BYU Football: Five Things to Know About Wyoming

5 things to know about BYU's upcoming stand off with the 3-1 Cowboys.

An old rivalry is renewed in the old town square as the no. 19 BYU Cougars take on the upstart Wyoming Cowboys. The Cougars are thrilled to be back home after a brutal loss at the hands of the no. 15 Oregon Ducks, but face a tough test against the 3-1 Pokes. Here are five things you need to know about the standoff with the Cowboys.

1. Back in the saddle

Wyoming is riding a little bit of a hot streak as they roll into Provo, despite losing 10 key contributors to the transfer portal this offseason. Following a 38-6 loss to Illinois in week zero, the Cowboys have rattled off three straight wins over Tulsa, Northern Colorado, and Air Force, with the latter of the three being particularly impressive. Running back Titus Swen ran for 102 yards and a touchdown as Wyoming knocked off the 3-0 Falcons. Wyoming is already 3-1 on the year despite ESPN’s FPI predicting a full season win total of just over five games. In short, the Pokes are much better than we expected.

2. No stampede zone

Wyoming’s success starts and ends with a stout run defense. The Cowboys are giving up just 2.5 yards per carry during their 3-game winning streak and kept Air Force to 230 yards under their season average. This will prove to be an important test for BYU’s run game. BYU has struggled mightily over the last two weeks, though those struggles have been against two of the best defensive fronts in the country. BYU’s front is more talented than Wyoming’s on paper, but if the Cougars struggle to move the ball on the ground again, it might be time to press the panic button on BYU’s rushing attack.

3. New sheriff in town

BYU fans should remember Wyoming quarterback Andrew Peasley as he rides out to lead the Cowboy offense on Saturday night. Peasley previously faced the Cougars last season when he suited up for Utah State, throwing for 38 yards on 7 attempts and an interception in relief of the injured Logan Bonner. Peasley has had an up-and-down start for the Pokes. He was just 5/20 for 30 yards in the opener against Illinois, but seems to be moving in the right direction, completing 69% of his passes for nearly 7 yards per attempt over his last three games.

He has struggled on downfield throws and against pressure this season, completing well under 50% of his passes in those scenarios. Wyoming will do all they can to beat BYU on the ground, but forcing Peasley to make plays with his arm will bode well for the Cougars.

4. Gunslingers delight

Wyoming has struggled against the pass this season. They have given up an average of 228 yards through four games this season, with one of those being against a team that runs the triple option. Reports are that both Gunner Romney and Puka Nacua practiced this week, but even if they can’t go, I like Jaren Halls chances of extending his streak of 250 passing yards to eight on Saturday.

5. This town ain’t big enough for the two of us

The BYU-Wyoming rivalry is a storied one, if not a lopsided one over the last 50 years. BYU has won 34 of the last 41 matchups against the Pokes, and have currently won 8 straight since 2004. Wyoming is one of the few Mountain West schools that had not scheduled to play the Cougars in the independence era, as there were certainly some ill feelings following BYU’s departure. The only BYU-Wyoming matchup of the independence era came in 2016 in the Poinsettia Bowl. Here’s to hoping that Saturday serves as a reminder why they stopped scheduling BYU in the first place.

Prediction

Wyoming is really good at keeping games ugly. Games involving the Cowboys average a total of just 48.8 total points scored over the last two seasons. Wyoming will take the Oregon approach by trying to beat BYU up the middle with a vertical run game. Titus Swen is an extremely physical back who will test BYU’s ability to tackle in the holes. Wyoming will be forced to be conservative in the pass game, keeping throws short and intermediate to tight ends with hopes that they break tackles. Ultimately, the BYU defense redeems their performance from last week, forcing multiple turnovers as Wyoming is forced to throw the ball in order to keep up.

Meanwhile BYU continues to struggle running the football, at least at first. Roderick will start to utilize the jet sweep again to stretch the Wyoming defense, while letting Jaren Hall cook for big throws over the top. In the end, BYU’s offensive line starts to assert their will as BYU pulls away in the second half.

BYU 38, Wyoming 14