Cowboys Remain Undefeated With Win vs. Portland State

WYOMING - 31

PORTLAND STATE - 17

The Cowboys were back at War Memorial Stadium and did not disappoint on game day, getting back into the groove with their offense.

While there were some bumps in the road, the Pokes were able to get it done against their Big Sky opponent Portland State Vikings.

Key Stats

The main team stats were almost identical between these two teams, Wyoming with 371 total yards, and Portland State with 344. They each had two turnovers and the Vikings were able to get 20 first downs compared to UW’s 19.

The run game was the focal point for Craig Bohl and the offense, running the rock 39 times on Saturday, compared to Peasley’s 16 pass attempts. Sam Scott and D.Q. James was the double-headed monster, Scott rushing 11 for 70 yards, and James rushing 14 for 33. Peasley was also using his legs this time, something I expect to see a lot of vs. Texas, taking off six times for 43 yards.

It was a receiver day in Wyoming’s passing game, with Treyton Welch and his tight ends not getting a ton of love against the Vikings. The Holy Cross transfer Ayir Asante however, reeled in two balls for 78 yards including a gargantuan 64-yard touchdown score where he flew by the Portland secondary. He didn’t only score once but racked up two touchdowns, and I’d really love to see some more out of this guy, especially against Texas next week.

Establishing their game

It’s no surprise that Craig Bohl wants to run the ball this year, and they did that against the Vikings. However, this wasn’t the case against Texas Tech in week one. They had to adjust to the defense they were facing, and Peasley got more work through the air, especially through the short game.

I presume this game was a warmup to their top 5 matchup against Texas. After a big win against Alabama, the Longhorns are looking like a sure loss in the Cowboy’s schedule, but Bohl is surely not gonna go down without a fight. The run game and big shots down the field will be the equation if they are to beat Texas.

Wyett Ekeler was able to get himself an interception early in Portland’s first drive, and the defense looked good overall. They did get a little lazy at the end, but who’s shocked by that?

Final thoughts

It was all Cowboys in the first three quarters, but garbage time got the best of them, and Portland was able to put on another score to close the game. The stats were close, but the Pokes were in control all game.

The offense was able to add some confidence with some rare deep shots to the endzone which doesn’t happen too often in Laramie. It’s all Texas now, as the Pokes will go to Austin to try to defeat an even harder opponent than Texas Tech; No. 4 Texas.

Both sides of the ball did what they needed to do, and Bohl established his playstyle against a team you can afford to experiment against.