Cowboys leave their game at home. Lose by 28 to UNLV.

UNLV put together a solid first half and then an even better second half to win easy in Laramie tonight by 28 points. The Rebels improved to 18-4 overall and 6-2 in conference play with the 78-50 victory. After trailing 3-2 early in the game the Rebels buckled down and dominated Wyoming the rest of the way.

Matt Shaw led the Rebs with 16 points despite coming off the bench and only seeing 20 minutes of floor time. Tre'Von Willis and Chase Stanback also scored in double digits for the Rebels who have won four in a row and six of their last seven. On Saturday they will host BYU who won the first meeting of these two teams 77-73 on January 6th.

Nearly ever play had a nice night shooting for UNLV as they shot 53% as a team and hit eight three pointers. Wyoming never got anything going as they were a dismal 14 for 49 from field for a 28% average. The Pokes (9-13, 2-6) were out-rebounded 34-41on their home court.

After beating Utah last week the Pokes have lost two in a row and appear to be sinking fast after tonight's performance. Ryan Dermody was the only Poke to have much going tonight as he led the team with 12 points and hit four treys. Desmar Jackson had 11 points and was the only other Cowboy to hit a three pointer. Wyoming was 5 for 19 from behind arc. Adam Waddell returned to the lineup after a one game absence but was ineffective with 3 points and one rebound in 21 minutes.

The Cowboys head to Fort Collins on Saturday for a rematch with the CSU Rams who have been playing great lately. With the Pokes road woes don't expect this one to be a close one.

AWARDS

Cowboy Joe: Ryan Dermody had his best game in a long time. Way to go Mr Senior!

Cowboy Low: JayDee Luster was 0-8 from the field... ouch. Had five points on free throws. Did not step up and the lead offense tonight.

Cowboy Foe: Chase Stanback had 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks.

Preview: UNLV Rebels at Wyoming Cowboys

UNLV Rebels at Wyoming Cowboys
Laramie, Wyoming
8PM MST
TV: The Mtn

The good news for the Cowboys is that they play at home so they at least have a chance of winning. The bad news is that a talented UNLV squad is coming to town in hopes of building their resume for the post season. The Rebels (17-4, 5-2) are winners of three in a row and are trying to keep pace with the New Mexico Lobos and BYU Cougars atop the Mountain West.

The Cowboys have suffered many bad losses this season but their most recent could take the cake. Losing to an Air Force squad that is young and had lost 20+ Mountain West game in a row takes this season to a new low. Wyoming was missing big man Adam Waddell but should have been able to compete better with the Falcons no matter what.

Desmar Jackson has been lights out for the Pokes ever since Afam Muojeke was lost for the season. Jackson had scored 21 points in each of the last two games to lead the scoring effort, his energy and hustle is exciting. Hopefully his example will rub off on some of his teammates.

Tre'Von Willis leads the Rebels with 17 points a game and his hitting 48% of his shots. After that the Rebels can hurt a number of ways. Chance Stanback is averaging 10 points and 5 boards a game. Oscar Bellfield, Kendall Wallace, Derrick Jasper and Matt Shaw can step up any night and all average 6+ points a game. UNLV has been impressive on the road this year with a 7-1 mark on the road. The Rebels average just one point less on offense than Wyoming but their defense is superior by allowing 65 points compared to 74 for the Pokes.

Last season the teams split the series with home team winning both times. If Adam Waddell is able to go on Wednesday that will help a ton. Otherwise this one could pretty lopsided in the Rebels favor.

	W-L	PF	PA	HOME	ROAD	STK
UNLV	17-4	75.3	65.7	9-2	7-1	W3
WYO	9-12	76.6	74.4	9-6	0-6	L1

Former Wyoming commit lands at UNLV

Desmond Tautofi (6'4 275) DT/DE verbally commited to Wyoming long ago but was taken off of the Rivals.com commit list last Fall. Rumours had him staying in his native Hawaii to play for the Warriors. Turns out that Tautofi had actually moved to Las Vegas to play for Centennial High School where his brother is a coach. Unfortunately for Tautofi he was declared ineligible by the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association and never saw the field.

The most likely reason he was ineligible was academics but it never states in this article from the Las Vegas Sun. Now ineligible Cal, Oregon State, Washington and Wyoming all pulled their scholarship offers. Only the Rebels kept their offer on the table.

D Line is a huge need for Wyoming to fill this recruiting year and Tautofi could have been a great addition. But his ineligibility is a cause for concern. If he didn't have the grades to get accepted to Laramie or would have been unable to handle the academic work load that would have been a wasted scholarship.

Hopefully this one doesn't bite the Cowboys later on. UNLV only had one recruit stay over when Bobby Hauck took over but he has done a nice job in bringing in the local talent.

UNLV fires Mike Sanford

The UNLV Rebels finally fired Coach Mike Sanford today after five losing seasons. He will be allowed to coach the final regular season game against San Diego State.

Sanford has compiled a 15-43 record during his time with UNLV.

ESPN Game Day heads to TCU

#4 TCU hosts #16 Utah this Saturday and ESPN College Game Day will be there for the ride. Well they will be there before the game (game is actually shown on CBS College). This is the third time this season (and second time in a row) that ESPN has followed a been to a Mountain West game. This ties them with the Big 12 for most appearances this season.

TCU needs to win by a decent margin if they hope to keep their BCS buster hopes alive. An impressive win followed by some key losses by other teams may be enough to get the Horned Frogs in the title game. That is a very slim chance but you never know what will happen in college football.

Game time is at 5:30pm MST.

Other Mountain West matchups this weekend:

#22 BYU heads to winless New Mexico.

Hopefully BYU will blow out the Lobos in a similar fashion to the win over the Cowboys last weekend. The Lobos have been playing better as of late but this one shouldn't be close. Max Hall should have a field day throwing against the New Mexico Secondary.

Noon MST

TV: The Mtn

UNLV heads to Air Force

The Rebels still have a bowl berth possibility but by only the thinnest of margins. The Rebels (4-6) need to upset the Falcons (6-4) at home this week and then beat San Diego State in their final regular season game on November 28th. The Falcons have a stingy defense and will give UNLV problems. The triple option of AF should enjoy working against the Rebels 111th ranked run defense.

4:00 PM MST

TV: The Mtn

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