LARAMIE — The Wyoming Cowboys will take their first Mountain West road trip of the season Saturday when they face North Dakota State at 1:30 p.m. Mountain Time inside the Fargodome.
The game will be carried on the 26 stations of the Cowboy Sports Network, with Keith Kelley calling the play-by-play, Kevin McKinney providing color commentary and TRN Media’s Erick Pauley reporting from the sidelines. The game also will be televised by The CW and streamed through the WatchESPN app. In Sweetwater County you can listen to the game on KUGR 104.9 FM and 1490 AM.
Wyoming enters at 2-2 overall and 1-0 in Mountain West play after a 27-10 victory over Hawaii last Saturday. North Dakota State is 4-0 overall and 1-0 in conference play after a bye week. The Bison are in their first season as an FBS program and have defeated Jacksonville State, Fordham, Air Force and Sacramento State.
Saturday will be only the second meeting between the programs and the first in the Fargodome. Wyoming won the previous meeting 16-13 in Laramie in 2008. The game also marks the debut of the Battle of the Basins, a new traveling trophy recognizing the connections between Wyoming and North Dakota and their petroleum industries.
The trophy features a wooden base with the Steamboat and NDSU logos, along with a drill bit from an oil field. Wyoming Director of Athletics Tom Burman said the trophy will celebrate both the football matchup and the petroleum industries in the two states.
There are several coaching connections between the programs. NDSU head coach Tim Polasek previously served as Wyoming’s offensive coordinator under Craig Bohl, who also coached at North Dakota State. Wyoming safeties coach Jason Petrino previously was NDSU’s defensive coordinator.
The Bison enter Saturday averaging 35 points and 370.5 yards per game while allowing 12.3 points and 254.8 yards. Quarterback Nathan Hayes has thrown for 808 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions. DJ Scott leads the rushing attack with 56.3 yards per game and three touchdowns, while Jackson Williams has 18 catches for 283 yards.
Wyoming is coming off its most productive offensive game of the season, totaling 387 yards against Hawaii. Tyler Hughes completed 17 of 23 passes for 204 yards and connected with nine different receivers.
Samuel “Tote” Harris rushed for 94 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries and added 36 receiving yards for 130 total yards. Markell Holman rushed for 87 yards and two touchdowns, while Deion DeBlanc caught all three of his targets for 41 yards.
The Cowboys also will look to build on a strong defensive performance against Hawaii. Jones Thomas recorded a career-high three pass breakups and has six passes defended this season. Esaia Bogar leads Wyoming with four tackles for loss and two sacks, while Jayden Williams recorded the first sack of his career against the Rainbow Warriors.
Kicker Erik Sandvik enters Saturday having made all five of his field-goal attempts this season, including a career-long 48-yarder.
Saturday begins a two-game road swing for Wyoming. Following the trip to Fargo, the Cowboys will travel to San Jose State the following week, covering approximately 1,950 miles over the two-week stretch.
