Wyoming @ UNLV Week 11: Pokes head to Vegas on Friday Night

WYOMING @ UNLV

Location: Las Vegas, Nevada (Allegiant Stadium)

Date/Time: Friday, November 10th at 8:45 (Mountain Time)

Television: FOX Sports

Streaming: You’ll need a cable log-in but the game will be streamed here.

Wyoming (6-3, 3-2 MW) takes their first of two trips to Nevada this season for their battle against the UNLV Rebels (7-2, 4-1 MW).

This is a pivotal moment in the season for both teams, especially the Cowboys. This will be their chance to take down one of the Mountain West top dogs and still make a break for the conference championship. Because frankly, UNLV is the Cowboy’s last ‘hard’ game of the regular season, closing the campaign out with Hawai’i and Nevada following this contest.

That said, Wyoming doesn’t come up big when they need to.

Keys to the Game

1. Stop the run

Wyoming’s defense will have to deal with the 15th-best rushing attack in the nation featuring Vincent Davis Jr. and an array of depth running backs that the Rebels utilize.

Despite having a plethora of playmakers on the front seven, Wyoming’s run defense has been lackluster this season, and something that has been a big factor in losses.

In every loss, the Pokes have given up at least 185 yards on the ground.

Likewise, when the Cowboys run the ball well, they tend to win. UNLV has the 36th-best rushing defense in the nation, so this one is going to be won in the trenches. Waylee is capable of this though, and Wyoming has one of the best rushing attacks when he is active.

2. Stay consistent

A common theme we’ve seen throughout the season is Peasley having an incredible first half, and then disappearing in the latter stage of the game. We can’t have that.

Against an elite team like UNLV, they will take advantage of plateau moments like this, and pounce on it. Teams like Colorado State did not do this, but the reason the Cowboys can’t beat good teams is this signature falloff from the quarterback.

Involving an array of receivers in the passing game will surely help this problem, and the misuse of playmakers on this offense is truly frustrating to watch. Feed Ayir Asante.

Prediction:

I’m not sure how many times I’ve done it this season, but it hasn’t been often where I predict the Cowboys to lose. I might have to do it here though.

Wyoming comes in as a 3.5-point underdog, rightfully so.

Coming off of a big rivalry win, I presume this team will come out against UNLV and not know how to handle them. I predict the Rebels win 31-17, but I really hope I’m wrong.