(Editor's note: UW Athletics release)
LARAMIE, Wyo. - The Wyoming Cowboys make their final regular-season road trip Saturday traveling to Logan, Utah, to face long-time rival Utah State. Saturday’s game is scheduled to kick off at 6 p.m., Mountain Time from Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium.
Wyoming will enter Saturday’s game with a 5-5 overall record and a 1-5 Mountain West Conference mark. A sixth win would all the Cowboys to become bowl eligible. Utah State is 8-2 and 5-1 in Mountain West play.
Career Milestones Reached by Cowboys Valladay and Muma
Two Cowboys reached exclusive milestones last week. Running back Xazavian Valladay became only the second player in University of Wyoming history to rush for 3,000 career yards. He has rushed for 3,008 yards as a Wyoming Cowboy. The only other Poke to accomplish that was Brian Hill, who ran for 4,287 yards during his college career from 2014-16.
Wyoming linebacker Chad Muma exceeded 100 tackles for the 2021 season in last week’s game at Boise State. Muma now has 103 tackles this season. That ties him for No. 43 on the Wyoming list for best single-season tackle totals, and Muma still has two games remaining this season to add to that total.
Wide Receiver Isaiah Neyor is Emerging as One of the Top Receivers in the Mountain West Conference
UW sophomore wide receiver Isaiah Neyor is emerging as one of the top receivers in the Mountain West this season. He has caught nine touchdown passes to rank No. 2 in the Mountain West and No. 6 in the nation He is also averaging 18.38 yards per reception to rank No. 3 in the MW and No. 29 nationally. Here are Neyor’s rankings this season.
Individual Category Statistic MW Rank NCAA Rank
Receiving TDs 9 total No. 2 No. 6
Yards per Pass Reception 18.38 yards per reception No. 3 No. 29
Total TDs (Rush and Rec.) 10 total No. 3 No. 38
Total Points Scored 60 total points No. 8 No. 94
Scoring 6.2 points per game No. 10 NA
Receiving Yards 588 total receiving yards No. 11 No. 80
Receiving Yards per Game 58.8 yards per game No. 13 NA
Strength Against Strength
Saturday’s match-up of the Wyoming Cowboys and Utah State Aggies will feature one of the nation’s top defenses in Wyoming and one of the nation’s best offenses in Utah State. Here is how the two Mountain West teams compare against one another
Wyoming MW Rank NCAA Rank
Passing Defense, 162.6 yards allowed per game No. 1 No. 4
Pass Efficiency Defense, 117.03 rating No. 3 No. 20
Total Defense, 330.8 yards allowed per game No. 4 No. 27
Utah State MW Rank NCAA Rank
Passing Offense, 321.0 yards per game No. 3 No. 12
Pass Efficiency, 152.24 rating No. 2 No. 24
Total Offense, 473.3 yards per game No. 1 No. 13
Wyoming-Utah State Series Among the Longest for the Cowboys
Wyoming’s series with Utah State ranks as the fifth longest series vs. any opponent for the Cowboys. Wyoming’s longest rivalry is versus Colorado State. The Cowboys and Rams have played 113 times. UW has played Utah 83 times and Brigham Young University 78 times. Wyoming and New Mexico played earlier this season for the 74th time. This week’s meeting between the Cowboys and the Utah State Aggies will be the 71st in the two schools’ histories.
Last Three Wyoming-Utah State Games Decided by One Possession
The last three meetings between the Wyoming Cowboys and Utah State Aggies have all been decided by just one possession -- eight points or less.
Season Score and Margin of Victory
2017 Wyoming won 28-23 (+5) in Logan
2018 Utah St. won 24-16 (+8) in Laramie
2019 Utah St. won 26-21 (+5) in Logan
2020 Didn’t play due to COVID
Common Opponents
The Wyoming Cowboys and Utah State Aggies have played four common opponents thus far in 2021 -- Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State and San Jose State. Wyoming has a 1-3 record against those opponents. Utah State is 3-1 versus those four common opponents.
Common
Opponents Wyoming vs. Utah State vs.
Air Force L 14-24 (-10), Away W 49-45 (+4), Away
Boise State L 13-23 (-10), Away L 3-27 (-24), Home
Colorado State W 31-17 (+14), Home W 26-24 (+2), Home
San Jose State L 21-33 (-12), Away W 48-17 (+31), Away
