Preview: Wyoming at San Diego State

Wyoming Cowboys at San Diego State
Viejas Arena
8:30PM MST
TV: The Mtn

Wyoming has lost three in a row and six of their last seven games. San Diego State is incredibly tough at home and want revenge after Jaydee Luster knocked off the the Aztecs with a last second three pointer when these teams met a month ago.

If the Cowboys are looking for their first road victory they'd better change a lot. The Pokes have watched their field goal and free throw shooting decline sharply over the last two weeks and this team is in disarray. Afam Muojeke is out for the year and third leading scorer A.J. Davis left the

team last week. Adam Waddell has been impressive in conference play but the bigman is only really getting support from freshman guard Desmar Jackson.

With one more lopsided loss the Pokes are in danger of having their points allowed average rise above their points scored. The Aztecs are tough on defense allowing only 63 points a game compared to 74 for the Cowboys.

Freshman Kawhi Leonard is making a strong case for Mountain West Freshman of the Year with his play. The 6-6 forward leads the Aztecs with 11 points a game and nearly 10 rebounds. DJ Gay, Malcolm Thomas and Billy White also average double digits per contest for the Aztecs. White missed the earlier match up between these two teams.

The Cowboys have been a headache for the Aztecs all season with come from behind victories from the football and basketball teams. We'll see if the Pokes have one more trick up their sleeves this season.

	W-L	PF	PA	HOME	ROAD	STK
WYO	9-14	74.9	74.8	9-7	0-7	L3
SDSU	16-7	71.4	63.0	10-1	6-6	L1

Cowboys come back to stun Aztecs

Wyoming used a 54 point second half to come from behind and grab their first conference victory of the season with a 85-83 victory over San Diego State. The Pokes led 9-7 early on but San Diego State was in control for a majority of the game. Wyoming (8-8, 1-1) was down 14 with 4:52 remaining but 24-8 run down the stretch gave the Cowboys their most unlikely win of the season.

Afam Muojeke stepped up big after being benched for most of the second half of Wednesday's game against Colorado State. Muojeke had a season and game high 30 points. He was perfect on all 10 free throws was 8 of 11 from the field and hit four three pointers. Jaydee Luster hit a pair of threes and Arthur Bouedo added one in the final minute to seal the victory for the Cowboys. Luster's last three with six seconds remaining was the nail in the coffin.

The Aztecs (12-4, 1-1) were without leading scorer Billy White who could miss a few games with a high ankle sprain. Kawhi Leonard stepped up big and had 25 and 12 rebounds as he continued to impress in his freshman campaign. Chase Tapley added 17 and Malcolm Thomas 14.

Wyoming scored 26 points in the second half off 15 San Diego turnovers. Wyoming managed the ball really well late with only two turnovers in the second half. The Pokes came out soft to start the game and only hit 1/3rd of their shots in the first half. Boeudo and Lester have helped the Pokes find their stroke from long range. Wyoming hit seven triples in the second half and nine overall.

Box Score

Team Stat Comparison
	SAN DIEGO STATE	WYOMING
Points	83	85
FG Made-Attempted	31-56 (.554)	27-58 (.466)
3P Made-Attempted	7-15 (.467)	9-20 (.450)
FT Made-Attempted	14-23 (.609)	22-27 (.815)
Fouls (Tech/Flagrant)	19 (0/0)	20 (0/0)
Largest Lead	17	3

AWARDS

Cowboy Joe: Welcome back Afam Muojeke. After a rough game on Wednesday on some time on the pine you stepped up big tonight. 30 points and hitting nearly every shot.

Cowboy Low: Ryan Dermody played 15 minutes but only managed two points which came on free throws. At least they came when we needed it most.

Cowboy Foe: Kawhi Leonard had a great game for the Aztecs. 25 points and 12 rebounds. Can't wait to see what he does in a couple years.

vs San Diego State Preview

Malcolm Thomas #4 is the second leading scorer for the Aztecs

San Diego State Aztecs at Wyoming Cowboys
Arena-Auditorium
4pm MST
TV: The Mtn

Wyoming looks to avoid an 0-2 start to conference play tonight when they host the Aztecs of San Diego State. That won't be an easy tasks as the Aztecs (12-3, 1-0) come into this game winners of four in a row and just knocked off #15 New Mexico on Wednesday. Wyoming has struggled all season and currently sits and only has one quality win (Northern Colorado).

SDSU has a shot at making it to the NCAA tournament this year if they can hold up in Mountain West play. Currently four players are averaging double digits in scoring this year for the Aztecs. Top scorer Billy White will miss tonight's game with a high ankle sprain. Malcolm Thomas, DJ Gay and Kawhi Leonard are expected to pick up their game. Leonard (9.5) and and Thomas (7.7) dominate the boards and prevent opponents from grabbing second chance points.

After a disappointing performance against Colorado State Wyoming needs to find some kind of spark. Perhaps that will come after Coach Schroyer benched a number of players for the second half of Wednesday's game.

“I was playing guys that were executing what it is we wanted to do,” Schroyer said.

Wyoming has not been playing as a team and often times a player will try to do too much on their own. Afam Muojeke has led the team in scoring this year but his defense and shot selection have been questioned at times.

Will we see a different Cowboy squad tonight? Hopefully. This could be an opportunity to catch the Aztecs off guard as they come off their big win over the Lobos.

San Diego State Aztecs at Wyoming Cowboys

	W-L	PF	PA	HOME	ROAD	STK
SDSU	12-3	71.1	59.9	8-0	4-3	W4
WYO	7-8	79.5	75.2	7-5	0-3	L1

Mountain West Matchups

Here are the other matchups in the Mountain West this weekend.

Air Force at #19 BYU
1:30PM MST
TV: CBS College

This is my matchup of the week in the Mountain West. Air Force boasts a stellar defense and BYU has a potent offense. The Falcons nearly knocked off TCU and forced Utah in overtime earlier this season. I say that BYU shows it weakness on defense and Air Force comes out of Provo with a win.

San Diego State at #23 Utah
2:00PM MST
TV: Versus

San Diego State was one quarter away from winning their fifth game of the season before the Cowboys went on a tear. Now they must defeat Utah and UNLV on the road if they want to earn a bowl bid. Utah is looking to redeem themselves after getting by TCU last week. I'd love for the Aztecs to get the win but it probably won't happen.

Colorado State at New Mexico
4:00PM MST
TV: The Mtn

Not much reason to watch this one unless you like watching bad teams. New Mexico is winless but have been showing signs of life in recent games. CSU is coming off a bye week and hasn't won in two months. Hopefully the Rams won't win and get hot just in time for the Border War.

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.

San Diego State Preview

This is a make or break game for both teams this weekend. The Cowboys and Aztecs come into the game with identical 4-5 records (2-3 in the MWC). Both teams are looking for two more wins with only three games remaining. Bowl hopes rest on a victory this weekend.

Wyoming's last three games:

@ San Diego State
#4 TCU
@ Colorado State

San Diego State's last three games:

Wyoming
@ #16 Utah
@UNLV

Both teams will be major underdogs in two weeks when they face TCU and Utah respectively. While both teams should be favored in their season finale. That means a victory on Saturday is key to getting that 6th win at the end of the season to ensure bowl eligibility.

After last weeks 52-0 blowout by BYU some Cowboy fans thought the season was over and the Cowboys didn't deserve a bowl game. One game doesn't make a season and the quest for a bowl game is not over for the Cowboys.

San Diego

The Aztecs feature a potent passing attack that is operated by QB Ryan Lindley. Star WR Vincent Brown is out for the year but teammate DeMarco Sampson has stepped for the Aztecs with 50 catches for 676 yards and 8 td's.

The Aztecs running game is fairly weak which allow the Cowboy defense to just focus on stopping the air game. Hopefully they can do a better job against the Aztecs then they did against Max Hall and the BYU Cougars last week.

Wyoming leads the overall series 16-14 and won last year 35-10.

Prediction: Wyoming 28 - SDSU 24

Yes the Cowboys have lost three in a row and last week was ugly but they were outmatched and underdogs in all three games. This game is winnable and if they take care of the ball they should be able to get win #5.

Mountain West Mondays

Recapping all the Mountain West Action over the weekend.

TCU @ BYU

This was the game of the week in College Football. It was a great game unless you are a BYU fan. The Horned Frogs jumped out a 21-0 lead and never looked back. The only bad news is that TCU beat BYU so bad in the 38-7 win that it knocked the Cougars out of the Top 25 rankings. The win vaulted the Froggies to #6 in the BCS standings.

Box Score


San Diego State @ CSU

A tale of two halves here. CSU looked like they finally going to a win and break their four game losing streak when they were up 21-7 heading into the half. Ryan Lindley and the Aztecs took to the air for 459 yards and six touchdowns as they roared back with 35 points in the second half to end up winning 42-28. A promising start to the season has been derailed for Rams.

Box Score


Air Force @ Utah

Past games have been very close and this game didn't disappoint. The Utes had problems all game long with 6 fumbles but only losing two. The Falcons forced a 16-16 tie with a 48 yard field goal that sent the game into overtime. Utah ran for a TD in their first possession of OT then the defense stepped up and smothered the Falcons on a 4th and 2 to earn a hard fought 23-16 victory.

Box Score


UNLV @ New Mexico

It really doesn't matter who coaches the Lobos - it is the same result. The Lobos are now 0-7 following the 34-17 loss to the Rebels. You never know what will happen but chances are pretty good now that New Mexico will finish with an 0-12 record this season.

Box Score

Great MWC Matchups this Weekend!

While the Pokes have the weekend off you can tune in and scout the competition. You can preview the Cowboys upcoming opponents for the rest of the season by watching just three games this Saturday.

Game of the Week

#10 TCU @ #16 BYU
5:30pm MST
TV: Versus

ESPN College Game Day is making big news by coming to Provo. This is only the third time the GD crew has been in attendance for a game hosted by a Mountain West team. The fact that ESPN can't even broadcast the game makes it even more impressive. Best game in College Football this weekend.

TCU has their BCS dreams on the line. A loss here will sink the Horned Frogs and the MWC. The Cougars are looking to return the favor at TCU ruined their season last year.

Prediction: TCU 27 - BYU21


Air Force @ #19 Utah
2:00pm MST
TV: Versus

Air Force has one of the top defenses in the nation. Will they be able to stop the Utes and their powerful offense? Utah will become the third MWC team to become bowl eligible with a victory. These games have been close every year and don't expect anything to change.

Prediction: Utah 17 - Air Force 10


San Diego State @ Colorado State
2:00PM MST
TV: The Mtn

The Cowboys better study this game and figure out a way they can beat the Aztecs and Rams if they want to play in a bowl game this year. CSU has lost 4 in a row and is win less in the Mountain West this year. The second half of their schedule is much easier now and they need this victory at home.

Prediction: CSU 31 - SDSU 21


UNLV @ New Mexico
6:00PM MST
TV: The Mtn

This game is all about pride. If New Mexico wants to try and get a win this season this is their best chance. UNLV need this win to try and stay with the middle tier of teams in the Mountain West.

Prediction: UNLV 37 - New Mexico 17

Making the Rounds - 10/21/09

Making the Rounds: New from around the Mountain West Conference.

As seen on Mountain West Connection.

Air Force: The Falcons want to add some balance to their offense.

BYU: The Cougars still have the loss to TCU from last year on their mind.

Colorado State: The Rams can relate to the Aztecs state.

New Mexico: Greg Barlow will be handling coaching duties for the Lobos this weekend.

San Diego State: The basketball arena has a new name and a new scoreboard.

TCU: The Horned Frogs have a new Athletic Director.

UNLV: The Rebels want to try something different in the red zone. Scoring.

Utah: The student group support MUSS keeps growing at Ute games.

Wyoming: The Cowboys and Cowgirls are getting ready for the start of basketball season.

Mountain West Standings - 10/18/2009

Mountain West Conference Standings
(updated 10.18.2009 at 12:26 AM PDT)

Overall - W L

TCU Horned Frogs 6 - 0 * #8
BYU Cougars 6 - 1 * #16
Utah Utes 5 - 1 #18
Air Force Falcons 4 - 3
Wyoming Cowboys 4 - 3
Colorado St. Rams 3 - 4
San Diego St. Aztecs 2 - 4
UNLV Rebels 2 - 5
New Mexico Lobos 0 - 6

Conference - W - L

BYU Cougars 3 - 0 *
TCU Horned Frogs 2 - 0*
Utah Utes 2 - 0
Air Force Falcons 3 - 1
Wyoming Cowboys 2 - 1
San Diego St. Aztecs 0 - 2
New Mexico Lobos 0 - 2
Colorado St. Rams 0 - 3
UNLV Rebels 0 - 3

* = Bowl Eligibile
# = BCS Ranking

Mountain West Mondays

Mountain West Mondays

Welcome to the first installment of Mountain West Mondays. We will use this section to get you caught up from news all around the Conference.

So all of the news on Monday will relate to the other nine teams in the Mountain West.


Wyoming at Air Force
Air Force shutouts Wyoming at home 10-0. Defensive battle for both teams. The Falcons solidfy themselves as the #4 team in the Mountain West.


Box Score


Colorado State at TCU
TCU shows what their offense can do when the field isn't covered in snow and it's 15 degrees out. The Horned Frogs are now bowl eligible and still undefeated this season. TCU 44 - CSU 3.

Box Score


BYU at San Diego State
The Aztecs came out and surprised the Cougars with their tough play. This one had the possiblity of being a huge upset before BYU settled down and won their sixth game of the season. The Cougars are also bowl eligibile. BYU 38- SDSU - 28.

Box Score

Utah at UNLV
Amazing stat: both teams totaled 327 total yards on offense. Bad news is that the Utes put 35 points to the Rebels 15. This game was essentially over in the first half.

Box Score


New Mexico
The good news is that Lobos achived something they haven't all season: they didn't lose. Unfortunately they had to wait for their bye week to accomplish this feat. When they do face UNLV this weekend they be without head coach Mike Locksley who can been suspended without pay for 10 games for punching WR Coach J.B. Gerald.

Locksley says he used "poor judgement". Really? I guess he was just trying to take after Tom Cable.


MWC RECAP VIDEO