Tag: Wyoming

New Mexico vs. Wyoming Cowboys: Why the Cowboys will win

As the 3-1 Wyoming Cowboys host the New Mexico Lobos to open MWC play, what does the Pokes need to do to come out undefeated in the MWC?

 

New Mexico vs. Wyoming Cowboys: Why the Cowboys will win

The Wyoming Cowboys ride into conference play boasting a 3-1 record and now hosting the New Mexico Lobos for their Homecoming game.

Contact/Follow @KayceeClark and @MWCwire

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WEEK 5: New Mexico Lobos (2-2, 0-0 MW) vs. Wyoming Cowboys (3-1, 0-0 MW)

WHEN: Saturday, September 30— 2 PM MST

WHERE: War Memorial Stadium (29,181)

TV: Mountain West Network

STREAMING: Get a free trial with FuboTV

RADIO: Cowboy Sports Network

SERIES RECORD: Wyoming 40-35, New Mexico is 20-16 in Laramie

LAST MATCHUP: Oct. 8, 2022 – Wyoming won in Albuquerque last year 27-14

WEBSITES: GoWyo.com, the official Wyoming athletics website; GoLobos.com, the official New Mexico athletics website.

GAME NOTES: Wyoming | New Mexico

ODDS: Wyoming -14

OVER/UNDER: 41.5 points

An odd finale to Wyoming’s non-conference schedule, a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown leading to a 22-19 victory over Appalachian State, now puts the Cowboys at 3-1. This is now the fourth season of the past five, they have begun in this fashion.

The Lobos return to Laramie for both teams’ first action in the Mountain West for 2023.

Despite having one of the worst offenses in all of college football last season, the Lobos still gained an early 14-0 lead on the Cowboys in Albuquerque. UAB transfer Dylan Hopkins commands the new-look New Mexico offense and has added a needed explosion to the offense.

The quarterback has taken the Lobos to two victories thus far, against Tennessee Tech and Massachusetts. However, in the second half against UMass, the offense only managed zero points and 50 yards before ultimately winning in overtime.

The Lobo defense has also allowed the 27th most points per game in college football.

Wyoming also had a lackluster offensive performance last week, with only 31 passing yards. Take out Harrison Waylee’s 75-yard touchdown, and the offense only managed 133 yards.

New Mexico has had the Pokes number since head coach Craig Bohl took over the program in 2014, winning six of the 10 games. This will be the third time these teams have opened the Mountain West Conference schedule against each other; however, it has never gone the Pokes way, losing both. How does Wyoming turn this around?

A Wyoming victory comes from…

A Wyoming victory requires a better showing from the offense. Waylee’s dominance through his two games has shown for the Cowboys, but the team needs to be able to move the ball continually. Whether this comes from the speed of Waylee or a mixture of other backs, such as Sam Scott and Jamari Ferrell, the rushing attack must be on point. Earlier in the week, it was announced from the team that D.Q. James had been dismissed from the team. On social media, James said otherwise, that he had entered the transfer portal.

Coinciding with the rush, the team must be back to dominating the time of possession. Against Appalachian State, the Pokes held the ball for less than 20 minutes. The first three games saw the Pokes 13th in the country, averaging 33 minutes and 30 seconds per game. They’ve now dropped nearly three minutes from one game. With New Mexico having new offensive weapons, ensuring they can’t use them helps for a Wyoming win.

Another aid to a brown and gold win is getting earlier stops in Lobo drives. Last week, the defense bent but didn’t break, giving up the four field goals. However, many of those scoring drives were long-sustained drives of 67 yards, 87, 87 and 18. While limiting the number of points is good, preventing any points, obviously, is great.

Stopping New Mexico early in their drives will be key through pressure from the defensive line and quick wrap-ups of any check-downs Hopkins may throw. Keeping an eye on running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt, averaging 6.8 yards per carry will also be key to shutting down the Lobo offense.

The first third of the season has shown that quarterback Andrew Peasley doesn’t need to throw for 300 yards and several touchdowns a game for the Pokes to win. What does need to happen is an effective passing game. Rarely does a team like Wyoming win with 31 passing yards and only five completions.

A fully healthy Peasley completing passes will help push this game out of reach from the Lobos.

Wyoming 34 – New Mexico 23

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61-yard field goal! Keelen Anderson sets Wyoming state record

Keelan Anderson set a Wyoming high school football record by nailing a 61-yard field goal for Cheyenne South School.

Kicking is a rather thankless job. You’re expected to make the PATs. You’re expected to make most of the field goals. If you miss, people are upset, and if you make, the reaction is typically (with the exception of game-winners) more of a “that’s what was supposed to happen” in place of “excellent kick!”

One of the exceptions came with weekend when Keelan Anderson of Cheyenne South (Wy.) School stepped onto the field for a historic attempt.  He had drilled a field goal of 57 feet just weeks ago, but this was longer. This was for the Wyoming state record.

After two steps and a kick, the ball sailed 61 yards and just through the uprights to break the record that had stood since 1982, according to Matt Atencio of WyoSports.

On the sideline, the coaches went crazy, without worry that South was now trailing 49-9. Moments of accomplishment deserve celebration and jubilation. Looking beyond the rankings and recruiting, isn’t that what youth football is all about?

To put that the kick perspective, the ball sailed 183 feet to reach its destination. Only 14 times in NFL history has there been a longer field goal, and nine other times has an NFL field goal traveled 61 yards.

MaxPreps put together this excellent guide in 2020 that outlines the longest field goals of each state’s high school history. It is possible that some have become outdated since its publication, but for the sake of perspective, 24 other states had seen a field goal reach 61 yards.

Anderson has a 4.5-star kicker ranking on Kohl’s Kicking, and it’s easy to see why given as he has both tied and broken the Wyoming record in the month of September. Don’t be surprised if more universities start to look into the 5-foot-11, 150-pound kicker.

Saints reach agreement on four-year contract extension with DE Carl Granderson

The Saints reached an agreement on a four-year contract extension with defensive end Carl Granderson:

Whew: the New Orleans Saints have reached an agreement with defensive end Carl Granderson on a four-year contract extension, as first reported by NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the deal is valued at $52 million with $35.3 million guaranteed; Garafolo adds that annual $2 million incentives raise the deal’s maximum value to $60 million. He was set to become an unrestricted free agent in the spring.

Granderson has developed into a really effective player for the Saints. He’s going into their Week 3 game tied with Cameron Jordan for the team lead in quarterback pressures (11, per Pro Football Focus) and 1.5 sacks. Coaches have spoken about him as an ascending talent who has worked hard to bulk up and refine his skills after turning pro.

He’s come a long way. Granderson spent part of his 2019 rookie season in a Wyoming jail cell after being charged with sexual battery, ultimately serving a year’s probation. He’s stayed out of trouble since arriving in New Orleans and the Saints clearly believe he’ll continue to be a big part of what they’re wanting to do defensively in the years ahead.

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Wyoming vs. Texas: Keys to Victory, How to Watch, Odds, Prediction

Wyoming vs. Texas: Keys to Victory, How to Watch, Odds, Prediction Cowboys head on the road to take on the #4 Longhorns Contact/Follow @MWCwire Can the Cowboys pull off another Big XII upset? WHEN: Saturday, September 16, 2023, 7:00 PM CT/6:00 PM MT …

Wyoming vs. Texas: Keys to Victory, How to Watch, Odds, Prediction

Cowboys head on the road to take on the #4 Longhorns

Contact/Follow @MWCwire

Can the Cowboys pull off another Big XII upset?

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WHEN: Saturday, September 16, 2023, 7:00 PM CT/6:00 PM MT

WHERE: Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas

TV: Longhorn Network (ESPN)

RADIO: Texas: KVET | Wyoming: KOWB

WEBSITES: Wyoming | Texas

GAME NOTES (PDF): Wyoming | Texas

ODDS: Texas -28.5

The Wyoming Cowboys took care of business in week 2 against Portland State, and now turn their heads to Austin, TX, and fourth ranked Texas Longhorns.

The Longhorns are coming off an impressive victory at then ranked number 3 Alabama, handing the tide their worst home loss in nearly 20 years, and were the first team to score 30 or more points on the Tide in 4 years. The Longhorns are led by Head Coach Steve Sarkisian, who is familiar with the Cowboys from his playing time with BYU in 1995 and 1996, including being the starting Quarterback for the Cougars in the memorable 1996 WAC Championship game.

On the field, the Longhorns are led by Quarterback Quinn Ewers, who through the first two games of the season is averaging 300 yards and 3 touchdowns per game. Ewers has also yet to throw an interception this year, in-fact the Longhorns have yet to turn the ball over this year. The Cowboys will also have their hands full with a defense that is allowing just 67 yards per game on the ground, and has tallied 7 sacks in the first two weeks of the year, 5 of which came against Alabama. Additionally, the Longhorn’s have forced 5 turnovers in the first two weeks of the year.

The Cowboys will need to play their best game of the year to pull out a victory in Austin, but miracles can happen.

Three Keys to a Wyoming Victory

Win in the Trenches

Other than Points, there is one statistic that tells the story of Wyoming’s upset of Texas Tech two weeks ago: Time of Possession. The Cowboys had possession for nearly 8 minutes longer than Texas Tech, and pulled that off by controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. On offense the Cowboy’s Offensive Line was able to wear down the Texas Tech front 7 and by the end of the game were having their way with the gassed Red Raiders. Perhaps nothing illustrates this more than the game winning two point conversion. Watch below as Frank Krum (Left Tackle) on the far side of the screen opens up a massive hole for Sam Scott to get into the endzone for the game winning two point conversion.

The Cowboys won’t have the same advantage this week as they did against the Red Raiders with the altitude and friendly confines of War Memorial Stadium, but if they can continue their trend of owning the line, and dominating the line of scrimmage the Cowboys may stand a chance of pulling off the upset.

 

Get after Quinn Ewers

Last weekend the Longhorn’s Offensive line allowed zero sacks, and Quinn Ewers rewarded them by torching the Crimson Tide defense to the tune of 349 yards and 3 touchdowns. Rushing the passer has been a strong suit for the Cowboys so far this year as they have racked up 7 sacks over the first two games. Against Texas Tech, it was a sack by DeVonne Harris that sparked the Cowboy’s comeback. Having turned the ball over down 14 points Harris came up with a huge sack to take the wind out of the Red Raider’s high octane offense. The Cowboys will need similar play from the front seven against the Longhorns to disrupt Quinn Ewers.

No Turnovers

During the first two games of the year the Cowboys have been prone to turning the ball over, specifically with fumbles. In each game the Cowboys have ended an early drive in the game with a fumble. The Longhorns on the other hand have not had a single turnover in their first two games, and have forced five turnovers. If the Cowboys can’t clean up their ball handling woes it will be a long night in Austin.

Final Thoughts

The  Cowboys will play tough in Austin, and Wyoming will give the Longhorns a shock. They will make the game close through 3 quarters but ultimately the Longhorns sheer talent advantage will prove the difference in this game.

Texas 35, Wyoming 28

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Hike with llamas and do goat yoga at this charming Wyoming ranch

Go hiking or fishing alongside llamas.

Have you ever packed your lunch for a hike based on its weight rather than its deliciousness? There’s no need to scrimp on gourmet fixings when you have a llama to carry your picnic basket for you. A llama hike and picnic is just one experience Brush Creek Ranch in Wyoming offers its guests. Plus, there’s a herd of darling goats. You can book a pasture goat walk where you’ll stroll through a pasture while Alpine, Nubian, and Nigerian Dwarf goats cavort around you.

Where is this magical land of goats and llamas? Brush Creek Ranch is located at the North Platte River Valley of south-central Wyoming, between the Sierra Madre mountain range and Medicine Bow National Forest. The ranch owns 30,000 private acres, including lakes, creeks, rivers, and a 600-acre ski mountain. The nearest town is Saratoga, population 1,727.

A hand reaching out to a llama leaning over a picnic blanket.
Photo by Alana Watkins, courtesy of Brush Creek Ranch

Guests can hike with llamas in the Snowy Mountain Range, Sierra Madres, Medicine Bow National Forest, and the ranch’s private Green Mountain. In addition to hiking, the llamas can accompany you fly fishing, where they’ll hold all your gear.

Two people fishing in a river near a field where llamas graze.
Photo by Alana Watkins, courtesy of Brush Creek Ranch

Or your family can enroll in Llamas 101, where you learn to groom the llamas, feed them, play with the babies (called crias), and, of course, have the most darling family photo shoot ever.

A child in a cowboy hat bottle-feeding a baby goat.
Photo by Alana Watkins, courtesy of Brush Creek Ranch

You can learn more about the goats through the “wake up with the goats” experience. Guests will accompany a dairy farmer through the milking process. You might even get to bottle-feed a baby goat. Or get bendy with your new friends in a goat yoga class.

A group of people doing yoga with goats.
Photo by Alana Watkins, courtesy of Brush Creek Ranch

Guests with culinary aspirations can be cheese-making apprentices for a day at the ranch’s Medicine Bow Creamery, Wyoming’s leading maker of goat dairy products. Cheese-making apprentices will learn to make feta, from pasteurization to forming the curd. Instruction in making ricotta, burrata, and mozzarella is also available. Or join a caramel-making class using goat milk that’s been honey-aged in Brush Creek Distillery bourbon barrels. You can bring as much fresh-made caramel home with you as you like, so bring a big suitcase.

A cheese spread on a wooden board.
Photo by Alana Watkins, courtesy of Brush Creek Ranch

Ready to plan your trip to the ranch? Visitors can fly into the Saratoga Jet Center by private plane or take a commercial flight to Laramie or Denver.

A child standing next to a goat.
Photo by Alana Watkins, courtesy of Brush Creek Ranch

Problem grizzly bear relocated near Yellowstone National Park

An adult female grizzly bear has been relocated from an area outside Cody, Wyo., to remote wilderness near Yellowstone National Park.

An adult female grizzly bear has been relocated from an area northwest of Cody, Wyo., to remote wilderness near Yellowstone National Park.

The bear, which had been preying on livestock, was relocated Aug. 6 to the Five Mile Creek Drainage region about five miles from Yellowstone’s East Entrance.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department stated in a news release that the bear was moved “to reduce conflict potential” with humans.

It’s one of several grizzly bears relocated to Five Mile Creek Drainage in recent years.

Relocation is considered a management tool “to minimize the chance of future conflicts and maximize the relocated grizzly bear’s chance for survival,” the WGFD stated.

Grizzly bears that are deemed a threat to public safety are not relocated, but rather euthanized.

The Aug. 6 relocation was carried out after consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

–Generic grizzly bear image courtesy of the National Park Service

Report: Thunder sign Hunter Maldonado to summer league roster

Hunter Maldonado spent six college seasons at Wyoming.

The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to add undrafted players following the 2023 NBA draft. The latest addition is Wyoming guard Hunter Maldonado.

The Thunder signed Maldonado to their summer league roster, per Draft Express’ Jon Chepkevich. He conducted a pre-draft workout for the Thunder.

The 24-year-old spent six college seasons at Wyoming (2017-2023). In 29 games last season, Maldonado averaged 15.6 points on 48.1% shooting, 4.8 rebounds and four assists. He also shot 33.8% from 3 on an average of 2.4 attempts.

Maldonado joins Caleb McConnell and Adam Flagler as undrafted free agent signings by the Thunder following their two-player draft haul of Cason Wallace and Keyontae Johnson.

The Thunder are set to play summer league games July 3-17 at Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.

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Hunter Maldonado worked out for the Thunder in pre-draft visit

Hunter Maldonado spent six college seasons at Wyoming.

The 2023 NBA draft is on Thursday, which means the Oklahoma City Thunder will soon welcome new additions to their roster. This also means the Thunder have met with several draft prospects in workouts and/or pre-draft visits.

The Thunder own the No. 12 and No. 50 picks in the draft, but they could also add players as undrafted free agents.

One undrafted free agent possibility is Wyoming guard Hunter Maldonado, whose school confirmed he had worked out for the Thunder.

The 24-year-old spent six college seasons at Wyoming (2017-2023). In 29 games last season, Maldonado averaged 15.6 points on 48.1% shooting, 4.8 rebounds and four assists. He also shot 33.8% from 3 on 2.4 attempts.

The 2023 NBA draft is scheduled for Thursday, June 22. A full list of prospects who’ve met with the Thunder can be read here.

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Top 10 College Football Helmets

What are the 10 best college football helmets today and why? Look no further than right here for an answer.

This piece was originally written during the pandemic when no games were taking place and various outlets were filling their airtime by showing old games.

It turns out that when there are no sports to actually watch, we go to either watching old games or debating uniforms, both of which have been hot topics on almost all outlets of late.

With the Notre Dame media choosing to re-show the 1998 win over LSU on Saturday it got me thinking about the Tigers helmet that I had just seen getting big-time love in a “Ten Best Helmets” piece on Rivals.

There is a lot I can debate.

How is the Princeton/Delaware knockoff seen as the best?  Kidding, of course, the Michigan helmet is iconic.  Even if they stole it.

How does Oregon qualify if the Ducks never wear the same helmet two weeks in a row?

There is a team from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, that has a case to be No. 1 and it not being top 10 is laughable.

Instead, I want to focus on LSU at No. 5 for a moment.

What do you notice about the LSU headgear compared to literally everyone else on this list and if you’re familiar enough, with almost all the rest of college football?

 John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Do they really need to write out both the school name and have a logo of their mascot in the same helmet? The colors are fantastic together but let’s think about this for a second.

Would Notre Dame’s gold helmet be better if either “Notre Dame” or “ND” was written out and a shamrock or a leprechaun showed up below?

Or would the Alabama lid be better if they had “ALABAMA” written out and an elephant or their cursive “A” below?

Heck no to both questions.  If you made a list of the 10 worst helmets in college football, LSU would have a very strong case for number one.  How they don’t use the Tiger eye from their fifty-yard line, an iconic look in the college football world, is beyond me.

There are a lot of great helmets in college football, there really are.  It just happens that LSU doesn’t have one of them.

So how do I rank the top 10 list of best helmets???

NEXT: MY TOP 10 HELMET COUNTDOWN

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Probe launched as grizzly bear is found dead near Yellowstone

The discovery of a grizzly bear carcass outside of Yellowstone National Park on Monday has prompted investigations by Wyoming and federal authorities.

The discovery of a grizzly bear carcass in outside Yellowstone National Park on Monday has prompted a federal investigation.

The carcass was lying on a Wyoming hillside perhaps 40 yards from the North Fork Highway between Yellowstone and the town of Cody.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has not provided details about the incident. Nor has the agency addressed social media reports that the bear appeared to have been shot.

A spokesman for the agency told FTW Outdoors:

“Grizzly bears are currently managed as a federally protected species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is assisting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the investigation.

“No further details are available at this time because it is an ongoing investigation.”

Amy Gerber of Cub Creek Photography on Monday posted an image of what she believed was the same large male bear she saw alive more than a week ago. Gerber estimated the bear’s weight at 500 pounds.

Grizzly bear carcass discovered Monday. Photo: ©Amy Wells

Amy Wells captured the image in the body of this text, showing the carcass. (The top image is generic.) More of Wells’ graphic images were shared Monday on a Yellowstone-themed Facebook page.

Grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem continue to emerge from hibernation and search for food in lower elevations. Close encounters with humans often occur during this period.

Anyone with information regarding the dead bear is asked to contact the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

–Generic grizzly bear image atop this post is courtesy of Yellowstone National Park