WYOMING PASS OFFENSE vs TEXAS PASS DEFENSE
Going into the season, there were some real question marks about Wyoming’s passing game but it’s actually performed fairly well. Wyoming offensively is pretty conservative and prefers to run the ball first so this is never going to an offense that puts up gaudy passing numbers. The Cowboys have struggled some passing the football over the past couple years but quarterback Andrew Peasley is throwing the ball pretty well. He’s been pretty efficient through two weeks and Wyoming observers say he’s much more confident than he was last year. Peasley doesn’t have a great arm but he’s been pretty accurate. The Cowboys like to spread it around among several receivers and they do have a couple effective tight ends in Treyton Welch and John Michael Gyllenborg. Transfer wide receiver Ayir Asante has added a speed element to the passing game and is the fastest receiver they have.
Edge – Texas **
WYOMING RUN OFFENSE vs TEXAS RUN DEFENSE
Peasley is a pretty good runner from the quarterback position and he’s a big part of their ground game. He’s not a big quarterback but put some weight on in the offseason and he can use his legs pretty effectively in spots. Wyoming lost top running back, Dawaiian McNeely before the season started and he’ll miss the entire year. The Cowboys have been down to their second-stringers and McNeely’s back-up, Harrison Wayley, missed the first two games due to injury. He’s expected to be back for this game and the Cowboys feel like he has a chance to be a solid weapon now that he’s back from an ACL tear. Wyoming will utilize its depth here and try to get a number of runners touches.
Edge – Texas **
WYOMING OFFENSIVE LINE vs TEXAS DEFENSIVE LINE
Left tackle Frank Crum is a sixth-year senior out of Laramie. He’s a pro prospect at left tackle and is the Cowboys’ best O-lineman by far and is considered to be one of the better players in the Mountain West Conference. Center Nofoafia Tulafono is also an all-conference guy. Texas native Caden Barnett is younger at right tackle but people are excited about him. The offensive line has performed pretty well so far this year.
Edge – Texas ***
TEXAS PASS OFFENSE vs WYOMING PASS DEFENSE
The Wyoming secondary is still growing. It’s not as fine-tuned as the front seven but has done pretty well overall, although it did give up 338 passing yards to Texas Tech in a double-overtime win. The secondary returns most of its starters so there is some experience to lean on. Wyatt Ekeler, the younger brother of NFL standout Austin Ekeler, is pretty good at free safety. Texas high school product Kolbey Colby Taylor is still a young corner but he has people excited. He’s a big, rangy corner with a lot of length at 6-4. Isaac White at safety is a really intelligent player who has played pretty well this year.
Edge – Texas ***
TEXAS RUN OFFENSE vs WYOMING RUN DEFENSE
Middle linebacker Easton Gibbs is the MWC preseason defensive player of the year. Weakside backer Shae Suiaunoa has been good through two games, leading the team with 11 tackles. The front seven is the strength of the defense and it’s held up well through two games, limiting Texas Tech to 93 yards on 33 carries and Portland State to 90 yards on 40 carries. Texas’s ground game has been a bit up and down and CJ Baxter’s status is still unknown.
Edge – Texas *
TEXAS OFFENSIVE LINE vs WYOMING DEFENSIVE LINE
As mentioned above, the strength of the Wyoming defense is the front seven, and the defensive line is a huge part of that. Wyoming will rotate in up to 10 guys on the d-line. Defensive tackles Cole Godbout (sixth year at Wyoming) and Jordan Bertagnole are both considered two of the better DTs in the Mountain West. The Cowboys are solid in the middle and there’s some depth behind those two. Braden Siders is young but has played well. Defensive end Sebastian Harsh has been really good through two games and DE DeVonne Harris has a ton of experience. The Texas OL will look to bottle up what it found last week and not take a step back.
Edge – Texas *
SPECIAL TEAMS
Wyoming John Hoyland is one of the top placekickers in the country, a member of the Lou Groza watch list. He has already hit a couple 50+ field goals this year. He’s very accurate with a big leg. The punting game is consistent. Wyoming doesn’t have any real gamebreakers in the return game but overall they’re really sound in special teams.
Edge – Wyoming *
