LARAMIE, Wyoming - In games between closely matched opponents, the winner is often the team that holds onto the football. Failing that, the winner is usually the team that has the most success running the ball.

Wyoming and Utah State played to a draw on turnovers Saturday, each team committing three. Not surprisingly, then, the winner was the team that had the most sucess on the ground. Uncharacteristically, that team was Wyoming.

"I said all last year that we weren't going to be able to win the close games unless we could find some consistency on the ground, something we never could do," Wyoming head coach Joe Glenn explained.

"The difference this year is we've got two guys in Johnny (Connor) and Terrence (Billings) who are capable of carrying the rock and pounding it out on the ground. Neither is really ready to be out there every down, but they complement each other well, and give us options regarding what we can do."

"Johnny is more of a scat back, not a lot of size, but elusive speed. Terrence is a straight ahead guy who runs right at you with size and strength. Our coahing staff is excited to have both these guys at our disposal."

In the game against Utah State, the two combined for 172 yards on thirty carries. Billings had twenty of them, pounding away up the middle for eighty yards and a solid 4.0 yard per carry average. Connor broke a long run up the right side for 48 yards, more than half his total of 92. Neither fumbled on the day.

The presence of a running game gave quarterback Kenneth Wingate plenty of time to throw, allowing him to complete 24 passes for 375 yards and three touchdowns, against one interception.

The defense held Utah State to 47 yards on the ground, and though they gave up several long completions, played well enough to give the offense a chance to win.

It was a solid performance all around, and it all added up to a 32 - 27 victory over the Aggies of Utah State. Next up is Boise State, another home game for Wyoming, who due to scheduling quirks, play an unusual eight games at home in the 2005 season.