In a dramatic finish at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium, the Wyoming Cowboys preserved a 41‑35 victory over the UNLV Rebels on Saturday night. With just 50 seconds left, safety Tyson Shamsid‑Deen, who was playing with a cast on his injured hand, intercepted a pass in the end zone to seal the win.
Key moments and player performances
Head coach Jay Sawvel praised the effort, saying, “We made a great play in the end zone. A guy with a cast made two interceptions today. We had some things go against us a little bit, but we gutted through it.” The Cowboys (6‑3, 5‑1 MW) remain the sole occupants of second place in the Mountain West standings and are bowl eligible for the first time since the 2023 season.
After the game‑saving turnover, running back Markell Holman broke through multiple tacklers for a 49‑yard rush, and Samuel “Tote” Harris added a 22‑yard run, allowing Wyoming to run out the clock in victory formation.
Wyoming’s offense tallied 485 total yards, including a dominant 353 yards on the ground. Starting quarterback Tyler Hughes threw for 107 yards and a touchdown before exiting in the second half with an arm injury. He finished 5‑for‑9 passing and added 71 rushing yards.
Defensive highlights
Defensive lineman Ethan Stuhlsatz led the Pokes with 10 tackles, 3.0 sacks, a quarterback hit and a forced fumble. He also stopped UNLV’s leading rusher Jai’Den Thomas on a crucial fourth‑and‑1 at midfield, preserving a key turnover.
UNLV’s backup quarterback Alex Orji sparked a late third‑quarter rally, completing a 46‑yard pass to Tavian McNair and rushing for a two‑yard touchdown to narrow the gap to 41‑28 with 22 seconds left in the period. The Rebels later cut the lead to 41‑35 after Thomas finished a 10‑play drive with an 11‑yard touchdown run, but the Cowboys held firm.
Statistical snapshot
- Wyoming: 485 total yards (353 rushing), 6‑3 overall, 5‑1 Mountain West
- UNLV: 308 total yards, 5‑4 overall, 3‑2 Mountain West
- Time of possession: Wyoming 21:01, UNLV 13:59
- Turnovers: Wyoming 2, UNLV 1
Wyoming’s defense limited UNLV starter Jackson Arnold to 83 passing yards, while Orji managed 58 yards through the air before his costly mistake.
Looking ahead
The Cowboys will travel to UTEP next Saturday before hosting No. 22 New Mexico in a potential high‑stakes Mountain West regular‑season finale on Nov. 20 at War Memorial Stadium. Sawvel expressed confidence in his squad, stating, “I’m so proud of this team, proud of this group for how they fight day in, day out. When you talk about Wyoming and talk about Wyoming grit, I think that was in play with this team tonight.”
Original reporting: K2 Radio (Casper) — read the source article.
