FRESNO, Calif. — Wyoming never established any offensive rhythm during a 24–3 loss to Fresno State on a cold, rain-soaked Saturday night at Valley Children’s Stadium.
Running back Samuel “Tote” Harris provided Wyoming’s lone spark, rushing for 96 yards on 12 carries. His performance pushed him over the 500-yard mark for the season after entering the game with 450. The passing game, however, never settled in. Starting quarterback Kaden Anderson went 6-for-23 for 64 yards, and true freshman Mason Drube of Gillette completed 2 of 5 passes for 13 yards in his collegiate debut.
The Cowboys (4–6, 2–4 Mountain West) finished with 184 total yards, including just 77 through the air. Wide receiver Chris Durr Jr. provided one of the few explosive plays with a 40-yard reception in the first quarter—his 11th chunk play of the season—while tight end John Michael Gyllenborg added five receptions for 36 yards.
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“We didn’t give ourselves a real good chance tonight. We made too many mistakes in critical situations,” Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel said. “We’ve got to coach better and that’s the bottom line to it.”
Fresno State (7–3, 4–2) controlled the game from a possession standpoint, holding the ball for 45:03, compared to just 14:57 for Wyoming. The Bulldogs leaned heavily on their ground attack, finishing with 216 rushing yards. Their dominance showed most clearly on a 16-play third-quarter drive that drained more than eight minutes, although UW’s defense held firm and forced a missed 27-yard field goal to keep the score 10–3.
Wyoming nearly seized momentum moments later when Harris ripped off runs of 8 and 29 yards, but Anderson’s deep-shot interception ended the drive. Fresno State immediately capitalized, as Johnathan Arcenaux broke loose for a 58-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 17–3. The Bulldogs added a 13-yard touchdown pass in the final minutes.
Despite the loss, Wyoming’s defense produced several standout efforts. Linebackers Evan Eller and Brayden Johnson each recorded nine tackles, and Eller added a tackle for loss. Eller entered the night with 286 career stops and is now just five tackles away from 300. Safety Jones Thomas posted a career-high nine tackles, surpassing his previous best of eight against UNLV.
The defensive front also contributed big moments. Esaia Bogar recorded the first sack of his career in the opening quarter, and defensive tackle Ben Florentine added a tackle for loss on a fourth-down stop in the second quarter, giving him a team-leading seven TFLs this season.
Wyoming trailed 10–3 at halftime after the teams traded nine punts in a defensive first half. The Cowboys got on the board midway through the first quarter with a 41-yard field goal from Erik Sandvik, his sixth career make.
The loss dropped Wyoming to 6–10 all-time against Fresno State and 1–7 in Fresno, where the teams met for the 16th time.
The Cowboys return home next week for their final appearance at War Memorial Stadium this season, hosting Nevada on Saturday at noon.