Wyoming Slays the Mountain West’s Dragon, Beats No. 24 Fresno State

WYOMING 24

FRESNO STATE 19

40 straight drives without a three and out. 14-game win streak, the second longest in the nation. The Bulldogs scored in 25 straight quarters. All of it is no more, the Cowboys demoralizing the Bulldogs on Saturday night.

Wyoming’s first ranked win since 2016. A great day to be a Cowboy fan. 42 AP Top-25 votes racked in for the Cowboys, and the streets are saying the Cowpokes are America’s team.

With the nose tackle Cole Godbout sealing the game with a volleyball-esque interception, victory was oh-so-sweet for Craig Bohl and his squad.

A pair of three-and-outs to start this game would set the tone for the Bulldog offense, and the unit didn’t really see any success until it was too little and too late.

The Pokes start out hot in the first game of what will be the hardest stretch of the year, with Air Force next week followed by Boise State.

Cowboys Hot on Offense

On their first drive, Wyoming drove into Fresno State territory to score what was thought to be a beauty of a toe-tap touchdown from John Michael Gyllenborg, but the referees had different plans. Instead they cashed in for a field goal, but came back for seconds a drive later.

Peasley put together a perfect 10-play drive that ended with a tight window throw to Wyatt Wieland that would tack on the first touchdown of the game, and clearly rattled Fresno State’s defense.

In the first quarter Wyoming put up 112 total yards. Fresno…12. A clear favorite had presented itself in the first frame, and that was the Cowpokes.

Fresno State took their turn in the endzone, responding with a touchdown of their own, but Peasley and his crew had figured out the Bulldog defense.

Wyatt Wieland got in for his first multi-touchdown game to put the Pokes up by 10, a gorgeous back shoulder throw and catch. It was evident at this point that Fresno’s defense couldn’t hang, and in my opinion, the unit looked brutal.

With another touchdown courtesy of Treyton Welch, Wyoming went into halftime up 24-7 and scoring on every drive of the half. Peasley ended the first half 16-20 for 144 yards and 3 touchdowns.

The first half was all Cowboys, but they slowed down in the second portion of the game, not scoring again after the break.

Harrison Waylee went down with an injury in the closing minutes of this game and is hopeful to return next week. It was his first game as a Poke without 100 yards, as the run game was overshadowed in this week’s game plan.

This Defense is World Class

Of course, how could I go this whole time without mentioning Godbout’s pick? A game-sealing play that was very representative of Wyoming’s resilient play on defense.

On Fresno’s first score, it was a catch in the corner of the endzone where UW’s DB Buck Coors just wasn’t fast enough to get there. However, defensive play was not characterized by plays like these against the Bulldogs.

The Cowboy corner trio of Hawkins, Taylor, and Brown each had a pass breakup, with Wrook Brown’s coming in big-time fashion to force a punt on Fresno’s second drive.

Mikey Keene was feeling the pressure from the Cowboy defensive line in critical moments, and while only putting up three sacks, the Pokes sure know how to make a defensive play in the clutch.

Shae Suiaunoa’s sack set up Treyton Welch’s touchdown, kicking the Bulldog offense off the field and granting his team a chance to score with three minutes left in the half. It may not be mind-blowing numbers, but this defense is able to make the plays when it’s needed.

Final Thoughts

Something that became clear to me on Saturday is that Fresno State’s defense is really shaky at times. Their corners kept getting beat flat out, and the middle of the field was pretty open for the majority of the game.

With that being said, the Cowboys have their swagger back and I can see them seriously contending for the Mountain West title later this year.

As the Bulldogs were exiting to go home, the team was chanting, “See ya’ll boys in December,” suggesting that the two teams will meet again in the Mountain West Championship.

It’s clear the rest of the division has high praise for the Cowboys, and rightfully so.

They will continue their ‘stretch of terror’ in Colorado Spring next week against the Air Force Falcons, where they try to gain some more national traction, and possibly enter the AP top-25.