Pokes, Spartans Meet Inside CEFCU Stadium Friday Night

LARAMIE -- The Wyoming Cowboys remain on the road with a Friday evening trip to San Jose State for a Mountain West matchup at 7 p.m. MT at CEFCU Stadium.

It marks the fourth road contest for the Pokes this season and the first of three Friday games this season for the Brown and Gold.

Contest on CBS Sports Network
Saturday’s contest will be televised on CBS Sports Network with Rich Waltz on the call with Adam Breneman analyzing the action along with Jordan Giorgio on the sidelines.
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The game will also be available on the 26 stations of The Cowboy Sports Network with Keith Kelley on the call, Kevin McKinney on color and Erick Pauley on the sidelines.
Wyoming Notes

On The Road Again: Wyoming remains on the road as part of a two-game road swing that sees the Pokes traveling 1,950 miles with trips to Fargo and San Jose. The Pokes have played four road games in the first six games of the season. The last time UW has done that was the 2003 season when Joe Glenn and the Cowboys played four games in the first six games of the season.

Sad in San Jose: Wyoming hasn't won inside CEFCU Stadium since 1996. That's a streak of four straight road losses in the Bay area.

Tackles for Loss for Brown and Gold: Wyoming recorded seven tackles for loss in the contest at North Dakota State last Saturday. It tied a season best for the Pokes, as UW had seven in the contest over Northern Colorado. UW is averaging just over five per game on the season. UW has recorded 12 tackles for loss in conference play for a loss of 48 yards to UW opponents. Wyoming ranks third in the MW in tackles for loss this season.

Pass Breakups: Wyoming recorded five pass breakups in the contest at North Dakota State. All five of those pass breakups came in the first half of the contest. UW was led by freshman Therman "Boogie" Williams, as he had two pass breakups in the contest for the Brown and Gold. UW has a season-high five pass breakups in back-to-back games.

Thomas Nearing 100: Wyoming safety Jones Thomas added seven tackles for the Pokes at North Dakota State. He now has 95 tackles in his career at Wyoming and is five away from 100 in his career. He ranks second on the team this season with 34 tackles and leads the team with 19 solo stops on the season. He also leads the team with two interceptions.

Perez Has Career Day: Wyoming linebacker Steven Perez had a career day for the Pokes with 10 tackles at North Dakota State. He had six solo tackles and added four assisted tackles. He has recorded at least six tackles in each of the last four games. He is fourth on the team this season with 30 total tackles and is tied for second on the team with 3.5 tackles for loss. He also added a fumble recovery for the Pokes against NDSU, the first of his career and the first of the season for the Brown and Gold.

Stuhlsatz Back in Double Digits: Wyoming linebacker Ethan Stuhlsatz recorded 10 tackles to tie for the team lead against North Dakota State. He has had three double-digit tackles games this season and leads Wyoming with 39 tackles on the season for nearly 10 per game. He ranks third in the MW in tackles this season and 10th in the nation. Stuhlsatz has recorded seven or more tackles in a first half in three of the four games he has played this season. Stuhlsatz is listed as "questionable" on this week's availability report. He is still dealing with a nagging ankle injury.

Wingate Making Plays: Wyoming defensive end Donnie Wingate has earned the start at defensive end in back-to-back weeks. He had a strong game at North Dakota State with 1.5 tackles for loss along with his first sack for the Brown and Gold. Wingate now has 22.5 tackles for loss in his collegiate career and Wingate has recorded 12.5 sacks in his collegiate career.

JY Gets Another Sack: Wyoming defensive tackle Jayden Williams recorded his second career sack and the second in as many weeks. He recorded a sack for nine yards on a third down to force a NDSU punt. He also added three tackles in the contest and has six in the last two games and 18 on the season for the Pokes. The 2.5 tackles for loss this season in a career-high in his three season with the Cowboys.

Drake in the Middle: Wyoming defensive tackle Dante Drake had a strong game for the Pokes at North Dakota State. He recorded five tackles and added 1.5 tackles for loss to tie a career best and the most since he did so against San Diego State in 2023. He has 17 tackles on the season for the Pokes, which is a new single season best. He missed last season with an injury and he and Jayden Williams have combined for 35 tackles in the middle for the Pokes.

Holman Reaches 500 and 1,900 mark: Wyoming running back Markell Holman added a 12 yards reception for the Pokes against NDSU. He has now recorded 512 yards receiving in his career. He also went over 1,900 career yards in the contest at NDSU, as he sits at 1,901 career yards. He is 99 away from 2,000 in his career.

Dunkley in His Career: Wyoming defensive end Jack Dunkley added a tackle for loss for the Pokes against North Dakota State. The transfer has recorded 27.5 tackles for loss in his collegiate career. He ranks tied for second on the team this season with 3.5 tackles for loss. He has recorded 15 tackles on the season and also added a sack and has three hurries on the season, which is also second on the team.

Friday Night Lights: Wyoming will play its first of three games on Friday at SJSU. UW will also play Friday contests at home against Air Force and New Mexico.

QB Woes: Tyler Hughes connected on just 5-of-14 throws for 52 yards in last Saturday's 28-0 blanking at North Dakota State. The senior signal caller also threw an interception on the first play from scrimmage. Five plays later, his counterpart Nathan Hayes waltzed into the end zone from eight yards out. Any chance the Cowboys go to the bullpen if there's another slow start in San Jose? "No, not at all," offensive coordinator Christian Taylor said about inserting Landon Sims or Mason Drube. "I think it's night and day. (Hughes) is by far our best guy, leading the helm. Again, I understand why the outside perspective wonders that, but they don't see the big picture. I get it. He gets it. But he's by far the best guy to help us get points on the road."

Fargo's Best: When the three best players on the field all suit up for the opposition, Sawvel said, that typically doesn't turn out well. That was indeed the case in Fargo, he added. While he pointed to four of his own guys who played winning football last Saturday -- cornerback Therman "Boogie" Williams, defensive tackles Jayden Williams and Dante Drake, along with safety Jones Thomas -- the best trio played for NDSU. That was safety Darius Givance, Hayes and Woolen.

Injury Report: Deion DeBlanc was spotted on the sideline last Saturday in Fargo with a bag of ice on his foot. Now, we know why. The sophomore wideout suffered a toe injury, according to Sawvel, and will miss an extended period of time. Cornerback Ian Bell is also dealing with a foot issue. He is questionable for San Jose State. Wyoming could soon be getting some good news in the secondary. Tyson Shamsid-Deen, who underwent hand surgery after the Central Michigan game, could be cleared as early as next week. Kendall Griffin is in "another -- much slower -- boat" when it comes to his hand injury, Sawvel added. He will miss roughly six weeks.

We're Going Streaking: Wyoming has lost eight straight games away from Laramie, dating back to the 2025 season opener at Akron. Second-quarter production -- or lack thereof -- has played a major role in this skid. The Cowboys have been outscored 81-6 in that 15-minute frame. Turnovers, a major issue early this season, have also plagued the Pokes in enemy territory. The margin is minus-10. Wyoming has turned the ball over 15 times (12 interceptions) and gained just five. Only once has the defense caused more than one. That was last November in San Diego. The Aztecs coughed it up twice in a 24-7 victory inside Snapdragon Stadium. The Cowboys have also turned the ball over on downs 10 times.

About San Jose State
The Spartans opened Mountain West play with a 20-16 victory over Hawai’i late Saturday in Honolulu. San Jose State’s defense had two interceptions and Luke Weaver passed for 246 yards and two touchdowns.

"The wrinkle they've thrown in this year is that they've got a big willingness to run the football, and a big lifespan to where they're going to try to run the football," Jay Sawvel said. "With that, there's running the ball and throwing RPOs and some things of that nature."

Jabari Bates rushed for 74 yards and Carson Clark had 74 yards receiving and a touchdown in SJSU’s balanced offense.

"He's a versatile runner," Wyoming's 300-pound defensive tackle Dante Drake said. "I feel like he's one of their best offensive players. So, we just got to keep an eye on him and keep him locked down."

Defensively, Caleb Womack and Jayden Robertson each had an interception that set up a touchdown to help the Spartans defeat the Warriors for the sixth consecutive time.

SJSU also has wins over Eastern Michigan (27-21) and Cal Poly (30-20) this season and lost to then-No. 14 USC (42-26) and former MW rival Fresno State (26-10).

The Spartans are averaging 22.6 points (106th in FBS) and 388.2 yards (75th) per game and giving up 25.0 points (81st) and 381.6 yards (97th) on average.

* A UW press release contributed to this article

MORE UW FOOTBALL NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS:

* Anatomy of an 8-Game Road Losing Streak

* Q&A With Frustrated Wyoming Offensive Coordinator Christian Taylor

* Behind the Numbers: Polasek Provides Pure Emotion in Shutout

* Making the Grade: Yes, It Was Really That Bad

* Cowboys Drop Initial Battle of the Basins, 28-0

* Rants and Raves: NDSU Bison Edition

* Turning Point, Unsung Hero and What's Next For UW Football?

* FINAL LIVE FILE: NDSU 28, Wyoming 0

* Miller Brings Energy, Passion to Pokes' Secondary

* Timeline: Polasek to Remain Wyoming OC Until NDSU Called

* Pokes, Bison Meet Saturday in First-Ever Battle of the Basins