Cowboys host Idaho in home opener on Saturday for a Gold Out

LARAMIE, WY (September 3, 2024) – The Wyoming Cowboys (0-1 overall) open the home portion of the 2024 schedule on Saturday, hosting Idaho (0-1 overall) at War Memorial Stadium at 1:30 p.m. The game will mark the 400th game at War Memorial Stadium, as fans are encouraged to Gold Out “The War.”

Ticket information
Fans can order tickets online, by email or by phone via:
•Go to GoWyo.com/tickets
•Email [email protected]
•Call (307) 766-7220
•Stop by the UW Athletics Ticket Office on the west side of the Arena Auditorium at the corner of Willett Drive and 19th Street.

Gold out

Saturday’s match is a Gold Out, with fans encouraged to wear gold at the War Memorial Stadium.

Where to watch

Saturday’s game will be broadcast on truTV and streamed on MAX, with Ari Wolfe doing the talking and Darius Walker analyzing the action. truTV will also air a 30-minute pre- and post-game show on the network.

Home openers outside the conference: The Wyoming Cowboys have had a successful run in non-conference home openers in recent years. Wyoming pulled off a thrilling overtime win over Texas Tech in a nationally televised game last season. Wyoming is 52-11-1 and has won 82 percent of its non-conference home openers. UW has won four straight non-conference home openers and five straight home openers overall, as UW defeated Hawai’i during the 2020 season.

Recent Non-Conference Home Game Wins

Opponent Date Score

Texas Tech September 2, 2023 W, 35-33 OT

Tulsa September 3, 2022 W, 40-37 2OT

Montana State September 4, 2021 W, 19-16

Mizzou August 31, 2019 W, 37-31

Against the Great Sky: The Wyoming Cowboys have played eight of the current 12 football playing members of the Big Sky Conference and have a 63-14-3 record against those eight teams. Wyoming will face Idaho for the ninth time, as UW is 7-1 all-time against the Vandals.

Hoyland in search of history: Senior kicker John Hoyland is once again being recognized as one of the elite place kickers in college football. Hoyland was named to the 2024 Lou Groza Award Preseason Watch List, given annually to the nation’s top collegiate place kicker, as announced by the Palm Beach County Sport Commission. It is the third straight season that Hoyland has been named to the list. He was one of 30 players named to the preseason watch list. He has made 58 career field goals and is shooting 79.5 percent. He is one field goal shy of tying Cooper Rothe for the school record for career field goals.

Westland in opening match: Defensive end Tyce Westland had a strong start to the season for the Cowboys. He made three tackles in the game, including the Brown and Gold’s first sack of the season in the first quarter. It was his first solo sack of his career. He made 18 total tackles last season, four and a half of which were tackles for loss.

Siders puts pressure: Defensive end Braden Siders added a sack for the junior’s first of the season at Arizona State. He has recorded 11 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss in his career.

Durr Jr. has strong debut: True freshman Chris Durr, Jr. had a strong performance in his first career game. He led the Pokes with three catches that night. He also caught his first career touchdown pass. Analyst and Cowboy Athletics Hall of Famer Jovon Boughknight caught a touchdown in his first career game as a redshirt freshman in 2002. He was the youngest wide receiver to catch a touchdown pass in the MW era until Durr, Jr.

Miles steps up: Tight end Nick Miles is a veteran and is set to step in in the absence of John Michael Gyllenborg at Arizona State. Miles caught a career high of two passes in the game for the Cowboys

Safety Tandem: The safety tandem of Wyett Ekeler and Isaac White led the Cowboys in tackles at Arizona State, with each player adding nine stops for the game. The duo now has a combined 331 career tackles. White has 171 in his career and Ekeler has added 160.

A veteran makes an impact: Linebacker Connor Shay has made an impact for the Pokes on reserve and special teams. He made his first career start at linebacker at Arizona State and recorded a career-high eight tackles in the game. He had 15 total tackles for the Brown and Gold last season.

New boys in the interior: The Cowboys had a few new faces make an impact on the interior of the defensive line at Arizona State. Jayden Williams and Jaden Williams each recorded a career-high four tackles. Jayden Williams, appearing in his first career game, also recorded a tackle for loss. Dante Drake also appeared in his first career game and added a tackle in the contest.

Culbreath Show Off-leg: Graduate student and VMI transfer Jack Culbreath made his debut for the Cowboys on Saturday. He kicked the ball eight times for an average of 47 yards per punt, with three of 50 or more. He ranks seventh in the nation and leads the MW in punting with an average of 47 yards per punt.

About The Vandals: Idaho, which began the season ranked No. 7 in the FCS preseason poll, pushed No. 3 Oregon, an FBS powerhouse, to the limit in a 24-14 loss Saturday at Autzen Stadium. The Vandals limited explosive plays by the Ducks, who went 30 minutes without scoring after the new Big Ten member had gone on an early 14-0 run.

Quarterback Jack Layne threw a touchdown pass in the third quarter and ran for another score in the fourth to pull Idaho within 17-14 before Oregon held on. Keyshawn James-Newby had two sacks and forced a fumble and Jaxton Eck collected 14 tackles to lead the defense.

Wyoming leads the all-time series at 7-1, but the Vandals have a history of pushing the Pokes to the limit. Craig Bohl’s 2019 team held on for a 21-16 home win, Dave Christensen’s 2012 team won a 40-37 shootout at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho, and Joe Tiller’s 1996 team outlasted Idaho 40-38 at War Memorial Stadium en route to a 10-win season.

The Vandals, who played at the FBS level from 2001-17, were projected in the coaches poll to finish third in the 12-team Big Sky after reaching the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs last season.