by UW Athletics Media Relations
The Wyoming Cowboys are back in town after nearly a month away when they face the No. 25 BYU at noon in War Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
Wyoming has a 4-4 overall record this season and is 2-2 in Mountain West Conference play. BYU is 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the MWC. The Cougars are ranked No. 25 in all three major polls – the Associated Press media poll, USA Today Coaches’ Poll and the Harris Interactive poll.
BYU will be the second Top 25 ranked team to visit Laramie this season, and will be the third Top 25 team the Wyoming Cowboys have faced this season. Wyoming hosted No. 2 ranked Texas on Sept. 12, 2009, losing to the Longhorns 10-41. Last week, UW faced No. 16 ranked Utah in Salt Lake City, losing 10-22.
Wyoming will be looking to improve on its 3-1 home record this season, and will be seeking its third consecutive conference home win when they host BYU. UW has begun the 2009 Mountain West Conference schedule winning each of its two MWC home games over UNLV (30-27) and New Mexico (37-13). The last time the Pokes won three consecutive MWC home games was at the end of the 2006 season and the start of the 2007 campaign. UW defeated Utah, Colorado State and San Diego State to conclude the 2006 home schedule and defeated TCU in the first MWC home game of 2007 to win four consecutive conference home games.
Last Saturday, the Pokes had the No. 16 ranked Utah Utes on the ropes until midway through the fourth quarter before losing 22-10 in Salt Lake City on Halloween night. Wyoming took an early 3-0 lead as they put together a 13-play, 49-yard drive on its opening possession of the game capped by an Ian Watts 32-yard field goal. Utah came back to tie the game 3-3, early in the second quarter on a Joe Phillips 43-yard field goal to conclude a 7-play, 55-yard drive by the Utes.
With 4:56 remaining in the first half, Wyoming scored a touchdown on a play that involved both of the Cowboys’ quarterbacks. Freshman QB Austyn Carta-Samuels threw a lateral to junior quarterback Robert Benjamin, who was lined up as a wide receiver. Benjamin then threw a pass back across the field to Carta-Samuels who took the ball 30-yards down the sideline to give UW a 10-3 halftime lead.
In the third quarter, Utah’s offense penetrated the redzone twice, reaching the Cowboy four-yard line on its opening drive of the second half and reaching the Wyoming 15 on its second drive, but the Wyoming defense stiffened both times and held the Utes to two field goals. Wyoming retained a 10-9 lead after three quarters of play.
It wasn’t until the 7:35 mark of the fourth quarter that Utah took its first lead of the game. The Utes got good field-position at their own 45-yard line, and drove the ball 55 yards on 7 plays culminating in a 22-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Wynn to Jereme Brooks to take a 16-10 lead.
The final TD of the game was scored by Utah, after Wyoming went for a fourth and six at its own 20-yard line with two minutes remaining in the game. Utah sacked Cowboy QB Carta-Samuels at the Wyoming nine-yard line and two plays later Utah scored its final touchdown to capture the home win.
The Cowboys not only led Utah throughout most of their meeting on Oct. 31, but UW also held a lead against current No. 2 ranked Texas on Sept. 12 in Laramie. The Cowboys led Texas 10-6 with 1:32 remaining in the first half before the Longhorns went on to post a 41-10 victory over Wyoming.
Wyoming’s loss to No. 2 ranked Texas is its only home loss this season. In its three home wins, Wyoming has averaged 32.0 points per game, scoring 29 vs. Weber State, 30 vs. UNLV and 37 vs. New Mexico. In its three home wins, the Pokes have held opponents to an average of 20.6 points per game per game -- 22 vs. Weber State, 27 vs. UNLV and 13 vs. New Mexico. UW has won or been even in turnover margin in all four of its home games in 2009. Wyoming has committed a total of only two turnovers at home this season, while forcing 12 opponent turnovers in War Memorial Stadium. UW was a +4 in TO margin vs. Weber State and UNLV, was a +2 vs. New Mexico and was even vs. Texas.
The Cowboy defense continues to be the only team in the nation with three players ranked in the Top 25 in the NCAA in tackles. Inside linebackers Brian Hendricks and Gabe Knapton and free safety Chris Prosinski rank No. 4, 5 and 15 in the NCAA this season. Only one other team in the nation has two players ranked among the Top 25. That is the University of Houston.
UW also has six of the Top 14 tacklers in MWC this season. Hendricks, Knapton and Prosinski rank No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 in the league. Senior outside linebacker Weston Johnson ranks No. 5 in the league and No. 60 nationally, and freshman strong safety Shamiel Gary ranks No. 6 in the Mountain West and No. 70 in the NCAA. Junior cornerback Marcell Gipson ranks 14th in the MWC in tackles.
Wyoming sophomore inside linebacker Gabe Knapton not only ranks No. 5 in the NCAA in tackles this season, but he has recorded double figures in tackles in each of Wyoming’s last seven games. The streak of double-figure tackle games began against Texas (12 tackles). Since then he has had: 10 at Colorado, 17 vs. UNLV, 10 at Florida Atlantic, 11 vs. New Mexico, 11 at Air Force and 12 at Utah.
Saturday’s Wyoming-BYU game will be televised live on The Mtn. The Cowboy Sports Network will, as always, broadcast the game on radio over its 25 affiliate stations beginning with the pregame show one hour prior to kickoff.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Utes rally late to stop Cowboys
Wyoming-Utah game stats
By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
For three quarters plus, the Wyoming Cowboys were right where they wanted to be. The last seven or eight minutes on Saturday was a different story.
Utah, ranked 19th in the country, scored the game’s final 19 points, including two late touchdowns, to hold off a pesky but offensively challenged Wyoming team 22-10 at Rice Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.
Until midway trough the fourth quarter, the cowboys had the lone touchdown of the game and were holding on to a 10-9 lead. The Utes, however, kept their dominance of Wyoming in tack to remain in the hunt for the Mountain West Conference title.
"I thought our kids fought the whole way through,” Wyoming coach Dave Christensen said. “There is no quit in these kids. We battled and were in this thing until the last minutes of the game and we (gave ourselves a chance to win)."
It was a much different game for the Cowboys than in the past two years against Utah, as the Utes outscored Wyoming 90-7 in the last two meetings, including 50-0 two years ago the last time the two teams met in Salt lake City.
As could be expected, Christensen said that being close was not good enough.
"I've talked with our guys, and sticking with a top-20 team is not a moral victory,” Christensen said. “We got our tails kicked in the end. We did some things well, we made some progress, but in our program, losing is not acceptable. That's not what we are out here to do."
After being shut out 10-0 by air Force two weeks ago, the Cowboys came out of the bye week rested and with a few changes on the offensive line. In the first half, it appeared as if it would pay off as the Cowboys were able to show some life offensively, led by the passing and pass catching from freshman quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels.
The lone touchdown of the first half came on a trick play, as Carta-Samuels passed to backup QB Robert Benjamin, who passed back to Carta-Samuels, who then ran down the sidelines untouched from 30 yards for the score.
But that was about it as the Utes defensive stiffened and held the Cowboys to just 74 yards of total offense in the second half.
"We struggled a little bit in our offense,” Christensen said. “It's not a secret that when you play top-20 teams in the country and top defenses in the country week in and week out, there will be some struggles, especially when you have the youth that we have."
For the Utes, freshman Jordan Wynn passed for 82 yards and a touchdown in his college debut, replacing starter Terrance Cain in the second half to rally Utah.
Utah’s Eddie Wide also tied a school record with his fifth straight 100-yard rushing game and added a late touchdown to seal the win. Wide had 24 carries for 135 yards and a 5-yard touchdown run with 1:41 remaining.
Despite another close win at home, Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said it was a real positive win for the Utes.
“The offense played well tonight,” Whittingham said. “This was the first game of the season where we didn't have any turnovers. We moved the ball well between the 20's, but we have to get points on the board. Eddie Wide played a great game tonight. He went over 100 yards for us again and that was huge. `What can you say?' He was great.”
Carta-Samuels was 19 for 30 passing for 121 yards and the Wyoming running game had just 51 yards in the contest. Brandon Stewart led the Cowboys with 28 yards on the ground.
"We're doing everything we can to try to make plays and win a football game,” Christensen said. “Our kids are working their tails off. They work extremely hard every single day to get better and they came out and battled. We had a lot of positive things in the game."
It won’t get any easier for the Cowboys, as they host BYU Saturday at War Memorial Stadium.
By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
For three quarters plus, the Wyoming Cowboys were right where they wanted to be. The last seven or eight minutes on Saturday was a different story.
Utah, ranked 19th in the country, scored the game’s final 19 points, including two late touchdowns, to hold off a pesky but offensively challenged Wyoming team 22-10 at Rice Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.
Until midway trough the fourth quarter, the cowboys had the lone touchdown of the game and were holding on to a 10-9 lead. The Utes, however, kept their dominance of Wyoming in tack to remain in the hunt for the Mountain West Conference title.
"I thought our kids fought the whole way through,” Wyoming coach Dave Christensen said. “There is no quit in these kids. We battled and were in this thing until the last minutes of the game and we (gave ourselves a chance to win)."
It was a much different game for the Cowboys than in the past two years against Utah, as the Utes outscored Wyoming 90-7 in the last two meetings, including 50-0 two years ago the last time the two teams met in Salt lake City.
As could be expected, Christensen said that being close was not good enough.
"I've talked with our guys, and sticking with a top-20 team is not a moral victory,” Christensen said. “We got our tails kicked in the end. We did some things well, we made some progress, but in our program, losing is not acceptable. That's not what we are out here to do."
After being shut out 10-0 by air Force two weeks ago, the Cowboys came out of the bye week rested and with a few changes on the offensive line. In the first half, it appeared as if it would pay off as the Cowboys were able to show some life offensively, led by the passing and pass catching from freshman quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels.
The lone touchdown of the first half came on a trick play, as Carta-Samuels passed to backup QB Robert Benjamin, who passed back to Carta-Samuels, who then ran down the sidelines untouched from 30 yards for the score.
But that was about it as the Utes defensive stiffened and held the Cowboys to just 74 yards of total offense in the second half.
"We struggled a little bit in our offense,” Christensen said. “It's not a secret that when you play top-20 teams in the country and top defenses in the country week in and week out, there will be some struggles, especially when you have the youth that we have."
For the Utes, freshman Jordan Wynn passed for 82 yards and a touchdown in his college debut, replacing starter Terrance Cain in the second half to rally Utah.
Utah’s Eddie Wide also tied a school record with his fifth straight 100-yard rushing game and added a late touchdown to seal the win. Wide had 24 carries for 135 yards and a 5-yard touchdown run with 1:41 remaining.
Despite another close win at home, Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said it was a real positive win for the Utes.
“The offense played well tonight,” Whittingham said. “This was the first game of the season where we didn't have any turnovers. We moved the ball well between the 20's, but we have to get points on the board. Eddie Wide played a great game tonight. He went over 100 yards for us again and that was huge. `What can you say?' He was great.”
Carta-Samuels was 19 for 30 passing for 121 yards and the Wyoming running game had just 51 yards in the contest. Brandon Stewart led the Cowboys with 28 yards on the ground.
"We're doing everything we can to try to make plays and win a football game,” Christensen said. “Our kids are working their tails off. They work extremely hard every single day to get better and they came out and battled. We had a lot of positive things in the game."
It won’t get any easier for the Cowboys, as they host BYU Saturday at War Memorial Stadium.
Friday, October 30, 2009
UW-Utah notebook
Wyoming
The Wyoming Cowboys travel to Salt Lake City Saturday to face long-time conference rival Utah for a Halloween matchup. Wyoming and Utah will be meeting for the 82nd time in the two schools’ histories.
The Cowboys enter this week with a 4-3 overall record and a 2-1 Mountain West Conference mark. Utah is 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the MWC. The Utes are ranked No. 16 in this week’s BCS standings are ranked 19th in the Associated Press, USA Today and Harris Interactive Polls.
Saturday’s game will kick off at 6 p.m. The game will be televised live on The Mtn., and will be broadcast on radio over the Cowboy Sports Network. The radio broadcast will begin one hour before kickoff at 5 p.m. with the pregame show.
Trick or Treat
The Wyoming Cowboys will be playing their 13th Halloween game in school history. The last time Wyoming played on Halloween was in 1998 when the Cowboys traveled to Fort Worth, Texas, and defeated TCU, 34-27, when both schools were members of the 16-team Western Athletic Conference.
The only other time that Wyoming and Utah have played one another on Halloween was the first meeting between the two long-time rivals. That meeting came in 1904, and Utah won in Laramie by a score of 23-0. Wyoming played its first Halloween game back in 1896, winning on the road over Northern Colorado by a score of 10-6. Wyoming is 7-5-0 in Halloween games. The Pokes are 4-2-0 at home on Halloween. UW is 3-3-0 on the road in Halloween games.
Bye bye bye week
Wyoming is coming off its one bye week of the 2009 season. Through the years, the Cowboys have been very successful in games played immediately following a bye week. In the modern era of Wyoming football, since World War II, the Pokes have had 40 bye weeks during the regular season. Wyoming has won 25 of its 40 games played following a bye.
Overall series
Wyoming trails in the overall series versus the Utes 49-31-1. The last time Wyoming defeated Utah was in 2006 in Laramie, by a score of 31-15. Wyoming last won in Salt Lake City in 1999, defeating Utah 43-29. Utah has won the last four meetings in Salt Lake City.
The Cowboys and Utes have played two common opponents to date – Air Force and UNLV. Wyoming defeated UNLV, 30-27, in Laramie, while Utah won in Las Vegas, 35-15. The Pokes lost on the road at Air Force, 10-0. The Utes defeated Air Force in Salt Lake City by a score of 23-16, but it took Utah an overtime period to get the win.
Coaching reunion
This week’s coaching matchup features two head coaches who have known each other for nearly 20 years. Wyoming head coach Dave Christensen and Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham coached on the same coaching staff together at Idaho State back in the early 1990s. Christensen was an assistant with the Bengals for the 1990 and ‘91 seasons, coaching the offensive line, tight ends and running backs during his two seasons in Pocatello. Whittingham served as an assistant at Idaho State for six seasons, from 1988-93. He was the linebackers and special teams coach from 1988-91 and was the defensive coordinator his last two seasons of 1992 and ‘93.
Cowboys in the rankings
Wyoming sophomore inside linebacker Brian Hendricks was credited with 23 total tackles at Air Force on Oct. 17. Not only did his performance earn him Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors, but that tackle total is the best individual performance in the nation this season. In fact, he is one of only two Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) players to record 20 or more tackles in a single game in 2009.
He is also one of only two players in the nation to have two of the Top 25 single-game tackle performances this season. The other is Carmen Messina of New Mexico. Hendricks other Top 25 performance was 18 tackles at Colorado on Sept. 19, which ties for the sixth best performance in the nation.
Two other Cowboys also rank in the Top 25 in the nation in terms of single-game tackle performances this season. Sophomore inside linebacker Gabe Knapton had 17 vs. UNLV to tie for 12th in the nation. UW junior free safety Chris Prosinski also is tied for 12th with his 17 tackles coming against Texas.
There are three talented senior defensive linemen in the Mountain West Conference that are running neck-and-neck for the MWC Career Sack record. Wyoming’s John Fletcher, TCU’s Jerry Hughes and BYU’s Jan Jorgensen are all within 2.0 career sacks of one another entering this week. Fletcher has 24.0 career sacks. Jorgensen has been credited with 24.5, and Hughes is the current MWC career leader in sacks with 26.0.
This season, Fletcher and Hughes are also among the nation’s leaders in sacks. Hughes has 9.0 sacks on the year to rank No. 4 in the nation, and Fletcher has 7.0 sacks in 2009 to rank No. 8 in the NCAA. Jorgensen has sacked opposing quarterbacks twice this season.
Young bloods
Wyoming is one of the youngest teams in the country, having played 12 true freshmen and started six true freshmen in ‘09. The six freshmen starters tie Wyoming for the second most in the nation with Miami of Ohio. Texas A&M leads the way with eight true freshmen starters.
Up next
Following the Utah game, Wyoming will return home next week to host the BYU Cougars on Nov. 7 in a game set to kick off at Noon.
Utah
Utah (6-1, 3-0 MWC) is No. 16 in the BCS standings and No. 19 in the Associated Press, USA Today Coaches and Harris polls. Radio is KALL 700 AM (kall700sports.com).
Blackout
Saturday's game is the second-annual "Blackout" game at Utah. Fans are encouraged to wear black and the Utah team will wear black uniforms. A year ago, in the first "Blackout" game in Rice-Eccles Stadium, No. 9 Utah handed No. 11 TCU a 13-10 defeat.
Trick or Treat II
In honor of Halloween, there will be a Trick-or -Treat zone for kids in Rice-Eccles Stadium prior to the game. The Trick-or-Treat zone will open at 4 p.m., two hours before kickoff, and will feature a tent with spooky music, fog, balloons, interactive games, a black costume contest and more. Ute student-athletes will be on hand to pass out candy. A giant spotlight up 500 South will lead fans to two giant inflated Halloween creatures outside the Trick-or-Treat zone. A game ticket is required for entry.
Utes jump in rankings
In the latest rankings, Utah jumped two places in the BCS standings to No. 16, held steady at No. 19 in the A.P. and Harris Polls, and improved one spot to No. 19 in the Coaches' poll. The BCS standings are based on the Harris poll, Coaches' poll and the computer rankings--the latter which has the Utes at 15th this week. Utah's only loss this season was to current No. 10/12 Oregon in Eugene.
More Bowling
With six wins, Utah is bowl eligible for the seventh-straight season. Utah has the nation's longest postseason win streak at eight, which includes bowl wins in 1999 and 2001, and from 2003-08.
Another Sellout Saturday?
The Utes are looking for their 10th-straight sellout of Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday. Utah has drawn over-capacity crowds dating back to the first game of the 2008 season, averaging 45,506 during that time in a stadium that seats 45,017.
Streaking Utes
Utah has won 20 of its last 21 games and 27 of its last 29 games.
The Wyoming Cowboys travel to Salt Lake City Saturday to face long-time conference rival Utah for a Halloween matchup. Wyoming and Utah will be meeting for the 82nd time in the two schools’ histories.
The Cowboys enter this week with a 4-3 overall record and a 2-1 Mountain West Conference mark. Utah is 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the MWC. The Utes are ranked No. 16 in this week’s BCS standings are ranked 19th in the Associated Press, USA Today and Harris Interactive Polls.
Saturday’s game will kick off at 6 p.m. The game will be televised live on The Mtn., and will be broadcast on radio over the Cowboy Sports Network. The radio broadcast will begin one hour before kickoff at 5 p.m. with the pregame show.
Trick or Treat
The Wyoming Cowboys will be playing their 13th Halloween game in school history. The last time Wyoming played on Halloween was in 1998 when the Cowboys traveled to Fort Worth, Texas, and defeated TCU, 34-27, when both schools were members of the 16-team Western Athletic Conference.
The only other time that Wyoming and Utah have played one another on Halloween was the first meeting between the two long-time rivals. That meeting came in 1904, and Utah won in Laramie by a score of 23-0. Wyoming played its first Halloween game back in 1896, winning on the road over Northern Colorado by a score of 10-6. Wyoming is 7-5-0 in Halloween games. The Pokes are 4-2-0 at home on Halloween. UW is 3-3-0 on the road in Halloween games.
Bye bye bye week
Wyoming is coming off its one bye week of the 2009 season. Through the years, the Cowboys have been very successful in games played immediately following a bye week. In the modern era of Wyoming football, since World War II, the Pokes have had 40 bye weeks during the regular season. Wyoming has won 25 of its 40 games played following a bye.
Overall series
Wyoming trails in the overall series versus the Utes 49-31-1. The last time Wyoming defeated Utah was in 2006 in Laramie, by a score of 31-15. Wyoming last won in Salt Lake City in 1999, defeating Utah 43-29. Utah has won the last four meetings in Salt Lake City.
The Cowboys and Utes have played two common opponents to date – Air Force and UNLV. Wyoming defeated UNLV, 30-27, in Laramie, while Utah won in Las Vegas, 35-15. The Pokes lost on the road at Air Force, 10-0. The Utes defeated Air Force in Salt Lake City by a score of 23-16, but it took Utah an overtime period to get the win.
Coaching reunion
This week’s coaching matchup features two head coaches who have known each other for nearly 20 years. Wyoming head coach Dave Christensen and Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham coached on the same coaching staff together at Idaho State back in the early 1990s. Christensen was an assistant with the Bengals for the 1990 and ‘91 seasons, coaching the offensive line, tight ends and running backs during his two seasons in Pocatello. Whittingham served as an assistant at Idaho State for six seasons, from 1988-93. He was the linebackers and special teams coach from 1988-91 and was the defensive coordinator his last two seasons of 1992 and ‘93.
Cowboys in the rankings
Wyoming sophomore inside linebacker Brian Hendricks was credited with 23 total tackles at Air Force on Oct. 17. Not only did his performance earn him Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors, but that tackle total is the best individual performance in the nation this season. In fact, he is one of only two Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) players to record 20 or more tackles in a single game in 2009.
He is also one of only two players in the nation to have two of the Top 25 single-game tackle performances this season. The other is Carmen Messina of New Mexico. Hendricks other Top 25 performance was 18 tackles at Colorado on Sept. 19, which ties for the sixth best performance in the nation.
Two other Cowboys also rank in the Top 25 in the nation in terms of single-game tackle performances this season. Sophomore inside linebacker Gabe Knapton had 17 vs. UNLV to tie for 12th in the nation. UW junior free safety Chris Prosinski also is tied for 12th with his 17 tackles coming against Texas.
There are three talented senior defensive linemen in the Mountain West Conference that are running neck-and-neck for the MWC Career Sack record. Wyoming’s John Fletcher, TCU’s Jerry Hughes and BYU’s Jan Jorgensen are all within 2.0 career sacks of one another entering this week. Fletcher has 24.0 career sacks. Jorgensen has been credited with 24.5, and Hughes is the current MWC career leader in sacks with 26.0.
This season, Fletcher and Hughes are also among the nation’s leaders in sacks. Hughes has 9.0 sacks on the year to rank No. 4 in the nation, and Fletcher has 7.0 sacks in 2009 to rank No. 8 in the NCAA. Jorgensen has sacked opposing quarterbacks twice this season.
Young bloods
Wyoming is one of the youngest teams in the country, having played 12 true freshmen and started six true freshmen in ‘09. The six freshmen starters tie Wyoming for the second most in the nation with Miami of Ohio. Texas A&M leads the way with eight true freshmen starters.
Up next
Following the Utah game, Wyoming will return home next week to host the BYU Cougars on Nov. 7 in a game set to kick off at Noon.
Utah
Utah (6-1, 3-0 MWC) is No. 16 in the BCS standings and No. 19 in the Associated Press, USA Today Coaches and Harris polls. Radio is KALL 700 AM (kall700sports.com).
Blackout
Saturday's game is the second-annual "Blackout" game at Utah. Fans are encouraged to wear black and the Utah team will wear black uniforms. A year ago, in the first "Blackout" game in Rice-Eccles Stadium, No. 9 Utah handed No. 11 TCU a 13-10 defeat.
Trick or Treat II
In honor of Halloween, there will be a Trick-or -Treat zone for kids in Rice-Eccles Stadium prior to the game. The Trick-or-Treat zone will open at 4 p.m., two hours before kickoff, and will feature a tent with spooky music, fog, balloons, interactive games, a black costume contest and more. Ute student-athletes will be on hand to pass out candy. A giant spotlight up 500 South will lead fans to two giant inflated Halloween creatures outside the Trick-or-Treat zone. A game ticket is required for entry.
Utes jump in rankings
In the latest rankings, Utah jumped two places in the BCS standings to No. 16, held steady at No. 19 in the A.P. and Harris Polls, and improved one spot to No. 19 in the Coaches' poll. The BCS standings are based on the Harris poll, Coaches' poll and the computer rankings--the latter which has the Utes at 15th this week. Utah's only loss this season was to current No. 10/12 Oregon in Eugene.
More Bowling
With six wins, Utah is bowl eligible for the seventh-straight season. Utah has the nation's longest postseason win streak at eight, which includes bowl wins in 1999 and 2001, and from 2003-08.
Another Sellout Saturday?
The Utes are looking for their 10th-straight sellout of Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday. Utah has drawn over-capacity crowds dating back to the first game of the 2008 season, averaging 45,506 during that time in a stadium that seats 45,017.
Streaking Utes
Utah has won 20 of its last 21 games and 27 of its last 29 games.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Hendricks earns POW honors
Sophomore linebacker Brian HendricksUniversity of Wyoming sophomore linebacker Brian Hendricks was named the Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Monday for his performance versus Air Force this past Saturday.
Hendricks set a new UW single-game tackle record with 23 total tackles against the Falcons, breaking the UW record that had stood since 1972 when Frank Erzinger made 21 tackles against New Mexico.
Hendricks, a sophomore from Burlington, Colo., had 11 solo tackles, 12 assists and also forced one fumble. The Falcons ran a total of 74 offensive plays on the day of which Hendricks made the tackle on nearly one-third of those plays (23 total). His biggest stops came midway through the second quarter as Air Force had a first-and-goal at the Wyoming 10-yard line. Hendricks made tackles on both first and second down, holding the Falcons to only seven yards on those two plays. Air Force ended up going for it on fourth-and-goal, but Hendricks and the UW defense forced an incomplete pass to maintain a 0-0 tie going into the half.
Hendricks got stronger throughout the game. He made three tackles in the first quarter, five in the second, seven in the third and eight in the fourth. He becomes only the third Cowboy in 113 seasons of Wyoming Football to record 20 or more tackles in a single game. In addition to Erzinger's 21 tackles in 1972, former Wyoming All-America linebacker Paul Nunu made 20 tackles against New Mexico in 1976.
Despite the loss, Hendricks and the Cowboy defense held Air Force to its lowest point total of the season -- 10 points -- and held the Falcons 90 yards under their total offense average (269 yards of total offense as compared to 359.0 average for the season) Only Navy held Air Force to fewer total yards this season (240). Wyoming’s defense also held Air Force to only two yards passing – the second fewest in MWC history.
Earlier this season, Hendricks recorded 18 tackles against Colorado, which tied for the fifth-best, single-game tackle total in school history at the time.
It is Hendricks’ first MWC Player of the Week honor of his career. He is the first Cowboy on defense to earn MWC Player of the Week honors this season. He joins teammates Austyn Carta-Samuels (two-time MWC Offensive Player of the Week), Austin McCoy (Special Teams Player of the Week for Sept. 5) and Ian Watts (Special Teams Player of the Week for Sept. 26) as Cowboys to earn the honor this season.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Cowboys punchless in loss to Falcons
Wyoming-Air Force statistics
AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- For the second time this season, the Wyoming offense put up a goose egg on the scoreboard.
The Wyoming defense was strong, but Air Force was a little stronger in blanking the Cowboys 10-0 Saturday, handing the Cowboys their first Mountain West Conference loss of the season.
Wyoming’s lack of offensive production came off of scoring 97 points in its previous three games, all victories. The Cowboys fell to 2-1 in league play and 4-3 overall. Air Force, which has now won four straight over Wyoming, is now 3-1, 4-3.
"It was just nip and tuck, as it so frequently is whenever Air Force plays Wyoming,” Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said. “You can go back a number of years where you can talk about very, very close contests. You just have to find a way to win with resolve. I thought today we were extremely resilient and we did what we had to do to win a football game, which was a really good victory. You had two good teams, and hats off to Wyoming for what they've done and for what they're going to do up there. It was a great win."
After a scoreless first half, the Falcons scored the only points of the game on a 29-yard field goal by Erik Soderberg in the third quarter and a 17-yard touchdown run by Jared Tew in the fourth quarter. Both scores were set up by short punts, putting air Force in good field position.
Air Force got going offensively in the second half when sophomore quarterback Connor Dietz came off the bench to spark the Falcons, replacing Tim Jefferson, who got the start despite missing the previous two games because of injury.
That was more than enough for Air Force's defense, one of the stingiest in the nation. The Falcons shut out of a conference opponent for the first time since a 24-0 win at Colorado State in 1997.
"I don't think there is any difference in their quarterbacks,” Wyoming coach Dave Christensen said. “They are both equally as productive running the offense. There was really no difference between the second half and the first half, our defense was just on the field a whole bunch today."
Tew led Air Force's rushing attack, finishing with 105 yards while Savier Stephens added 46.
The Cowboys were rolling along coming into Saturday. They had won three straight and were averaging more than 32 points a game since true freshman Austyn Carta-Samuels took over at quarterback.
But Carta-Samuels struggled against the Falcons, completing 14 of 31 passes for 74 yards. He also threw an interception and the Cowboys never moved the ball inside the red zone.
Brandon Stewart finished with 51 yards rushing for the Cowboys, while David Leonard while had seven catches for 36 yards.
A stout Cowboys defense kept Air Force at bay for most of the game, but wore down late. Sophomore linebacker Brian Hendricks finished with 23 tackles for Wyoming and senior defensive tackle John Fletcher had a pair of sacks.
In the scoreless first half, the teams combined for 12 penalties and Air Force mustered 79 yards of offense.
The Falcons got inside the 5, but Asher Clark was stopped by Chris Prosinski and Shamiel Gary from the 3 before Jefferson's fourth-down pass was knocked away by Tashaun Gipson in the corner of the end zone.
With time winding down in the opening half, the Cowboys caught the Falcons in a coverage mix up and Stewart broke into the clear along the sideline.
However, Carta-Samuels sailed a pass too far and Stewart caught it out of bounds near the Air Force 10.
Wyoming's 47-yard field goal attempt just before halftime was blocked by Zach Kauth.
The Cowboys had 10 penalties in the game for 71 yards.
"Absolutely awful job on my part of preparing our kids for that,” Christensen said.
AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- For the second time this season, the Wyoming offense put up a goose egg on the scoreboard.
The Wyoming defense was strong, but Air Force was a little stronger in blanking the Cowboys 10-0 Saturday, handing the Cowboys their first Mountain West Conference loss of the season.
Wyoming’s lack of offensive production came off of scoring 97 points in its previous three games, all victories. The Cowboys fell to 2-1 in league play and 4-3 overall. Air Force, which has now won four straight over Wyoming, is now 3-1, 4-3.
"It was just nip and tuck, as it so frequently is whenever Air Force plays Wyoming,” Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said. “You can go back a number of years where you can talk about very, very close contests. You just have to find a way to win with resolve. I thought today we were extremely resilient and we did what we had to do to win a football game, which was a really good victory. You had two good teams, and hats off to Wyoming for what they've done and for what they're going to do up there. It was a great win."
After a scoreless first half, the Falcons scored the only points of the game on a 29-yard field goal by Erik Soderberg in the third quarter and a 17-yard touchdown run by Jared Tew in the fourth quarter. Both scores were set up by short punts, putting air Force in good field position.
Air Force got going offensively in the second half when sophomore quarterback Connor Dietz came off the bench to spark the Falcons, replacing Tim Jefferson, who got the start despite missing the previous two games because of injury.
That was more than enough for Air Force's defense, one of the stingiest in the nation. The Falcons shut out of a conference opponent for the first time since a 24-0 win at Colorado State in 1997.
"I don't think there is any difference in their quarterbacks,” Wyoming coach Dave Christensen said. “They are both equally as productive running the offense. There was really no difference between the second half and the first half, our defense was just on the field a whole bunch today."
Tew led Air Force's rushing attack, finishing with 105 yards while Savier Stephens added 46.
The Cowboys were rolling along coming into Saturday. They had won three straight and were averaging more than 32 points a game since true freshman Austyn Carta-Samuels took over at quarterback.
But Carta-Samuels struggled against the Falcons, completing 14 of 31 passes for 74 yards. He also threw an interception and the Cowboys never moved the ball inside the red zone.
Brandon Stewart finished with 51 yards rushing for the Cowboys, while David Leonard while had seven catches for 36 yards.
A stout Cowboys defense kept Air Force at bay for most of the game, but wore down late. Sophomore linebacker Brian Hendricks finished with 23 tackles for Wyoming and senior defensive tackle John Fletcher had a pair of sacks.
In the scoreless first half, the teams combined for 12 penalties and Air Force mustered 79 yards of offense.
The Falcons got inside the 5, but Asher Clark was stopped by Chris Prosinski and Shamiel Gary from the 3 before Jefferson's fourth-down pass was knocked away by Tashaun Gipson in the corner of the end zone.
With time winding down in the opening half, the Cowboys caught the Falcons in a coverage mix up and Stewart broke into the clear along the sideline.
However, Carta-Samuels sailed a pass too far and Stewart caught it out of bounds near the Air Force 10.
Wyoming's 47-yard field goal attempt just before halftime was blocked by Zach Kauth.
The Cowboys had 10 penalties in the game for 71 yards.
"Absolutely awful job on my part of preparing our kids for that,” Christensen said.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Cowboys happy, but not satisfied
UW photosWyoming quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels congratulates running back Alvester Alexander after Alexander's 33-yard touchdown run in the first quarter against New Mexico. At left, the UW defense swarms over a New Mexico running back.
By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
Is it too early to talk about a bowl game for the Wyoming Cowboys?
Yes … kind of.
The Cowboys don’t want to get caught up in the bowl talk with a tough schedule ahead, but when pressed, they admit it is their goal and each win puts them closer to that goal.
Opening the season at 4-2 will do that to a team.
“I know there is a locker room that is excited to be 4-2 right now,” Wyoming head coach Dave Christensen said after Saturday’s 37-13 win over New Mexico. “They have probably exceeded a few of your (media) expectations at this time. The kids are playing hard, they have bought in and they continue to come out and play every single game from start to finish. We know the schedule is going to get harder and harder, we have a very difficult game next week against a very good Air Force opponent.”
Have the Cowboys exceeded Christensen’s expectations? Not even close.
“They haven’t met mine, yet,” Christensen said. “We plan on winning every single time we play. I said that the beginning and that is the way it is going to be in this program.”
Wyoming freshman Austyn Carta-Samuels said that 4-2 is a good start, but it is just that – a start.
“We’re going to take it one at a time definitely because we have a tough schedule and that starts with Air Force next week,” Carta-Samuels said. “That’s all we are going to think about. We’re going to take it in stride and hopefully we can keep stacking wins, keep stacking wins. A bowl will be talked about eventually, but we’re not going to talk about that yet or we will lose sight of our goals.”
Cowboy senior linebacker said they aren’t satisfied with being 4-2. They want to be 5-2 after next Saturday’s game with the Falcons. That is their next goal.
“All of the coaches have high expectations for us,” Johnson said, “and I think we are just starting to scratch the surface of what we can do. We have to take it one game at a time and we have a good Air Force team next week.”
Wyoming senior defensive end Mitch Unrein said they are playing with much more confidence and that started with the coaching staff.
“We’re not worrying about if a mistake is going to happen,” Unrein said. “We know good things are going to happen. That is one of the things you can tell in our locker room and in our practices, the meeting room. The team has a whole new look at the program.”
Christensen said that they talk to the team about putting streaks together, winning back-to-back-to-back games. He said that is what you have to do to have success and do the things that you want to do.
“You can’t win a game, lose a couple, win a game, lose a couple. You have to put together back-to-back-to back game to start some streaks. So, it is huge," Christensen said. “The thing is we are changing the landscape and they are learning to do things and what it takes, how to think like a champion. They are doing a great job, but they have along ways to go, believe me. We have no arrived, but we are playing hard, learning how to finish, learning how to compete. Right now, I am happy with where we are at.”
Happy, but not satisfied.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Defense puts it together in the second half
Richard Anderson photo/Senior linebacker Weston Johnson clutches the football after an interception as he is greeted by teammates.By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
Some of their problems were their own fault in the first half, some of them were not.
The Wyoming defense made sure the second half and final score was no problem at all, pitching a shutout in the final two quarters as the Cowboys rolled to a 37-13 win over New Mexico Saturday at War Memorial Stadium.
The Cowboys gave up a 24-yard touchdown pass on a one-play drive that was set up by a fumble on a fake punt attempt. They then gave up two field goals on long drives by the Lobos, the second with less than a minute to play until halftime.
Although Wyoming was up by four points at halftime, it wasn’t the effort the Cowboy defense was looking for.
“We challenged them at halftime and I thought they came out in the second half and made some big stops,’ Wyoming head coach Dave Christensen said.
Per man, the solution was almost identical; they had to do the little things well to play big.
“We just went out there and didn’t have any mental errors,” Wyoming senior defensive tackle John Fletcher said. “They had a wheel play that as a defensive end, we were suppose to come down the spill and we weren’t getting that in the first half. Coaches got on us a little bit. We started hitting it in the second half and they weren’t getting anything on us. Once we were able to shut down the run and get them in passing situations, that’s when we did the best up front, getting pressure.”
Added senior defensive end Mitch Unrein: “We didn’t execute as well in the first half as we should have. We got a little talking to there. Then everyone came out and just did their job. That’s what we try to stress on the defensive side of the ball.”
The Wyoming linebackers said they were guilty as charged, not filling the gaps the way they needed to stop the New Mexico ground attack.
“It’s just the little plays. There might be a broken pass coverage or not filling the right gap. It’s little things like that that need to be fixed. That’s all it was,” said sophomore linebacker Gabe Knapton, who led the Cowboys with 11 tackles, his fifth straight game of double-digit tackles. “When we came into halftime, we all knew what we needed to do. We all came together and came out and played great defense.”
Senior linebacker Weston Johnson said much of the same thing as Knapton.
“We just had guys not doing their exact assignment, not filling the gap,” said Johnson, who had 10 tackles (two for a loss) and one pass interception. “The coaches got on us and it kind of woke us up. We knew we could play better, so we just came out and focused on that.”
The Wyoming coaches got on the Cowboys and they listened. After giving up 178 yards and 13 points in the first half, the Lobos had just 112 yards and a goose egg on the scoreboard in the final 30 minutes.
“First half, definitely not. In the second half, we got a shutout and played the way that we know we can play," Johnson said about how he thought they played. “I think it gives our team offensively and defensively going into next week’s game against Air Force.”
Johnson said that on defense, preached all week about players being responsible, being accountable to their teammates.
“There were a few plays, including myself, where guys were coming out of coverage or not doing what they were supposed to on that play," Johnson said. "That enabled New Mexico to move the ball on us that they would like.”
In fact, the Lobos had 25 yards rushing on their first three carries, all by James Wright. New Mexico finished with just 47 yards on the ground in the game.
“We came out in the second half and played mistake free and cleaned up on those errors. If we keep doing that, we’ll get better every single week,” Unrein said.
Maybe one of the first half highlights for the Wyoming defense was when Unrein caught Wright in the end zone on a little swing pass for a safety -- the team’s first points of the game.
Unrein, who had put good pressure on this season but had little to show for it, finished with one quarterback sack and three tackles. He was actually surprised he was credited with the sack.
“Sweet, I didn’t know that,” Unrein said when he was told that he had a sack. “It’s nice to get on the sheet. It has been kind of a long five games. I’d get back there but he (quarterback) would get the ball off. We have such great playmakers on the defensive side of the ball. If somebody is blocking me, that frees up somebody else. It’s just a team effort. I don’t care what my stats are, I just play as hard as I can. I’m more worried about us winning the ballgame.”
Wyoming’s sackmaster -- Fletcher -- caught New Mexico quarterback Donovan Porterie one time as well, as the Cowboys finished with five sacks in the game.
“Every week Coach C is getting us ready to play. If you do your technique, the big hits will come. I think from the beginning of fall camp to now we have become more physical unit than we ever have been,” Fletcher said.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)