WYOMING FOOTBALL: Cowboys Get Shutout for Second Year in a Row Against Fresno State

By Kaycee Clark-Mellott

Special to the Wyoming Truth

FRESNO, Calif.—After a heartbreaking loss against Boise State last week, the Cowboys were shutout by the Fresno State Bulldogs, 30-0, Friday night. It was the second straight year that the Pokes failed to score a point against Fresno, as last season saw a 17-0 loss in Laramie. Wyoming fell to 7-5 and 5-3 in the Mountain West Conference (MWC).

The game began with a quick two-minute, 66-yard drive by the Bulldogs, which was capped off with a Jordan Mims four-yard rushing touchdown. Fresno took the lead 7-0 and never looked back.

Later in the quarter, Fresno tacked on another touchdown with quarterback Jake Haener throwing a six-yard pass to Nikko Remigio, making it 14-0. At the end of the first quarter, Wyoming had a total of 44 yards, 32 of them coming from quarterback Andrew Peasley.

After clearing concussion protocol, Peasley, who missed the Boise State game last week,  returned to the roster. However, the offense could not get much going.

On Wyoming’s first drive in the second quarter, the team went three-and-out with the ball at their own six-yard-line. While punting, Fresno got past the blocks and put a hand on the ball, blocking the kick and scoring a safety after it rolled out the back of the endzone. The Bulldogs then led the Cowboys 16-0.

Fresno received the ball on a free kick and drove another 27-yards, after a 50-yard kickoff return, and Mims scored his second touchdown of the day from one-yard out. Fresno maintained the lead into halftime, 23-0.

At halftime, Wyoming had mustered only 73 yards of offense, 54 passing and 19 rushing. Running back Titus Swen was nearly nonexistent on the field, with only 20 yards on 10 carries. The Cowboy team and sideline exuded a low energy, something unusual for this team in previous games.

After the half, Wyoming’s Peasley threw an interception on the team’s second drive at the Wyoming 15-yard-line, which Fresno returned to the four-yard-line. This led to another Mims touchdown, giving him a hat-trick on the day, and extended Fresno’s lead to 30-0.

In the fourth quarter, Peasley threw another interception while driving down the field into Fresno territory. The Cowboys had one more chance to score points, moving the ball down to the Bulldogs’ eight-yard-line before getting stopped on fourth down. Fresno ran the ball out, securing a 30-0 victory.

Wyoming has struggled against Fresno State recent years, losing now four straight games against the Bulldogs. The last win came back in the 2014 season.

Swen totaled 75 yards on the day after a more productive second half, bringing his season total to over 1,000 rushing yards. Wide receiver Joshua Cobbs was one of the leading receivers for the Pokes, with 30 yards on four catches. However, Cobbs exited the game after nearly hauling in a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. While attempting to bring the ball in, he was hit and fell to the ground; he later was carted off the field and put in concussion protocol.

Defensively, linebacker Easton Gibbs led the team with 12 tackles and Oluwaseyi Omotosho ended with eight tackles, a sack and a quarterback hurry.

Wyoming awaits Dec. 4 selection day for the bowl games. Several bowl games have ties to the MWC, including the Arizona Bowl, New Mexico Bowl, Famous Idaho Potato Bowl and the Hawaii Bowl. MWC teams have potential to be selected for the Cure Bowl, Frisco Bowl and Boca Raton Bowl. This will be the fifth bowl game for the Cowboys in seven years.

Selection day will be broadcast on ESPN beginning at 10 a.m. on Dec. 4.