Behind the numbers: Wyoming vs. New Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE -- Wyoming entered this one without two of its defensive starters.

A third was lost on the first defensive snap of the game.

So, when New Mexico marched 75 yards on 16 plays and found the end zone on its opening drive, eyebrows went up. Then Miles Kendrick and the Lobos rolled over the Cowboys for 67 more yards on just six snaps on the following possession, once again culminating in a touchdown, alarm bells sounded.

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Could the Cowboys really make a comeback without the services of Cole Godbout, Keonte Glinton and Wyett Ekeler?

The answer is, yes.

It just took a little longer than most had hoped for.

UW shutout the Lobos over the final three quarters and Andrew Peasley threw a pair of touchdown passes to tight end Treyton Welch to help lift the Cowboys to a 27-14 victory Saturday night in Albuquerque.

Here are some of the numbers and stats that made this comeback possible:

75

That's the number of times these two teams have met on a football field. Wyoming now boasts a 40-35 record against the Lobos, including a 20-18 mark on games played in Albuquerque.

3-of-4

That's how many times the Cowboys (4-3, 2-1) have had to make a comeback to get in the win column this season. They did it against Tulsa and Air Force. UW trailed 14-0 against the Lobos before rattling off 27 unanswered points.

3

For the third consecutive game, UW quarterback Andrew Peasley has thrown two touchdowns in a game. He did it against BYU, San Jose State and tonight against New Mexico. He has thrown for at least one score in four straight.

6

Wyoming was credited with this many sacks Saturday. Gavin Meyer, who started in place of Godbout at the defensive tackle spot, recorded two and Braden Siders tallied a pair. Oluwaseyi Omotosho and DeVonne Harris also got to UNM signal callers.

8

The Cowboys also tallied this many tackles behind the line of scrimmage, led by Siders, who finished with three. Six different players registered a tackle for loss.

13

A week after racking up 11 tackles in a loss to SJSU, Easton Gibbs tacked on a team-best 13 more in the win over the Lobos. The sophomore middle linebacker now has 46 stops on the season. That was Gibbs' ninth double-digit tackle game of his young career.

10

Making his first-career start, redshirt freshman Wrook Brown tallied 10 tackles, including 0.5 tackles for loss and a third-down pass breakup. The nickelback was filling in for an injured Glinton.

2-of-13

That's how many third downs the Lobos converted against UW. Craig Bohl's boys were 6-of-16 in that category.

3

That's how many turnovers the Cowboys landed Saturday night inside University Stadium. Jakorey Hawkins hauled in his first interception in a UW uniform and Cam Stone put a stamp on this victory with a 38-yard jaunt to the end zone after picking off Kendrick late in the fourth quarter. The Pokes also scooped up a fumble on a mishandled punt in the third.

174

That's how many yards Peasley finished with Saturday on 10-of-21 passing. He also finished with two touchdown passes.

83

That's how many total yards Titus Swen rolled up against the Lobos. 50 of those came on the ground on 16 carries. The junior running back also tacked on 43 through the air.

0-2

That's New Mexico's field-goal success rate in this one. George Steinkamp clanked a 45-yard attempt off the right upright to end the first half. In the dying seconds of the third quarter, and UNM trailing by three, Meyer blocked a 22-yard try.

15-of-16

That's John Hoyland's season success rate after booting through a pair of field goals against the Lobos. The first was from 27 yards out. The second, 19.

42

That's the number of plays New Mexico ran in the first half, racking up 220 yards of total offense. Wyoming ran just 26.

60

That's how many plays the Pokes ended up running in the win. UNM finished with 71.

128

That's the number of rushing yards the Lobos rolled up in the first half, led by 48 from Nathaniel Jones. The Cowboys were held to just 72 on 18 attempts. Dawaiian McNeely led the way with 57 yards on nine carries. McNeely finished with a career-high 62.

4

That's how many straight games a Wyoming tight end has found the end zone. Tonight it was Welch from 47 yards out in the second quarter. For good measure, the Minnesota native snagged another touchdown, too. The second was a 29-yard scoring strike in the third.

16:12

That's how long the home team held on to the ball in the first half. Wyoming, 12:12.

30:25

The Cowboys ended up winning the time of possession battle thanks to that number above. UNM had the ball for 29:35.

5

Wyoming's streak of five straight opening drives resulting in points came to an end in Albuquerque.

14,226

That's the announced attendance tonight inside University Stadium. Generous. Very generous.