2006 Week 12

LARAMIE, Wyoming - Last week was a bye week for the Cowboys, but head coach Joe Glenn declared victory for his team, as they nursed battered bodies and bruised egos, and prepared to face the Utah Utes.

"We really needed the week off," Glenn said. "Obviously losing Ken was the biggest thing, but we had a couple other guys who were banged up with the little stuff, and we just needed the time to recuperate and regroup."

The week off could not have come at a better time. Quarterback Kenneth Wingate was still out of game form after a mild concussion in the 21-34 loss to rival Colorado State on October 28th, and would have missed the game had it been played the first weekend in November. As it happened, the Cowboys had him back against the Utes, and though his passing numbers were relatively pedestrian, his presence and decision making skills led the Cowboys to a 30 - 21 win over Utah.

For the game, Wyoming attempted only 27 passes, but ran the ball 41 times. All three running backs on the Cowboys' roster had at least ten rushing attempts, and Wingate carried five times for 49 yards, including a 45 yard option keeper up the left side.

"A number of factors contributed to us running the ball most of the game," Glenn explained. "We didn't want to push Ken too hard his first game back, and we felt it was important for us to control the tempo of the game. We felt the best way to do that was on the ground. Plus, we were having some success, so there wasn't as much need to pass."

As a team, the Cowboys rushed for 174 yards, nine more than the 165 yards gained through the air.

The defense also played well, limiting the Utes to 94 yards on 25 carries, and forcing four interceptions. Starting cornerbacks Javon Jordan and CJ Rollins had one each, as did free safety Scott Potts and freshman linebacker Pat Huber.

The win pushes the Cowboys' record to 8 - 2 on the year, with two games remaining in the regular season. They play next week on the road at New Mexico.