Danielle Server – Staff Writer
The Wyoming Cowboys were the underdogs heading the into matchup against the Power Five Missouri Tigers and their veteran quarterback Kelly Bryant. That did not stop the Pokes as they did the unexpected and won the game 37-31.
Although the first quarter seemed to hold the expectations for the game true, the Cowboys shocked the crowd with their sudden defensive plays and run for the lead.
“Defensive touchdowns are big,” said C.J. Coldon, a Wyoming cornerback in a post-game press conference. “If you can get those, I feel we can win.”
Coldon scored a defensive touchdown during the second quarter.
After an explosive second quarter, the momentum was on the Cowboys’ side. Under the leadership of Shaun Chambers, the young quarterback, the Cowboys would outscore the Missou Tigers by 6. Chambers added a 75-yard touchdown, along with other veteran players such as Alijah Halliburton. Halliburton was named Mountain West defensive player of the week because of his 17 tackles and a Bryant fumble recovery for 79-yards.
From the statistics standpoint, the game looked good for the Mizzou Tigers, with a total 537 yards and more time spent on the field. The difference was the rushing with Wyoming’s carriers going 297 yards while Chambers added 120 of those yards. If one had just looked at the statistics alone, they might have been confused by the outcome of the game.
“Momentum started off really good on our front, and we lost it all
and it took a long time to bounce back,” said Missouri coach Barry Odom.
Despite a nerve racking fourth quarter with a fast tempo from the
Tigers that UW coach Craig Bohl had discussed in the pre-game conference, the
Wyoming defense found a way to keep Bryant and his offense from closing the 6-point
gap in the final minutes of the game.
“I’ve always said, any coach who has said they know exactly how their football team is going to be in the first game is being less than honest,” Bohl said. “We beat a good SEC team and we didn’t play our best football.”
The next game for the Cowboys is against Texas State at 5 p.m. Sept. 7 in Texas.
