By Nick Seeman- Wyoming Associate AD for Communications
LARAMIE, Wyo. (Sept. 14, 2024) – The Wyoming Cowboys (0-3 overall) dropped a 34-14 contest to longtime rival BYU (3-0 overall) on Saturday evening inside War Memorial Stadium. It was the first meeting between the two teams in Laramie since the 2009 season and the 80th overall in the series. The attendance of 24,513 was the second-straight Sellout for the Cowboys for the first time since 1967. Wyoming had a crowd of over 25,000 in the home opener, as standing room only tickets were sold in that contest.
“Credit to (BYU),” Uw head coach Jay Sawvel said. “They have a really solid defense. They’re big and they’re physical at all levels. I think that’s an issue there. As a team, we have to go back and keep working and getting better. Right now, we’ve lost to teams that are a combined 8-1. We’ve got to go back to work. This is what it is. We all know that there are things we have to get better at, and we also know there are things we are not doing well enough. We have to raise our level, and it’s frustrating. “
The Cougars used 458 yards of offense through the air and used a 100-yard kickoff return to open the second half to earn the win, as BYU is receiving votes in both the Associated Press and Coaches Poll. The Cougar defense allowed only 217 yards of total offense with the Cowboys recording 140 yards through the air and 77 yards on the ground.
Quarterback Evan Svoboda recorded a career-high 140 yards passing in the contest. He also added 31 yards rushing to lead the team. Wide receiver Tyler King recorded a career-high three catches for a career-high 52 yards. Fellow wide receiver Jaylen Sargent grabbed two catches, tying a career-high for 18 yards.
The Cowboy defense was paced by Isaac White with 10 tackles in the contest for a career high. He also added a pass breakup in the game. Cornerback Keany Parks added a career-high six tackles. Defensive end Sabastian Harsh added seven tackles in the contest and added a tackle for loss.
Punter Jack Culbreath recorded eight punts averaging 43.8 yards per punt with a long 50 yard.
The Cowboys return to action next Saturday with a trip to North Texas for a 5 p.m. MT in a contest on ESPN+. It is the first meeting all time between the two schools.