LARAMIE — The Wyoming Cowboys return to War Memorial Stadium on Saturday looking to bounce back from a difficult season opener when they host Northern Colorado at 2 p.m.
The game will be available live on the 26 stations of the Cowboy Sports Network, with Keith Kelley on play-by-play, Kevin McKinney providing color commentary and TRN Media’s Erick Pauley reporting from the sidelines. In Sweetwater County, you can listen to the game on KUGR 104.9 FM and 1490 AM.
Wyoming enters the home opener 0-1 after a 35-13 loss to rival Colorado State last Saturday in Fort Collins. The Cowboys struggled to sustain drives against the Rams, going 0 for 8 on third down while committing four turnovers. The Cowboys will look to correct those issues Saturday against a Northern Colorado team that also enters the matchup searching for its first victory.
Northern Colorado opened the season with a 30-29 loss to Weber State before falling 38-23 to South Dakota last week, with both games played at Nottingham Field. Despite its record, Northern Colorado has produced 431 yards of total offense per game through two contests. The Bears are averaging 246 yards passing and 185 yards rushing per game.
Quarterback Kenny Lueth has led the offense, averaging 213.5 passing yards per game with two touchdown passes. He has also averaged 61 rushing yards per game and has scored twice on the ground. Running back Mathias Price has 140 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Marcus Mozer leads the Bears with eight receptions for 78 yards. Trey Olsen has two touchdown receptions.
Northern Colorado’s defense is led by safety Franky Morales, who has 12 tackles, an interception and two pass breakups. Linebacker KJ Smedley has seven tackles, including two for loss.
Wyoming’s defense produced several strong individual performances despite the loss to Colorado State. Linebacker Ethan Stuhlsatz recorded a career-high 15 tackles, the most by a Cowboy since Chad Muma had 17 against Utah State in 2021. Defensive end Esaia Bogar also had a career-high with 11 tackles.
The Cowboys will also welcome several players back to War Memorial Stadium after making their Wyoming debuts last week. Quarterback Tyler Hughes made his first start for Wyoming against Colorado State, passing for 130 yards and rushing for 52 yards with a touchdown. Running back Samuel “Tote” Harris rushed for 63 yards on 16 carries in his return to action.
Wyoming’s tight ends also played a significant role in the opener. Jake Wilson caught two passes for a career-high 51 yards, while Isaac Schoenfeld had one reception for 13 yards and Kyle Frendt also caught a pass. Kicker Erik Sandvik made both of his field-goal attempts against Colorado State, including a career-long 48-yarder as time expired at the end of the first half.
Saturday’s game also marks a return to Wyoming for Cowboys cornerbacks coach JB Hall, who spent the previous two seasons on Northern Colorado’s coaching staff. Hall joined Wyoming during the offseason after working with Ed Lamb at Northern Colorado.
Wyoming has historically performed well in nonconference home openers, entering Saturday with a 53-12-1 record in those games. The Cowboys will try to add another victory to that record while securing their first win of the season in front of a home crowd at War Memorial Stadium.
The annual Stripe Out is scheduled for Saturday, with Wyoming fans encouraged to wear brown or gold based on their seating location. Students are encouraged to wear gold.
Saturday’s home opener also will feature a new addition to Jonah Field. The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association logo will be displayed in both end zones as part of a partnership between the PRCA and Wyoming Athletics. The logos will be the first end-zone branding on the turf at Jonah Field.
“Rodeo is part of Wyoming’s identity, so partnering with the PRCA just made sense for us,” Rob DeSoto, General Manager, Wyoming Sports Properties said. “Having their logo in our field puts that connection right in front of our fans, and their reading program gives us a way to support kids across the state beyond gameday. With PRCA planting deeper roots in Cheyenne, the timing couldn’t be better.”
