Behind the numbers: Wyoming vs. Boise State

BOISE, Idaho -- Wyoming has walked into Albertsons Stadium to face the Broncos eight times.

Wyoming has walked off that famous blue field with the same amount of losses.

Penalties, miscues and a late interception derailed any hopes the Cowboys had of pulling off the upset over Boise State Friday night. Craig Bohl's bunch fell 23-13 and is now 1-5 in Mountain West Conference play with just two games remaining in the regular season.

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"We knew we were going to need to play well and clean to have an opportunity to win," Wyoming's eighth-year head coach said. "We were not able to do that."

That's an understatement.

After committing just three penalties over the last two games, Wyoming was flagged three times in the first quarter alone, including an offsides penalty on a field goal attempt that gave the Broncos an automatic first down and a touchdown two plays later.

Levi Williams, who started his third game of the season in as many weeks, was picked off midway through the fourth quarter, giving Boise State the ball deep in UW territory. Andrew Van Buren would bash his way into the end zone two plays later from 12 yards out.

Wyoming's players and coaches had championship aspirations before the 2021 campaign kicked off. Now, 10 games into the season, just earning bowl eligibility is very much in question.

Let's take a look at some stats and numbers from the Cowboys latest setback:

15

Wyoming and Boise State have met on a football field 16 times in history. The Broncos have won 15 of those meetings, including all eight in Idaho. The Cowboys lone victory in the series came back in 2016.

37

That's how many yards Wyoming running back Xazavian Valladay was held to Friday on just nine carries. Will he be proud of that outing? No chance. However, the junior did become just the second Cowboys back in program history to eclipse the 3,000-yard rushing mark, joining Brian Hill, who has 4,287 career yards on the ground.

5

That's how many touchdown passes Isaiah Neyor has hauled in over the last three weeks. The freshman wide receiver caught six balls for 126 yards in Boise, including a 74-yard touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter. Neyor now had nine touchdown catches and one rushing score this season.

225

That's how many yards Titus Swen has rushed for over the last two weeks. Against the Broncos, the sophomore running back carried the ball just 13 times for 59 yards. The Fort Worth product also scored a touchdown from seven yards out in the second quarter.

14

Chad Muma once again led the Cowboys in tackles Friday, finishing with 14 stops. Muma is ranked No. 16 in the nation with 104 total tackles.

12

Muma's running mate on the UW linebacking corps, Easton Gibbs, racked up a dozen tackles on The Blue. He also added a sack and two tackles for loss against the team he grew up a fan of.

7

That's how many times Ralph Fawaz punted on the Cowboys' 10 possessions in Boise. The freshman from Oklahoma averaged 42.1 yards per kick and pinned the Broncos inside their own 20-yard line three times.

1-0

Wyoming lost the turnover battle once again. A fourth quarter interception from Levi Williams gave the Broncos their 21st turnover of the season. The Cowboys failed to force one.

11-of-18

Williams completed 11 of his 18 throws Friday night for 156 yards and a touchdown.

23-of-32

On the flip side, Boise State signal caller Hank Bachmeier completed 23 of his 32 attempts for 225 yards and a two-yard touchdown pass to tight end Riley Smith in the first quarter.

102

Broncos running back George Holani rushed for this many yards against the Cowboys. He broke a 38-yard run in the first half, the longest of the 2021 season for a Boise State back.

1

Defensive end Shane Irwin picked up the lone sack for the Broncos in the win. The defense has 23 total this season.

3-for-3

Jonah Dalmas, Boise State's freshman placekicker, was perfect on the night, nailing field goals from 43, 38 and 29.

8

That's how many penalties the Cowboys committed in Boise. That amounted to 50 yards in the wrong direction and killed drives all evening. The Broncos were flagged four times for 30 yards.

3

That's how many third downs the Cowboys converted on 10 attempts Friday night. Boise State was 7-of-15.

33:34

The home team held onto the ball on offense for this long in the victory over Wyoming. The Broncos opened the game with three straight nine-play drives. Six of their drives were seven plays or more.

11

UW finished with this many first downs. Boise State doubled that up and rolled to 22 total.

47

The Cowboys ran this many plays in the loss on The Blue. Boise State took 70 offensive snaps.

4-for-4

Each time the Broncos entered the red zone Friday, they came away with points. UW was 1-for-1 from inside the Boise State 20-yard line.

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