{"id":10657,"date":"2018-11-23T22:37:19","date_gmt":"2018-11-24T05:37:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wyonation.com\/?p=10657"},"modified":"2018-11-24T11:29:05","modified_gmt":"2018-11-24T18:29:05","slug":"wyonation-5-on-5-wyoming-new-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wyonation.com\/blog\/2018\/11\/wyonation-5-on-5-wyoming-new-mexico\/","title":{"rendered":"WyoNation 5 on 5: Wyoming @ New Mexico"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote><p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10655\" src=\"https:\/\/wyonation.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/5-on-5-NM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"512\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wyonation.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/5-on-5-NM.png 1024w, https:\/\/wyonation.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/5-on-5-NM-150x75.png 150w, https:\/\/wyonation.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/5-on-5-NM-300x150.png 300w, https:\/\/wyonation.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/5-on-5-NM-768x384.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>When:<\/strong>\u00a0Saturday, November 24<sup>th<\/sup> @\u00a0 12:30 PM MST<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Where:<\/strong>\u00a0Albuquerque, NM\u2013\u00a0<b>Dreamstyle Stadium<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>TV:<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>ATT Sportsnet<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Radio:<\/strong>\u00a0<strong><a style=\"color: #000000\" href=\"https:\/\/gowyo.com\/watch\/?Live=1117&amp;type=Live\">Cowboy Sports Network<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Spread:\u00a0<\/strong>Wyoming -7.5<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">The Standings:<\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"height: 399px\" width=\"769\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"192\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td width=\"192\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Straight Up<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\" width=\"192\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Against the Spread<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"192\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Robert Gagliardi<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\" width=\"192\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>9-2<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\" width=\"192\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>5-5<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"192\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Brandon Foster\/Davis Potter<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\" width=\"192\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>10-1<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\" width=\"192\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>5-5<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"192\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Brad Reed<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\" width=\"192\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>10-1<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td width=\"192\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>8-2<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\" width=\"192\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Chad Smith<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\" width=\"192\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>10-1<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td width=\"192\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>5-5<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\" width=\"192\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Connor Cunningham<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\" width=\"192\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>10-1<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td width=\"192\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>3-7<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\" width=\"192\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Wyoming Cowboys<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\" width=\"192\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>5-6<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td width=\"192\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>5-4<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong><a style=\"color: #000000\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/rpgagliardi\">Robert Gagliardi<\/a><\/strong><strong>, Wyosports.net <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Thoughts on last weeks game against Air Force?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">A gutsy come-from-behind victory after Wyoming lost its starting quarterback and running back on the first series of the game, and the defense not being able to stop Air Force for three-and-a-half quarters. Some are saying this was one of the biggest come backs in school history. There have been bigger in terms of deficits, but this will be one of the more memorable ones.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Last week\u2019s MVP: QB Tyler Vander Waal<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">Redshirt freshman quarterback Tyler Vander Waal comes in after losing his starting job a few weeks ago and plays his best game with two touchdown passes and two rushing touchdowns. He converted some key third and fourth downs. A lot of guys came up with clutch efforts in the win, but no one more than Vander Waal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Poke Pick: Wyoming Defense<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">Wyoming&#8217;s defense needs to take some chances and make some adjustments to get some key stops. If those risks don&#8217;t work, it might be a different conversation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Wyoming Wins if\u2026<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">Plays its game with ball control and a good mix of throwing it. The defense can&#8217;t allow big plays and also not let New Mexico hang around. The Lobos have lost six straight, but are capable of doing good things. The longer they are in the game, the more dangerous they are.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>One Bold Prediction and Game Prediction: <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">Wyoming scores a defensive touchdown and does enough offensively to win a close one &#8230; <strong>Wyoming 27 New Mexico 21<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong><a style=\"color: #000000\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DavisEPotter\">Davis Potter<\/a><\/strong><strong>, Casper Star-Tribune<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Thoughts on last weeks game against Air Force?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">Can\u2019t remember the last time I covered a game where momentum swung that quickly. Wyoming did virtually nothing without its starting quarterback and starting running back while Air Force gashed the Cowboys\u2019 defense for three and a half quarters. Then Tyler Vander Waal led three scoring drives in 8 minutes, 38 seconds, and the defense held Air Force to 13 yards on its last three possessions. Some things you just can\u2019t explain, and that comeback is one of them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Last week\u2019s MVP: QB Tyler Vander Waal<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">Tyler Vander Waal. Not taking a snap in nearly a month and facing a 13-point deficit with half a quarter to go in the snow? Apparently that\u2019s no problem for Vander Waal, who ran for a fourth-quarter touchdown and threw the go-ahead score as part of a career-high 225 yards passing. It was a feel-good moment for a guy that\u2019s taken his share of criticism this season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Poke Pick: TE Tyree Mayfield<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">Tyree Mayfield. With Nico Evans doubtful at best, I\u2019m going with Mayfield, who\u2019s quietly had his best season in a Wyoming uniform. He leads all of Wyoming\u2019s tight ends in catches and had a pair of long gainers a week ago to set up touchdowns. He\u2019s emerged as a safety valve for the quarterbacks, and I think that will continue Saturday.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Wyoming Wins if\u2026<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">the Cowboys can protect Vander Waal and win the turnover margin. The way Wyoming used Sean Chambers\u2019 running ability masked the issues Wyoming had protecting Vander Waal the first half of the season. He\u2019s been sacked 21 times. The Cowboys are going to have to establish some sort of passing game, especially if Evans isn\u2019t able to go, and I think they can if Vander Waal has time to throw. And with the Cowboys\u2019 margin for error being so small, protecting the ball is always a must.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>One Bold Prediction and Game Prediction: <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">With Nico Evans set to get very few snaps if any, I\u2019ll say Vander Waal has another career day (or something close to it). With backup running back Jevon Bigelow also banged up, Vander Waal and his receivers will have to make some plays in the passing game, and who better to do it against than the Mountain West\u2019s worst pass defense? It may not be the most aesthetically pleasing game, but I think Wyoming becomes bowl eligible.\u00a0<strong>Wyoming 23, New Mexico 14<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong><a style=\"color: #000000\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MrTitleist\">Brad Reed<\/a><\/strong><strong>, Wyonation.com<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Thoughts on last weeks game against Air Force?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">The Cowboys showed a lot of resilience last week by coming back and beating Air Force after being down 13 points in the fourth quarter. The Cowboys could have easily folded when Sean Chambers and Nico Evans went out, instead it was next man up and kept after a win. The Cowboys&#8217; season would have ended last weekend had the team folded. Instead they&#8217;ll keep fighting for a spot in the FBS post season. Good win, good momentum headed into the season finale.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Last week\u2019s MVP: QB Tyler Vander Waal<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">Solid game from a quarterback who didn&#8217;t give up on the season. He could have easily been resentful from being benched earlier in the season, instead he kept his head in the playbook, as well as the game, and led the Cowboys to a win.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Poke Pick: Xazavian Valladay<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000\">Nico Evans is listed as doubtful for Saturday&#8217;s game against New Mexico, and unknown of Jevan Bigelow will be ready to go. I&#8217;ll go with the guy who put the exclamation point on the Cowboy win over Air Force. Keeping drives alive will be important.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Wyoming Wins if\u2026<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">Wyoming wins if Tyler Vander Waal has a game like he did last weekend. He needs to be able to keep the ball moving through the air and not be the cause of turnovers. The Cowboy defense seems to be up to the task if shutting opponents down lately, now it&#8217;s on the offense to keep them off the field and score enough points. The Cowboys are by no means an offensive juggernaut this season, but they need to be good enough to beat New Mexico.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>One Bold Prediction and Game Prediction: <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">Bold prediction this week is that Wyoming will throw for 300 yards. New Mexico gives up about 275 yards per game passing, seems like a good opportunity for Vander Waal to sling that football. <strong>Wyoming 32 New Mexico 17<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong><a style=\"color: #000000\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WyoNationBlog\">Chad Smith<\/a><\/strong><strong>, Wyonation.com<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Thoughts on last weeks game against Air Force?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">An instant Wyoming classic. In the first quarter everything went wrong and in the fourth quarter, everything went right. Comeback wins in the snow don&#8217;t happen every day against an Air Force team Wyoming had no answer for in the run game most of the game. The players and coaches deserve full credit for pulling this game out of the fire (or should\u00a0I say snow?)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Last week\u2019s MVP: QB Tyler Vander Waal<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">The defense stepped up when they had to late in the game but Tyler Wander Waal has to be the MVP coming in for the injured Sean Chambers and passing for 2 TDS and doing his best Chambers impression with 2 more TDs with his feet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Poke Pick: S Andrew Wingard<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">Wyoming&#8217;s spirit animal Andrew Wingard will have a day in his last regular season game as a Poke.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Wyoming Wins if\u2026<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">They can run the ball. New Mexico has the 9th ranked rush defense and the bottom three schools Wyoming has already played put up 157, 291 and 424 yards against those defenses. Nico Evans and Jevon\u00a0Bigelow may or may night play so Poke fans should keep their eyes on the injury report.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>One Bold Prediction and Game Prediction: <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">This is a tough game to pick because we don&#8217;t know if the Tyler Wander Waal we saw last week is the Tyler Wander Waal we will see in Albuquerque. I will take a leap on the wild side though and say TVW will have a game with similar production 220 passing yards with 2 passing touchdowns and 1 rushing touchdown. Pokes get bowl eligible and sit and wait to see if there is a spot. <strong>Wyoming 27 New Mexico 19<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong><a style=\"color: #000000\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CDub13\">Connor Cunningham<\/a><\/strong><strong>, Wyonation.com<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Thoughts on last weeks game against Air Force?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">I thought it was exciting, obviously. One hell of a comeback by the Cowboys. Bowl hopes are still alive with one to go.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Last week\u2019s MVP: QB Tyler Vander Waal<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">Who else could it be? The Mountain West player of the week stepped up when he was most needed and made huge plays in the 4<sup>th<\/sup> quarter.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Poke Pick: QB Tyler Vander Waal<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">With Nico Evans listed as questionable and no Sean Chambers, TVW needs to make some big time plays once again.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Wyoming Wins if\u2026<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">They win the turnover battle and don\u2019t get down early. The key to success will be getting up early and controlling the clock.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>One Bold Prediction and Game Prediction: <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">Wyoming will have someone run for 100+ yards and there is going to be a defensive score. <strong>Wyoming 27, New Mexico 17<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When:\u00a0Saturday, November 24th @\u00a0 12:30 PM MST Where:\u00a0Albuquerque, NM\u2013\u00a0Dreamstyle Stadium TV:\u00a0ATT Sportsnet Radio:\u00a0Cowboy Sports Network Spread:\u00a0Wyoming -7.5 &nbsp; The Standings: \u00a0 Straight Up Against the Spread Robert Gagliardi 9-2 5-5 Brandon Foster\/Davis Potter 10-1 5-5 Brad Reed 10-1 8-2 Chad Smith 10-1 5-5 Connor Cunningham 10-1 3-7 Wyoming Cowboys 5-6 5-4 &nbsp; &nbsp; Robert Gagliardi, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":10655,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[966,405,807,352,1064,155],"class_list":["post-10657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wyoblog","tag-5-on-5","tag-air-force","tag-feature","tag-new-mexico","tag-tyler-vander-waal","tag-wyoming-football"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wyonation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10657","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wyonation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wyonation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wyonation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wyonation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10657"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wyonation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10657\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wyonation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10655"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wyonation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wyonation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10657"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wyonation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}