Wyoming
How Kalani Sitake and his BYU players felt about the environment at Wyoming
LARAMIE, Wyo. — Wyoming fans may dislike BYU, but Cougars quarterback Jake Retzlaff is a newly-minted fan of their town.
Following his three touchdown performance against the Cowboys Saturday night, Retzlaff offered some kind words regarding his first trip to Laramie.
“It was a super fun place to play. I liked the stadium and the environment,” Retzlaff told reporters postgame. “… Laramie grew on me a little bit this weekend.”
BYU had not visited War Memorial Stadium in 15 years prior to Saturday, where Kalani Sitake’s crew handily defeated Wyoming 34-14 to move to 3-0 on the young season.
The reappearance of a longtime rival proved compelling for Cowboy supporters, who came out in droves for the matchup and made their disdain of the Cougars perfectly clear.
At one point in the second half, CBS Sports Network had to mute its stadium crowd microphones due to vulgar chants directed at BYU being heard on-air.
Such hospitality — or lack thereof — is not new for Wyoming when it comes to the Cougars. The rivalry once burned “really, really hot,” with Cowboy fans tearing down goal posts on multiple occasions upon toppling their foe from Provo.
Sitake didn’t seem to be bothered by the locals’ loud opposition. In fact, he commended it.
“It was a lot of fun. I’m glad that our players were able to be here in this environment,” BYU’s head coach said after the game. “We knew it was going to be energetic. When people (refer to Laramie as) ‘hostile,’ there are amazing Wyoming fans that were not hostile at all, they were kind.
“Our interaction with the Wyoming fans was awesome. They just love their team so much,” Sitake continued. “They should be proud of their team … they don’t quit, they’re tough kids and it wasn’t easy by any means for us to get this win.”
Of course, the worst of the jeering didn’t last long on Saturday. The Cougars let their play on the field do the talking, thoroughly besting the winless Cowboys and quickly removing the crowd factor from the equation.
“I loved the atmosphere. They were wild and it was cool,” BYU wide receiver Chase Roberts told BYUtv’s Spencer Linton in a postgame interview.
“I guess when you start scoring points on them they start to quiet down a bit, so it was nice to hear the loud noises quiet down a bit after we made some plays.”
Wyoming
Pre-Evacuation Order Issued For Pearl Fire In Wyoming
Albany County Emergency Management says a pre-evacuation order has been issued for the Pearl Fire in Wyoming.
The blaze has already prompted evacuations in Larimer County, Colorado.
Read The Order
The agency posted the following on it’s Facebook page;
PRE-EVACUATION FOR PEARL FIRE
FROM THE WYOMING/COLORADO STATE LINE ON THE SOUTH TO SPORTSMANS LAKE ROAD ON THE NORTH, ASHBY LOOP ON THE WEST TO HWY 287 ON THE EAST
Please make preparations to evacuate the area in the event that an Evacuation Order is issued. You do not need to leave at this time, but should begin preparing to leave with your household members, essential belongings, pets and livestock.
US Forest Service Public Lands Day
Get out your gloves and help the great outdoors!
Gallery Credit: Nicole Sherwood
Wyoming
Wyoming sputters once again, loses by 20 to BYU
If you continue to perform the same action over and over again, expecting a different outcome, that is the definition of insanity.
Wyoming’s offense has looked no different from their opener in Tempe to last night’s game against BYU.
Coach-speak isn’t the answer.
Staying the course isn’t the answer.
SCORING SUMMARY
1st Quarter (7-0 BYU Advantage)
5:58 – 20-yard pass from QB Jake Retzlaff to WR Keanu Hill (Will Ferrin PAT)
Wyoming 0 – BYU 7
2nd Quarter (10-7 BYU Advantage)
9:12 – 3-yard pass from QB Jake Retzlaff to WR Kody Epps (Will Ferrin PAT)
5:11 – 2-yard run by QB Evan Svoboda (John Hoyland PAT)
Wyoming 7 – BYU 14
0:45 – 49-yard field goal by K Will Ferrin
Wyoming 7 – BYU 17
HALFTIME
3rd Quarter (17-0 BYU Advantage)
14:45 – 100-yard kickoff return for WR Keelan Marion (Will Ferrin PAT)
Wyoming 7 – BYU 24
9:42 – 37-yard field goal by K Will Ferrin
Wyoming 7 – BYU 27
0:02 – 20-yard pass from QB Jake Retzlaff to WR Darius Lassiter (Will Ferrin PAT)
Wyoming 7 – BYU 34
4th Quarter (7-0 WYO Advantage)
6:29 – 1-yard run by QB Evan Svoboda (John Hoyland PAT)
Wyoming 14 – BYU 34
FINAL
BYU COUGARS 34 – WYOMING COWBOYS 14
WYOMING PLAYER OF THE GAME
N Wrook Brown – The most impactful defender, Brown came up with an early interception to stymy the Cougars’ redzone offense. He had chances to bring down another pick or two, but was unable to come down with them. Showcasing his role as an on-field leader, Brown will need to maintain his efforts if Wyoming looks to find their first win of 2024.
GRADES
Offense – D-
The score doesn’t reflect how anemic this side of the ball has been since Jay Sawvel has taken over in Laramie.
Alex Taylor, writer for WyoSports, reported on the newly-updated statistics as of Sunday.
*These rankings are out of 133 FBS teams
Total offense: 132nd (201.7 yards per game)
Scoring offense: Tied for 130th (11.3 points per game)
Passing offense: 128th (114.7 yards per game)
Rushing offense: 120th (87 yards per game)
Only two out of 12 drives ended in points.
QB Evan Svoboda had moments of solid play, throwing receivers open and delivering darts.
Alas, that is still far and between – exemplified by a 43.8% completion percentage.
The running game was nowhere to be found.
Sam Scott, D.J. Jones and Dawaiian McNeely combined for 19 carries and 45 yards.
2.36 yards a carry is not going to cut it.
Even the return of John Michael Gyllenborg was underwhelming – the tight end didn’t record a single reception.
Many fans clamored for one of Wyoming’s backup QBs (Jayden Clemons or Kaden Anderson) to get some snaps in the 4th quarter.
That did not happen.
Sawvel made it known to the media after the game that his confidence in Svoboda has not wavered and that the Pokes have played two P4 teams in their first three games.
Wyoming plays North Texas in Denton, Texas, next week.
If a similar performance occurs in the Lone Star state, change should be expected.
Defense – C-
As the offense goes, so does the defense.
The thing is, I can’t blame those under Aaron Bohl’s leadership to have a tough time maintaining their defensive fortitude.
If you know the offense isn’t going to do squat when they get the ball back, motivation is hard to come by.
The defense held strong in the 1st half, limiting BYU to 17 points and keeping the Cowboys in the fight as they went to the locker room.
However, Cougar QB Jake Retzlaff found his rhythm coming out out of the half – finishing the game with 291 yards and 3 TDs.
I will say that outside of Retzlaff’s improvisation when forced out of the pocket, Wyoming held the run game in check – limiting BYU to 78 yards.
An interception by Wrook Brown prevented the Pokes from losing the turnover battle.
Special Teams – D+
Punting can only curve your performance so much.
Credit to Jack Culbreath and his ability to flip the field – he had eight chances to do so.
But when you allow a kick return touchdown right out of halftime that swings momentum violently in one direction, the fallout is on you as a unit.
A potential three-and-out on BYU’s opening possession of the second half could have been massive.
That TD put the game out of reach due to the Cowboys inability to march down the field when in possession.
Kicker John Hoyland converted two PATs, but nothing more.
WHAT DOES THIS RESULT SIGNIFY?
Not even a storied rivalry going back to 1922 was able to turn this ship around.
Sometimes, teams can have disappointing starts, yet, they see a bright light up ahead and know that the season will get better.
Wyoming?
You lost your lone FCS game and haven’t looked anywhere near competitive against two Big 12 teams expected to finish in the middle-to-bottom tier of the conference.
More importantly, I haven’t seen any contagious energy on the sideline or buzz within the team.
Lethargic, melancholy…you can pick whatever adjective you like.
But a team under a new head coach should never evoke this feeling three games in.
GOING FORWARD
North Texas.
Your last non-conference opponent before Mountain West play begins.
The Mean Green are 2-1 with not much on their resume.
A 52-38 win @ South Alabama.
A 35-20 vs FCS Stephen F. Austin.
A 66-21 loss @ Texas Tech where UNT gave up 52 points in the 1st half.
As of now, DraftKings favors North Texas by nine points.
Barring a miraculous turnaround after the bye week in early October, this team will not go bowling.
Mountain West cellar dwellers have improved (New Mexico, Utah State, San Jose State).
The Cowboys’ next two games are arguably their easiest left on the schedule (UNT and Air Force).
Jay Sawvel, Evan Svoboda, and everyone associated with Wyoming football need a win in the next two weeks.
Wyoming
Man goes on mule deer killing spree in Cody, Wyoming — then turns himself in, cops say – East Idaho News
CODY, Wyoming (Idaho Statesman) — A 20-year-old man went on a mule deer killing spree and scattered the nine carcasses across a Wyoming town — then turned himself into the local sheriff, according to authorities and news outlets.
Joshua Tamirat Wielhouwer, a resident of Jenison, Michigan, faces 18 misdemeanor charges, including nine counts of taking a game animal without a hunting license and nine counts of wanton destruction of a big game animal, and more charges might be on the way, the Powell Tribune reported.
Wielhouwer’s bond is set at $36,000 in cash, the circuit court in Cody told McClatchy News over the phone.
“It is my client’s intention to remain in the detention center until we have a better idea of these charges as well any potential new charges,” Tim Blatt, Wielhouwer’s defense attorney, told to the Powell Tribune, adding that he’ll likely seek a lower bond for his client.
The first carcass was discovered near a home on the morning of Aug. 27, the outlet reported, citing charging documents. Another was found near a neighboring house, while the remaining seven were found near the Park County Complex in Cody over the next few days.
The complex is surrounded by green space and small ponds, which sometimes attract the town’s beloved urban mule deer herd, Cowboy State Daily reported.
One of the dead deer, a doe, was found floating in one of the ponds, the outlet reported.
Court documents said a total of two bucks, six does and a fawn were killed and found with broadhead hunting arrow wounds, the outlet reported.
State game warden Spencer Carstens and Cody game warden Grant Gerharter believe they caught Wielhouwer killing one of the deer on Sept. 4, before he “ran away and fled the state,” the Powell Tribune reported.
Carstens and Gerharter were on patrol near the county complex at about 10 p.m. “when they heard a sound ‘consistent with (a) shot from a compound bow,’” Cowboy State Daily reported, citing an affidavit. Then, Carstens saw someone “carrying a compound bow and ‘shining a light on the ground,’” the outlet reported.
The wardens tried to stop the man but ultimately lost him, and authorities issued a warrant for Wielhouwer’s arrest Friday, Sept. 6, the Powell Tribune reported.
Three days later, Wielhouwer returned to Wyoming and turned himself in, a spokesperson for the Park County Sheriff’s Office told McClatchy News over the phone on Friday, Sept. 13.
McClatchy News reached out to the Park County Sheriff’s Office and the clerk of courts for information and charging documents but was unable to obtain the records.
Wielhouwer’s next court date is 9 a.m. Dec. 11 for a status conference, according to the clerk of courts.
Cody is a town in the northwestern part of the state where the Yellowstone Regional Airport is located, about a 50-mile drive east of Yellowstone National Park.
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