Thursday, December 31, 2009

Happy New Years!!!


Is that what bankers and politicians wear?

Hope you had a great time celebrating the New Year. 2009 was a great year for the Pokes and December was the best month in the short history of Cowboy Altitude. Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great 2010.

Mountain West RPI

As a league the Mountain West is rated 8th in the RPI.

All the RPI info was found at Real Time RPI. Record indicates division one wins only.



Air Force
Record = 5-5
RPI = 227
SOS = 210
Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =
Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =
Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Charleston Southern, North Carolina Central, Prairie View A&M
Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = UTEP
Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) = Washington State, Northern Colorado
Good Losses (RPI 1-50) = Missouri State



BYU
Record = 13-1
RPI = 41
SOS = 200
Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =
Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Nevada, Arizona
Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Bradley, Idaho State, Hawaii, Southern University, Weber State, San Francisco, Arizona State, Fresno State, Wagner
Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Utah State
Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =
Good Losses (RPI 1-50) =


Colorado State
Record = 7-5
RPI = 129
SOS = 195
Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =
Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Montana
Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = UC Davis, Winston Salem, San Francisco, Colorado, Denver
Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Oregon, UCLA, Fresno State
Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) = Northern Colorado
Good Losses (RPI 1-50) Indiana State


New Mexico
Record = 13-1
RPI = 8
SOS = 55
Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = California, Texas A&M, Texas Tech
Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Louisiana Tech
Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = San Diego, New Mexico State (2 wins), Nicholls State, Miami (OH), Hawaii, UC Riverside, Northern Arizona
Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Oral Roberts
Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =
Good Losses (RPI 1-50) =



San Diego State
Record = 9-3
RPI = 44
SOS = 129
Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =
Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Arizona
Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = San Diego, Santa Clara, Fresno State, Northern Arizona, UCSB, Cal State Fullerton, UC Riverside, Drake
Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =
Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) = Pacific
Good Losses (RPI 1-50) = St. Mary's



TCU
Record = 4-7
RPI = 178
SOS = 76
Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =
Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =
Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Cal State Northridge, SMU
Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Arizona State, Wichita State, Louisiana Tech, Houston
Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) = Nebraska, Northern Colorado
Good Losses (RPI 1-50) = Texas Tech


UNLV
Record = 11-2
RPI = 26
SOS = 93
Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = Pittsburgh
Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Nevada, Arizona, Louisville
Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Southern Illinois, Holy Cross, Santa Clara, Southern Utah, Weber State, Hawaii, SMU
Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =
Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) = USC
Good Losses (RPI 1-50) = Kansas State, USC



Utah
Record = 6-7
RPI = 215
SOS = 141
Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =
Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =
Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Illinois, Utah State, Southern University, Weber State, Idaho State, Michigan, Pepperdine, TX-San Antonio
Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Idaho, Seattle, Oklahoma
Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =
Good Losses (RPI 1-50) = Oklahoma State



Wyoming
Record = 5-7
RPI = 251
SOS = 172
Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =
Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Northern Colorado
Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Boise State, Pepperdine, LMU,
Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = South Dakota State, Denver, Monmouth, Hampton,
Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) = Tennessee
Good Losses (RPI 1-50) = Northern Iowa

Mountain West goes for 4-0.

The Air Force Falcons take on the Houston Cougars in the Armed Forces Bowl. Here is an embedded video of the LIVE game.

Go Bolts!

Watch live video from www.obostontv.com on Justin.tv

Pokes drop below .500 with loss to Akron


After trailing 37-42 at the half Wyoming put up seven straight points to take the lead early in the second half but couldn't hold on as the Akron Zips ran away with a 85-76 victory Wednesday night in Laramie. The Zips (10-3) have won six in a row while Wyoming drops to 6-7 and is below .500 for the first time since December 5th.

There were seven lead changes in the second half but a 16-7 run in the final four minutes secured the victory for Akron. Wyoming remains at 299 wins at Arena Auditorium.

This was a rough and tumble game with Akron collecting 24 fouls and Wyoming 28. Djibril Thiam and Amath M'Biaye both fouled out for the Cowboys despite playing 20 or less minutes. Afam Muojeke once again led the way with 19 points and collected 11 of them at the free throw line. A.J. Davis added 18 but was only 6 of 14 from the field. Wyoming made only one of nine 3pt attempts with Ryan Dermody sinking the only basket.

Akron doesn't have any players that average double digits this year but four players accomplished that feat tonight. Brett McKnight and Humpty Hitchins both had 16 while Jimmy Conyers had a complete game with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Akron shot 49% from the field and 56% from behind the arc.

The Cowboys were without starting PG Jaydee Luster and Desmar Jackon got the start. Wyoming was 3-3 during the month of December with all three losses coming to opponents with winning records: Tennessee, Northern Iowa and Akron. The Pokes will look to start 2010 with a win on January 2nd when they host D2 Adams State.

AWARDS

Cowboy Joe: Didn't have a great night shooting but scored 7 straight points in the second half to give Wyoming the lead. Without his effort this would have been a huge blowout.

Cowboy Low: Desmar Jackson had the opportunity to show his stuff with Luster but five turnovers and shooting 4 for 12 was not what was needed.

Cowboy Foe: Steve McNees had 12 of his 14 points from three pointers and hit a crucial one to help break the game wide open in the second half.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Possibilities for Asst/WR Coach

Now that Hammerschmidt is gone, who will be the latest addition to the Wyoming coaching staff?

There are two options Coach Christensen could take here. Promote one of his current staff members to Assistant Coach and then just bring in a new body to handle the Receivers. For the sake of this article I'm going say that the new coach that is brought in will assume the same duties that Hammerschmidt had: Asst coach/WR's coach. This is a more prestigous title and could help bring in an up and comer who will jump at the chance to grab an Asst job.

The former colleague:

Andy Hill - 14 years at Mizzou with all but one spent working with primarily the WR's. Obviously he has worked with Christensen before and knows the offense. Helped Jeremy Maclin become one of the top recievers in 2008. Might not want to leave Columbia after being there so long or maybe there is a reason he hasn't been promoted earlier.

Regional D1 WR Coaches:

Luther Carr - WR Coach/Recruiting Coordinator at Idaho. Would be a huge boost towards recruiting the Northwest where Wyoming is starting to grab some recruits. The Vandals boasted the 12th highest passing attack this season. Has always stayed in the Palouse area so it may be hard to draw him away form the inland Northwest.

Guy Holliday - Has helped the UTEP Miners produce one of the most productive offenses over the past two years. A veteran coach Holliday has had success in nearly every stop in his career. Seventeen of his former players have signed professional contracts.

FCS Coaches:

A number of coaches from regional FCS schools have very productive offenses and could be looking to take the next step up to a Mountain West program.

Robin Pflugard - Montana WR Coach. Has experience at Oregon, Washington State and Arizona State.

Steve Cox
- Weber State WR Coach. Veteran coach who served under Tommy Tuberville at Auburn for one season.

Paul Peterson
- QB/WR/Recruiting Coordinator at Southern Utah. Played at Snow College and Boston College.

Former Pokes:

Jovon Bouknight - Former standout for the Pokes. Just got the WR job at Utah State. Not qualified to be a Asst coach but could do a great job with the WR corp.

Leach fired. Would he ever come to Laramie?

The maestro of the spread offense Mike Leach has been unceremoniously fired by Texas Tech just three days before his team was to play in the Alamo Bowl. Leach was suspended after a player Adam James complained after being put in a dark room after he suffered a concussion. Which is what doctors recommend when someone suffers a head injury of that type.

So I think Leach was wrongfully fired but maybe Texas Tech had other reasons for letting him go. Leach signed a five year $12.7 million contract extension in February was owed $800,000 after December 31st.

Known as an odd charecter Leach ruffled some feathers as he went but really put the Red Raiders in the spotlight. A number of players and staff have supported him during this episode.

So this is probably a huge pipe dream but I would love for Leach to come to Wyoming. Not to takeover as Head Coach - Coach Christensen has done a fantastic job. But Dan Hammerschmidt just left yesterday as assistant/wide reciever coach and the Pokes need to fill that position relatively soon.

Some reasons why Leach would be a good fit:

He knows the spread. He loves the spread. Could really bring a wealth of knowledge to the team and the passing game. Just don't let him near the defense.

Leach could lay low for a couple years in Laramie. He has plenty of money and could just enjoy coaching for the fun of it before deciding to taking a head coaching job at a larger program.

Name recognition. Wyoming would get a lot of press for hiring a coach like Leach. This would boost recruiting efforts and hopefully even bring a few recruits from Lubbock to Laramie.

Reasons why it wouldn't work:

Not enough room in Laramie for Christensen and Leach. After being a head coach it would tough for Leach to take a job as an assistant. With his persona it would be tough for Leach to play second fiddle.

Leach only wants to be a head coach. Wants to be in larger market/conference.

He would make fun of the players "fat little girlfriends"

It will be interesting to watch how this whole scenario plays out but I wish Mike Leach the best. I'm just glad that UNLV hired Bobby Hauck so that Leach didn't end up there. Doubtful that Leach ever ends up in Laramie but it is fun to dream. At the very least Tom Burman should pick up the phone and reach out to Leach.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009







Akron Zips at Wyoming Cowboys
December 30,2009
7:PM MST







The Zips of Akron travel to Laramie for a mens basketball game that starts at 7pm. Akron made it to the NCAA tournament last year and have started this season with a 9-3 start. The Zips are winners of five in a row and feature four starters from last years squad.

Wyoming will be looking for it's 300th win in Arena Auditorium tomorrow night. The Pokes are 299-100 at the AA since 1982. Currently sitting at 6-6 the Cowboys need a quality win to help themselves before the start of the conference schedule.

Akron doesn't boast one true "star" but nearly anyone on the roster can step up any night of the week. Seven players are averaging over seven points a game this year lead by Brett McKnight's 9.8ppg. Brett's older brother Chris is also on the roster and averages over seven points a game.

Akron checks in with an RPI of 194, they have yet to beat a team with an RPI of less than 100.

Unfortunately Zippy the Kangaroo will not be making the trip with the rest of the team - that would be entertaining.

Hammerschmidt returns to the Green and Gold

Hope he saved all his CSU his shirts

After one year in Laramie WR Coach Dan Hammerschmidt has decided to return to Fort Collins and become the wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator for Colorado State. The move reunites Hammerschmidt with Head Coach Steve Fairchild who have both spent a long time with the Rams program.

Before coming to Wyoming Hammerschmidt spent a year at Rice University and helped them to a 10-3 record and a win in the Texas Bowl. After four years as a player at CSU spent 13 years on the coaching staff.

This leaves a big hole for Dave Christensen to fill as Wide Receivers are key to the success of any spread offense. David Leonard had a career year with 77 receptions and 705 yards.

The fact that Hammerschmidt is going to another Mountain West school is one thing. With Colorado State the destination makes the move becomes even more disconcerting. He now knows the Wyoming playbook and offensive scheme inside and out and can use that every year in the Border War. Obviously hand signals and play calling will be adjusted but with the Border War you can never be too careful.

The Cowboys now need to find someone to takeover as Assistant Coach and then also work with the Wide Recievers and Tight ends. No likely candidates have been named yet to fill the spots left by Hammerscmidt.

Current Wyoming Coaching Staff:

  • Dave Christensen, (Western Washington '85) Head Coach

    Assistant coaches listed alphabetically...

  • Marcus Arroyo, (San Jose State '03) Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
  • Marty English, (Northern Colorado '86) Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
  • Mike Fanoga, (UTEP `86) Outside Linebackers
  • Alex Grinch, (Mount Union College `02) Secondary/Recruiting Coordinator
  • Jim Harding, (Toledo `01) Offensive Line
  • Pete Kaligis, (Washington '94) Offensive Line
  • Jerry Montgomery, (Iowa '02) Defensive Line
  • Jared Petrino, (Carroll College '04) Defensive Graduate Assistant
  • Jason Ray, (Missouri `07) Running Backs
  • Brent Vernon, (Missouri '08) Offensive Graduate Assistant
  • News from around the Mountain West

    As seen on Mountain West Connection.

    Air Force: It could be a mixture of snow/rain for the Armed Forces Bowl on Thursday and the Falcons have no problem with that.

    BYU: The Cougars are looking for some new Tight Ends after losing Dennis Pitta and Andrew George. There are several candidates that could all be a big help next year.

    Colorado State: The Rams continue to struggle on the road as evidenced by last nights loss to Frenso State.

    New Mexico: The Lobos host the Texas Tech Raiders tonight at the Pit and there lots of similarities between each team.

    San Diego State: The Aztecs are fine tuning their game with conference play just around the corner.

    TCU: Tyler Luttrel made the move from WR to Safety and it has payed off big time for the Horned Frogs. The team has now arrived in Phoenix to prepare for the Fiesta Bowl.

    UNLV: RB Bradley Randle has done some charity work over the holidays and hopes to continue these efforts in Las Vegas. Coach Bobby Hauck is impressed.

    Utah: The Beehive State and the Utes have become leaders in the fight against the BCS.

    Independence Bowl thoughts


    Original Independence Bowl Logo

    You may have not watched the Independence Bowl this year but you probably will next year. BTW, Georgia won 44-20 over Texas A&M. This bowl has typically pitted teams from the SEC and Big 12 that spot unimpressive records. Georgia was 7-5 and Texas A&M was 6-6 coming into the game.

    Starting next year the Independence Bowl will feature Mountain West #3 vs ACC #7. This means that the Humanitarian Bowl is no longer affiliated with the Mountain West. Right now the 2010 bowl lineup for the Mountain West looks like this:

    Las Vegas Bowl - Versus PAC 10
    Poinsettia Bowl - Versus PAC 10
    Independence Bowl - Versus ACC
    Armed Forces Bowl - Versus C-USA
    New Mexico Bowl - Versus WAC*

    *The Mountain West renewed their agreement with the New Mexico Bowl through 2013 but no extension has been made with the WAC yet. Hopefully they will look elsewhere.

    The Independence Bowl sold out this year and the stadium really was packed. Usually ESPN only shows certain segments of the crowd to make it look larger but not the case here. They showed wide panoramic views of the stadium and every seat was filled.

    The City of Shreveport really supports the Independence Bowl and it is a major event in the city. Locals always come out to the game and since 2001 they've never had less than 41,000 in attendance. In the last 20 years the lowest attendance was 31, 337 in a 1992 matchup that included Oregon and Wake Forest. This year each team was required to buy 12,000 tickets each. 25,000 tickets were sold locally. The Aggies sold all their tickets while Georgia had sold 5,500 as of December 19th.

    Today's game game started at 5pm EST which is 3pm MST. Hopefully they can move the time back a couple hours let the MWC fans watch the game. They probably played it early today so that it didn't compete with Monday Night Football. Today was December 28th but the Independence Bowl has been played anywhere from December 27th to New Years Eve. All of those dates are weekdays next year expect December 31st which is a Friday. Having a game this far from most Mountain West schools could make it hard for fans to travel that far for a weekday game. Obviously TCU fans could easily make it to Shreveport but they hope to play in another BCS game next year.

    Playing a team from the ACC would be a nice change of pace for the Mountain West and the ACC has a lot of teams on the upswing. Florida State finished 6-6 this year for the #7 spot but the conference has a lot of depth. Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Miami, Clemson, Boston College and North Carolina are all quality programs that get a lot of national coverage. A #3 vs #3 match up would be ideal but it should be a good game and grab some headlines for both teams.

    Monday, December 28, 2009

    MWC: Basketball Standings: 12/28


    Here is a look at the Mountain West basketball standings as of today. Non conference schedule is winding down and the MWC should be very entertaining this year. BYU, UNLV, New Mexico, and San Diego State have done a great job this season and have a shot at making the NCAA tourney.

    Wyoming will battle CSU, Air Force, TCU and Utah for the "best of the rest" title. The Utes are 5-7 this year but feature a 7-3 shotblocker named David Foster that is averaging over 4 blocks a game.

    Afam Muojeke is currently tied for second in the Mountain West with 17.1 points a game and is tops in turnovers at 4.4


    Mountain West Conference Standings
    Conf All
    BYU 0-0 12-1
    New Mexico (13) 0-0 12-1
    UNLV 0-0 12-2
    San Diego St. 0-0 9-3
    Colorado St. 0-0 8-4
    Air Force 0-0 6-4
    Wyoming 0-0 6-6
    TCU 0-0 6-6
    Utah 0-0 5-7

    Sunday, December 27, 2009

    Season Wrapup Article

    Nice article from the Laramie Boomerang. Goes over the New Mexico Bowl and the season. Team MVP's and the Seniors that are leaving.

    - Ghaali Muhammad has the inside track on Weston Johnson's starting OLB spot. Muhammad has had some huge plays for the Pokes this season including a blocked punt recovery for a touchdown against Texas and a game clinching touchdown against Colorado State.

    - Mark Willis could be a starter next year on the D-Line if he can put on some weight. Willis will be a redshirt freshman next year and went to OPRF HS in Oak Park, IL which is my alma mater.

    On recruiting it says Coach Christensen is expecting a full class of 25 recruits next season. He says that they already have 19 recruits verbally committed for next year or already signed. Four JC players have signed already and will enroll in January and play Spring ball.

    Saturday, December 26, 2009

    2009 Tackle Leaders

    Name Yr Pos G Solo Assisted Total Total/G
    1 Chris Prosinski JR DB 13 73 67 140 10.77
    2 Gabe Knapton SO LB 13 40 88 128 9.85
    3 Brian Hendricks SO LB 11 43 73 116 10.55
    4 Weston Johnson SR LB 13 46 60 106 8.15
    5 Shamiel Gary FR DB 13 45 53 98 7.54
    6 Marcell Gipson JR DB 13 46 25 71 5.46
    7 Josh Biezuns SO LB 13 28 37 65 5.00
    8 Tashaun Gipson SO DB 13 42 17 59 4.54
    9 John Fletcher SR DL 13 26 26 52 4.00
    10 Fred Givens SR DL 13 21 21 42 3.23
    11 Mitch Unrein SR DL 13 19 22 41 3.15
    12 Ghaali Muhammad FR DB 12 14 7 21 1.75
    13 Mike Neuhaus SR DL 13 12 6 18 1.38
    14 Kenny Browder FR DB 12 10 6 16 1.33
    15 Luke Ruff FR DB 12 6 6 12 1.00
    16 Alex Toney JR LB 12 6 6 12 1.00
    17 T.J. Atwater SR DB 12 4 6 10 0.83
    18 Mike Purcell FR DL 6 1 8 9 1.50
    19 Matt Barella SR LB 7 6 1 7 1.00
    20 Jamichael Hall JR DB 6 3 3 6 1.00

    Final 2009 Offensive Stats

    These stats include all 12 regular season games and the New Mexico Bowl. All of the main weapons on offense should be returning next year so expect some exciting things from the Cowboy offense in 2010.

    * = Senior

    Passing Statistics
    NAME CMP ATT YDS CMP% YDS/A TD INT RAT
    Austyn Carta-Samuels 191 326 1953 58.6 5.99 10 5 116.0
    Robert Benjamin 30 66 269 45.5 4.08 1 1 81.7

    Rushing Statistics
    NAME CAR YDS YPC LONG TD
    Alvester Alexander 136 640 4.7 68
    7
    Brandon Stewart 123 498 4.0 24 2
    Austyn Carta-Samuels 142 366 2.6 49
    3
    Robert Benjamin 30 118 3.9 22 0
    Darius Terry 34 117 3.4 23 2

    Receiving Statistics
    NAME REC YDS YPR LONG TD
    David Leonard 77 705 9.2 43 3
    Zach Bolger 28 314 11.2 37 1
    Travis Burkhalter 21 213 10.1 31
    2
    Orlando Arnold* 17 172 10.1 20 0
    Greg Bolling* 18 170 9.4 26 1
    Brandon Stewart 16 152 9.5 54
    2
    Chris McNeill 17 117 6.9 25 0
    David Tooley 7 115 16.4 28 1
    Alvester Alexander 8 101 12.6 52 0

    Thanks FLOMAX!

    Notice all the smooth flowing water? Not a coincidence.

    ESPN is running a prerecorded "Bowl update" that is sponsored by FLOMAX. The update is shown during every bowl game and is basically just one big promotion for the Mountain West. It starts off with Wyoming knocking off Fresno State in the New Mexico Bowl followed by BYU crushing Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl. Finally they show Utah coming back and knocking off Cal in the Poinsettia Bowl. No other games are highlighted at all.

    So FLOMAX and it's manufacturer Boehringer-Ingelheim are paying big bucks to let the world know how dominate the Mountain West has been during the the bowl season. Thanks to all this free publicity the Mountain West has grown in popularity by 42% in the coveted "Men with Prostate problems" demographic.

    Friday, December 25, 2009

    Merry Christmas from Cowboy Altitude

    Thanks for reading and supporting Cowboy Altitude. Hope that you are enjoying the holiday wherever you are today. The New Mexico Bowl victory was one of my favorite presents this year.

    Go Pokes!

    Thursday, December 24, 2009

    Cowboys add two to 2010 O-Line

    Following the New Mexico Bowl victory the Cowboys recieved a verbal commit from OL Daniel Flesichman a 6'7 280 lb recruit out of Issaquah, WA. Hawaii and Wyoming were both vying for Fleischman's services and the big hoss decided to stay in the Lower 48. With his 6'7 frame he should be able to some size and muscle.

    According to the North County Times out of San Diego the Cowboys have also gotten the verbal commitment Justin DiRe out of of La Costa Canyon HS. DiRe listed at 6'6 275 and is currently unranked by Scout and Rivals. Should be a nice mix of size and agility that will be great in the spread offense with his ability to block in the second tier.

    Amos Anthony Highlight video



    Last week the Cowboys signed JUCO WR Amos Anthony a three star recruit out of City College of San Francisco. This video is nearly 10 minutes long but it is certaintly worth checking out. Anthony has some great instincts catching the ball and running after the catch. With all the new talent coming in at the WR position the Pokes should really be able to open up things in the passing game next year.

    Wednesday, December 23, 2009

    Cowboys can't keep up with Panthers

    Trailing by just one point at halftime Wyoming was keeping pace with Missouri Valley power Northern Iowa. That was as close as the Cowboys would get as the Panthers went on a tear in the second half to win 72-54. UNI improves to 9-1 and have won 8 in a row while Wyoming drops back to .500 at 6-6.

    Northern Iowa got a huge night out of 7 footer Jordan Ergslader who put up game highs of 28 points and 9 rebounds. Ali Farokhmanesh added 15 - all three pointers.

    Afam Muojeke led the way for Wyoming with 20 points. Desmar Jackson came off the bench and added 13. Adam Waddell put up 6/7.

    Wyoming shot a better FG % than Northern Iowa .457 to .450 but took 14 less shots. The Pokes were 2 of 15 from behind the arc while the Panthers sunk 9 of 22. Wyoming managed only 3 assists and had 17 turnovers.

    This loss is eerily similar to one last week against Tennessee where the Pokes were down by just a point at half time and then had no answer in the second half. Opposing teams are obviously making adjustments at halftime and having great success against the Pokes.

    With this loss the Mountain West drops the MWC/MVC challenge with four wins compared to five for the Missouri Valley.

    The Cowboys finish off the 2009 portion of their schedule next Wednesday when they host the 8-3 Akron Zips.

    Box Score

    AWARDS

    Cowboy Joe: Afam Muojeke had a nice game from the field making 8 of 12 shots. Only took four attempts from behind arc which is a pleasant surprise. Also pulled down 5 rebounds.

    Cowboy Low: Jaydee Luster took seven shots and only made one of the (a 3 pointer). Had zero assists and three turnovers, not a good sign for a pass first point guard.

    Cowboy Foe: Ergslader was a beast for the Panthers. Put up a season high 28 points along with nine rebounds.

    WAC fans staying home again


    The WAC continues to disappoint this bowl season. The day before the Hawaii Bowl between SMU and Nevada, it turns out that the Wolfpack are only expected to sell "100ish" tickets to the pineapple bowl. The Wolfpack have a reputation of being a school that travels poorly. East Carolina, UAB and Tulane have all brought better numbers despite traveling further.

    In the 2005 Hawaii Bowl Nevada set an all time low by selling less than 100 tickets. Sure Hawaii is a long way to travel but I'm sure some husbands could have convinced their wives that they need to travel to Hawaii for Christmas. "80 degrees and warm sandy beaches.. ok honey. I guess we can go. "

    The poor following for the Wolfpack is probably another reason why the New Mexico Bowl brought Fresno State back for a repeat. "Nevada... really? Ugh... Welcome back Bulldogs!"

    Nevada's opponent SMU hasn't been to bowl game in 25 years and are expecting to sell around 500 tickets. Not great but at least they got a booster to fork over $35,000 to fly in their live mascots - 3 year old mustangs.

    The ideal situation for the Hawaii Bowl is to have the hometown Warriors play but the Warriors didn't qualify this year. One thought might be moving the bowl back to a New Years Eve date and giving fans more time to purchase airfare and book hotels. The short turnaround can make it hard to get a flight without breaking the bank.

    New Mexico Bowl Champions Gear is here!


    Hooded Sweatshirt - $40 at Brown and Gold Outlet

    Long sleeve - $20 at Brown and Gold Outlet

    Short Sleeve - $15 at Brown and Gold Outlet

    Hot off the presses! 2009 New Mexico Bowl Champions - Wyoming Cowboys apparal. It could be hard to grab before Christmas but still makes a great gift for yourself or someone you know.

    Just click on the picture of each item to go directly to that page on the site.

    Tuesday, December 22, 2009

    Revisiting the 7 reasons


    Prior to the New Mexico Bowl you might remember this article that appeared on Cowboy Altitude entitled "7 reasons why Wyoming will win the New Mexico Bowl". Well low and behold the Cowboys pulled off a 35-28 2OT victory over the Fresno State Bulldogs.

    Let's take a look at the article and see how each factor played a role in the victory.

    1. Crowd - As predicted the crowd was heavily PRO Wyoming and outnumbered the Bulldog supporters by a large margin. Poke fans were pumped for the game and gave the team everything they could. And the reward was an opportunity to rush the field after the victory.

    2. Turnovers - The big difference maker in this game. Fresno State was driving in the first quarter but fumbled on the Cowboy 6. That saved at least 3 points but more likely a touchdown. Then we can not forget the play of the game; Mitch Unrein strips Ryan Mathews and the Pokes eat up the clock with a 7:48 drive to score the tying field goal. Fresno State did intercept one pass that was tipped and scored a TD on that possession. But the overall +1 turnover margin for the Cowboys was the difference between winning and losing.

    3. Desire - The Cowboys came ready to play and it showed. The ESPN commentators mentioned how they could see the extra energy from the Pokes. Desmond Howard was also impressed with Austyn Carta-Samuels.

    4. Familiarity - Didn't hurt to be in a town and stadium that they've been to before. Wasn't a major factor.

    5. Pokes don't give up - Four fourth quarter comebacks this year? Wrong, make that FIVE! Down 11 in the final quarter Wyoming came to tie game and force overtime. The final drive included three fourth down conversions. After missing a game winning field goal in the first OT the Pokes came back and scored the eventual game winning touchdown.

    "Same old deal for all of us," Carta-Samuels said. "We knew we could do it."

    This team is confident and they don't give up. Huge factor!

    6. Coach Christensen - DC has a history of winning and he showed that at the New Mexico Bowl. Got the team ready and laid out a solid game plan. His leadership is vital to this team.

    7. History - There is a reason that Fresno State is 0-4 versus Mountain West teams in bowl games. Maybe it's the players or Coach Pat Hill. That is something they need to figure out. The Bulldogs are 100-66 overall under Hill but just 4-6 in bowl games. Back to back losses in the New Mexico Bowl against 6-6 teams from the Mountain West shows that their is a problem. There is a reason people study history - it helps us figure out the future. Big factor.

    In order of importance I'd rank the factors:

    2 - Turnovers
    5 - Pokes don't give up
    6 - Coach Christensen
    7 - History
    3 - Desire
    1 - Crowd
    4 - Familiarity

    Pokes take on UNI in the MWC/MVC Challenge

    Wyoming Cowboys at Northern Iowa Panthers
    10/23/3009
    6:05 PM MST


    The Pokes have packed their bags and are heading to Cedar Rapids, IA to take on a talented Northern Iowa squad. The Panthers are sitting at 8-1 with their only loss coming to DePaul in the second game of the season. The two teams met last year in Casper with Wyoming coming out on top 74-65.

    On the year the Panthers have wins over Denver, East Carolina, Boston College, Northern Illinois, Iowa State, Iowa, Siena and North Dakota. Wyoming played Denver earlier in the year and lost 8-77. Last year Northern Iowa won the Missouri Valley and advanced to the NCAA tournament before losing to Purdue in the first round.

    The Panthers are led by Junior Guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe who is averaging 15.6 points 3.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists this season and positioning himself as a favorite for MVC player of the year. Two other players Adam Koch (14.1) and Adam Egelseder (11.1) score in double digits and three are shooting above 50% from the field this season. Egelseder is 7'0 and leads the team with nearly 8 rebounds a game.

    Wyoming needs to stick to their bread and butter if they want to hang with the Panthers. Being aggressive and getting to the free throw line. The Cowboys lead the nation in free throws made with 267. The Cowboys are shooting a Mountain West worst 22% as a team from behind the arc compared to 40% for the Panthers.

    Should a quality game and give the Cowboys another good challenge as they start to wind down their non-conference schedule.

    W-LPFPAHOMEROADSTK
    WYO6-578.874.36-30-2W1
    UNI8-167.358.14-03-0W7

    New Mexico Bowl in Pictures













    All photos courtesy of KRQE in Albuquerque.

    OL Recruit Hinton is graduating early


    Skyler Hinton a 6'4 305lb linemen from from Rock Bridge HS in Missouri is heading to to Laramie sooner than expected. After completing his graduation requirements early Hinton can enroll at Laramie starting in January.

    The benefit of getting a jump start in his winter conditioning and participating in spring practices could help Hinton make an impact next fall. I thought he would end redshirting next year but this extra work could help him get some playing time next year.

    When he orginally signed with UW Hinton was an unranked recruit but Rivals has now come in with a two star rating.

    Fresno State RB Mathews declares for 2010 NFL Draft

    After finishing the season with 144 yards and two touchdowns in the New Mexico Bowl RB Ryan Mathews has decided to forego his senior season at Fresno State and enter the 2010 NFL Draft. According to the Fresno State Bee Mathews has hired an agent named Frank Bauer out of Stockton, CA.

    The talented RB was leaning towards staying Fresno but in a meeting with Coach Pat Hill and Mathews, Hill encouraged Mathews to take the next step in his career. Hill and Mathews now share the same agent.

    This is really smart move for Hill for several reasons. Already ranked as the fourth best RB in the draft Hill should go in the mid to late second round. Throughout his career Hill has been labeled as injury prone after being hurt both his fresman and sophomore years. This year Mathews was beastly with the only blip being a concussion that caused him to miss one game.

    For the year Mathews totaled 1,808 yards rushing and has 35 career touchdowns. Watching him in the New Mexico Bowl I came away impressed. A powerful runner Mathews never went down with just one tackler, a group would have to bring him down. He also gained a bunch of yards are contact. I'm excited to see what Mathews can do in the NFL and think he'll suprise alot of folks like Chris Johnson did when he came out of East Carolina.

    Monday, December 21, 2009

    Cowboys top Coyotes in Laramie


    Smith led all scorers with 25

    The Cowboys shook off a tough loss at Tennessee earlier in the week and used that lesson to take down the visiting South Dakota State Coyotes 86-74 Sunday night.

    This was slightly different game for the Pokes as they made a season high 7 three pointers and only 17 free throw attempts. The Pokes still only shot 28% from 3pt land but that is actually a step up for this team.

    Afam Muojeke had 17 points to lead the Cowboys and Djibril Thiam contributed 15. Both players grabbed a game high seven rebounds. Wyoming used some impressive defense in the paint to swat 10 Coyotes shots. Thiam and Boubacar Sylla each three blocks a piece. South Dakota failed to block any Wyoming shots.

    Steve Smith was hit all night for the Coyotes as he lead all scorers with 25 points including 5 of 6 three point shooting. The former Creighton Bluejay had only one game in double digit scoring coming into this game.

    On Wednesday the Cowboys travel to Northern Iowa face a talented Missouri Valley opponent. The Panthers are 8-1 and contenders for the Mo. Valley title.

    AWARDS

    Cowboy Joe: Amath M'Baye played in his first game of the year. The 6'9 200 lb Forward was kept out while the NCAA investigated his eligibility due to playing on a team that might have had a profesional player on their roster. M'Baye will add some much needed depth to the Cowboy Front court. Had 5 points in 14 minutes.

    Cowboy Low: Ryan Dermody was 1 for 5 from the field for just three points in 19 minutes.

    Cowboy Foe: Steve Smith lit the Pokes up for 25 points and added 6 rebounds.

    Sunday, December 20, 2009

    Wyoming fans show up while Fresno fans stayed home.



    New Mexico Bowl Attendance

    2009 - 24,898. Wyoming vs Fresno State.

    2008 - 24,735. Colorado State vs Fresno State.

    2007 - 30,223. New Mexico vs Nevada.

    2006 - 34,111. New Mexico vs San Jose State.

    BOLD indicates the winning team.

    Obviously when the hometown Lobos are playing in the bowl game but the WAC isn't doing them any favors. The New Mexico Bowl could do themselves a big favor if they brought in another conference like the Big 12 or even Conference USA. The West division of Conference USA includes: Rice, Tulsa, SMU, UTEP, Houston and Tulane. All of these schools except Tulane are within a 1 day drive.

    Colorado, Kansas, Kansas State, Texas A&M, Texas, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Baylor would all travel well and could easily get to Albuquerque.

    Fresno State brought only a few hundred fans to the game while Wyoming sold their ticket allotment. Generous Poke fans even bought extra tickets to be donated to the local Air Force base. Bulldogs fans most likely numbered around the 600-700 mark compared to nearly 5,000 Cowboy fans.

    Fresno State fans moan about the New Mexico bowl and their opponent and just stay home. How do they expect a larger bowl to ever invite them if no one is going to come out and support the team?

    Population of Fresno County: 931,098

    Population of Wyoming: 522, 830

    I'm sure there are lots of Bulldog fans that don't even live in Fresno county that could have made the trip. Fresno and the WAC are allows talking about they are disrespected. Well this could be one reason why. Have some pride in your team and support them.

    Luckily ESPN had their cameras and the press box facing the Wyoming side of the stadium where there was sea of brown and prairie gold. They did their best to hide the lack of Fresno fans during the game by only showing the field from certain angles but replays showed plenty of empty sections. If you look through these pictures you can see how empty their side of the stadium really was.

    The main thing is that the team and fans respresented Wyoming well this weekend. For four plus hours on Saturday the nation had a chance to see the Cowboys and they liked what they saw.

    New Mexico Awards


    Expanded edition of our awards with the bowl game. Some excellent plays from each team on both sides of the ball.

    Cowboy Joe:
    Austyn Carta-Samuels - Is there anymore we can about this freshman phenomenon? Well here it goes... in the Pokes only appearance on national television ACS gave America a face for this young and exciting program. Calm under pressure he led a fourth quarter drive that ate up nearly eight minutes and forced the game into overtime. Finished with over 270 total yards and 3 touchdowns.

    David Leonard - The top receiving threat for Wyoming all year long. Leonard made big catches all season long but only pulled in one score. Leonard hauled in two scores last night including the game winner where he had great awareness of the sideline and kept himself inbounds.

    Greg Bolling - One of the most talented guys on the roster Bolling has had a rocky past with academic troubles and a suspension earlier this year. In his final game as a Cowboy GB hauled in a touchdown and a crucial two point conversion.

    Mitch Unrein - Accomplished an amazing feat in becoming the first person to ever cause a Ryan Mathews fumble. That gave the Cowboys the ball and a shot at tying the game.


    Cowboy Low: Brandon Stewart was largely innefective had 18 carries totalling just 28 yards.


    Cowboy Foe:

    Ryan Mathews - Showed why he lead the nation in rushing and could be an early pick in next years draft.

    Chris Lewis - Had an interception and a great return. Caused havoc in the Cowboys backfield all game long.

    Great Bowl Photos

    Courtesy of Channel 13 KRQE in Albuquerque. 77 pictures for you to check out. Lots of action pics, fans and post game celebration.

    Check them out here.

    Saturday, December 19, 2009

    Cowboys pull off a stunner in Albuquerque

    Did you really expect anything less from the Wyoming Cowboys after this season? After coming back from 11 down in the fourth quarter to force the game into over time. David Leonard caught a touchdown pass to give the Cowboys the lead, then the defense stepped up and stopped Fresno State on downs to give the Cowboys (7-6) the New Mexico Bowl title in a 35-28 2OT victory over the Fresno State Bulldogs (8-5).

    This is an underrated bowl that always has close games and the fourth edition was certainly the best. The Cardiac Cowboys certainly lived up to their nickname with this game.

    The finish was amazing but the journey to get there was just as good.

    Quarter 1

    On their second drive Alvester Alexander busted through the right side untouched and took it 68 yards to give Wyoming a 7-0 lead.

    Quarter 2

    Ryan Mathews busted out a 29 yard run on a fourth and four from the Wyoming 33. One the next play he picks a 6 yard TD run. Tied at 7's.

    Austyn Carta-Samuels finds Senior Greg Bolling for a jump ball 21 yard TD catch. Wyoming up 14-7.

    Ryan Colbrun shoots a laser and Jamel Hamler makes a great catch to tie things up at 14.

    Wyoming drives down the field with time winding down in the half. Ian Watts has his 50 yard field attempt blocked to end the half.

    Quarter 3

    Fresno does a reverse that turns into a pass by WR Chastin West to find a wide open Jamel Hamler for a 43 yard touchdown. Fresno up 21-14.

    Watts kicks a 40 yard field goal on the follow drive. Fresno up 21-17.


    Here is where we'll pick up the action in the fourth quarter. Chris Lewis picks off a tipped pass by Austyn Carta-Samuels and returns it to the Wyoming 6. Two plays later Ryan Mathews grabs his second touchdown of the game and the Bulldogs now lead 28-17.

    Wyoming drives downs the field and Austyn Carta-Samuels hits Dave Leonard a short pass then Leonard takes it 12 yards up the middle for the score. Down 28-23 Coach Christensen decides to go for two and make it a three point game. ACS hits Greg Bolling for the conversion and now
    Fresno is up just 28-25.

    On the ensuing kickoff Marlon Moore has a big return and gets the ball inside the Wyoming 50. Fresno looks to be rolling until Mitch Unrein strips the ball from Ryan Mathews. The ball never hit the ground and no one seemed to notice including the referees. Unrein came up with the ball and pleaded his case but the refs said that Fresno had the ball and the first down. Right before the ball was snapped the played was finally reviewed. Without that review the game would have been over for the Cowboys. The review comes back and it's Wyoming ball at their own 26. What makes the strip by Unrein even more impressive is the fact this is first time EVER that Ryan Mathews has fumbled in his collegiate career. With over 500 rushes over three seasons Mathews had never fumbled until now. Humongous play by Senior Mitch Unrein in his final game as a Cowboy.

    "The Drive"

    With 8:08 left on the clock Wyoming is down by three and struggling to move the ball. On 4th and 2 from their own 34 Wyoming lines up to punt. P Austin McCoy rolls out to the right for rugby style punt but instead finds David Leonard on a short pass, Leonard then fights for a yard and grabs the first down. On the next set of downs Wyoming faces itself in another 4th and 2 situation, this time at their own 45. ACS finds a gap and scrambles to the left and picks up 8 yards and first down. Three plays later Wyoming finds itself with 4th and 4 and time starting to tick off the clock. David Leonard is on the ground but is able to maintain control and grab a 6 yard pass for another first down. On 3rd and 15th from the Fresno State 40 ACS is under pressure and rolls out to the right and hits Zach Bolger at the 27 and Bolger winds his way through traffic to get the ball to the 20. The Pokes have no luck in moving the ball and in comes Ian Watts. Watts the true freshman walk on lines up and hooks a 37 yard field goal just inside the right upright to tie the game at 28. Fresno just kneels the ball after the kickoff and we are headed to over time. Wyoming used 19 plays and took 7:48 off the clock to raise the blood pressure of everyone watching the dramatic drive.

    "The Stop"

    Wyoming wins the coin toss and wants the ball second. Fresno slowly works their way down towards the end zone and are looking good. Ryan Colburns busts out a 9 yard run and is stopped at the Wyoming 1. Ryan Matthews is stopped twice and then Colburn is stuffed on a QB sneak and Fresno comes up empty. Pat Hill decides to go for it instead of hitting a chip shot field goal and the move backfired. Ryan Mathews is stoned on 4th and Goal from the 1. Kudos to Wyoming's goal line D for keeping the dangerous Bulldog offense out of the end zone.

    The Pokes get the ball and try a couple of runs with ACS but basically just try and lineup Watts for the game winning field goal. Watts aka "Mr. Clutch" has come big for the Cowboys all season long and helped win the Bronze Boot which let the Cowboys become bowl eligible. Making 10/11 for the season Watts seemed like a sure thing. Watts ends up pulling a 40 yards field goal waaaay to the left and it looks like disaster for the Pokes. It would be the easiest thing in the world for the Cowboys to crumble and become defeated. Fans, players and coaches had started to rush the field in anticipation of the victory. Everyone had to go back to their spots and the fans to get back in the stands.

    2OT

    Wyoming gets the ball to start the second half. On second and 10 from the 25 ACS runs to the right then scrambles all the way back to the left with two Bulldog defenders about to drop him for a loss but attempts a forward pitch to David Leonard that is too far. On 3rd and 10 ACS is hit while looking for Greg Bolling near the endzone. Phillip Thomas is called for interference and Wyoming gets a fresh set of downs and the ball at the Fresno 10 yard line.

    Brandon Stewart gains three yards on first down but Wyoming is called for holding on the next play to move the ball back to the 18. Samuels find Bolling for a 5 yard pickup. On 3rd and 12 ACS is nearly sacked but sneaks out to his left and puts up a floating pass that finds David Leonard in the endzone. Watts makes the extra point and Wyoming leads 35-28.

    Fresno gets the ball and on 3rd and 5 Ryan Colburn can't hang onto a bad snap that goes back 15 yards. He picks up the ball at the 35 and escapes the Wyoming pressure but makes bad throw misses a wide open receiver. On 4th and 5 Colburn scrambles and is tackled but the ball comes out and a linemen recovers for the Bulldogs. Two Cowboys tackle him before and get any yards and the game is finally over.

    Wyoming wins an amazing game in which they were 10 point underdogs and nearly everyone in the nation predicted a Fresno State blowout. On the year the Cowboys know have five fourth quarter come backs and finish the season at 7-6. This is the first winning season for the Cowboys since 2004 when they also finished 7-6 and won the Las Vegas Bowl over UCLA.

    Austyn Carta-Samuels was named New Mexico Bowl MVP. For the game he finished with 201 yards passing and 3 touchdowns plus 71 more yards on the ground. Cowboy RB Alvester Alexander had 137 yards rushing on just 12 attempts. David Leonard hauled seven catches for 60 yards and two touchdowns. Leonard led the team in receptions and recieving yards this season but only had one touchdown coming into tonight's game. The Pokes put up 438 total yards with 204 passing and 234 on the ground.

    Fresno State came into the game averaging 435 yards a game this season but were held to just 366 yards by a Wyoming defense that many thought would be over matched. Ryan Mathews finished with 144 yards (7 below his average) and two touchdowns. Ryab Colburn was 13 of 19 for just 126 yards. Jamel Hamler grabbed 7 catches for 85 yards and two scores.

    The big problem for Fresno was their inability to convert on key third and fourth down situations. On 3rd downs the Bulldogs were just 2 for 10 compared to the Cowboys who were 9 of 20. Fresno converted 2 of 4 fourth downs while Wyoming was a perfect 4 for 4. The Cowboys had over a six minute advantage in time of possession.


    Team Stat Comparison

    1st Downs1926
    Total Yards366438
    Passing169204
    Rushing197234
    Penalties5-613-19
    3rd Down Conversions2-109-20
    4th Down Conversions2-44-4
    Turnovers21
    Possession26:4733:13

    VICTORY!!!!!

    Cowboys pull out overtime thriller - win 35-28 over Fresno State!

    Friday, December 18, 2009

    Less than 20 hours till kickoff


    T-Minus 21 hours and counting. All the work has been done. The tickets have been sold.


    Reall this is a win-win situation for the Cowboys. They weren't supposed to even be here. Projected to finish last in the Mountain West they finished fifth.

    Everyone is picking Fresno to roll in this bowl. Fans you have actually paid attention to the Cowboys know that this team is capable of pulling of some amazing things.

    If we lose? Well we got some extra practices, helped our recruiting and got some extra national exposure by playing on ESPN. No harm done.

    If we win? Wyoming gets even more national press and the momentum for 2010 gets even bigger.

    So the Cowboys can really do no wrong. Unless the game is a complete blowout - which it won't be with Fresno's awful defense.

    Go Pokes!

    PREDICTION:

    Wyoming -34
    Fresno - 30