On Saturday night, BYU traveled to Laramie and took down the Wyoming Cowboys 34-14. The Cougars outgained the Cowboys 458-217, including 353 total yards of offense from Jake Retzlaff. BYU came into the game as a 9.5-point favorite. With the 20-point victory, BYU moved to 3-0 against the spread this season.
BYU’s offense got off to a quick start, quickly driving 50 yards down the field in seven plays before Retzlaff took a shot downfield to Kody Epps that was intercepted. The read was right – Epps had a step, but that ball was underthrown, culminating in another turnover from Jake Retzlaff.
Following a three-and-out from the Wyoming offense, BYU got the ball back and marched 44 yards for the score. Retzlaff found a wide open Keanu Hill for the 20-yard touchdown to give BYU a 7-0 lead.
After exchanging a few punts, the BYU offense took the field again and marched 74 yards in nine plays for the touchdown to take the 14-0 lead. Retzlaff found a wide open Kody Epps for the score.
On the ensuing drive, Wyoming’s offense showed signs of life, marching 75 yards for the score to cut into BYU’s lead and make it 14-7.
Just before halftime, a 49-yard field goal from Will Ferrin put BYU ahead 17-7.
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The second half kicked off with some fireworks. BYU wide receiver Keelan Marion took back the second half kickoff 100 yards for the touchdown. That was the first BYU kickoff return for a touchdown since Adam Hine took one back against Virginia in 2014. At that point, BYU had complete control of the game.
A second field goal from Will Ferrin gave BYU a 27-7 lead with 09:42 remaining in the third quarter.
BYU’s last touchdown drive of the game was a 5 play, 77-yard drive that ended in a 20-yard touchdown pass from Jake Retzlaff to Darius Lassiter. That throw, in this author’s opinion, was Jake Retzlaff’s best throw of the night. Retzlaff calmly evaded the rush, stepped up into the pocket, remained under control, and threw a strike to Lassiter for the score.
Wyoming scored a late touchdown to cut into the lead and make it 34-14. Gerry Bohanon got the final drive for BYU, going 57 yards and running out the six minutes remaining on the game clock.
This story is part of our Quick Hits series. This series will bring you breaking news and short updates from throughout the state.
The former director of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) agency is joining Wyoming’s Game and Fish Department.
9-News reported that Jeff Davis was hired as the department’s deputy director in late December. That’s after Doug Brimeyer retired.
He starts the job in February.
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Davis resigned from CPW last year instead of being fired as part of a settlement agreement. The settlement agreement Davis signed did not directly cite a reason for his termination.
Davis joined CPW as the state reintroduced wolves. His resignation came shortly after Washington state said it would not provide wolves to Colorado’s reintroduction program.
Before joining CPW in 2023, Davis had a long career in the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. While there, he focused on coordinating conservation initiatives involving interdisciplinary teams and salmon recovery.
BILLINGS— Activists on both sides praised and criticized the Wyoming Supreme Court’s ruling of abortion bans as unconstitutional on Tuesday in a 4-1 majority.
The ruling marks the end of a four-year legal battle in Wyoming since the state’s 2022 abortion ban went in place with the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, which overturned abortion rights on a federal level.
Watch for the report:
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Activists react after Wyoming high court rules abortion ban unconstitutional
The ban was put on hold after Wyoming’s only abortion clinic, Wellspring Health Access in Casper, led a suit against the state.
“I was holding my breath as I opened it and read it. But soon that turned to being rather elated. We couldn’t be more pleased with the opinion,” said Julie Burkhart, the clinic’s president.
Vanessa Willardson
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Julie Burkhart
The decision comes after a years-long fight and setbacks, including an arsonist who set the clinic on fire in May of 2022.
“We were set to open that next month, but unfortunately that arson set us back by 11 months. We weren’t able to open that until 2023. It was quite devastating,” said Burkhart.
“I don’t think it’s moral, ethical, appropriate for anyone to tell another person what they can or cannot do with their own body,” she added.
Wellspring Health Access
Wellspring Health Access after 2022 fire
For a Montana advocacy group, it was a different story.
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“I was very disappointed,” said Amy Seymour, president of Yellowstone Valley Christians for Life, an anti-abortion advocacy group.
“These pre-born children who are unique, complete, living, individual human beings from the moment of their conception, they can be protected if Wyoming decides to have a constitutional amendment to that degree,” she added.
Vanessa Willardson
Amy Seymour
Wyoming state Speaker of the House Chip Neiman, a Republican, echoed Seymour’s sentiments with a written statement.
“Today’s decision is an abomination. Four unelected justices thwarted the will of the people to establish a ‘right’ to kill an innocent baby. Thanks to these justices, Wyoming has some of the most radical abortion laws in America. I will not stand for that, and will continue fighting for innocent unborn babies,” said Neiman.
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Wyoming Supreme Court strikes down abortion bans, keeping procedure legal
GLENROCK, Wyo. — A 55-year-old Wyoming man died Monday night after his vehicle went over a bridge rail and caught fire on Interstate 25 near Glenrock.
Gavin Stanek was traveling north in a Cadillac Escalade around 9:13 p.m. when the vehicle drifted into the median near milepost 156, according to a Wyoming Highway Patrol report. The vehicle continued through the median until it struck a bridge retaining wall.
The driver’s side of the Escalade scraped along the rail before the vehicle went over the edge toward the river. The Cadillac rolled toward the passenger side and landed on its roof on the river embankment, where it was engulfed in flames, the report states.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol identified driver fatigue or the driver falling asleep as a possible contributing factor in the crash. Road conditions were dry and the weather was clear at the time of the incident.
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This story contains preliminary information as provided by the Wyoming Highway Patrol via the Wyoming Department of Transportation Fatal Crash Summary map. The agency advises that information may be subject to change.
