Wyoming defeats UNLV 41 to 35 in Las Vegas

LARAMIE, Wyo. The University of Wyoming football team traveled to Las Vegas on Saturday night and defeated the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 41 to 35 at Allegiant Stadium. The victory extends the Cowboys’ conference record and keeps them in control of their own destiny in the Mountain West standings.

UNLV head coach Dan Mullen described the first half as disappointing. He noted that his team did not compete hard enough and failed to execute against the Cowboys’ defensive front. Mullen, who is 54 years old, stated that the effort was on him. He added that the team had a lot of things to fix after falling behind in the opening two quarters.

Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel said the staff used the bye week to study film from teams like Utah, Northwestern, and UNLV. Sawvel said the goal was to find weaknesses in all three phases of the ball. He acknowledged the risk of tinkering too much but said the staff aimed to walk that line carefully.

The offensive scheme included complex plays designed to confuse the Rebel defense. On the eighth play of the opening drive, running back Markell Holman took a shotgun snap and handed the ball to quarterback Tyler Hughes. Hughes faked a reverse pitch to wide receiver Eric Richardson before throwing a 13-yard pass off his back foot to Kyle Frendt for a touchdown.

Later in the second quarter, offensive coordinator Christian Taylor introduced a formation with only five players at the line of scrimmage. Backup quarterback Landon Sims and 315-pound right tackle Braylon Jenkins lined up wide. Tight end Jake Wilson traded places with Jenkins, putting his hand in the turf across from edge rusher Andre Porter. Sims caught a lateral from Hughes and threw a pass down the seam to Wilson for a score.

The defense also utilized new blitz packages. On a third-and-five situation at the UNLV 30-yard line, Wyoming showed seven players in the box. Quarterback Jackson Arnold sent a tight end wide to draw a defender. Linebacker Steven Perez dropped out of the rush, confusing center Austin Boyd. The resulting pressure forced a punt after tackle Jayden Williams and Tani Maafala-Barbasa protected Arnold while Perez tackled the quarterback.

Andre Porter, who has 23 tackles and three sacks this season, was part of the defensive unit. Mullen credited the Cowboys with a great plan on both sides of the ball. He said Wyoming did many things defensively that they had not done all year.

Jackson Arnold did not throw an interception until Week 6 of the season. He threw for at least 170 yards in five outings. The Cowboys’ ability to mix in trickery and defensive pressure allowed them to overcome the Rebels’ explosive offense, which had scored on 12 plays of more than 25 yards earlier in the fall.

The win was the second recent victory for the Cowboys. Mullen’s team had previously lost to Northern Illinois. The result in Las Vegas provides a positive note for the program as it prepares for the rest of the conference schedule.