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Wyoming falls apart in second half, loses to North Texas 44-17

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Wyoming falls apart in second half, loses to North Texas 44-17


Consistency…consistency.

The blips of success witnessed in the last two weeks have yet to be sustained.

When the Cowboys begin establishing themselves, it feels like a mirage.

You want to believe it will continue, but know it won’t last.

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Apathy is in abundance in Laramie.

SCORING SUMMARY

1st Quarter (7-3 UNT Advantage)

9:54 – 30-yard field goal by K John Hoyland

Wyoming 3 – North Texas 0

7:18 – 29-yard pass from QB Chandler Morris to WR DT Sheffield (Kali Nguma PAT)

Wyoming 3 – North Texas 7

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2nd Quarter (20-14 UNT Advantage)

14:12 – 23-yard field goal by K Kali Nguma

Wyoming 3 – North Texas 10

5:54 – 19-yard pass from QB Chandler Morris to WR Blair Conwright (Kali Nguma PAT)

Wyoming 3 – North Texas 17

2:15 – 41-yard pass from QB Evan Svoboda to RB Sam Scott (John Hoyland PAT)

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Wyoming 10 – North Texas 17

1:17 – 4-yard run by RB Makenzie McGill (Kali Nguma PAT)

Wyoming 10 – North Texas 24

1:03 – 100-yard kickoff return by WR Tyler King (John Hoyland PAT)

Wyoming 17 – North Texas 24

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0:00 – 45-yard field goal by K Kali Nguma

Wyoming 17 – North Texas 27

HALFTIME

3rd Quarter (14-0 UNT Advantage)

10:10 – 2-yard run by RB Makenzie McGill (Kali Nguma PAT)

Wyoming 17 – North Texas 34

5:17 – 24-yard run by RB Makenzie McGill (Kali Nguma PAT)

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Wyoming 17 – North Texas 41

4th Quarter (3-0 UNT Advantage)

2:07 – 34-yard field goal by Kali Nguma

Wyoming 17 – North Texas 44

FINAL

NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN 44 – WYOMING COWBOYS 17

WYOMING PLAYER OF THE GAME

WR Tyler King – Special teams were anemic in 2024. King made sure to end that in Denton. With North Texas extending their lead to 14 with just over a minute left in the first half, any momentum that Wyoming held dissipated. But, the sophomore maneuvered his way to the left side of the field before turning on the jets to the endzone.

He gave the Pokes life before halftime.

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*Courtesy of ESPN and Wyoming Athletics

GRADES

Offense – D

Starting the game with their scripted plays, Wyoming did a solid job of methodically driving down the field for points. However, the longer the game went, the less success they had.

Evan Svoboda was okay but still lacked the reliability on throws that needed to be converted.

He finished with a sub-50% completion rate and only 155 passing yards.

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The run game was bad.

Real bad.

Sam Scott managed 39 yards.

D.J. Jones…22 yards.

Jamari Ferrell?

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-6 yards.

The longest run of the day was a Svoboda eight-yard scamper.

Two critical pieces in Jay Johnson’s offense were Sam Scott and tight end John Michael Gyllenborg. Scott hauled in a 41-yard receiving TD that showcased his speed, while Gyllenborg did what he does best.

Get open and be a consistent target when attempting to move the chains.

He led the team in receptions (five) and receiving yards (56).

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Something you won’t find in the box score is the handful of botched snaps by center Nofoafia Tulafono. On each occasion, Svoboda could not clean up the mess – resulting in stalled-out drives.

Defense – D-

Two of North Texas’ three opening drives in the second half resulted in touchdowns.

The Cowboys knew going into this game that the Mean Green would be tough to slow down in the air.

Chandler Morris had a field day against the Pokes – passing for 305 yards, two touchdowns, and a 68.2% completion rate.

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Despite North Texas not having their top two running backs, Shane Porter had no trouble taking the mantle.

The junior tallied 120 yards on 13 carries.

Allowing over 500 yards of offense and your opponent to convert all four of their 4th down attempts is not winning football.

Not getting off the field in pivotal moments was compounded by Morris’ ability to scramble for first downs.

The “bend, but don’t break” defense only works if you…don’t break.

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In Denton, the Cowboys’ defense was softer than a toasted marshmallow.

Special Teams – B+

This was the best performance by a Wyoming unit in 2024.

Tyler King’s kick return TD carries a lot of weight, but John Hoyland was perfect on the day (one field goal and two PATs).

Jack Culbreath didn’t have his best outing, averaging 38.7 yards a punt.

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However, he did pin two of his six attempts inside the 20.

There have been a select amount of times this season where one of the Pokes’ three phases contributed positively the entire game.

Kudos to co-special teams coordinators Benny Boyd and Shannon Moore.

WHAT DOES THIS RESULT SIGNIFY?

Wyoming is in limbo.

With the amount of veterans returning, 2024 was not intended to be a rebuild.

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But it is clear that this team is miles upon miles away from being where they want.

Head coach Jay Sawvel sums it up best with two quotes following today’s loss.

“We’re not good right now. We’re not good at anything right now.”

“I take ownership of it. I’ve jacked it all up for our whole program right now, and we have to get it fixed.”

*Alex Taylor of WyoSports published these remarks on X (Twitter)

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GOING FORWARD

Wyoming sits at 0-4 for the first time since 2015.

That year, their winless campaign finally ended after a 0-6 start.

The Cowboys will face Mountain West competition between now and a November 30th matchup with Washington State on the Palouse.

Some have been better than advertised in the preseason.

San Jose State and New Mexico, for example.

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Others have disappointed.

Looking at you, Air Force and Utah State.

Wyoming will return to Laramie and host the Falcons next Saturday in a battle of Mountain West cellar-dwellers.

For Poke fans, a loss on September 28th forces them to hope for their first win in mid-October.

What are your reactions to Wyoming’s loss against North Texas and how the season has unraveled so quickly?

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Leave your comments down below!



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Everything on the Line: Week 8 Decides Wyoming’s Football Playoff Brackets

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Everything on the Line: Week 8 Decides Wyoming’s Football Playoff Brackets


It all comes down to this. It is Week 8 of high school football in Wyoming, which means the playoff brackets will be decided by Saturday afternoon. Playoff berths and seeds will be on the line this week, but some teams are already locked in. Games will be played on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Five teams are on the field on Thursday. Friday features 27 games on the schedule. Three six-man games will be on Saturday. All but three of the matchups are conference games. Four will have ranked teams playing each other, which includes a No. 1 versus No. 2 game in Encampment on Saturday between the top-ranked Rattlers and second-ranked Tigers in six-man football. This is our Week 8 football scoreboard. WyoPreps will post the game scores below.

WYOPREPS WEEK 8 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE 2025

Sixteen games on the schedule will impact seeding and/or playoff berths.

Next to certain games, you will find a link where you can listen to or watch football games from local broadcasters in Wyoming. These links are provided as a courtesy. If we’re missing a local broadcast link, you can email david@wyopreps.com. Here is the Week 8 schedule for the gridiron.

Class 4A

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Final Score: Thunder Basin 55 Cheyenne South 6 – Bolts clinch the No. 6 seed in the 4A playoffs.

Class 1A 9-man

Final Score: #2 Greybull 94 Wyoming Indian 12

Class 1A 6-man

Final Score: Riverside 28 Meeteetse 22 – OT – Rebels get the No. 3 seed, and the Longhorns will be the No. 4 seed.

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Out-of-State Opponent

Final Score: 1A 6-man #4 Hulett 1 Edgemont, SD 0 – forfeit win

 

Read More Football News From WyoPreps

WyoPreps Football Playoff Scenarios 2025

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WyoPreps Football Rankings 10-22-25

WyoPreps Football Standings 10-19-25

WyoPreps Week 7 Football Scoreboard 2025

WyoPreps Week 6 Football Scoreboard 2025

WyoPreps Week 5 Football Scoreboard 2025

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WyoPreps Week 4 Football Scoreboard 2025

WyoPreps Week 3 Football Scoreboard 2025

WyoPreps Week 2 Football Scoreboard 2025

WyoPreps Week 1 Football Scoreboard 2025

WyoPreps Week 0 Football Scoreboard 2025

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Class 4A

Laramie at #1 Sheridan, 6 p.m. – Sheridan Media Watch Live

#3 Campbell County at #2 Cheyenne East, 6 p.m. – KFBC Watch Live or KAML Watch Live

#5 Natrona County at #4 Cheyenne Central, 6 p.m. – KRAE Watch Live

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Kelly Walsh at Rock Springs, 6 p.m. – TRN Watch Live

Class 3A

#5 Jackson at #2 Cody, 5 p.m. – KODI Listen Live or KZJH Watch Live

#1 Star Valley at Green River, 6 p.m. – TRN Watch Live or SVI Media Watch Live

Rawlins at #3 Riverton, 6 p.m. – County 10 Watch Live or WyoToday Watch Live

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#4 Lander at Buffalo, 6 p.m. – 307Buffalo.com Listen Live or County 10 Watch Live or WyoToday Watch Live

Douglas at Torrington, 6 p.m. – KGOS Watch Live or KKTY Listen Live

Evanston at Powell, 6 p.m. – KPOW Listen Live or Mylocalradio.com Watch Live

Class 2A

#5 Lovell at Cokeville, noon

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#2 Mountain View at Lyman, 1 p.m. – Mylocalradio.com Watch Live

Worland at Kemmerer, 5 p.m. – SVI Listen Live

Upton-Sundance at #1 Big Horn, 6 p.m.

Pinedale at #3 Thermopolis, 6 p.m. – WyoToday Watch Live

Wheatland at #4 Newcastle, 6 p.m. – KASL Listen Live or KZEW Listen Live

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Burns at Moorcroft, 6 p.m.

Tongue River at Glenrock, 6 p.m.

Class 1A 9-man

#1 Pine Bluffs at Southeast, 6 p.m. – KERM Listen Live

#3 Big Piney at Shoshoni, 6 p.m.

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Wind River at #4 Rocky Mountain, 6 p.m.

#5 Lingle-Ft. Laramie at Saratoga, 6 p.m.

Wright at Lusk, 6 p.m.

Class 1A 6-man

Guernsey-Sunrise at H.E.M., 1 p.m. – does not count in the standings, per WHSAA.

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Ten Sleep at Kaycee, 1 p.m.

Midwest at #3 Burlington, 2 p.m.

 

Class 1A 6-man

#1 Little Snake River at #2 Encampment, noon

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Dubois at #5 Casper Christian, 1 p.m. (at NCHS)

Non-Varsity Opponent

1A 6-man Farson-Eden at Rock Springs JV, 4 p.m.

 

Campbell County vs. Thunder Basin Football Game 10-10-25

The Camels held off the crosstown rival Bolts, 17-14, on October 10, 2025.

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Gallery Credit: Courtesy: Eric Barber





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Kenneth (Ken) Nyberg

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Kenneth (Ken) Nyberg


A Celebration of Life for Kenneth “Ken” Nyberg will be held on Friday, October 24, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. at the Big Horn County Fairgrounds in Basin, Wyoming.

Ken passed away on October 11, 2025, at Billings Clinic in Billings, Montana, after a long and courageous battle with a rare autoimmune lung disease related to Agent Orange exposure.

Ken was born in Springfield, Minnesota, and raised in Lamberton, Minnesota. His parents, Laurel and Pat Nyberg, owned and operated the Lamberton Hatchery, where Ken and his four siblings learned early the values of love, hard work, and family.

After graduating high school, Ken was drafted into the U.S. Army and proudly served in Vietnam. After his honorable discharge and upon returning home, he attended college in Mankato, Minnesota.

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In 1977, Ken moved to Sheridan, Wyoming, where he met Kathy (Kas) and her three sons. The couple married on May 27, 1978, and later moved to Craig, Colorado, where they raised their family. Together, Ken and Kas began fostering children and eventually opened a group home for at-risk teens-a calling that became the work of their hearts. Their shared love for helping others and working side by side was truly extraordinary.

In 1989, they moved to Escalante, Utah, where they served as primary counselors at Turn-About Ranch, once again dedicating their lives to guiding and supporting teens. In 1994, Ken and Kas settled in Basin, Wyoming, where they managed the local boys’ group home until their retirement.

Beyond his work, Ken had a deep love for the outdoors-fishing, hunting, camping, and working on their place in Manderson, Wyoming. He had a special gift for including “the kids” in his hobbies and projects, making every experience both a lesson and an adventure.

Ken is survived by his wife Kas; three sons: Kraig Nyberg of Basin, Kevin (Brigette) Nyberg of Ocklawaha, Florida, and Ken Nyberg of Thornton, Colorado; his brother Dave (Ann) Nyberg of Cheyenne, Wyoming; sister Sandy of Dacono, Colorado; four grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Laurel and Pat Nyberg, brother Randy Nyberg, and sister Judy Lehne.

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In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the ASPCA or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Ken’s memory. Arrangements have been entrusted to Atwood Family Funeral Directors.



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Wyo authors, literary history featured on PBS Books reading road trip episode

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Wyo authors, literary history featured on PBS Books reading road trip episode


JACKSON, Wyo. — PBS Books is taking a virtual road trip across the country, and an episode about Wyoming literature will be released on Wednesday, Oct. 22.

The journey seeks to celebrate and highlight iconic authors, stories, bookstores and real-life locations that inspired unforgettable works. The series is diving into different corners of the U.S. to find out how each location has left its mark on the bookshelves of the nation’s readers.

The Wyoming episode of “American Stories: A Reading Road Trip” will air at 8 p.m. on the PBS Books YouTube channel, pbsbooks.org, the PBS Books Facebook page and the PBS app. All installments are available to watch on the PBS Books website after they premiere.

“Aligned with America’s 250th birthday, each episode invites viewers to explore the heart, history and creative spirit of the United States — all through the lens of books and storytelling,” reads the description of the series.

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Amy Ryan, owner of local mainstay Valley Bookstore, discussed the importance of Wyoming literature and authors with Buckrail.

“I think a lot of people would be surprised to find out that Wyoming is actually a very literary state,” said Ryan. “We have authors like Jack Turner, who [lives] here. We had Margaret Murie, who’s written a couple classics, and we have writers who are still active.”

The episode will focus on the scenery that influenced Ernest Hemingway’s “Death in the Afternoon”; the dawn of the Western genre through Owen Wister’s novel “The Virginian”; and modern authors like well-known mystery writers Craig Johnson and C.J. Box. The show will also visit the Toppan Rare Books Library at the University of Wyoming.

Ryan highlighted some Wyoming creators who might not have world fame, but have influenced the literary landscape just the same. Authors like Alexandra Fuller, Tim Sandlin, Grant Golliher and Bridget Crocker have drawn inspiration from Wyoming’s backdrop and communities.

A Murie Ranch Front Porch conversation on Tuesday, Oct. 21, presented Crocker as she talked about her recent book “The River’s Daughter.” According to Teton Science Schools, her story is one of “resilience and empowerment, from a turbulent childhood in Wyoming to a globe-spanning career as a whitewater rafting guide” that began on the Snake River in Jackson Hole.

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“We do have a really grand tradition of chroniclers of Western history,” Ryan said. “It’s a very lively community for such a sparsely populated state. We seem to attract real writers.”



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