The Wyoming Cowboys will host the Boise State Broncos on Saturday in War Memorial Stadium in the regular-season finale for both teams. Saturday’s game is scheduled to kick off at 4 p.m., Mountain Time. In three of the last four meetings between the two teams, the games have been decided by two points, three points in overtime and 10 points.
Wyoming will enter the game with a 2-3 record on the season. Boise State is 4-0 in conference games and 4-1 overall, having lost at home to BYU earlier this season. Saturday’s game will be broadcast on radio over the Cowboy Sports Network, beginning with the pregame show at 2:30 p.m. The game will also be televised live on CBS Sports Network. Boise State enters this week’s game at Wyoming receiving votes in the national polls. The Broncos are tied for No. 31 in this week’s Associated Press poll and are No. 34 in this week’s Amway Coaches’ Poll.
Down-to-the-Wire Finishes Mark Recent Series History
Over the past four seasons, the Cowboys and Broncos have played three games decided by 10 points or less. The 2016 meeting in Laramie would in essence determine the Mountain Division Championship. The game would be decided on a game-winning safety by Wyoming senior nose tackle Chase Appleby. Appleby broke through the Bronco line and hit Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien at the one-yard line and knocked the ball loose. The ball bounced out of the back of the end zone for a safety, giving Wyoming a 30-28 win. Wyoming would go on to capture the Mountain Division title and host the 2016 Mountain West Championship Game.
Last year, Wyoming went to Boise, Idaho, and held a 17-10 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but Boise State tied the game with 5:37 remaining in the game. In overtime, the Broncos successfully made a 28-yard field goal. Wyoming was unable to convert a 37-yard field-goal attempt, and the Broncos won 20-17.
In 2017, the Broncos captured a 24-14 home win. The only meeting in the last four that was decided by more than 10 points was a 34-14 (20-point) win by Boise State in Laramie in 2018.
Wyoming Brings One of the Nation’s Longest Home Winning Streaks Into Saturday’s Game
The Wyoming Cowboys currently hold a nine-game home winning streak. That ranks the Cowboys among the Top 10 longest current streaks among all 130 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams according to the official NCAA statistical website at NCAA.org. UW is tied for No. 10 on the list of longest current home winning streaks.
Team and Rank, Current Consecutive Home Wins
1. Clemson 28
2. Notre Dame 24
3. Ohio State 23
4. Cincinnati 19
5. Memphis 14
6. Oregon 12
Florida 12
8. Liberty 11
9. Ga. Southern 10
10. Wyoming 9
BYU 9
Miami (Ohio) 9
It’s Good to be Number 1
There is one Cowboy this season who sits atop not only the conference rankings but also sits atop the national rankings. That individual is freshman place-kicker John Hoyland, who leads the nation in field-goals made per game averaging 2.00 field goals per game. He is tied with three other individuals for that honor. Hoyland also ranks No. 10 in the nation in field-goal percentage (90.9 percent), having made 10 of 11 field goals this season. The true freshman from Broomfield, Colo., is averaging 9.2 points per game to rank No. 27 in the nation in scoring
Trey Smith Reaches 1,000-Yard Career Milestone
Graduate transfer running back Trey Smith has been a key contributor to the Wyoming offense this season. Smith exploded for a career high 164 rushing yards at UNLV on Nov. 27, and he followed that up with 154 rushing yards against New Mexico on Dec. 5.
For the season, Smith has rushed for 446 yards and five touchdowns in five games. During his career at the University of Louisville, he rushed for 415 yards. He added 227 rushing yards in 2019 in his first season at Wyoming and now has 1,088 career rushing yards. He ranks among MW and NCAA leaders in the following categories this season.
Trey Smith’s NCAA Rankings, Statistic, MW Rank / NCAA Rank
Rushing Yards per Carry, 5.79 rushing yards per carry, No. 2 / No. 34
Rushing Yards per Game, 89.2 rushing yards per game, No. 4 / No. 36
Aggressive Cowboy Defense Among Best in the Nation
Wyoming’s aggressive defense continues to be among the best in the nation in 2020. The Cowboys rank in the Top 20 in fewest first downs allowed, tackles for loss, red zone defense, sacks and third-down conversion percentage defense. The Pokes also rank No. 23 in the nation in total defense, No. 27 in scoring defense and No. 29 in rushing defense. Here are UW’s defensive rankings this season.
Wyoming Defensive Statistical Rankings, MW Rank / NCAA Rank
Fewest First Downs Allowed, 90 total first downs allowed, No. 3 / No. 15
Tackles for Loss by Defense, 7.8 TFLs per game, No. 3 / No. 16
Red Zone Defense, 75.0 percent , No. 2 / No. 17
Sacks by Defense, 3.20 sacks per game, No. 3 / No. 17
Third Down Conversion % Defense, 33.8 percent, No. 3 / No. 20
Total Defense, 335.2 yards allowed per game, No. 3 / No. 23
Scoring Defense, 21.8 points/game allowed, No. 4 / No. 27
Rushing Defense, 128.2 rush yards/game allowed, No. 6 / No. 29
UW Offense Combining Devastating Running Game with Explosive Passing Game
On offense, the Wyoming Cowboys’ attack starts with a running game that is No. 9 in the nation in rushing offense, averaging 247.0 yards per game. That rushing attack features two of the Mountain West’s top running backs. Junior Xazavian Valladay is leading the league in rushing for the second consecutive season, and graduate transfer Trey Smith is ranked No. 4 in the MW in rushing.
Along with that devastating rushing attack, the Cowboy offense has developed an explosive passing game that ranks No. 1 in passing yards per completion. The Cowboys offensive attack breaks down as follows
Wyoming Offensive Statistical Rankings, MW Rank / NCAA Rank
Rushing
Rushing Offense, 247.0 rushing yards/game, No. 2 / No. 9
Xazavian Valladay, Rushing Yards per Game, 122.8 rushing yards per game, No. 1 / No. 9
Trey Smith, Rushing Yards per Game, 89.2 rushing yards per game, No. 4 / No. 36
Passing
Passing Yards per Completion, 14.76 yards per completion, No. 1 / No. 11
Levi Williams, Passing Yards per Completion, 14.86 yards per pass completion, No. 1 / No. 11
Explosive Offense — Part Two
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Isaiah Neyor has been one of the most explosive receivers in the nation this season. Neyor enters this week with eight receptions for 248 yards for an average of 31.0 yards per reception. He isn’t ranked nationally this week because he falls under the NCAA minimum of 2.0 catches per game — he would need 10 receptions through five games to meet that minimum. But if he met the minimum, he would lead the nation in receiving yards per catch (31.0 yards per reception). Last week against New Mexico, Neyor continued to display his explosive offensive abilities as he caught a 54-yard pass and recorded a 58-yard rush to account for 112 yards of all-purpose yardage in just two plays.
About the Broncos
While the Wyoming Cowboys will enter Saturday’s game with the nation’s 10th longest home winning streak, the Boise State Broncos will bring a five-game road winning streak to Laramie. That is tied with USC for the fourth longest current road winning streak in the country.
Boise State is leading the Mountain West in scoring offense this season and ranks No. 13 in the nation, averaging 40.0 points per game. They have one of the league’s top receivers in Khalil Shakir, who leads the league in receptions per game (7.6) and is No. 3 in receiving yards per game (105.8). Sophomore quarterback Hank Bachmeier has played in three of Boise State’s five games this season, and is averaging 249.3 passing yards per game.
The Bronco defense is led by senior weak-side linebacker Riley Whimpey, who is averaging 9.0 tackles per game to rank No. 5 in the Mountain West.
On special teams, return specialist Avery Williams leads the Mountain West in punt returns, averaging 13.3 yards per return, and he is No. 2 in the MW in kickoff returns, averaging 29.6 yards per return.