BOULDER, Colo. — Wyoming could not slow down Colorado’s offense in a 37-20 loss Saturday night in front of a sold-out crowd at Folsom Field.
The Cowboys closed nonconference play with a 2-2 record, while the Buffaloes improved to 2-2.
“We could have let go of the rope,” Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel said after his team fell behind 28-3 early in the third quarter. “And the next thing you know that game is like 42-3. Instead, with four and a half minutes to go we still have all our timeouts, we’ve got the two-minute timeout and we’re in that game. You need a stop, and we didn’t get that stop.”
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Wyoming finished with 347 yards of total offense, including 182 passing and 165 rushing. Colorado countered with 497 total yards, led by 304 passing and 193 on the ground.
Freshman running back Samuel “Tote” Harris highlighted the Cowboys’ offense with a career-high 126 rushing yards, including a 50-yard burst. He became the first Wyoming true freshman to top 100 rushing yards in a game since Titus Swen in 2019. Wide receiver Chris Durr Jr. added five catches for 50 yards and a touchdown, while quarterback Kaden Anderson threw for 176 yards and two scores.
Linebacker Brayden Wilson led Wyoming’s defense with six tackles, while safety Andrew Johnson and defensive ends Wilson and Tyce Westland each added four. Wilson recorded a sack and a tackle for loss, giving him 31 career tackles for loss.
Colorado opened the scoring in the second quarter with a 29-yard touchdown pass from Kaidon Salter to Omarion Miller. Wyoming answered with a 29-yard Erik Sandvik field goal after Harris’ long run set up the 10-play, 65-yard drive.
Salter connected on a 68-yard touchdown strike later in the quarter to extend Colorado’s lead to 14-3. The Buffaloes added another score before halftime to go up 21-3, holding Wyoming to 114 first-half yards.
Colorado pushed the margin to 28-3 early in the third quarter before Anderson hit Eric Richardson for a 41-yard touchdown to cut into the deficit. A 38-yard Sandvik field goal made it 28-13 late in the quarter.
Salter finished with 304 passing yards, three touchdowns and 86 rushing yards, including a late score to seal the win.
“We knew we would be better because of these two games,” Sawvel said, referencing back-to-back matchups against Utah and Colorado. “We knew this would be difficult and we would get exposed in certain ways if we didn’t play really well. What we’ve learned is where we’ve got to get better.”
Wyoming has a bye week before hosting UNLV on Oct. 4 at 5 p.m. in War Memorial Stadium. The game will be a Stripe Out event.
