many times that fans want their team to punt, but damn, they should have punted.

Wyoming takes their short field and steamrolls through the Ram defense to a 16-13 lead. CSU goes three and out on their next drive and punts. CSU would never see the ball again.

A game CSU had every chance to win, they gave away. Going up to Laramie and beating their superstar QB and bringing home The Boot in a friggin blizzard; how epic would that have been?

But instead, hopes of a MW title? Down the toilet. The Bronze Boot? Staying in the hinterlands. Livers in Fort Collins and across the Centennial State? Obliterated.

The “Those kids from the south aren’t tough enough to play in the snow!” and the “Out of state kids don’t care about our rivalries!” narratives went into overdrive after this game, which are always pleasant and constructive conversations to have.

Here’s the full game if you hate yourself and want to watch it: