When: Saturday, September 7th @ 5:00 PM MST
Where: San Marcos, TX – Bobcat Stadium (CAP. 30,008)
TV: ESPN+
Radio: Cowboy Sports Network
Spread: Wyoming -7
O/U: 48
Wyoming pulled off the big upset last weekend Laramie, defeating Missouri 37-31. The win extended their winning streak to 5 games, dating back to last season. The pokes were impressive on both sides of the ball and capitalized on Missouri’s mistakes. This week the Cowboys travel to San Marcos, TX to take on the Texas State Bobcats. Texas State lost their season opener to #12 Texas A&M 41-7.
The Cowboys were 17.5-point underdogs last weekend and obviously covered the spread by winning. The 68 points in the game was well over the 53.5 points Vegas had.
As some of you may have seen, Robert Gagliardi is leaving his job at WyoSports for another opportunity, so this is his last week with us on here. I just want to give my thanks to Robert for all of his coverage of Wyoming athletics over the years and his contributions to this post. Robert’s plate was full enough with all of his duties at the paper, but he has always been great about helping us out over here at WyoNation. On behalf of WyoNation, thank you for everything Gags! Good luck on your next endeavor.
The Standings:
|
|
Straight Up | Against the Spread | O/U |
|
Robert Gagliardi |
0-1 | 1-0 | 0-1 |
|
Cody Tucker |
0-1 | 1-0 | 1-0 |
| Brad Reed | 0-1 | 1-0 |
1-0 |
| Chad Smith | 0-1 | 0-1 |
1-0 |
| Connor Cunningham | 0-1 | 1-0 |
1-0 |
|
Wyoming Cowboys |
1-0 | 1-0 |
Over: 1 Under: 0 |
Robert Gagliardi, Wyosports.net
Quick thoughts on Wyoming’s win over Missouri last week?
Honestly, I didn’t see that coming and especially not after the start Wyoming got off to. It was a gutsy and impressive win, albeit not pretty at times. Still, that win will be talked about by fans for a very long time.
Who was your offensive and defensive MVP from last week’s game? Offense: QB Sean Chambers Defense: SS Alijah Halliburton
Hard not to go Chambers on offense. Led the team in rushing and had an impressive stiff-arm on his TD run. Needs to throw the ball better, and he knows that.
Defense I will go with Halliburton and his game and career-high 17 tackles, along with the long fumble return to set up a field goal just before halftime.
Who is your poke pick this week? Wyoming’s Secondary
The Cowboys will face an Air Raid scheme from Texas State, and losing senior starting cornerback Antonio Hull for personal reasons hurts. How does a guy like sophomore C.J. Coldon step up, along with others, because the entire secondary will be tested this week.
Wyoming wins if…
The offense possesses the ball and scores point, which will wear down Texas State’s defense. The Cowboys need to keep winning the turnover battle, and also needs to generate more of a pass rush.
Game Prediction and one bold prediction…
Sean Chambers has his first 200-yard passing game of his career. Wyoming 26, Texas State 17 (Total Points: 43, under)
Cody Tucker, 7220Sports.com
Quick thoughts on Wyoming’s win over Missouri last week?
I was really impressed with the resolve of this young Wyoming team. After 15 minutes, I think we probably all said to ourselves, “I’ve seen this movie before.” A big team is in Laramie trucking the Cowboys – what else is new? Instead, these guys took a breath and stuck with the game plan. Was extremely impressed with the offensive line. They were spectacular. The defense, as a whole, caught my attention. Yes, they gave up a million yards, didn’t get to Kelly Bryant often enough and gave up 31 points, but they were opportunistic, physical and stepped up at the biggest moments. Obviously, the running game was great, but that’s has plenty to do with the beef up front. Good on them.
Who was your offensive and defensive MVP from last week’s game? Offense: Offensive Line Defense: Alijah Halliburton
Offensively, I am going with the entire offensive line, and it is one bad offensive line – in a good way. Let’s also give it up for new line coach, Bart Miller. Great showing by his guys up front. No sacks and nearly 300 yards rushing. That has win written all over it.
Defensively, Haliburton was nothing short of amazing – He racked up 17 sacks and had a fumble recovery and a long return that set up points at the end of the half. He was named the National and MWC Defensive Player of the Week. Pretty good for a guy who has backed up Marcus Epps and Andrew Wingard for so long.
Who is your poke pick this week? QB Sean Chambers/WR Raghib Ismail Jr.
I am ready to see Chambers and the receiving corps finally make some plays. This is the week to do it, too. The running game should be strong once again, but I am expecting that to really open some passing lanes for Chambers and Co.. Chambers knows that he still needs vast improvements in the passing game. In fact, I think Josh Harshman is still wide open in the end zone. Bohl said he wants to see more out of those guys, and I think he will against a Texas State team that is coming off a 41-7 loss in College Station. Against Mizzou, the receivers did a nice job when they had chances. But 16 pass attempts doesn’t give them much of a shot to shine and show that they are renewed after a horrible 2018 season. I look for a receiver to finish the game with at least eight catches for 75 yards Saturday night. And if I were a betting man, I’d say that guy is Ismail Jr. He’s due.
Wyoming wins if…
They don’t turn the ball over and can get off the field on third down. It’s going to be hot down there. Like, really humid, sticky, miserably hot. They need to get a terrible Bobcats’ offense of the field as quickly as possible. The Cowboys were plus-3 in turnovers against Mizzou. If they do that again, this one could get ugly.
Game Prediction and one bold prediction…
This sounds insane – and maybe it is – but this is kind of a must-win, right? Coming off an emotional win over an SEC team only heightened the excitement around here for this bunch. Now, it’s time to go prove that the opener wasn’t a fluke. My bold prediction is that Chambers cracks the 250-yard mark passing and 100-yard rushing mark Saturday. Wyoming 42, Texas State 17 (Total points: 59, over)
Brad Reed, Wyonation.com
Quick thoughts on Wyoming’s win over Missouri last week?
The Cowboys shocked just about everyone by beating Missouri last week. I’m sure there was a handful of people in the locker room shocked too. After being down 14-0 it sure looked like another power five romping headed the Pokes’ way but within a matter of a few football minutes the Cowboys were firmly in control. I still can’t believe they did it. Been a long time coming for this program and we’ve been on the cusp of taking the next step forward but couldn’t seem to get it done for whatever reason. I assume there’s going to be good and bad with this game.. good is the profile of the program has been significantly elevated. The bad is we’ll probably never see another SEC play a game in War Memorial Stadium. If the fire danger in western Montana wasn’t currently rated as “High” I probably would have lit some couches on fire Saturday night.
Who was your offensive and defensive MVP from last week’s game? Offense: QB Sean Chambers Defense: SS Alijah Halliburton
Chambers didn’t have a a great day passing, but he kept drives moving with his legs. That 75 yard touchdown run was pretty cool too.
Defensively, Halliburton is a pretty obvious choice for this one. 17 tackles, 13 of those coming solo.. I’d say that counts as having a pretty good day.
Who is your poke pick this week? Wyoming Secondary
Texas State fancies themselves as an offensive team behind the brains of Jake Spavital and Bob Stitt. Wyoming’s secondary played pretty well’ish against Missouri. They gave up a ton of yards passing, and some big plays, but they didn’t lose the game. That being said, it’s redemption week for this crew and time to take advantage of the Bobcat quarterbacks (yes, plural) and limit the damage and keep the game in Wyoming’s favor.
Wyoming wins if…
As I mentioned right above, don’t give up the big plays that happened last week. Missouri was able to effectively move the ball at will a lot of times during the game in relatively short order. Gresch Jensen and Tyler Vitt are no Kelly Bryant, so maybe we’ll see what the secondary is made of this week. On the other hand, the Cowboys did not pass the ball particularly well against Missouri. If this game turns into a shoot out the Pokes will need to get the ball in the air. The Cowboys have to be better than 6/16 this week either way this game shakes out.
Game Prediction and one bold prediction…
Sean Chambers throws for 250 yards and three touchdowns. Wyoming 34, Texas State 20 (Total Points: 54, under)
Chad Smith, Wyonation.com
Quick thoughts on Wyoming’s win over Missouri last week?
It was quite the shocking win I would say. The Pokes were 17-18 point underdogs but got the job done with all three phases of the team pitching in. It puts the Cowboys in a great spot to open the season and they could use that momentum to go 3-1 or even 4-0 in the non-conference portion of the schedule.
Who was your offensive and defensive MVP from last week’s game? Offense: Offensive Line Defense: SS Alijah Halliburton
The offensive line helped Wyoming’s rushing attack rack up 297 rushing yards, the most Mizzou has allowed since 2017 when they played the Georgia Bulldogs. That backfield only featured current NFL starters Sony Michel and Nick Chubb and current Bulldog D’Andre Swift
Defensively, the pick was easy. Alijah Halliburton, who was my pick to be the breakout start on defense this season, played a fantastic football game.
Who is your poke pick this week? QB Sean Chambers
Chambers will have a bounce-back game with both his arm and feet.
Wyoming wins if…
They play Wyoming football. That is running the ball, playing sound defense and limiting turnovers. That’s the recipe we know as Bohl ball and it will be needed in Texas on Saturday night.
Game Prediction and one bold prediction…
Texas State is coming off a 41-7 road loss to Texas A&M and they will be ready for their home opener. I think Wyoming will get the job done though and one of the main factors will be the much-improved passing from Sean Chambers who will throw for 2 touchdowns. Wyoming 24, Texas State 16 (Total points: 40, under)
Connor Cunningham, Wyonation.com
Quick thoughts on Wyoming’s win over Missouri last week?
Best Cowboy win at War Memorial Stadium, in my opinion. It was an electrifying atmosphere and even though the Cowboys probably weren’t the best team in Laramie that night, they created turnovers and capitalized on Missouri’s mistakes when they made them. It was the perfect storm for an upset. This is the kind of win that can change the trajectory of a program, if they continue to take care of their business.
Who was your offensive and defensive MVP from last week’s game? Offense: Backfield Defense: Secondary
Offensively, I can’t just give the award to one guy. It was a team effort in the backfield. The Cowboys have 4 legitimate running threats in Chambers, Valladay, Smith, and Swen. They combined for just under 300 yards and 3 touchdowns. What a statement.
Defensively, I don’t want to just pick one guy either. Obviously, Halliburton’s 17 tackles and long fumble return stand out but the whole secondary played a great game. I realize they gave up 423 yards passing, but that was on 48 attempts and they started playing everything in front of them toward the end of the game. I thought the corners absolutely flew around and made huge plays when they needed too and Rome Weber was solid in his first career game.
Who is your poke pick this week? Wyoming’s coaching staff
The coaching staff needs to make sure this team is focused on this game. The Cowboys cannot afford any kind of let down after such an emotional win. I am Craig Bohl and Co. will do just that, but a loss on Saturday would be absolutely devastating after the Missouri win. Between Bohl and his Cowboy attitude and leaders in the locker room such as Logan Wilson, Austin Conway, Chamber, Halliburton, and Hall there will be plenty of voices to keep the younger Cowboys focused on the task at hand.
Wyoming wins if…
They stick to Bohl’s winning formula. Win third down, win the turnover margin, establish the ground game, be the more physical team, and control the ball. I think if they do 3/5 they’ll win, if they win more than 3 they will win handily and if they do less than 3 it’ll be a dog fight.
Game Prediction and one bold prediction…
My bold prediction is that Austin Conway will score 2 touchdowns 2 different ways. He is so dynamic and had some great punt returns last week. He will catch a touchdown and add another either on a return, run, or yes maybe even throw one. Wyoming 30, Texas State 17 (Total points: 47, under)