October 5, 2023 |
Photo – Wyoming vs Fresno St – Bigfoot99 file photo
In sports, the Pokes are playing above expectations. Ranked teams, who soaked up some preseason love from coaches and sportswriters, are nervous.
The Wyoming Cowboys were picked to finish sixth in the preseason poll this year. A month into the schedule, the Pokes are 4-and-1. Their only loss was at #4 Texas, where Wyoming was competitive. The Longhorns are ranked third in the country in this week’s AP Top 25 poll.
The Cowboys face another ranked team this week–#24 Fresno State. Saturday night’s marquee matchup on Fox Sports, under the lights at the War, marks the Bulldogs first road trip this season. The prime-time matchup on network television featuring a ranked team Saturday night.
A lot of eyes will be on the game. Wyoming. At this week’s news conference, Bulldogs Head Coach Jeff Tedford shrugged off the atmospherics surrounding the game.
The Fresno State secondary was missing a couple key pieces in the win against Nevada – starting safety Dean Clark and starting cornerback Cameron Lockridge. According to Tedford, both missed the game against the Wolf Pack because of injuries. No announcement about their status for Saturday night’s game in Laramie has been announced. Yet.
Tedford said the weather report for Laramie doesn’t look bad. He’s brought his team to Laramie when conditions have been worse. The Wyoming fanbase in the War and the accompanying energy level was on his mind at this week’s presser, though.
Fresno State offensive coordinator Pat McCann admitted this week that the first month of the season has not been the hardest gauntlet to run coming into this week’s game. McCann said the Bulldogs goal is to win the Mountain West again this year. The road comes through Laramie Saturday night.
The Bulldogs coaches spoke highly of Wyoming at this week’s news conference. They noted that the Pokes have traditionally been a physical football team that relies on a solid running attack and a good defense to win games.
The Bulldogs have had a good run against Wyoming in recent matchups, having won four straight including a 30-0 shutout win over the Cowboys in Fresno last season. Tedford said he is expecting a tough battle Saturday night in a game where they expect Wyoming to run the ball about 60 percent of the time.
The game kicks off at 6 p.m. in Laramie. Bigfoot 99 will be on the air with the pregame show at 4:30.
