November 13, 2023 |
Photo – Wyoming at UNLV – Courtesy gowyo.com
The Mountain West football conference standings were turned upside down this weekend. UNLV not only crushed Wyoming 34-14 Friday night, first-place Air Force lost a 27-13 shocker at Hawaii.
The defeat dropped the Falcons to 5-and-1 and catapulted the Rebels into first place.
The stunning sequence of events left UNLV and Air force tied for first place, setting up a monumental conference showdown this weekend. The Falcons and Rebels are scheduled to play Saturday. The matchup will decide who sits alone at the top of the Mountain West headed into the post-season.
The Cowboys are left picking up the pieces of a season that could have been.
In Las Vegas Friday night, the Cowboys looked out-of-synch on the opening drive. Star running back Harrison Waylee sat out the first quarter, benched because of “a violation of team rules.” Waylee rode a bicycle on the sidelines as the Scarlet and Grey jumped out to a quick 21-nothing lead.
The Cowboy offense was out of synch from the start with Andrew Peasley completing 11-of-22 passes on the night for 144 yards.
On the night, Waylee gained 29 yards with just eight carries.
Wyoming absorbed the quick flurry of UNLV haymakers in the first quarter. After allowing the three quick scores, the Pokes defense stiffened.
The fatal damage was done, though.
The Cowboy offense regrouped briefly with two touchdowns in the second quarter. Wyoming looked like they might tie the game by the end of the first half.
Wyoming drove down-field to the UNLV ten-yard line, but Peasley threw an interception at the Rebel three-yard line with 12 seconds left in the half.
The Cowboys wouldn’t see the endzone for the rest of the game. The 21-points UNLV spotted themselves in the first quarter remained an insurmountable advantage for the rest of the night. Cowboy Head Coach Craig Bohl was measured in his explanation of what went wrong in the first quarter when his team went 0-for-4 on third down conversions, 0-for 3 on pass attempts and gained only 23 yards on the ground.
The second half would see the Rebels add a third quarter touchdown, while the Cowboys would miss their one scoring opportunity on a 52-yard field goal attempt. UNLV would add two fourth-quarter field goals to make the final score 34-14.
After dropping three of its last four games, Wyoming has lost its early position as a conference champion contender. The Cowboys are 6-4 overall, 3-and-3 in the Mountain West.
The Cowboys have fallen from conference contenders to also-rans as this year’s troubles on the road have proven to be their undoing.
Quarterback Andrew Peasley had a good game, despite feeling the pressure from the UNLV front four all night. Peasley completed 11 of 22 passes for 144 yards and was Wyoming’s leading rusher with 69 rushing. He also scored the Cowboys’ first touchdown on a 32-yard TD run. He threw one interception and was sacked three times for a -19 yards.
Wide receiver Wyatt Wieland caught a team high five passes for 72 yards and scored Wyoming’s other touchdown on a one-yard run.
The Cowboy defense was led by defensive tackle Jordan Bertagnole and linebacker Easton Gibbs, who each had nine tackles.
Wyoming will be back in the friendly confines of War Memorial Stadium on Saturday to host Hawai’i. The Cowboys are undefeated, 6-and-0, at home season. Kickoff is set for noon in the War.
