Gear Up For Game Day: CSU Rams

FORT COLLINS, Colo., -- Dante Bruley knew the words to Ragtime Cowboy Joe before he could walk.

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Gage Brook, despite growing up in Fort Collins, knew green would never be a part of his wardrobe. Spencer Rathbun has seen "The Drive" more times than he can count.

Mason Drube was simply born to be a Cowboy.

These four will be on the sideline Saturday inside Canvas Stadium, attempting to do what their fathers did before them: beat Colorado State on the football field.

John Bruley was a defensive lineman in Laramie from 1988-92, lining up alongside greats like Mitch Donahue, Pat Rabold and fellow Minnesota product Craig Schlichting. Mark Brook was a freshman during Bruley's senior season. He slid in at linebacker and defensive end for Joe Tiller until '95.

Rob Rathbun and the late Kirby Drube were teammates in the late 90s, helping lead the Cowboys to a Pacific Division title and a berth in the inaugural WAC Championship game in 1996.

To accomplish that, Wyoming's offense drove 96 yards on 14 plays in frigid Fort Collins in that winner-take-all meeting between Border War rivals. Though quarterback Josh Wallwork and Biletnikoff Award-winning receiver Marcus Harris did most of the heavy lifting on that final fourth-quarter possession, it was running back Marques Brigham coasting into the end zone from five yards out.

The path was paved by the center and tight end, Rathbun and Drube, respectively.

Though Mason Drube doesn't recall that play and said he never saw it, Wyoming's quarterback always knew there was a good chance he would play his college ball in Laramie.

Aside from his father, his uncle Kolby Drube was also a Cowboy. So was his sister Gabby Drube and his mother Amy Taylor. They both ran track. His cousins Cody Kelley and Jordan Kelley also played basketball.

In October 2021, Kirby Drube passed away at the age of 49. His UW teammates rallied around and honored him at a football game inside War Memorial Stadium that fall.

Wyoming tight ends Sterling Kihei (from left), Kirby Drube and Julian Hooker pose with the Bronze Boot after knocking off Colorado State in Fort Collins in the fall of 1998./ courtesy photo

Mason Drube joked that he hasn't busted out a VHS tape in a while, but he does recall his father's persistence when it came to one subject.

"He always was on my butt about hating the sheep," he said with a smile. "I remember one of my sisters getting recruited for track. CSU was one of her top choices, and whenever she went there, my dad supported her, but I was never around my sister. I would not hug her with that CSU hoodie on, that's for sure."

Spencer Rathbun, a sophomore offensive lineman, grew up in Denver. He said CSU never recruited him, but he did attend a football camp in Fort Collins. His dad did not.

"He wouldn't go," he said with a grin. "My mom went. He just was not a fan. That's one of those that we kind of look back and laugh at because, just, it's not right. It doesn't look right in that uniform."

Gage Brook, despite attending Rocky Mountain High School right down the street, also never heard from the Rams' coaching staff. He's perfectly OK with that, too, he added. Like Drube, his sister Taylor Brook was also a student-athlete in Laramie, playing soccer. His mother Wendi Brown was a standout volleyball player in the Brown and Gold.

Gage Brook has been on the sideline for three meetings against CSU, serving as the back-up quarterback. This Saturday, though, he could find himself in the lineup after making a position switch to tight end.

The disdain for the hometown team didn't need to be talked about much, Brook admitted. It was just known.

He said he received some guff in the school hallways in his youth. That will happen when you're decked out in UW gear. Still, it never bothered him.

"We'll let the (Bronze) Boot talk for itself," he said with a smile. "It was always in Laramie, so that's where it belongs. So, not much they could say about it."

Dante Bruley was raised in the Phoenix suburbs, still, he said, his house was littered with Steamboat and Pistol Pete. He watched many games on television and made a trek or two to the high plains.

Put it this way, he joked, his recruitment didn't exactly culminate with a difficult decision.

Bruley was on his official visit last October when the Cowboys blanked CSU 28-0 inside a raucous War Memorial Stadium. Clad in black, he witnessed the team run to the visiting sideline and snag that coveted traveling trophy.

"I know the rivalry's bitter and stuff, so that game definitely means a lot," he said. "That got me pretty hyped up to do it again this year."

The Cowboys and Rams are scheduled to kick off at 4 p.m. The game will be televised on USA Network. John Bruley is making the trip from Arizona. He wouldn't miss it for the world, he added.

"It’s going to be surreal the first time I see him run onto that field with the Brown and Gold on," he said. "A dream come true for a father."

Here is all you need to know -- and the links -- for Saturday's tilt vs. CSU:

WHO: Wyoming (0-0, 0-0) at CSU (0-0, 0-0)
WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 5 at 4 p.m. MST
WEATHER: High of 92, Low 62, Sunny, Wind 5-10 mph
WHERE: Canvas Stadium, Fort Collins, Colo. (41,000-plus capacity)
TRAVEL: WyoRoad.info / Colorado.gov
STREAMING: USA Network
TV: USA Network
RADIO: Cowboy Sports Network
TICKETS: Wyoming Ticket office
BOX SCORE: ESPN
ROSTERS: Wyoming / CSU
HISTORY: CSU leads all-time series tied, 60-52-5
BETTING ODDS: UW +3, O/U: 46.5
HEAD COACHES: Jay Sawvel / Jim Mora