Wyoming | The Reboot (NCAA 14)

[WaitTilNextYear]

Wyoming cornerback #19 John Okwoli dumps Idaho halfback Isaiah Saunders in his own endzone for a safety.

MOSCOW, Idaho -- Wyoming followed a truly bizarre path to a thin win over the Vandals at the Kibbie Dome. The Pokes relied on a pair of safeties after twice failing to convert on 4th down inside the Vandal 3-yard line. The coup de grace was a Cooper Rothe 22-yard field goal to deliver Wyoming a 23-22 win.

While not quite the passing threat that Mizzou's Drew Lock was last week, Idaho quarterback Gunnar Amos kept Wyoming on their collective toes. The redshirt junior signal caller from Couer d'Alene accounted for 267 of Idaho's 337 yards of total offense. Amos completed 26 of 33 passes (78%) for 209 yards and a pair of touchdowns (151.9 QB rating). Amos also carried 14 times for 58 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown scramble where the Wyoming secondary was content to observe.

Amos was happy to dink and dunk which mitigated the damage somewhat. Aside from a 15-point third quarter outburst, Coach Petrino's region-appropriate game plan seemed to be 'Hot Potato'--it was full of three-step drops and five-yard passes to Brandon Luckett. Luckett caught ten passes for only 57 yards. The Vandals worked hard for little benefit and ran just 61 plays due to the extensive clock-milking of the Wyoming side.

Wyoming got on the board with a safety in the first quarter. They were unable to convert on 4th and goal, but caved in Idaho's offensive line on the ensuing play for two points. Wide receiver-turned-cornerback John Okwoli ran unblocked into the backfield and laid out Vandal RB Isaiah Saunders so Saunders could get a good look at the Kibbie Dome rafters.

The safety brought momentum and the Pokes would own the 2nd quarter with a pair of long, time-consuming TD drives punctuated by seven-yard Milo Hall and three-yard Emmett Nash runs, respectively. Wyoming had an unusual 15-7 lead at half time.

Idaho came out of the half like a loaded baked potato with bacon bits on it that was just too hot to handle. Their first drive ended with a three-yard TD pass to backup RB Denzal Brantley and a two-point conversion. After an intervening Wyoming field goal, the second Idaho drive of the half culminated in a 14-yard TD strike to David Ungerer. From a play calling standpoint, this Idaho drive stands out as a masterwork. No matter the defensive play call, the Vandals were simply one step ahead--for example, the Amos-to-Ungerer TD took full advantage of space vacated by a zone blitz.

In the 4th quarter, another Wyoming drive stalled out on the goal line after a dropped pass on 3rd and goal was followed by a stuffed jet sweep on 4th and goal. Fortunately for Wyoming, the Vandals were content to call three rushing plays in a row--the third of which ended with cornerback Anthony Makransky and linebacker Adam Pilapill making the 'universal safety sign' while standing over Idaho's kneeling quarterback in the endzone. With 2:47 remaining, the safety pulled Wyoming to within 22-20 and gave them the ball.

Down two points, naturally Coach Bohl's team went back to pounding the run game. Wyoming's bread has been buttered on the ground (eww) with back-to-back 300-yard rushing performances to start the season. Starting tailback Nico Evans was once again a load-carrier with 28 carries for 161 yards. Quarterback Nick Smith showed some razzle dazzle as well, nine carries for 82 yards, especially while juking Vandal cornerback Lloyd Hightower out of his cleats on a 45-yard scamper.

So, using exclusively running plays, Wyoming ate up all but three seconds of the remaining clock and parked at the Idaho six-yard line. Despite Coach Petrino's best efforts, the game-winning field goal went perfectly through the uprights for a 23-22 Wyoming victory.

The field goal was from such close range that only two of the three seconds ticked off the clock so Wyoming had to survive an uneventful squib kickoff to secure the win over Idaho. It was a satisfying win especially because Idaho's starting fullback, Anthony Clark, was a player that the Cowboys lost to the Vandals in a recruiting battle in the offseason.

[gsutiger]

Close win against Idaho but we will take it.

[moose141]

Love seeing this team get built up from scratch really, so I can't wait to get into this dynasty!

[WaitTilNextYear]

Wyoming wide receiver #25 Austin Conway dives over the pylon for a touchdown after beating the defense on a corner route.

LOGAN, Utah -- The Wyoming Cowboys made light work of their archrival Utah State in a 44-14 blowout. It was a comprehensive beatdown and the Bridger's Battle rivalry goes to the Pokes for the second year in a row. Wyoming called off the dogs leading 37-7 with roughly six minutes to play in the fourth quarter.

Key statistical indicators were unanimously in Wyoming's favor. The Cowboys won the time-of-possession battle by nearly ten minutes, were a net plus two in turnover margin, and outgained Utah State by over 100 yards. The Pokes never punted. A bunch of scores, a single interception, and a turnover on downs accounted for all of Wyoming's possessions.

Wyoming once again managed to run the ball 50+ times. Exactly 50 of their 77 plays were rushing plays, accounting for 276 yards. Utah State stubbornly kept a six-man box for most of the game and they were predictably gashed as a result. Impressively, the 276-yard total was Wyoming's worst rushing output so far this season having gone over 300 yards against both Missouri and Idaho. Indeed, the Pokes were ranked second in the nation in rushing coming into this game.

The ball was spread around in the running game with Nico Evans getting 22 carries for 130 yards (5.9 YPC) and his first rushing TD of the year. Milo Hall carried nine times for 43 yards and Mike Green II, Emmett Nash, and quarterback Nick Smith all found the endzone rushing. Smith busted off a 28-yard run and has the two longest rushes of the season so far for the Pokes (Smith's 45-yard rush against Idaho is the longest). The Merritt Island, Fla. native added 16 completions in 27 attempts (59%) for 164 yards with one TD and one INT (115.0 QB rating).

It was Wyoming's defense that controlled this game. They were effective at confusing scrambling Utah State quarterback D.J. Nelson. Marcus Epps came up with a pair of picks, including a drive-stopper in the endzone on Utah State's first possession. The senior strong safety from L.A. gamely played through an abdominal tear that knocked him out the previous week at Idaho. Cornerback Antonio Hull also made an interception just as Utah State attempted to push into the red zone (pictured above, right). The Aggies scored a touchdown on their second drive of the game, but were shut out afterward until 3:31 remaining in the fourth quarter against Wyoming's backups.

In pregame, Coach Bohl was a bit anxious about 5'9" Nelson's scrambling ability, however, the speedy mighty mite of a quarterback only ran ten times for 53 yards. He was content to be a passer even though that clearly wasn't working for the Aggies. Nelson completed 24 of 35 passes (68%) for 177 yards with a TD and the three interceptions (103.3 QB rating).

One piece of the offensive that was working for Utah State was halfback Justen Hervey. The redshirt senior from Beaumont, Tex. carried 17 times for 96 yards (5.6 YPC) although he was kept out of the endzone. After falling behind early, the Aggies didn't feel they had the luxury of feeding the run game more often.

It was a surprising and welcome start to Mountain West Conference play for Wyoming. After a tough out-of-conference beatdown at Mizzou and a one-point game they needed to scratch and claw for at Kibbie Dome, this one felt really good. In fact, this is the only Wyoming win over the past two years by more than a single score. All five of Wyoming's wins last season were by seven points or less. This could mark the advent of a winning team identity.

[gsutiger]

That's a nice way to get the first W of the season. Playing a rival can never be overlooked. Going 100% in the Red Zone and converting 61% on 3rd Downs goes a long way

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Operation Sports mobile app

[moose141]

Talk about spreading the love! Looks like you've got a ton of options in the rushing game, so hopefully you can keep the ground and pound offense going in the coming weeks.

[Bigsheen]

Always good to feed a lot of mouth's in the running game in a big win and on the road nonetheless. Like how you said the team is finding their identity as a winner. They know what they do well and they stick to it.

[Knickerbocker91]

Always love a good rushing game. Nice win for the Pokes, I hadn't realized this is your first win by more than once score until you pointed it out. Defense had another strong showing as well keeping Utah State from having the luxury of running the ball and then punishing the passing game as a result.