Cowboys Head to New Mexico for Saturday Matinee
LARAMIE, Wyo. (Oct. 28, 2024) – The Wyoming Cowboys hit the road for a Saturday afternoon matinee at New Mexico for 2 p.m. inside University Stadium in Albuquerque, N.M. It will mark the 77th meeting between the schools in a series that dates back to 1930.
The contest will be televised on truTV and streamed on MAX with Ari Wolfe on the call with Darius Walker analyzing the action and Jared Greenberg on the sidelines. The game will also be available on the 26 stations of The Cowboy Sports Network with Keith Kelley on the call, Kevin McKinney on color and Erick Pauley on the sidelines.
Scott Over The Century Mark: Wyoming running back Sam Scott went over the century mark for the first time in his career against Utah State. Scott rushed for 115 yards in the contest on 11 carries averaging 10.5 yards per carry. He had rushes of 43-yards and 39-yards in the contest for the two longest rushes of his career. It was the first 100-yard game since Harrison Waylee did so last season against Colorado State.
Durr All Over The Place: Freshman wide receiver Chris Durr Jr. was all over the field for the Cowboys against Utah State. He hauled in a career-high nine passes for a career-best 83 yards. It was the most catches for a Cowboy since Austin Conway had 11 against Wofford in 2018. It was also the most catches in a MW game for a Cowboy since Tanner Gentry recorded nine against New Mexico in 2009.
The KING of Versatility: Wide receiver Tyler King did it all for the Pokes against Utah State. He recorded five rushes for a career-best 77 yards. He also had a 4-yard touchdown score for the Pokes in the game. King also grabbed a career-high four passes for 52 yards. He finished the night with 129 yards of total offense. He also added 21 yards on kick returns as the second ranked kick returner in the nation had 150 all-purpose yards.
Third-Down Defense: The Cowboy third-down defense is one of the best in the nation this season. The Pokes rank fifth in the nation and lead the Mountain West holding opponents to 27.7 percent this season. UW held Utah State to 3-of-13 on third down on Saturday.
Anderson Has Career Day: Wyoming quarterback Kaden Anderson had a career day for the Cowboys against Utah State. He threw for a career-high 182 yards in the contest. He was 15-of-24 passing in the game completing 63 percent of his passes. He also rushed for a career high 25 yards.
Offense Puts Up Yards: The Cowboy offense has recorded season-high over the last four games. That was matched with a season-high 470 yards of total offense against Utah State. That included over 300 yards in the second half. It was the most in a half since having 361 in the first half against Hawaii last season.
Hoyland is Heating Up: Wyoming field goal kicker John Hoyland was a perfect 4-of-4 in field goals against Utah State tying a career-high that he has done twice in his career. He is 9-of-11 this season for 82 percent. He ranks 40th in the nation this season in percentage and fourth in the MW. He is four points from being Wyoming’s all-time scoring leader.
Hoyland Adds to School Record: Kicker John Hoyland knocked in a 23-yard kick against Air Force for the 62nd of his career as he continues to build on his school record. He added four field goals tying a career-high against Utah State and added to his school record with 67 in his career. He is four points behind Cooper Rothe for the school record in career scoring.
Rk. Player, Position Years TDs. Ex. Points FG Points
1. Cooper Rothe, pk 2016-19 0 165 59 342
2.
John Hoyland, pk 2020-Pres. 0 138 67 339
Parks Making Plays: Cornerback Keany Parks recorded two pass breakups in key moments in the second quarter. Once on a fourth down and once on a third-down that held Utah State to a field goal. He is second on the team with five this season.
Westland Has Big Day: Defensive end Tyce Westland had a big day against Utah State. He recorded a career-high eight tackles in the contest. He also had six tackles in the first half. He was a key member of the defensive line with starter Sabastian Harsh out of the game with an injury.
Out of Halftime: The Cowboys have been solid defensively in the third quarter over the last four games. In fact, Wyoming has held opponents to 21 yards or less in three of those four games and held Utah State to only nine in the quarter. Over the last four games, opponents are averaging 36 yards of offense in the third quarter.
Shay Making Plays: Linebacker Connor Shay tied a career high with eight tackles against Utah State. He also added a tackle for loss. He had eight tackles against Arizona State and North Texas. He is second on the team with 44 tackles on the season.
Big Plays for Nanke: Tight end Clay Nanke caught his second career pass against Utah State. The 32-yard reception down the sideline was a career long. He has two catches on the season for 56 yards.
On The Ground: The Pokes rushed for a season-high 276 yards against Utah State. Scott led the way with 115 yards. King added 77 on the day with Anderson adding 24 with 25 from Svoboda and 23 from Ferrell. The 276 rushing yards was the most in a game for the Brown and Gold since
Harris Gets a Sack: Defensive end DeVonne Harris recorded his first sack of the season against Utah State. He also added a season-high five tackles in the contest against the Aggies. It was the 13th of his career and marked the 20th tackle for loss of his career.
Owning The Clock: The Cowboys have been solid holding onto the football over the last four games. Wyoming has held a lead in time of possession. Wyoming has held the ball 71 minutes over the last two games for 59 percent of the game. UW had it for 36 against San Jose State and nearly 35 minutes against Utah State.
About the Lobos: The Lobos (3-5 overall, 2-2 Mountain West) had their high-powered offense halted during a 17-6 loss to Colorado State last Saturday in Fort Collins. New Mexico, which still ranks 31st in the FBS in scoring (33.5 ppg) and 10th in total yards (468.1 ypg), had four turnovers and missed a field goal against the Rams.
Sophomore quarterback Devon Dampier is completing 58.8% of his passes for 2,079 yards (259.9 ypg) with nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Dampier also ranks seventh in the MW in rushing with 538 yards (6.6 yards per carry) and 10 touchdowns.
Running backs Javen Jacobs and NaQuari Rogers have combined for 527 yards and seven touchdowns. Wide receiver Luke Wysong is fifth in the conference with 50 receptions for 663 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, the Lobos are allowing an average of 39.8 points and 478.4 yards per game, which ranks 131st out of 134 FBS teams. Safety Christian Ellis is fourth in the MW in tackles (8.88 per game).
Wyoming leads the all-time series 40-36 and has won the last two meetings – 35-26 last season in Laramie and 27-14 in 2022 in Albuquerque.
