LINCOLN, Nebraska - Despite a career game by junior linebacker Earl Walton, the Cowboys were unable to overcome a stagnant offensive performance, falling to the Huskers 16 - 17 Saturday.

Neither offense was anything to write home about, as both teams struggled to move the ball all afternoon. The Cowboys managed just 267 yards of total offense, and the Huskers did only slightly better, finishing with 308 yards. The difference was in the ground game, where Nebraska averaged nearly 5.5 yards a carry, and Wyoming got less than 2.7 yards per attempt.

Wyoming quarterback Kenneth Wingate had one of the worst games of his career, finishing with just 149 yards and an interception, with no touchdowns.

"This week was almost the exact opposite of our game against Louisville," head coach Joe Glenn mused. "Credit the Huskers' defense. Our running game was never enough of a threat to force them to bring a safety out of deep coverage, and with the exception of Wesley, our receivers struggled to get open all game.

"It made for a tough day for Ken, but some of that is my fault. I was determined to make the running game work, and I probably didn't let Ken throw as many times as I should have."

The one bright spot today was the performance of junior linebacker Earl Walton, who finished with a career high 10 tackles and a sack. No other Cowboy had more than four tackles.

"Earl definitely played his heart out today. I am very impressed with his intensity and determination, he has an incredible nose for the ball, and a real knack for bringing guys down. If he keeps working as hard as he has for me these last three years, he could be a real solid player at the next level."

The loss drops the Cowboys to 5 - 1 on the year. Conference play starts in earnest in two weeks, when BYU travels to Laramie to face Wyoming.