FARGO, N.D. — The Wyoming Cowboys were shut out 28-0 by North Dakota State on Saturday in the sold-out Fargodome, leaving the Battle of the Basins Trophy with the Bison.
Wyoming fell to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in Mountain West play, while North Dakota State improved to 5-0 and 2-0. The Cowboys finished with eight first downs and 162 yards of total offense, compared with 23 first downs and 407 yards for the Bison.
“Credit to North Dakota State. They did a really good job defensively,” Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel said. “They did a good job in the second quarter at times running the quarterback on some designed quarterback runs, some things there that gave us some problems with that. They’re a good football team.”
North Dakota State took advantage of an interception on Wyoming’s first play from scrimmage, turning the short field into an 8-yard rushing touchdown by quarterback Nathan Hayes for an early 7-0 lead.
“That was something that set a tone for how we were going to play offensively and how they were going to play defensively,” Sawvel said.
Wyoming’s punt team helped flip field position during the first half. Jarell Gary downed a 42-yard punt by Bart Edmiston at the North Dakota State 3-yard line, but the Bison responded with a seven-play, 97-yard drive capped by a 14-yard touchdown run from Hayes to extend their lead to 14-0.
Later in the second quarter, Edmiston delivered a 59-yard punt. Jackson Williams was tackled by Jett Vincent after an 11-yard return, and Gary returned what was initially ruled a fumble 12 yards for a touchdown. After reviewing the play, officials determined Williams was down before the ball came loose, nullifying the score.
North Dakota State added a 31-yard field goal with 20 seconds remaining in the first half to take a 17-0 lead into the break. The Bison outgained Wyoming 231-66 in total yards during the first half.
The Bison opened the second half with a 15-play, 74-yard drive that ended with a 37-yard field goal, extending the lead to 20-0 with 6:35 remaining in the third quarter.
Wyoming linebacker Steven Perez, who led the Cowboys with 11 tackles, recovered a fumble to give the offense possession at the North Dakota State 35-yard line. Wyoming moved into scoring position but was pushed back by a false-start penalty on third-and-goal at the 1-yard line. Quarterback Tyler Hughes’ pass fell incomplete on fourth down, ending the threat.
North Dakota State added a late touchdown and a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter to complete the 28-0 shutout.
Wyoming will look to rebound next Friday when it travels to San Jose State for a 7 p.m. game at CEFCU Stadium. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
