LARAMIE, Wyoming - It was like two different teams showed up for Wyoming today. At the half, a surging Wyoming was ahead 13 - 0, and looked to be on their way to their ninth win of the season. Some other team must have come out of the locker room, because the Cowboys struggled to find the end zone in the second half, and a defense that had shut out opponents for the previous four quarters surrendered 33 points to lose 22 - 33 to UNLV Saturday.

Though they had settled for a field goal in the red zone twice in the first half, Wyoming seemed to be in control of the game, forcing two early turnovers and dominating field position and time of possession.

The second half was a completely different story. Again, the Cowboys settled for field goals, and UNLV discovered they could run the ball effectively. In three trips to the red zone, Wyoming came away with six points, kicking two field goals and fumbling the ball away once. UNLV finished with 208 yards on 32 carries, and three rushing touchdowns. The Rebels passing game struggled, but converted scores of 16 and 47 yards , the latter with just over two minutes remaining in the game.

"In a lot of ways, the red zone has been our toughest opponent all year," head coach Joe Glenn said after the game. "I'm not entirely sure what it is, but we have a hard time scoring more than three points on a short field. I know that part of it is that defenses don't have to worry about Jovon and Andre burning them deep, and part of it is mental, but it still seems like we struggle more down there than we should.

"The staff will focus on that this off-season, and hopefully we can find some ways to help these kids succeed in the red zone."

The Cowboys finish the regular season at 8 - 4, good for second place in the Mountain West Conference. They are currently predicted to appear in the Las Vegas Bowl against Arizona State of the Pac 10, though that could change, depending on whether conference champion Colorado State receives a BCS bowl bid. The Rams finished the season 11 - 1, and are currently ranked 6th in the BCS. Bowl pairings will be announced December 5th.