Wyoming's Un-Sweet 16: No. 2 Whittingham vs. No. 15 Morgan Bros.

LARAMIE -- There's a few things that can land you on a list like this one.

Beating Wyoming with regularity certainly makes you a thorn in the side. Making stupid decisions will also draw the ire of fans. Being an all-round jerk will do it, too.

This is our version of the Un-Sweet 16, pitting the biggest villains in Wyoming Cowboys football history against one another and eventually crowning the worst of the worst. This won't be our opinion, it's yours. You can vote for who will advance to the next round by clicking on the box at the bottom of this page.

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We did our best to round up the ultimate enemy of the Cowboy State. We reached out to people in the know, from different decades of UW football. Don't be surprised to see plenty of rivals on this list.

Here's today's matchup:

No. 2 Kyle Whittingham vs. No. 15 Morgan Bros.

It took Kyle Whittingham a couple days to admit he made a "bad decision."

With Utah clinging to a 43-0 lead midway through the third quarter of a 2007 meeting with the Cowboys inside Rice-Eccles Stadium, the Utes flat-topped head coach decided it was the perfect time to get a little payback.

Earlier in the week, Joe Glenn, in an attempt to fire up some students, guaranteed a victory over Utah. UW's head coach, known for his fun-natured personality and big smile, didn't appreciate what was about to happen.

Kicker Louie Sakoda attempted an onside kick.

Though the Cowboys recovered, Glenn was caught by television cameras flipping off the Utah bench. After the game, he played dumb. Monday, he stepped up and took the heat.

"I met with my team on Sunday and apologized to them for the
gesture I made toward the Utah bench during the game," Glenn said
in a statement. "I also want to apologize to all fans for that action. Football
is an emotional game, and I let my emotions get the best of me. I felt it was appropriate for me to let my team and all fans know that I am truly sorry for that emotional moment."

Whittingham told reporters he was sorry, too, but only after saying this in his postgame press conference:

What some forgot about this 50-0 blowout, is Whittingham also ran a fake punt late in the first half with his team holding on to a commanding 26-point lead. Of course the Utes converted. Of course they scored on the ensuing handoff.

Wyoming cornerback Julius Stinson gave his postgame thoughts on Whittingham without saying anything at all.

"I mean, if you're a coach that kicks an onside kick, and you're up 40-0, I mean ...," Stinson said, followed with a smirk.

Whittingham changed his tune at his Monday press conference. Well, the best he could, anyway.

"We had worked two weeks on it and wanted to find a spot to use it," he told reporters. "You get caught up emotionally in a football game, you want to be competitive and the juices are flowing, but when I had a chance to digest it, if I had to do it again, I wouldn't."

Whittingham boasts a record of 5-1 against the Pokes. As a college player, at BYU, of all places, Whittingham won three of his four meetings against Wyoming. The one loss, a 33-20 setback in a Laramie snowstorm. That's when his mentor, LaVell Edwards (The No. 1 seed on this list), uttered his infamous slam.

"I'd rather lose and live in Provo than win and live in Laramie," Edwards said.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 wiped out a meeting in Laramie between these two schools in 2020. According to fbschedules.com, that game has been rescheduled for 2025. The Cowboys will travel to Salt Lake City in 2027.

The No. 15 seed in our series of UW villains takes us down the road to Colorado Springs, home of the Morgan Bros., Beau and Blane Morgan.

These two were the epitome of a sharp thorn in the side.

Beau was the first brother under center for Air Force from 1994-96. He won his first two meetings against the Cowboys, running that maddening triple-option attack to perfection. The Falcons put up 34 points on the scoreboard in both victories.

Wyoming did repay the favor in 1996, knocking off Air Force 22-19 en route to a Pacific Division title.

When the dust settled on Beau's career, he held school records in rushing touchdowns (42), total offense (6,627), total touchdowns (67) and points (252). Beau also led the Falcons to a WAC title in 1995.

Unfortunately there was another Morgan brother waiting in the wings.

Blane didn't exactly light the Cowboys up on the ground or through the air in a pair of defensive slugfests. In '97, the Falcons used a late pick-six to escape with a 10-3 win in Colorado Springs. The following year, with a division title on the line, Blane led AFA to a 14-3 victory inside War Memorial Stadium. He was later named the WAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year.

Blane, who won 20 of his 23 college starts, went on to lead his team to a conference championship and a 43-25 win over Washington in the Oahu Bowl.

Blane was the gift that kept on giving, too.

After his military service, he returned to his alma mater and coached other signal callers who caused plenty of fits, Shaun Carney and Tim Jefferson.

So, who do you dislike more? Vote here:

2. Kyle Whittingham vs. 15 Morgan Bros.