UC Davis vs. Wyoming game preview: Cowboys look to get their second win

Wyoming is looking for a bounce back, and more specifically redshirt sophomore quarterback Josh Allen is looking for a bounce back.

Allen, a week after being named Mountain West offensive player of the week in relation to his strong pay in a win over Northern Illinois, came unglued in the fourth quarter against Nebraska.

With the issue still in doubt, down just two scores early in the fourth quarter, Allen tossed three interceptions to go alongside two others he threw earlier in the contest.

It’s safe to say, Allen’s first road start didn’t go as he imagined it would.

But the great thing is Allen and company get to come back home to Laramie and face an FCS foe in UC Davis (4 p.m. MST kickoff) that was preseason picked near the bottom of the Big Sky Conference.

The Aggies sport a 1-1 overall record with a loss coming at Oregon and a win over NAIA Southern Oregon. Even amid the loss to the Ducks, one thing remained true for UC Davis, it can score.

The Aggies are averaging 40 points per game this season and held a lead for a good portion of the opening quarter against Oregon.

Senior quarterback Ben Scott sets everything in motion for UC Davis. He’s completing over 64 percent of his passes for 684 years this season. Three players — sophomore Keelan Doss, senior Ramon Vargas and senior Manusamoa Luuga — each have over 100 yards receiving through two games.

Luuga spearheads the ground attack, boasting 241 yards rushing and a 6.9 yard-per-carry average. The offense can put up its fair share of points, however, the defense is also quite susceptible to giving up its fair share.

Now while playing Oregon will most assuredly skew some of the Aggies defensive numbers, UC Davis surrendered 653 total yards and 35 points to Southern Oregon.

That porous defense could be the best medicine for Allen and a Wyoming running game looking to get back on track after a sub-par performance against the Cornhuskers.

The Cowboys, in the opener against NIU, had tremendous balance, rushing for 243 yards and passing for 245. That balance was lost against Nebraska. The Pokes got zero push at the line of scrimmage and as a result junior running back Brian Hill ran for only 49 yards on 17 carries. This put a lot of pressure on Allen, and the passing game and in the fourth quarter that didn’t go well.

Wyoming, which returned four of five offensive line starters, should be able to win the line of scrimmage against the Aggies. Getting Hill off a running is the best way for Allen to settle in and find that rhythm he had in the opener against NIU.

The Cowboys are just 2-2 since 2012 against FCS foes with homes losses coming to both Cal Poly and North Dakota.

Wyoming looks like a different team and is starting to take on the identity coach Craig Bohl is attempting to build.

Now is a chance to take another step in the right direction as a lower-level football team comes to War Memorial Stadium.