LARAMIE — The biggest name in Wyoming football history is coming home. Reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen will return to War Memorial Stadium on Saturday as the Cowboys close their home schedule against Nevada, headlining a landmark day that includes the retirement of his No. 17 jersey, Senior Day and Military Appreciation Day.
Allen, a Wyoming Athletics Hall of Famer and the most nationally recognized player to ever wear the Brown and Gold, will become the first Cowboy in program history to have his jersey retired. The ceremony will take place at halftime, with Ramos Law serving as the presenting sponsor.
“All eyes will be on War Memorial Stadium against Nevada as it will be an exciting day for the State of Wyoming,” UW Director of Athletics Tom Burman said in announcing Ramos Law as the school’s first on-field logo sponsor. “Wyoming Athletics is excited to partner with Ramos Law for this special occasion.”
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Ramos Law will have logo placement on both 25-yard lines Saturday, along with videoboard features, stadium signage and commemorative giveaway items.
“This is a proud moment for the University of Wyoming and for everyone who watched Josh Allen grow from Laramie to the NFL,” said Dr. Joseph Ramos, Owner of Ramos Law. “We are honored to support Wyoming Athletics on a day that will be remembered in Cowboy Football history.”
Allen enters the weekend fresh off a six-touchdown performance for the Buffalo Bills, throwing for three and rushing for three, giving him 75 career regular-season rushing touchdowns, tied with Cam Newton for the most by a quarterback in NFL history.
Wyoming (4–6, 2–4 Mountain West) will honor more than 20 seniors before kickoff. The group includes longtime Cowboys and several transfers who contributed to bowl appearances and earned postseason and preseason recognition across the Mountain West.
The noon matchup will air on Altitude, Altitude+, the Mountain West Network and the MW App. The Cowboy Sports Network will carry the radio call with Keith Kelley, Kevin McKinney and Erick Pauley.
Freshman running back Samuel “Tote” Harris continues to emerge as Wyoming’s most reliable offensive weapon. Harris rushed for 102 yards at Fresno State, his second 100-yard game of the season, highlighted by a 36-yard carry. He leads the Cowboys with 552 rushing yards and is averaging more than 5.7 yards per carry.
Tight end John Michael Gyllenborg tied his career high with five receptions for 36 yards last week. He has logged three or more catches in 16 games during his UW career and has done so four times this season.
On defense, linebacker Evan Eller recorded nine tackles at Fresno State, all solo, tying his career high for solo stops. Eller has 58 tackles this season and 295 for his career, just five away from reaching 300.
Safety Jones Thomas posted a career-high 12 tackles with seven solo stops. He now has 48 on the year, tied for third on the team. Thomas and fellow safety Andrew Johnson have combined for 101 tackles this season.
Defensive end Esaia Bogar turned in the most disruptive game of his young career, recording his first sack, an 11-yard loss, and breaking up a pass that nearly led to an interception. Linebacker Brayden Johnson added a career-high 10 tackles, surpassing 200 career tackles and becoming the third Cowboy linebacker this season with a double-digit tackle game.
Veteran offensive linemen Jack Walsh and Caden Barnett will play their final game at War Memorial Stadium. Walsh, a preseason All-Mountain West pick, has appeared in 44 games with 35 starts, while Barnett has played in 46 games with 32 starts.
Defensive tackle Ben Florentine, the team leader in tackles for loss (seven) and sacks (five), added another TFL on a fourth-down stop last week. He has 10 career TFLs entering his final home game.
Wyoming’s secondary continues to trend upward with 36 pass breakups this season, already more than last year with two games remaining. Tyrese Boss, Dainsus Miller and Desman Hearns each have five to share the team lead.
Nevada (2–8, 1–5) snapped a 16-game Mountain West losing streak with a 55–10 win over San Jose State last week. Quarterback Carter Jones threw for 195 yards and two touchdowns, Caleb Ramseur rushed for 128 yards and a score, and the Wolf Pack defense produced five takeaways that led to 24 points. Ky Woods added a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown.
Wyoming leads the all-time series 6–4, including a 42–6 road win in 2023. Nevada’s last victory came in a 37–34 overtime decision to open the 2020 season. At the last Reno meeting in 2016, Allen ran for two touchdowns and caught another in a 42–34 Wyoming win.
Saturday will mark the program’s most high-profile home event in decades.
“There’s never been a bigger stage at War Memorial Stadium than this weekend,” said Rob DeSoto, General Manager of Wyoming Sports Properties.
