Cowboys earn homecoming win over Lobos to move to 4-1

Sep. 30—LARAMIE — There were plenty of question marks about the University of Wyoming's offense following the Cowboys' win over Appalachian State.

One week after totaling just 208 yards of offense — including 31 passing yards — the Cowboys rebounded with 433 yards of total offense against New Mexico to open Mountain West play with a 35-26 victory Saturday afternoon.

The efficient offensive showing helped UW move to 4-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play.

"Last week when you look at our game, we had no flow and had no rhythm," starting quarterback Andrew Peasley said. "That was our main goal, just to kind of come out and start fast, get in a rhythm, get the ball out on the perimeter, and I think we executed it really well."

The Cowboys were led by running back Harrison Waylee, who had his third consecutive 100-yard rushing game. Waylee became the first UW running back to have three consecutive 100-yard games since Xazavian Valladay in 2019, rushing for 191 yards on 18 carries, including a 46-yard touchdown.

Waylee had another run go for 66 yards, but he was taken down with a shoestring tackle at the Lobos' 9-yard line.

"I was just mad he got caught," Peasley said with a laugh. "Harrison is a special running back. I've been around some good running backs — Jaylen Warren, he plays for the Steelers now, he was at Utah State when I was there and he was really special. But you watch Harrison and his motor is just go-go-go."

The Lobos started the game with a quick eight-play, 75-yard drive that was capped with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Dylan Hopkins to Jeremiah Hixon. UW defensive end DeVonne Harris blocked the extra-point attempt, and cornerback Jakorey Hawkins scooped it up for a two-point play to make it 6-2 early in the first quarter.

UW answered later in the quarter with a 2-yard touchdown run from Peasley, a play that was set up by a 22-yard catch by tight end Treyton Welch one play before. The Cowboys took a 9-6 lead into the second quarter, but New Mexico quickly tied it with a 39-yard field goal from Luke Drzewiecki.

UW's John Hoyland put the Cowboys back in the lead with a 38-yard field goal of his own five minutes later, giving UW a 12-9 lead going into the halftime break.

After going just 5-of-15 for 31 yards and a pick-six last weekend, Peasley was 7-of-11 for 60 yards in the first half against the Lobos. The Lobos outgained the Cowboys 163-132 in total yardage in the first half, but New Mexico tallied five penalties for 50 yards.

UW safety Wyett Ekeler had two sacks in the first 30 minutes, with the second forcing a fumble from Hopkins that he recovered himself right before the half.

UW came out strong in the second half, adding a 34-yard field goal from Hoyland on its first drive. After nickelback Wrook Brown picked off his third pass of the season, Waylee capitalized with a 46-yard touchdown run on the next play to put the Cowboys up 22-9.

"(Brown) will be out there and you'll see they're working on him," UW coach Craig Bohl said. "They're working on him, and they're working on him one too many times. He's really got great instincts, and we're really pleased that we have him."

The Lobos responded with a 26-yard field goal with a little more than five minutes left in the third quarter. The Cowboys expanded their lead with a 66-yard touchdown pass from Peasley to Ayir Asante as time expired in the third quarter to take a 29-12 lead.

"It really wasn't the smartest idea to cut across the field," Asante said. "Me and coach Bohl talked about it after the game, but it ended up being a touchdown, so it wasn't the worst thing.

"I felt really good when I cut back and I saw (Nofoafia Tulafono), our center, in front of me. I was like, 'This is awesome.' At first, I was just trying to make a play. Once I saw them in front of me I was like, 'Oh, I can actually score on this play.' It was pretty exciting."

The Lobos stayed in the game with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Devon Dampier to Hixon early in the fourth quarter, a drive that was aided by two 15-yard penalties from UW cornerback Kolbey Taylor. UW tacked on another Hoyland field goal from 26 yards out early in the fourth quarter to pad the lead to 32-19.

The Lobos added an 11-yard touchdown pass from Dampier to D.J. Washington with less than five minutes left, but the Cowboys sealed it with Hoyland's fourth field goal of the afternoon with six seconds left, this time from 38 yards out, to give UW the 35-26 win.

"Thank the Lord for John Hoyland," Bohl said. "He's got ice water running through his veins, and you'll probably question coach with the analytics there. Listen, I think we've got one of the best field goals kickers in the country and we could ice the game right then, which we did."

Peasley finished the game 16-of-25 for 194 yards and a touchdown, adding one more touchdown on the ground. UW had 10 different receivers haul in at least one catch, which is the most for the Cowboys since their game against the Lobos in 2017.

"The New Mexico defense, they run some weird looks," Peasley said. "I think for us to get cheese and take the easy stuff is really big, because it kind of just slows them down a little bit.

"The passing game always helps the run game, and the run game helps the pass game. I thought we did good with the balance today, and we had some good, explosive plays."

UW (4-1 overall, 1-0 MW) hosts No. 25-ranked Fresno State (4-0, 0-0) in a big conference matchup next weekend at War Memorial Stadium. The Bulldogs blew out the Cowboys 30-0 in California last fall.

"Obviously, I'm a little salty about last year," Peasley said. "We had a tough loss against Boise (State), and then we kind of all showed up to Fresno not really wanting to play. And that was including myself.

"I don't think we executed at all that game. We have to have an edge to us. We gotta be on our stuff this week at practice and prepare well. We have to be a good offense, and our defense has to play good, too."

Alex Taylor is the assistant editor for WyoSports and covers University of Wyoming athletics. He can be reached at ataylor@wyosports.net. Follow him on X at @alex_m_taylor22.