Dream season for ACS

Great article from Bob Hammond at the Laramie Boomerang. Austyn Carta-Samuels is back home for the holidays and got to hang out with his family and high school teammates. His prep RB at Bellarmine Prep Usua Amanan is at Stanford now but they two made quite the duo in their Senior years.

The entire season was a dream for ACS as he went on to be named Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year and then earned Most Outstanding Offensive Player in the New Mexico Bowl.

Read the full article here.

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.

Preview: New Mexico Bowl

New Mexico Bowl
Saturday, December 19th, 2009
2:30 PM MST
TV: ESPN

College Bowl season kicks off on Saturday and it all begins in Albuquerque with the New Mexico Bowl. This is the fifth edition of this bowl that features a WAC-MWC match up. This year the Fresno State Bulldogs take on the Wyoming Cowboys. This will be the second consecutive appearance for the Bulldogs (8-4) in the Land of Enchantment. Meanwhile the Cowboys (6-6) have exceeded expectations all year long under new head coach Dave Christensen and a youthful roster.

The media has written this bowl off but there are several reasons to tune in on Saturday.

- Ryan Mathews of the Bulldogs leads the nation with 151 yards rushing per game. This could be your final chance to see him as he may bolt for the NFL after Saturday.

- Wyoming is led by true freshman and dual threat qB Austyn Carta-Samuels. ACS has led the Pokes to four fourth quarter comebacks this year including a 24 point comeback over San Diego State.

- Fresno features the nations 14th rated offense averaging 34 points a game. Their defense has struggled this year and this could turn into a high scoring affair. Wyoming averages just 17 points a game but has averaged nearly 29 points in their victories. The Cowboys have not lost when scoring more than 11 points this year.

These two teams have met six times before with the home team winning each time. The Bulldogs are favored by 10-13 points but are 0-4 versus Mountain West teams in bowl games including a loss to 6-6 Colorado State in last years New Mexico Bowl.

Fresno Coach Pat Hill was rumored to be on his way out but just had contract extended this week. Coach Christensen is making his appearance in a bowl game as a head coach but has a 5-2 record as an assistant and has this will be his fifth straight year with a bowl game.

Players to watch:

Fresno State

QB Ryan Colburn - 2333 yards passing and 18 touchdowns.

RB Ryan Mathews -1664 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns.

WR Seyi Ajirotutu - 671 yards and 7 touchdowns.

Wyoming

QB Austyn Carta-Samuels -1752 yards passing and 295 rushing yards plus 10 total touchdowns.

WR David Leonard - 70 receptions for 645 yards.

RB Alvester Alexander - 503 yards rushing and six touchdowns.

ACS Radio Interview

Austyn Carta-Samuels was a guest yesterday on KFBC AM 1240 in Cheyenne. Check out the full interview here.

There is an interview with Coach Christensen from Monday with the same station.

In other New Mexico Bowl news both coaches kept their kiddie gloves on and praised each other at a pre bowl luncheon in Albuquerque. Fresno Coach Pat Hill refuted comments that the Cowboys were not a quality opponent.

Fresno - Wyoming Stat Comparison

Here is a quick look at the statistical comparison between the Cowboys and Bulldogs. Fresno obviously has an impressive offense. The key for the Cowboys will be limiting their mistakes on penalties and making the most of the Bulldog turnovers.

If Wyoming can keep use their run game to control the clock and keep Fresno off the field then they have a shot at pulling out a victory. The Bulldogs hope to make this game a shootout and they will win if that happens.

Austyn Carta-Samuels shouldn't be under much pressure since Fresno ranked dead last in sacks this year. That extra time should help him find an open reciever or bust out a long run.

Category	Wyoming	Fresno State
Scoring Offense (PPG)	16.9	34.3
Rushing Offense (Yards)	128.0	231.58
Passing Offense (Yards)	107.7	204.8
Total Offense (Yards)	298.7	435.9
Turnover Margin (season)	+7	-9
Penalties (Yards per G)	61.7	37.8
3rd Down Conversions	33.87	45.73
Red Zone Conversions	74.19%	81.63%
Time of Possession	28:22	32:19
Total Defense (Yards)	394.3	411.7
Opponent 3rd Down Conv.	40.24	39.04
Sacks (Per Game)	20	9

Danny Spond to visit UW on December 11th

Thanks to the huge mess that Dan Hawkins has created at Colorado the Pokes might have a chance to pick up a big time recruit. QB/LB Danny Spond has opened up his recruiting after deciding that Boulder is in a downward spiral.

On December 11th Spond will head up to Laramie to meet with the Coaches and checkout the facilities on campus. Listed at 6'3 233 Spond has the size and speed to be an impact player for the Cowboys right away. A bruising runner Spond never stops moving his feet and powers through tacklers. Could stay at QB or move to MLB.

According to his Scout profile Spond has interest with Arizona State, Colorado, Duke, Stanford and Wyoming. Every school except the Sun Devils have offered. While Scout has him listed as three star LB, Rivals has Spond listed as a four star QB.

A couple things that work in the Cowboys favor here. First off he has already shown interest in staying near the Front Range by committing to Colorado. Wyoming would be the next closest option to his family. Also Spond has already said that he is a fan of the spread offense run by the Cowboys. The opportunity to play early could hopefully put UW on the top of his list.

The only negative about Spond is that he suffered a major concussion in a game on October 18th where he was in and out of consciousness for two hours. Hopefully he is fully recovered as it seems like it was a pretty scary event.

ESPN video of Danny Spond.

Anyone else think that Spond looks eerily similar to Austyn Carta-Samuels?

Mountain West announces Individual Awards and Honors

Austyn Carta-Samuels named Mountain West Freshman of the Year. TCU sweeps the rest of the individual awards. ACS was named Player of the Week and certainly deserves this honor.

2009 Stats - Austyn Carta-Samuels

1,752 passing yards 7 touchdowns

295 rushing yards 3 touchdowns

30 recieving yards 1 touchdown

5-4 record as a starter.

Full release from the Mountain West Conference.

Carta-Samuels and Watts named POW

Freshmen Austyn Carta-Samuels and Ian Watts of the Wyoming Cowboys earned Player of the Week honors for their performances against San Diego State.

This is the third such honor for Carta-Samuels and second for Watts this year.

Full release from the MWC.

Cowboys pull out a thriller in San Diego

Down 27-6 heading into the fourth quarter it looked like the Wyoming Cowboys dreams of a bowl berth were fading faster then the seconds counting down on the clock.

But suddenly things started to click for a team that had managed only 16 points in the last 15 quarters. QB Austyn Carta-Samuels scored on a 10 yard run on the second play in the fourth quarter to make the score 27-13 in favor of the Aztecs. The Cowboys stopped the Aztecs and got the ball back on their own 27. After working down the field and into Aztec territory Alvester Alexander busted a 33 yard touchdown run to make the score 27-20 with ten and a half minutes remaining in the game.

San Diego State got the ball back and put together a 11 play 5:29 long drive that stalled on the Wyoming nine yard line. A 28 yard field goal attempt by Lane Yoshida was blocked and recovered by Tashaun Gipson of the Cowboys and returned to the Wyoming 38. The Pokes put together a solid drive highlighted by long runs by Alvester Alexander and Brandon Stewart. Austyn Carta-Samulels found freshman TE David Tooley for a 9 yard TD pass and tied the game at 27-27 with 2 minutes and 3 seconds remaining.

The Cowboys kicked a pooch kick on the ensuing kickoff that was fumbled by the Aztecs and recovered for Wyoming by Kenny Browder at the San Diego 44 yard line. Slowly the Cowboys crept down the field before Ian Watts kicked a 43 yard field goal with 23 seconds remaining to give the Cowboys an improbable 24 point come back and 30-27 victory.

With the victory the Cowboys improved to 5-5 (3-3 Mountain West) and kept their bowl chances alive. The Cowboys will now need to win one more of their remaining games: 11/21 vs TCU or 11/27 @ CSU to secure a bowl game.

San Diego State (4-6,2-4 MWC) was in control most of the game and looked they were cruising towards a victory with their 27-6 lead after three quarters. The Aztecs will have to beat Utah on the road next week and UNLV in Vegas if they want a shot at a bowl game. Buzz had been building the last couple weeks as the Aztecs had won some big games in the middle of the season over Colorado State and New Mexico that gave them hopes of playing in December.

QB Ryan Lindley didn't have the offense humming for the Aztecs like he usually does and finished 18 for 29 for just 200 yards and no touchdowns. The Aztecs did have one of their best performances on the ground this season as Brandon Sullivan rushed 18 times for 105 yards and two TD's in the first half.

The Cowboys had a rather balanced offense that put up 446 total yards compared to 357 for the Aztecs. Austyn Carta-Samuels went 16 of 22 for 246 yards passing plus 51 yards rushing. He also had one touchdown passing and one rushing.

The rushing attack for the Cowboys was impressive as they put up 200 yards on ground. They were led by Brandon Stewart with 76 yards and Alvester Alexander with 72. Alexander also had a 56 yard reception.

Dave Tooley had his best game of the season as he finished with 4 catches for 70 yards and the game tying touchdown.

The Cowboys won because they played their best in the fourth quarter and made some big plays on special teams. The Aztecs let this one slip away and their bowl chances probably went with it.

Cowboy of the Game: Special Teams/Ian Watts

Made some big plays when we needed it the most. No way this win would have happened without them. Watts had three key field goals including the game winner.

Poor Poke: Adam Berry and Cory Orth who left the program this week and missed out on this big win. Good luck to both players in the future.

Preview: BYU at Wyoming

#25 BYU at Wyoming
12pm MST
TV: The Mtn


Series history: BYU leads 42-30-3

Last year: BYU shutouts Wyoming 44-0 in Provo. Ugly performance by the Cowboys as they gave little challenge to the Cougars.

Point Spread: BYU by 13

There is no love lost between these two teams and don't expect anything to change soon. The Cowboys fans certainly don't make the Cougars feel very welcome when they come to Laramie. That hasn't stopped the Cougars from dominating this series lately. The Cowboys haven't beaten the Cougars since a 13-10 home victory on October 18, 2003.

Wyoming: For the second game in a row the Cowboys (4-4, 2-2) blew a victory with a weak second half performance. Wyoming led Utah 10-3 at halftime but gave up 19 unanswered points and took the loss. The offense which was cruising during the beginning of October has only scored 10 points in the last eight quarters. The Cowboy defense has been doing a good job of containing their opponents but is now longer getting any turnovers like earlier in the season.

QB Austyn Carta-Samuels has been effective for the Pokes but no one has else stepped this season and shown they can be a be a big time play maker and take some of the load off. WR David Leonard is having a great season with 52 receptions but is averaging only 8.7 yards per catch.

BYU: With the bye week the Cougars (6-2, 3-1) are rested and hopefully can forget the 38-7 loss to TCU off their minds. Thanks to the some losses by other teams the Cougars moved back in to the rankings and now sit at #25.

Senior QB Max Hall has led the offense for three seasons has completed 170 passes for 2231 yards so far this season. His favorite target has been Dennis Pitta with 38 catches for 533 yards. The Cougars also will have WR McKay Robinson back on their roster this weekend as he returns from a hamstring injury. Robinson is the only real deep threat on the team and can really open up the field for the Cougars.

Harvey Unga brings a power running game is the leading rusher in the Mountain West and is averaging just a tick under 100 yards per game. Unga has found the endzone 10 times already this season.

Why Wyoming will win: The Cowboys are 3-1 at home with their only coming against #2 Texas. The weather will good and the Cowboys will be playing in front of a home crowd for the first time in nearly a month. Max Hall has thrown 11 interceptions so far this and by taking advantage of those mistakes the Cowboys can really throw a wrench into the Cougars season.

Why BYU will win: The high powered Cougar offense will just be too much the young Cowboy team. The Cougars are rested and want to blow out Wyoming just like TCU did to them two weeks ago.

Prediction: Upset special here the Cowboys pull a few surprises and earn a victory in front of the home crowd: 28-24.

Cowboys shutout in the second half

The Wyoming offense ground to a halt in the second half and the Utes scored 19 unanswered points in the second half to win 22-10 on Saturday. Freshman Jordan Wynn started the second half and provided the spark the Utah offense needed to come from behind to win.

Utah RB Eddie Wide was impressive on the ground with 125 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. The Utes had two field goals in the third quarter to bring the score to 10-9. Wynn's 22 yard TD pass to Jereme Brooks was the first of his career and gave the Utes their first lead of the game in fourth quarter. Wide scored his TD with 92 seconds remaining in the game after Wyoming turned the ball over on downs deep in their own territory.

The Cowboys offensive line was stellar in the first half and gave Carta-Samuels plenty of time to throw the ball.
During the second half A-CS never looked comfortable as the Utah defense stepped up their pressure and sacked him a number of times. Several times he had to throw the ball away to avoid being sacked in the second hafl.

The Cowboys did have one shot to win the game as they were down by 1 and were driving with four minutes left. Robert Benjamin who was recently converted to WR had a pass go through his fingers which was then intercepted by Utah.

Wyoming drops to 4-4 on the year and 2-2 in the Mountain West. Next weekend the Cowboys return home to face off against the BYU Cougars.

(note: I wanted to post this update after the game last night but I developed a terrible headache and had to go to bed early)

Wyoming vs Utah Preview

Wyoming (4-3) at Utah (6-1).
6PM MST
TV: The Mtn

Series history: Utah leads 49-31-1


Last year: Utah routed the Cowboys 40-7 in a gusty day in Laramie. The Utes scored more points on special teams than the Cowboys did on offense. Wyoming had five turnovers in a typical Joe Glenn era performance.

Point Spread: Utah by 17

Since this game is being played on Halloween night the University marketing department decided that this game should be a second annual blackout. Apparently a "blackout" is where the players wear black uniforms, the fans wear black clothes and only let in.. oh never mind. I'm sure they let all the fans with a ticket in the game.

These teams really don't like each other especially since the 2007 game at Utah. Here is a condensed version of those events:

Joe Glenn : I guarantee a victory against Utah this weekend

Whittingham: That hurts our feelings. You must respect us.

Whittingham: Up 43-0 we will go for an onside kick in the 3rd quarter.

Joe Glenn: You guys are jerks. I salute you.


Wyoming: Coming off the bye week the Pokes are rested but still motivated by their 10-0 loss at Air Force two weeks ago. They've had plenty of time to look at tape of Utah and get a game plan together. Injuries weren't a major concern before but everyone is healthy now. Coach Christensen took the blame for not having team ready two weeks ago, they should be ready for this weekend. Austyn Carta-Samuels needs to bounce back after his first poor showing as a Cowboy.

Utah: Had to work really hard to escape with a OT victory over Air Force last weekend. Their offense has been sputtering recently and the fans are getting nervous. If Terrance Cain can settle down and Eddie Wide is able to handle the full time running back duties the Utes should be fine.

Why Wyoming will win: This is a new Cowboys program and not the one that has been embarrassed the last two years. The Utes are good but they aren't the same team that won the Sugar Bowl last year. Wyoming has had two weeks to get their players ready for this game: they are healthy and focused.

Why Utah will win: Talent. The Utes are a deep and talented team and even if they aren't firing on all cylinders they can still manage a victory against the Cowboys. Wyoming hasn't scored a point in the State of Utah since 2006.

Prediction: Utah gets back on track with a 34-21 victory.

Falcons shutout the Cowboys

Falcons shutdown Cowboys

It took nearly 45 minutes for the Air Force Falcons (4-3, 3-1 Mountain West) were able to get on the board in a 10-0 victory over the Wyoming Cowboys (4-3,2-1) at home. Erik Soderberg kicked a 29 yard field goal with 37 seconds remaining in the third quarter to give the Falcons a 3-0 lead in a sloppy game by both teams. Four minutes later Jared Tew ran it in from 17 yards out to conclude the scoring for the Falcons and the game. The Falcons have now won four straight over the Cowboys.

Neither team had much luck moving the ball as tough defense and penalties bogged down drives all game long. Wyoming was flagged 10 times for 71 yards while Air Force was penalized 13 times for 125 yards.

Tim Jefferson got the start at QB for the Falcons but was mostly innefective. Coach Troy Calhoun put in Connor Dietz for the second half and was able to get the Falcons in rhythm and grab the victory. Calhoun had been mum all week on who would start at QB for the Falcons.

Jared Tew lead the Falcons with 27 carries for 105 yards. Air Force totaled 269 yards for the game with only two coming through the air. The Falcons defense held the Pokes to 174 yards for the game.

Wyoming was never able to break inside the Falcons 30 yard line. Their only scoring threat came on a 47 yard field goal that was blocked with time expiring at the end of the first half. QB Austyn Carta-Samuels was 14/31 for only 76 yards and one interception. David Leonard continued to be one of the top targets as he grabbed a team leading seven receptions for 36 yards.

The Cowboys defense held Air Force offense in check for most the game. Brian Hendricks finished with 23 tackles and John Fletcher added two sacks.

Air Force had two other chances to score but failed on 4th and Goal situations in both halves.

Air Force travels to Utah next week while Wyoming has the week off.

Austyn at Air Force?

AUSTYN AT THE ACADEMY?

Great article by Irv Moss from the Denver Post covering freshman phenom Austyn Carta-Samuels. He was very close to choosing the Air Force Academy over Wyoming.

Luckily he made the wise choice and is in Laramie.


Frosh QB better fit at Wyoming