Wyoming traveled to Pullman, WA to take on the Washington State Cougars on Saturday night. The Cowboys lost the game against their PAC12 opponent 31-14. Above, a crowd of 31,105 looks on Saturday night.

Wyoming traveled to Pullman, WA to take on the Washington State Cougars on Saturday night. The Cowboys lost the game against their PAC12 opponent 31-14. Above, a crowd of 31,105 looks on Saturday night.

Pullman, WA – The Cowboys did not go quietly into the night in Pullman. The Pokes team we’ve seen the last two weeks looked considerably better on this beautiful September night in Pullman. The first half was the Cowboys football team we should have been seeing all season long. They put together good, sustained drives, throwing effectively, rushing effectively, and being disciplined on both sides of the ball.

The night marked the return of senior quarterback Cameron Coffman who sat out last week’s game with an injured knee. Coffman had a good night throwing the ball going 25/36 for 296 yards and two scores. He also had one interception on the night. Coffman frequently escaped trouble by eluding Washington State defenders and moving well in the pocket. Coffman said after the game that his knee felt fine and mobility wasn’t limited.

Brian Hill continued is streak of dominance in the back field by going over 100 yards again. He finished the night with 145 yards and no scores. Tonight marked the sixth time in his Wyoming career he has gone over 100 yards rushing. His counterpart in the back field did not fare as well, Shaun Wick, who only had 26 yards on 12 attempts.

The scoring started off with Wyoming hitting a 45 yard pass from Coffman to receiver Tanner Gentry in the endzone. The Cowboys stopped Washington State on a three and out to start the game and scored following the punt.

Washington State answered back with a scoring drive that finished with quarterback Luke Falk diving into the endzone from one yard out.

Wyoming would answer back on the following drive with a five yard pass from Cameron Coffman to Jake Mulhardt to take the lead 14-7 in the first quarter. Mulhardt had a career night catching ten passes for 113 yards and a score, both career highs. Mulhardt said after the game that were are no moral victories and the team felt like this is a game they could and should have won.

The 100 yards by Mulhardt and Gentry were the first 100 yard effort by two receivers in the same game since Dominic Rufran and Robert Herron did it in 2013 against Hawaii.

Washington State dominated the second quarter on the scoreboard by punching in two touchdowns. The first score of the second quarter coming on a beautiful one-handed catch by Dom Williams from Luke Falk for a 35 yard score. The second of the Cougar scores would come on a 36 yard rush by Keith Harrington.

Going into the half Washington State led 21-14. The Cowboys led in total yards, 263 to 254, and rushing yards, 106 to 86. All in all, a solid half football for the Cowboys.

The second half of this game featured a defensive battle. Going into this game the Cowboys were a 24 point underdog, and the over-under was 66. This is basically the opposite of what was supposed to happen. The third quarter featured a turnover by both teams and switching of field position but no meaningful drives came of it. The Cowboys twice found themselves in 4th and hahahaha but managed to keep the Washington State offense in check.

The scoring in the fourth quarter featured a 22 yard Eric Powell field goal. The Cowboy defense held their own on the drive, stopping the Cougars on a 1st and goal drive. The Cowboy defense was also a victim of a targeting penalty, and Robert Priester being ejected for a hit to a Cougar receiver.

Washington State tacked on a touchdown at the end of the game to push the lead, and final score to 31-14, a four hard pass from Luke Falk to Dom Williams, their second hook-up of the game.

Encouraging news for the Cowboys is the defense played very well against a team known for being a high octane “Air Raid” offense. They didn’t give up a lot of big plays and kept most everything in front of them.

Eddie Yarbrough recorded two sacks on the night. Yarbrough moved ahead of Josh Biezuns, second on the all-time list in tackles for loss. The Cowboys also had their first forced turnover of the season, an interception by Marcus Epps. Andrew Wingard led the Cowboys with twelve tackles on the night, six solo.

Tyran Finley made his first start for the Cowboys this season and recorded six tackles. The secondary very much held their own tonight, limiting Falk to 303 yards and two scores. The Cougars were held to 75 yards rushing on 20 attempts.

On the Washington State side of the ball linebacker Peyton Pelluer turned in a nice performance for the Cougars by recording 14 tackles, nine of them solo. Keith Harrington led Washington State rushers with 68 yards and a score. Gerard Wicks led Cougar receivers with eight receptions.

Next week the Cowboys will open up Mountain West play and host New Mexico in Laramie. The game is scheduled for a 1:00pm kickoff. The Lobos are fresh off of a loss on Friday night to Arizona State 34-10 in Tempe. The Lobos are 1-2 on the season, with their lone win coming against Mississippi Valley State.

Checkout the post game press conference here: Bohl After WSU loss