FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Wyoming turned the ball over four times and failed to convert any of its eight third-down opportunities Saturday, falling 35-13 to rival Colorado State in the season opener at Canvas Stadium.
The loss dropped Wyoming to 0-1 and handed Colorado State the Bronze Boot in front of 40,546 fans. The Cowboys had won eight of the previous 10 meetings with the Rams, including a 28-0 victory in Laramie last season.
“We made way too many mistakes in critical situations that killed us in that game,” Wyoming coach Jay Sawvel said. “Frustrating. Just like we tell the players, we’ve got a lot of things to fix and need to stick together and do it.”
Tyler Hughes, making his first career start at quarterback for Wyoming, completed his day with 130 passing yards and added 52 yards rushing. Samuel “Tote” Harris led the Cowboys with 63 yards on the ground, while Jacob Wilson caught two passes for 51 yards.
The Cowboys stayed within one score late in the first half after twice trailing by double digits.
Colorado State opened the game with a 10-play, 65-yard drive that ended with Hauss Hejny’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Makih Johnson. Wyoming answered with a 13-play, 56-yard drive, but the possession stalled in the red zone and Erik Sandvik kicked a 37-yard field goal with 2:34 left in the first quarter to make it 7-3.
The Rams extended their lead to 14-3 after capitalizing on a Wyoming turnover. Colorado State then missed a chance to add to its advantage when Kali Nguma’s 54-yard field-goal attempt went wide with 33 seconds remaining in the half.
Wyoming responded with its best stretch of the game. Eric Richardson opened the possession with a 56-yard kickoff return, and Harris added runs of 4 and 15 yards before Hughes scrambled 15 yards down the visiting sideline. Hughes finished the seven-play, 55-yard drive himself, scoring on a 9-yard run to bring Wyoming within 14-13 with 10:59 remaining in the second quarter.
The Cowboys’ defense forced a three-and-out on Colorado State’s ensuing possession, giving Wyoming an opportunity to take the lead. But an illegal-man-downfield penalty erased a completion from Hughes to Charlie Coenen that would have moved the chains on third-and-16.
Wyoming then committed another turnover, and the Rams turned it into a 57-yard touchdown pass from Hejny with four minutes remaining in the third quarter to push the lead to 21-13.
From there, Colorado State pulled away. Hejny threw two more touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and finished with 214 passing yards and five touchdowns.
Wyoming’s offense struggled to sustain momentum throughout the game. The Cowboys converted none of their eight third-down opportunities and were unable to capitalize on opportunities created by the defense after halftime.
Defensively, Ethan Stuhlsatz led Wyoming with 15 tackles, while Esaia Bogar finished with 11.
The loss was Wyoming’s first in the rivalry since 2022 and moved Colorado State’s all-time series advantage to 61-52-5. Wyoming still holds a 47-34 advantage in the series since the end of World War II and leads 32-26 since the Bronze Boot was introduced in 1968.
The Cowboys return home next Saturday for their season opener at War Memorial Stadium against Northern Colorado. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m., with the game available on MW+.
