Wyoming Cowboys

Wyoming Ends Season With Loss

November 27, 2004

Game Report Posted: March 28, 2009 03:28  

LAS VEGAS, Nevada - For the second week in a row, the Wyoming defense played well enough to give the offense a chance to win, and for the second week in a row, an inept running game prevented Wyoming from capitalizing on the opportunity.

The defense allowed a season low 275 total yards of offense to UNLV, but the offense could only manage a field goal on their oppening possession and a short touchdown run by wideout Jovon Bouknight in the third quarter.

"Yup, no running game, no win," head coach Joe Glenn told reporters after the game.

"Sound familiar? Believe me, we've tried just about everything in practice to try and find some semblance of a rushing attack. Obviously, we never found one this year, and I'm convinced the answer is to bring in some different personnel this offseason. I'll let you know in August if that works," Glenn said as he walked away, clearly frustrated.

The loss brings an end to a season that was at times exciting, promising, frustrating and disappointing. In each of his two seasons at Wyoming, Glenn has increased the program's win total by two games over the previous year. He inherited a program that had gone 2 - 10 the year before, and finished 4 - 8 in his first season. This year, with his first recruiting class, Glenn's Cowboys won half of their games to finish 6 - 6. If that trend continues, Wyoming will have its first winning season of the millennium in 2005.

Cowboys No Match for Lobos

November 20, 2004

Game Report Posted: March 28, 2009 03:16  

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico - Statistics can be misleading. Take, for example, the total yards gained by Wyoming and New Mexico Saturday. Wyoming finished with 588 total yards, and New Mexico finished with 589. Yet the game was never really in doubt, as the Lobos notched a convincing 35-21 victory over the Cowboys.

As was the case most of the year, Wyoming struggled to run the ball, finishing with 34 yards on 25 carries. That led to third and long all afternoon, which resulted in a dismal 3-13 performance on third down, and three interceptions.

"It's nothing new," head coach Joe Glenn announced.

"We couldn't run the ball at the beginning of the year, we couldn't run it last week, and we sure as hell couldn't run it today. In fact, we couldn't even hang onto the ball today. We're not going to beat anybody decent as long as our only offensive threat is Wingate's arm."

On the afternoon, Wyoming turned the ball over five times, including the three interceptions by Wingate and two fumbles, that gave New Mexico good field position all day. Considering the short field, the defense actually played a decent game. Strong safety Solomon Swift, starting in place of the injured Herbert Holland, led the way with ten tackles.

With the loss, Wyoming falls to 6-5 on the year. The Cowboys have one last chance to secure a winning season next week against UNLV.

Wyoming Holds Off Utah in Final Home Game

November 13, 2004

Game Report Posted: March 28, 2009 03:03  

LARAMIE, Wyoming - Wyoming played excellent team football for three quarters Saturday, jumping out to a 35 - 14 lead, and then weathered a 21 point fourth quarter by Utah to eek out a 42 - 35 win in a game dominated by big plays.

Wyoming scored first, on a six yard scamper by freshman tailback Johnny Connor on the opening drive of the game. Utah answered with a short run of their own, one made possible by a converted fake punt that went for 27 yards to the six yard line.

From there, quarterback Kenneth Wingate and wideout Jovon Bouknight took over. For the game, Wingate was 28 of 42 for 447 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions. Wingate also carried the ball nine times for twenty nine yards and two scores, making him both the leading passer and the leading rusher in the game for Wyoming. Bouknight, for his part, caught 15 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns, in the process setting the school record for most receiving yards in a game.

With Wyoming up 35 - 14 late in the third quarter, Utah put together a long drive that culminated in a one yard run on the first play of the final period. The score gave the Utes momentum, and they scored twice more in the quarter, the last one coming on a 70 yard punt return for a touchdown with 2:31 remaining in the game.

Wyoming, however, wasn't finished, and Wingate connected with Bouknight from 13 yards out with 18 seconds remaining for the game winning touchdown.

Wyoming head coach Joe Glenn spoke with reporters after the game about Wingate's back to back touchdown runs.

"We've been practicing the option the last couple weeks in practice, and the coaches felt good about Ken's execution this week. Especially considering how much we've struggled to run the ball this year, we decided to try it out a couple times this game. Obviously, Kenneth made the right decisions on the field, and it worked out well for us. It certainly caught Utah by surprise."

With the win, Wyoming moves to 6 - 4 on the year. The Cowboys finish out the season on the road, next week at New Mexico, and the week after at UNLV.

Rams Pummel Cowboys

October 30, 2004

Game Report Posted: March 27, 2009 23:10  

FORT COLLINS, Colorado - Everyone in the state of Colorado knew that Colorado State was going to try and set the tempo of the Border War early by establishing the run, and wearing down the Wyoming defense. They did exactly that, and nothing the Cowboys tried could even slow them in the first half, as the Rams exploded for 24 second quarter points, and took a comfortable 31-7 lead to the locker room at the half.

The Cowboys' lone score in the half came a mere nine seconds before the break, when the Rams gave up consecutive long passes as they scrambled to cover the Cowboys' no-huddle offense.

The Cowboys made a number of adjustments in the locker room, and held Colorado State scoreless in the third quarter. Unfortunately, the Cowboys were unable to take advantage, as the Rams defense continued to dominate Wyoming.

The Wyoming offense finally got on track in the fourth quarter, mounting two scoring drives to close the gap to 21-31 with 2:09 remaining, but the onside kick was recovered by the Rams and they scored from 38 yards out on the next play.

Wyoming kept throwing the ball downfield, but freshman cornerback Emmitt Dennis stepped in front of Wingate's throw and returned the ball 68 yards for the score to seal the win for Colorado State.

After the game, Wyoming head coach Joe Glenn Spoke with the media. "Obviously, it hurts to lose any game, and it hurts more to lose to your rival. We didn't put up as good a fight as we did last year, but I'm proud of the way the guys never gave up, and battled back to make a game of it.

"Not to say it wasn't abundantly clear why we lost this game. Fact is, we can't run the ball worth a damn, and most of our opponents can. The Rams, well, they ran it well, and they ran it with authority.

"I've said it all year, but we're not going to get any better until we can find a running game worth hanging our hat on. And finding it will be a team effort. I'm still looking for somebody who can carry the load and the ball, and I'll be damned if I don't find some big farm boys to come knock some guys on their butts next fall."

Glenn is probably right. By way of illustration, just look at the yards gained on the ground by each team. Colorado State carried the ball 39 times for 191 yards, while Wyoming managed only 39 yards on 29 carries. With numbers like that, Wyoming is lucky to be 5-4.

The next game is November 13, at home versus a struggling Utah, who bring a 2-7 record into War Memorial Stadium. Game time is 12:30 p.m.

Cowboys Can't Slow Aztecs in Loss

October 23, 2004

Game Report Posted: March 27, 2009 22:52  

LARAMIE, Wyoming - Coming into today's game against Wyoming, San Diego State ranked fifth in the country in passing offense, averaging more than 300 yards a game. Not surprisingly then, the defensive game plan for Wyoming was to slow the Aztecs passing game, and force the Aztecs to rely on their ground game. To their credit, the Cowboys were successful on both counts. Unfortunately, they were unable to contain sophomore Lynell Hamilton, who exploded for 188 yards on 25 carries, and the Cowboys lost, 21-39.

"The Aztecs are a dangerous team," Wyoming head coach Joe Glenn said after the game. "They have a balanced offense that many coaches only dream of. I was impressed that our secondary played as well as they did today, but unfortunately, we just don't have the strength to match up on defense, especially when our own offense has so much trouble moving the ball."

The Cowboys were hurt by a relatively poor performance by freshman quarterback Kenneth Wingate, who threw three interceptions and no touchdowns, and a struggling ground game that managed ony four yards of offense the entire game.

The performance by Wingate demonstrates that the young star is still struggling with his consistency, as only last week he threw for six touchdowns and no interceptions.

Like its quarterback, this Wyoming team is young, and consistency is something the whole team is still searching for. Unfortunately for the Cowboy faithful, they might not find it this week, as they travel to face 13th ranked Colorado State in a regionally televised game, the first television appearance for the Cowboys under coach Glenn. Kickoff is at 12:30.

BYU Secondary No Match for Wingate

October 16, 0004

Game Report Posted: January 11, 2009 08:16  

PROVO, Utah - Freshman quarterback Kenneth Wingate had a career day against the BYU secondary, throwing for 441 yards and six touchdowns, with no interceptions. The performance earned Wingate Mountain West Player of the Week honors, and helped Wyoming get past BYU 49 - 24.

Wyoming head coach Joe Glenn was sporting a big smile after the game.

"Ken had himself a pretty good game, didn't he? He definitely made some big strides in practice this week, he was making all the right decisions on the field. I'm proud of him."

Nobody, however, had a bigger smile than Wingate himself.

"I dunno what happened out there, I was pretty much just in the zone. I mean, I could see how a play was gonna develop before we snapped the ball," Wingate managed between congratulatory slaps by teammates.

"Plus," Wingate continued, "I had a lot of help out there. The line blocked well, gave me plenty of time to throw most of the time, and Jovon (Bouknight) and Aaron (Robbins) ran perfect routes all day, and even caught a couple balls that were a little long. It was a good team win."

Right you are, Ken. It was the most points scored since last year against BYU, when the Cowboys scored 52, and the best the Cowboys have looked this year since the conference opener, when they beat Air Force 31 - 21. The Cowboys look to make it two in a row against San Diego State next Saturday.

Cowboys Play Well, Still Lose

October 2, 0004

Game Report Posted: January 11, 2009 08:00  

LARAMIE, Wyoming - The Wyoming Cowboys came into today's game hoping to rebound from their blowout loss last week to Colorado. They players were focused in practice and said all the right things to the media. And despite a relatively solid performance by just about everyone who stepped on the field for Wyoming, the Cowboys still managed to lose to Utah State Saturday. The 28-23 setback drops the Cowboys to 4-2 on the year as they head into the bulk of conference play.

"This is a hard game to get a handle on," head coach Joe Glenn said after the game. "On the one hand, we lost, so you're obviously disappointed by that. At the same time, we played pretty well, especially with our best player on the bench most of the game. I'm proud of the guys for hanging in there, but this just shows us that despite a few wins, we're not a very good football team yet. We've still got a ways to go before we can say that."

After the game, several reporters questioned the coach about his game plan on offense, one that feaured more passes to the tight ends and running backs. As a result, tight end Aaron Robbins and fullback Kevin Fulton were two of the three leading receivers.

"Well, we're what, 18 games into my tenure at Wyoming? You all should know by now that I like throwing the rock to the big rumblers like Kevin and Aaron. But yeah, this game, it was a bit more than usual. The thing is, we knew coming in how good their secondary was, and we knew (quarterback Kenneth) Wingate was throwing a little tentatively after the loss to Colorado. So we decided to try and play to our strengths and away from theirs by throwing more frequently to Aaron and Kevin. It worked to an extent, we were able to move the sticks and get first downs, but we couldn't seem to convert that into points." Coach Glenn paused for a moment, then continued.

"Especially after Jovon tweaked his shoulder, we realized were simply outmatched downfield. So yeah, it was a conscious effort to throw to those guys. We were trying to throw the Aggies off balance; credit them for adjusting and making plays."

And that is essentially what it boiled down to. Tailback Johnny Connor and quarterback Kenneth Wingate showed flashes of brilliance, but were unable to pull off the big play when it mattered most.

In contrast, their counterparts for Utah State converted when they had to and capitalized on both Wyoming turnovers to put the game out of reach of the Cowboys.

The good news for Cowboy fans is that both Connor and Wingate are true freshmen, meaning fans will see much more of that brilliance in future contests.

The Cowboys have next week off, and return to action October 16th against BYU. The bye should allow the depleted wide receiving corps a chance to get healthy for the next game.

Buffalos Stampede Cowboys

September 25, 0004

Game Report Posted: January 11, 2009 07:47  

BOULDER, Colorado - So much for the winning streak. The University of Colorado showed just how far Wyoming still has to go, as the Buffalos rolled to a 45 - 10 win Saturday.

Colorado won by running the ball on offense, and shutting down the Cowboy playmakers on defense. As a team, they averaged almost six yards a carry and ran for four scores. The Buffalos pressured freshman quarterback Kenneth Wingate all game, and limited star wideout Jovon Bouknight to only three catches.

"There isn't much to say," head coach Joe Glenn told reporters after the game.

"I said two weeks ago that better teams were going to be able to shut down our playmakers, and Colorado was the better team today. We fought hard, but they were stronger and faster on both sides of the ball. We knew that going in, and we knew we were going to have to play a pretty much flawless game and force them to make mistakes. It should be pretty clear we didn't do that."

Wyoming did a decent job slowing Colorado early, trailing only 14 - 3 at the half. The second half was a different story, as the Buffalos wore down the Cowboy defense and hung 31 points on them in the final 30 minutes.

"Colorado did a lot of things well today, things our team is striving to learn, and things we're learning to get consistent on. It was a challenge, but it was also a growth opportunity as well. As a coaching staff, we are excited to see how that opportunity translates on the field against our conference opponents."

First, they'll get a chance to see how it translates against Sun Belt member Utah State next Saturday. From there, the Cowboys get into the bulk of conference play, starting at Brigham Young University, two weeks from today.

Wyoming Wins Conference Opener

September 18, 0004

Game Report Posted: January 10, 2009 06:15  

LARAMIE, Wyoming - For the second week in a row, freshman quarterback Kenneth Wingate had a big outing, throwing for more than 400 yards on 27 completions, as the Cowboys held off Air Force to open conference play, 31 - 21.

Also for the second week in a row, sophomore safety Herbert Holland led the team in tackles, and was a leader on defense.

"Last week, I said big offense wasn't going to win a lot of games, and I stand by that," head coach Joe Glenn said after the game.

"Not to take anything away from our offense, but everybody knows Jovon is going to get his yards. (Bouknight had 216 on 10 catches and a touchdown.) We won this game today because our defense stepped up, made big plays when we needed them and made the Falcon running game work for every yard they got. Holland especially, was all over the field, and his pick in the fourth quarter was huge. He doesn't make that play, we probably lose that game."

The win was a big one for Wyoming, who move to 4 - 0 on the season, equalling their win total for all of last year. Perhaps more importantly, they open conference play with a win, and against an Air Force team that embarrassed the Cowboys last year.

Granted, the competition will get tougher as the year goes on, but if the first four games of the season is any indication, Glenn's first recruiting class intends to have a say in the shape of the Mountain West conference in the coming years.

Their next stage is next Saturday at Colorado.

New Faces Lead Wyoming to Third Win

September 11, 0004

Game Report Posted: January 10, 2009 05:47  

LARAMIE, Wyoming - In only his third game in a Wyoming uniform, true freshman Johnny Connor became only the second player under head coach Joe Glenn to rush for 100 yards in a game, and the first since Derek Armah ran for 114 against Oklahoma State in the second game of 2003, as the 2004 Cowboys beat New Mexico State Saturday, 34 - 21.

Connor wasn't the only freshman to have a big game against the Aggies. Quarterback Kenneth Wingate made the New Mexico State secondary look like they were playing blindfolded and handcuffed, completing 75% of his passes for 346 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions.

"I knew these kids had games like this in them, I just didn't expect them to have them this soon," Glenn joked after the game.

"Johnny and Ken both have a lot of talent, and both will do great things for us, but I told the team in the locker room that we aren't going to win every week on the performance of two guys. This is a team game, and better teams are going to be able to shut Johnny and Ken down if they have to do everything themselves. Deep down, the guys know that. We just gotta translate that onto performance on the field, and I think we can."

At least one other guy was ready to help out Saturday. Sophomore strong safety Herbert Holland was all over the field, recording ten tackles on the afternoon.

"I didn't do anything different than other games, they just ran a lot of plays my direction, and I was fortunate enough to have a chance to make the tackle," Holland explained.

Thanks in large part to Holland, the Wyoming defense held New Mexico State to just 3 of 12 on third down conversions, and 21 points.

The Cowboys open conference play next week at home against Air Force.

Wyoming Beats Idaho With Ball Control

September 4, 0004

Game Report Posted: January 10, 2009 05:25  

In a game where both teams struggled to find the end zone, the Wyoming Cowboys won by running the ball and controlling the clock. The Cowboys held the ball for nearly twice as long as the Vandals, the result of 37 rushing attempts, 21 more than Idaho. The Wyoming defense did their part as well, holding the Vandals to field goals on all three of their red zone attempts, as the Cowboys held on for a 23 - 15 victory.

In his first full game under center, freshman quarterback Kenneth Wingate was solid, completing 63% of his passes with a touchdown and only one interception. Wingate's success was made possible by a trio of running backs who carried the ball a combined 31 times for 112 yards and two touchdowns, though they also fumbled twice.

Though both teams finished with a respectable number of total yards, neither offense looked particularly impressive. Each finished with three turnovers, and neither team was able to convert on third down with any consistency. Idaho managed to convert only 2 of 10 attempts, and the Cowboys only 3 of their 14 attempts.

"Truthfully, this was really a pretty ugly game," Wyoming head coach Joe Glenn analyzed after the game.

"I'm impressed by the way we stayed with it and gutted out the win, especially after the trouble we had holding onto the ball early. And this is the kind of rushing performance we'll need to get to win this year. But we aren't going to win many games if we turn the ball over like that, no matter how many yards we run for. There'll be plenty for me to yell about in practice this week, that's for sure," Glenn offered with just the hint of a smile as he made his way into the Wyoming locker room.

Whether coach Glenn gets what he wants remains to be seen. Wyoming's next test is Saturday against New Mexico State.

Wyoming Rolls in Season Opener

August 28, 0004

Game Report Posted: January 10, 2009 05:04  

BOZEMAN, Montana - Fans who came out to see highly touted quarterback recruit Kenneth Wingate were impressed by what they saw, what little of it there was. Wingate completed six of ten passes before injuring the elbow of his non-throwing arm midway through the second quarter of Wyoming's 41 - 20 victory over 1-AA Montana State.

"I fell awkwardly on my left elbow, tweaked it a bit," Wingate explained. "I'm fine though. Coach said I probably could have played in the second half, but since it was my first game, he didn't want to take any chances. I'll definitely be ready for next week."

After Wingate was injured, redshirt junior Corey Bramlet came in and played well, completing 18 of 26 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns, though he did throw two interceptions.

After the game, head coach Joe Glenn was asked about the impact of Bramlet's performance.

"Corey performed like the veteran that he is, with poise and accuracy. When Ken got hurt, Corey stepped up and played a great game. That doesn't change the depth chart, however. Ken brings athleticism and mobility that our other quarterbacks lack. We realize that, as a freshman, Ken will struggle at times, and he knows Corey might see some playing time if the coaches think it is in the best interest of the team, but we want to give Ken as much game experience as possible."

That experience will start in earnest a week from today against Idaho.