Wyoming
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.
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
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)
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
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)
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.
*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.
The run game was bad.
Real bad.
Sam Scott managed 39 yards.
D.J. Jones…22 yards.
Jamari Ferrell?
-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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)
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.
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?
Leave your comments down below!
The 2026 Wyoming High School boys’ soccer season is close to its finish. Only three weeks remain. 4A teams will conclude the regular season, as they jockey for positions going into next week’s regional tournaments. Meanwhile, 3A schools have this week and next week left in the regular season. They are trying to reach the top four of the league standings, as those are the teams that qualify for the state tournament in two weeks.
WYOPREPS WEEK 8 BOYS SOCCER SCHEDULE 2026
Three matches this week feature ranked opponents squaring off. Sheridan will host Thunder Basin on Friday. In 3A on Saturday, top-ranked Cody is at No. 5 Mountain View, and four-rated Torrington goes to No. 2 Buffalo. Just like the ladies, you have some rivalry matches on the schedule with Rock Springs-Green River, Jackson-Star Valley, and Thunder Basin-Campbell County. Wednesday will bring new soccer rankings. This is the boys’ schedule for Week 8. Schedules are subject to change.
TUESDAY, MAY 5:
CLASS 4A
Final Score: #2 Sheridan 2 Campbell County 1 (conference match)
Final Score: Riverton 3 Natrona County 1 (conference match)
CLASS 3A
Pinedale at Rawlins – postponed to May 11 – changed to May 9 for boys’ match only!
WEDNESDAY, MAY 6:
CLASS 4A
Laramie at Cheyenne Central – postponed to May 9
Cheyenne South at Cheyenne East – postponed to May 9
Read More Soccer News from WyoPreps
WyoPreps Boys Soccer Standings on 5-4-26
WyoPreps Week 7 Boys Soccer Scores 2026
WyoPreps Coaches and Media Soccer Polls 4-29-26
Nominate a Boys Soccer Player for WyoPreps Athlete of the Week
WyoPreps Week 6 Boys Soccer Scores 2026
WyoPreps Coaches & Media Soccer Polls 4-22-26
WyoPreps Boys Soccer Standings on 4-20-26
WyoPreps Week 5 Boys Soccer Scores 2026
WyoPreps Coaches & Media Soccer Polls 4-15-26
WyoPreps Week 4 Boys Soccer Scores 2026
WyoPreps Week 3 Boys Soccer Scores 2026
WyoPreps Week 2 Boys Soccer Scores 2026
WyoPreps Week 1 Boys Soccer Scores 2026
THURSDAY, MAY 7:
CLASS 4A
Final Score: #1 Jackson 8 Star Valley 2 (conference match)
Final Score: #4 Thunder Basin 3 Campbell County 1 (conference match)
Final Score: Rock Springs 2 #5 Green River 1 (conference match)
FRIDAY, MAY 8:
CLASS 4A
Final Score: Cheyenne Central 6 Cheyenne South 0 (conference match)
Final Score: #2 Sheridan 3 #4 Thunder Basin 1 (conference match)
Final Score: #2 Kelly Walsh 6 Riverton 0 (conference match)
Final Score: Laramie 3 Cheyenne East 1 (conference match)
Final Score: Evanston 2 Natrona County 2 – TIE (conference match) – Red Devils scored with 1 second left for the draw.
CLASS 3A
Final Score: #4 Worland 1 Rawlins 0 (conference match) – Kobe Bradshaw scored the GW goal on a PK in the 1st half.
Final Score: Douglas 2 Torrington 2 (conference match) – Shootout = Torrington wins 4-3!
Final Score: #1 Cody Lyman (conference match)
Final Score: #2 Lander 3 Pinedale 0 (conference match)
Final Score: Powell 1 #5 Mountain View 0 (conference match) – Gianrey Dallesandro with the GW-goal, assisted by Ethan Frame.
Final Score: #3 Buffalo 1 Newcastle 0 (conference match) – forfeit win for the Bison.
SATURDAY, MAY 9:
CLASS 4A
Laramie at Cheyenne Central, 11 a.m. (conference match)
Evanston at #2 Kelly Walsh, noon (conference match)
Cheyenne South at Cheyenne East, noon (conference match)
Riverton at Natrona County, noon (conference match)
Rock Springs at Star Valley, 1 p.m. (conference match)
CLASS 3A
Pinedale at Rawlins, 11 a.m.
#1 Cody at #5 Mountain View, noon (conference match)
Powell at Lyman, noon (conference match)
Torrington at #3 Buffalo, 2 p.m. (conference match)
#4 Worland at Douglas, 2 p.m. (conference match)
Final Score: Rawlins 1 Newcastle 0 (conference match) – forfeit win for the Outlaws.
Cheyenne Central vs. Cheyenne East HS Softball 2026
The Indians faced the rival Thunderbirds on April 15, 2026
Gallery Credit: David Settle, WyoPreps.com
James Forest Mothersbaugh Jr.: 1953 – 2025
James “Jim” Forest Mothersbaugh Jr. passed away on Saturday, December 6, 2025 at Central Wyoming Hospice in Casper, Wyoming, from complications of Multiple System Atrophy. He is survived by his wife, Becky Mothersbaugh; his sons, James Forest Mothersbaugh III and Blair Mothersbaugh; and Blair’s fiancée, Kelsey Baron.
Jim’s life was defined by music. He was a highly accomplished violinist, performing with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Puerto Rico, Wyoming Symphony Orchestra, and Savannah Symphony, among many others. He held degrees in violin performance, music education, and conducting from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, Connecticut, with additional doctoral studies at the University of Iowa. He met his wife when they were both performing in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and passed his musical acumen to both of his sons. Jim taught orchestra and music theory to generations of students of all ages & abilities during his 28 years in the Natrona County School District. He conducted award-winning orchestras, taught students who went on to become professional musicians, and instilled a sense of purpose, character, and belief in both his students and colleagues that extended far beyond the stage. He was also an expert in the craft of re-hairing bows for string instruments, knew everything there is to know about The Beatles, and possessed a rare ability called synesthesia, which allowed him to see specific colors when hearing music. He leaves an extensive, enduring, and active legacy in the Wyoming musical community.
Jim will be immensely missed by his family, his friends, his colleagues, and his students. A celebration of life will take place at Backwards Distilling Company in Casper, Wyoming on June 28, 2026 from 2 to 5 p.m. Please RSVP at https://jimsmemorial.rsvpify.com/.
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