September 18, 2023 |
Photo – WY Cowboys vs TX Longhorns – Courtesy gowyo.com
The only numbers on the stat sheet from the Wyoming loss at Texas Saturday night that spell defeat are the ones showing the final score.
All the other stats: Total yards, passing yards, passes for first down, rushing yards, first downs, rushes for first down, passing yards per attempt, sacks—the Cowboys played the Longhorns strong until the game fell apart in the fourth quarter. The final score said it all: #4 Texas 31 – Wyoming 10.
The score doesn’t tell the whole story. The Pokes got on the scoreboard first and early, silencing 61,000 Longhorn fans. At the 12:45 mark of the first quarter, #4 Harrison Waylee in his first outing in the backfield put on show with a 62-yard touchdown run that put a hush on 101,000 Texas fans in the DKR.
Keith Kelly had the call as Wyoming shocked Texas faithful. The Cowboys kept it close most of the night. The Cowboys and Longhorns were tied 10-10 going into the fourth quarter when the carriage turned into a pumpkin.
Along the way, Cowboys put on a shocking show. Waylee finished the game with 110-yards in his first outing wearing the gold of a Wyoming uniform.
Quarterback Evan Svoboda made his first career start as a Cowboy after a game time decision to sit Andrew Peasley. The veteran’s throwing shoulder was not 100% from a shot sustained in the win over Portland State.
Svoboda was ready for his curtain call. The 6-foot-5, 245-pound sophomore finished 17-for-28 passing for 136 yards with no touchdowns and a pick-six.
In the trenches, the defense and offense held their own along the line of scrimmage against the much-heralded Longhorns. After a week of national press clippings throwing roses at the Texas quarterback, Quinn Ewers only managed 131 yards passing and two touchdowns.
Ewers did manage to muster his team in the fourth quarter when the Longhorns scored 21-unanswered points. Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl acknowledged that the game was going to plan until the fourth quarter.
From the Texas point of view, this was the second week in a row that Longhorn offense scored 21 points in the fourth quarter. They were backed up by a stout Texas defense that stifled the Wyoming offense.
Coach Bohl said his Cowboys will learn from a loss after a solid first half of play. Wyoming showed that they are Cowboy tough, going into the game with the last-minute quarterback change and playing the third-ranked team in the country, to a draw through the first three quarters.
Wyoming returns home to host Appalachian State on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. inside War Memorial Stadium. Who will start at quarterback—Peasley or Svboda – has not been named yet.
