September 27, 2023 |
The season tune-up is over for the 3-1 Wyoming Cowboys. It’s down to the nitty-gritty. Mountain West Conference play starts Saturday. The UW Homecoming game features a matchup with the young and improving New Mexico Lobos, who come into Laramie 2-2.
Las Vegas has the Cowboys pegged as a 14-point favorite, but the history between these two teams suggests the matchup will be much closer. Two of Wyoming’s wins this year have been nail-biters, with the Cowboys winning at the end by three points or less. Only the Portland State game was easy, but the Vikings pulled most of their junior and senior players at the end of the first quarter after taking an 81-7 pounding at Oregon a week earlier.
Over the last 18 meetings between the Cowboys and the Lobos, the series is a dead heat: 9-and-9 going into the rubber match Saturday.
New Mexico Head coach Danny Gonzales was all about respect at Tuesday’s news conference. Coach Gonzales said Wyoming and New Mexico have the same philosophy about playing a tough, disruptive defensive game. The difference is in execution.
Wyoming won last year’s matchup in New Mexico 27-14. The Lobos defeated the Cowboys the previous two years , 14-to-3 in 2021 and 17-to-16 in the COVID year of 2020. Wyoming won the previous three years.
The Cowboys offense went through a shakeup this week. Running back D.Q. James left the program. The news came through a statement Tuesday afternoon from Head Coach Craig Bohl. “D.Q. James is no longer part of the University of Wyoming football team. We wish D.Q. all the best in his future.”
James misplayed a pass from Andrew Peasley. The ball wound up in the hands of an App State receiver who returned it for a touchdown. With running back Harrison Waylee in the #1 spot, James released a statement yesterday saying he had entered the portal. The Wyoming backfield also includes Sam Scott and Jamari Ferrel in the mix.
The big question ahead of this week’s conference opener is whether quarterback Peasley can step up his game after completing just 5 of 15 passes for 31 yards and one interception.
Coach Bohl said this week that the Wyoming win over a competitive App State team was because of a complete team effort by Wyoming when the offense was struggling last week.
Saturday is the 98th Homecoming game in UW History. The conference opener kicks off at 2 p.m. Bigfoot 99 will be on the air with the pregame show beginning at 12:30.
