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Cowboys Set for Mountain West Clash in Vegas with UNLV

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By
Nick Seeman Assistant Athletic Director, Communications, University of Wyoming Athletics

 

Contest on CBS Sports Network

LARAMIE, Wyo. (Nov. 2, 2026) – The Wyoming Cowboys hit the road for a key Mountain West Conference contest in Vegas against UNLV on Saturday evening at Allegiant Stadium. The contest is set for an 8:30 p.m. MT for the latest kick this season for the Brown and Gold.

Contest on CBS Sports Network
Saturday’s contest will be televised on CBS Sports network with Chris Lewis on the call with Doug Pederson analyzing the action along with Hailey Sutton on the sidelines.

Listen Live
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.

Cowboys Contest at UTEP Set for 8 p.m. on November 14

The Wyoming Cowboys will close the road portion of the schedule with an 8 p.m. start at UTEP on November 14. The contest will be televised on FS1 and steamed on the FOX One App as the network and the Mountain West Conference announced on Monday.

Back on the Road: Wyoming hits the road once again for the first time since Oct. 16 at San Jose State, an overtime win for the Brown and Gold. The Pokes opened the season with four road games in the first six weeks of the season. Wyoming will play back-to-back road games before closing the season with a pair of home contests.

Perez Named Old Trapper MW Freshman of the Week: Cowboy redshirt freshman linebacker Steven Perez was named the Old Trapper Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Week on Monday. It marks the third-straight week that a Wyoming player has garnered a player of the week honor from the conference.

He led the Pokes with 17 total tackles in the win over Air Force on Friday evening. It was the most tackles in a game for the Pokes since Chad Muma recorded 17 against Utah State in 2021. He also recorded a fumble recovery in the fourth quarter that helped Wyoming seal the win over the Falcons. He recorded nine tackles in the second half after recording eight in the first frame.

Perez is second on the Cowboys this season with 54 total tackles. He has also recorded 5.5 tackles for loss to tank second on the team and has added 1.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries.

Another Big Touchdown Run from Hughes: Wyoming quarterback Tyler Hughes recorded a 68-yard touchdown run on the second play of the game against Air Force. It was the longest rush of the season for the Cowboys and the longest touchdown run since Harrison Waylee had a 75-yard score against App State. It was the longest touchdown run by a quarterback since 2019 when Sean Chambers had a 75-yard score against Missouri.

Wilson in the Endzone: Wyoming tight end Jake Wilson hauled in his second touchdown reception of the season against Air Force coming from four-yards out. He also added a score against San Jose State. He leads the team with 22 catches for 242 yards with two touchdown receptions. 

Stuhlsatz with Double-Digit Tackles: Wyoming linebacker Ethan Stuhlsatz recorded 11 tackles against Air Force. He leads the team this season in total tackle with 59, as his 8.4 tackles per game ranks fifth in the MW and No. 39 in the nation. He has recorded 10 or more tackles four times this season and five times in his career with the Pokes. He has recorded 100 tackles with the Cowboys and is 10 away from 200 in his career.

Scary Gary: Wyoming Linebacker Gary Rutherford recorded 12 tackles for the Pokes against Air Force. It was one short of his career-high of 13, as he did so against Central Michigan. He has recorded 10 or more tackles twice this season for the Brown and Gold and ranks third on the team with 52 stops.

Redfern Making Plays: Wyoming defensive tackle Ja’Quan Redfern recorded a career-high seven tackles for the Cowboys against Air Force. He also forced a fumble in the contest and added a half tackle for loss. He has recorded 14 tackles this season and is two away from his single-season high at Shippensburg in 2024.

Bogar and Turnovers: Wyoming defensive end Esaia bogar recorded a pair of fumble recoveries against Air Force. It were the first two of his career and tied a school record for fumble recoveries in a game.

In the Backfield: Wyoming recorded seven tackles for loss against Air Force. The Falcons came into the game allowing only 13 on the season. The Pokes have recorded 46 on the season to rank third in the MW and No. 49 in the nation. UW has recorded 27 tackles for loss over the last four games and have six or more in four-straight games.

Trick Play Touchdown: Wyoming recorded a touchdown on a trick play in the final minutes of the second quarter. The Hook and Lateral for the Pokes came off a pass from Hughes to Richardson and a lateral to Tote Harris for his first receiving touchdown this season. The 11-yard score goes as an 11 yard reception for Harris and a catch for Richardson.

Big First Half: Wyoming had a big first half scoring 21 points against Air Force. The Pokes recorded 254 yards of total offense in the frame and took a 21-6 lead into the half. Wyoming recorded 99 yards on only nine plays in the first quarter. 

Hearns and Stops: Wyoming nickel Desman Hearns played the safety spot against Air Force. He also tied a career-high with eight tackles n the contest. He has been playing with a club for the past two weeks and has 36 tackles on the season passing the 35 he collected last season.

Getting to the Quarterback: Wyoming added a pair of sacks last week against the run heavy offense of Air Force. The Pokes have recorded 19 on the season thus far in eight games which is the most under head coach Jay Sawvel, as UW had 18 last season and 15 in his first season.

Forcing Turnovers: Wyoming forced a season-high three turnovers against Air Force. Wyoming has recorded six turnovers thus far on the season with four fumble recoveries and two interceptions. 

Hughes in the MW: Wyoming quarterback Tyler Hughes is third in the conference in total offense per game at 225.6 yards. He also ranks third in the conference in rushing at 89 yards per game, but leads with 449 total rushing yards in conference games. He is second in conference play in completion percentage and efficiency.

Thomas Among Leaders: Wyoming safety Jones Thomas has had a strong season at safety. He has two interceptions and averages 1.5 passes defended per game on the season, a number that ranks second in the nation and leads the MW conference. He has 10 pass breakups on the season for the Brown and Gold.

About UNLV

The Rebels head into the contest with a 5-3 overall record and a 3-1 mark in Mountain West games following a 31-24 win at home over Northern Illinois on Saturday

UNLV is averaging 25 points per game and are allowing 23.8 per contest. The Rebels are averaging 383.4 yards of total offense on the season with a balanced effort of 208 yards passing and 175.4 yards rushing. The UNLV defense allows 395.3 yards per game, as opponents rush for 189.8 yards per game and pass for 205.5 yards.

The Rebel offense is paced by running back Jai’Den Thomas. The MW’s leading rusher adds 82.1 yards per game and has 657 total yards on the season with four touchdowns. He also leads the team with 23 receptions on the season. Quarterback Jackson Arnold throws for 206.9 yards per game with 13 touchdowns on the season. He also rushes for 61.8 yards per game on the season with six touchdowns. Wide receiver Kayden McGee has 21 catches for 442 yards with five touchdowns. He adds 21 yards per catch.

UNLV’s defense is led by safety Jake Pope with 70 tackles on the season. He also has five pass breakups on the season. Linebacker Cam Santee has 61 tackles on the season with one interception.

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