Casper, Wyo. - Will Collier sat atop his horse, stone-faced, as he rode the length of the arena inside the Ford Wyoming Center Thursday evening.  He entered with the national lead after Go 2 at the College National Finals Rodeo, but had just watched his third steer stop immediately after exiting the chute. 

The crowd groaned in disappointment at the stubborn animal as the arena announcer urged them to cheer on Collier's efforts from the previous two rounds.  It seemed as if the Ranger's hopes for a national championship had just slammed on the brakes out of the gate.

Going into the run, there were whispers of a bad draw-the same steer had been tricky for bulldoggers all week.  "We knew the steer was going to stop," Collier stated, "but we made a game plan to just let him go before me, get a good head catch, get down early, and try and beat him to the punch." 

Stop is exactly what the steer did, his tail brushing the the dust off of the gate as Collier sped past.  "He pulled the pin, which pulled the barrier across, but didn't break the neck rope, but I was out of the barrier, so we argued for a new run."

Collier had time to contemplate what could have been, but he was thinking about what still could be instead.  "I was just trying to do the next right thing...stay focused...keep my mind right."

Meanwhile, Northwest head coach Will Lummus, who has seen a few stubborn steers in his career, was advocating for his wrestler.  He presented Collier's case to the judges and chute boss from the time the run was terminated.  The judges awarded Collier a re-run, giving the wrestler one more chance to make good.

"I felt like we had a good argument, but ultimately it's up to the judges and the chute boss on the other end.  Ultimately, what he said...the neck rope pulled the barrier, which got him (Will) out of the barrier, and the neck rope was still on the steer for 2-3 seconds.  That's a judgement call.  We came back, had a steer that was just okay, but he made a good run."

Collier did indeed make a good run.  His time of 5.6 seconds was not his best of the week, but still placed him in the top 12 of Go 3 with one more performance round left before the finals on Saturday night.  More importantly, that solid time, combined with his event-leading 8.8 seconds on two head, allowed him to hold on to the average lead at 14.4 seconds.  

Now, Collier has a full day to contemplate what still can be.  When asked what he had to do to win the event, Collier was matter-of-fact in his answer.  "Just do what I've been doing...make good head catches and make good runs on the ground."

Collier's next run will be in the Short Go on Saturday night, June 21.  You can catch his run live on ESPN3 at 8:00 P.M. Central.

Full CNFR results will be posted daily here.