Behind the numbers: UW vs. CSU

LARAMIE -- Boy, did Wyoming need that one.

A win would've sufficed.

But a thorough beatdown of a bitter rival almost -- almost -- can make someone forget about the nightmare that was October.

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The Cowboys raced past Colorado State to the tune of 385 rushing yards in Saturday's 31-17 victory in front of 24,000-plus inside War Memorial Stadium, snapping a four-game losing skid and claiming the Bronze Boot for the fifth time in six seasons.

"Well, I think nothing cures a lot of ails better than a win -- and playing better, too," Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl said. "... We felt like this would be a week that we could capitalize on being really physical."

The Cowboys did just that.

Here are some numbers and stats from the 113th edition of the Border War:

54

That's how many times these two teams have played since the inception of the Bronze Boot in 1968. With the win, Wyoming now holds a 29-25 advantage.

49

That is the Cowboys 49th victory in the all-time series. CSU still holds a 59-49-5 overall advantage.

76

COVID-19 be damned. That's how many consecutive times Wyoming and CSU have squared off on the football field. Even in 2020, these two teams -- somehow, someway -- met in Fort Collins for this annual clash

477

That's the total yardage Wyoming rolled up Saturday against the visiting Rams, the most in a single game this season. Those 385 rushing yards is a season high, too.

2

All he does is catch touchdowns. Of course, we're talking about UW wide receiver Isaiah Neyor, who snagged two more on Saturday. The freshman has caught just six passes over the past two weeks. Four of those went for six. Neyor now had eight receiving touchdowns and a rushing one through nine games. Those seven touchdown grabs are tied for the most in a single season since Tanner Gentry did it in 2016.

43

Wyoming quarterback Levi Williams bolted through the Rams defense in the first quarter for a 43-yard touchdown to get the Cowboys on the board. That was the longest run of the redshirt freshman's career. Was ...

116

Williams finished with this many yards on the ground against the Rams in just 12 carries. He added a career-long 52-yard run to go along with that long touchdown dash of 43.

87

Titus Swen warned me last week that he was going to bust one soon. He did just that in the second quarter Saturday when he took a handoff at the UW 4-yard line and dashed 87 yards down the sideline. That was a career long for the sophomore. It was also the longest run for the Cowboys since an 89-yarder against Fresno State back in 2014.

2

Swen and Williams became the first UW tandem to eclipse the century mark on the ground since Sean Chambers and Xazavian Valladay did that in 2019 against New Mexico.

76

That's how many rushing yards Valladay finished with on Saturday. The junior from Illinois past both Ryan Christopherson (2,906) and Devin Moore (2,963) and is now the second-leading rusher in Wyoming history behind only Brian Hill (4,287). Valladay now sits at 2,971.

11

Easton Gibbs and Chad Muma, the Pokes' linebacker tandem, both had this many tackles against CSU. Gibbs now has five double-digit tackling days in his young career. For Muma, that was the 14th time he's done that.

3

That's how many interceptions Muma has this season. Saturday, a Todd Centeio pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage by Victor Jones and Muma dove and snatched it. His other two picks this year have gone for touchdowns.

2

Wyoming forced two turnovers against the Rams. It's the first time the Cowboys have forced one of those since the first half against Air Force back on Oct. 9. Aside from Muma's pick, Keonte Glinton also stepped in front of a Centeio pass in the second half of Saturday's win.

2

The Cowboys also turned the ball over twice in this one. They were a minus-12 over the last four games in that category after Valladay put the ball on the turf twice.

2

CSU entered this one with 31 quarterback sacks. That ranked them third in the nation. Saturday, the Rams registered just two.

8-of-15

That was Wyoming's third-down conversion rate in this one. CSU finished 6-of-15.

7

The Rams were hit with seven penalties Saturday for 75 yards. UW -- three for 40 yards. CSU had a delay of game on its first play from scrimmage.

57/ 16

That was the Cowboys run-to-pass deferential in the win. Wyoming averaged 6.8 yards per rush.

1.5

That's how many sacks Cole Godbout registered, including one on the Rams' opening drive of the day.

2

That's how many Ralph Fawaz punts landed inside the 20-yard line. The freshman averaged 49.3 yards per kick on his three attempts Saturday. He had a long of 61.

5

That's how many wins the Pokes (5-4, 1-4) now have with three games remaining. It takes six wins to reach bowl eligibility. UW is at Boise State Friday night. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. MT.

5

That's how many times the Bronze Boot has resided in Laramie over the last six seasons. Since 2009, Wyoming has won this game nine times.