Rants and Raves: NIU Huskies Edition

LARAMIE -- Yes, Dan Morrow, Cowboy Joe did indeed put on some mileage after this 41-point outburst from Tyler Hughes and Co.

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The senior signal caller found the end zone four times in the win. He back-up, Landon Sims, also took an 11-yard jaunt to the Tetons. Wyoming rolled up 510 yards of total offense as Wyoming moved to 3-1 in Mountain West play after this 41-23 performance in front of more than 20,000 inside War Memorial Stadium.

All good?

Not quite.

Former Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl told me on more than one occasion that I like to "dump a bucket of cold water" over a good thing.

Hate to break from tradition.

As dominant as this outing was -- at times -- the Cowboys also got plenty of help from the visitors. While the official stats say Northern Illinois dropped just two passes on the day, we all know better. The winless Huskies also did their part in the penalty department, racking up eight of those for 90 yards. That included two roughing-the-passer calls.

The first time Hughes was blasted to the turf, Wyoming capitalized with a field goal on the opening drive. The next one led to an 11-yard touchdown run for the QB to start the fourth quarter.

A holding call derailed the Huskies' opening possession. That offense, which stacked up nearly 400 yards itself, saw a third-down conversion wiped away. A pair of holds took NIU from the Cowboys' 2-yard line to lining up for a 44-yard field goal in the second quarter.

Telly Johnson Jr. averaged nearly nine yards per carry while racking up 139 yards and a score. DeAree Rogers, one of the top pass catchers in the Mountain West, capped his day with 11 catches for 89 yards. La'Don Bryant added 66 yards and a receiving touchdown.

Self-inflicted miscues, coupled with a poor overall performance from Wyoming's defense, could've made this outing much closer.

Let's check out this week's rants and raves:

FIRST HALF:

SECOND HALF:

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