The Wyoming Cowboys made the trip to Akron, Ohio to kick off their 2025 campaign, securing a 10-0 victory in a hard fought defensive battle, scoring a TD late to lift them over the Zips.
From the get go, the Pokes offense came out aggressively, converting a 4th down in their own territory on the first series of the game. It looked like the game could shape up to be an offensive shootout. This theory was put to rest as the first half wore on however, with 8 straight punts or turnover on downs by both teams.
It wasn’t till the 5:20 mark of the second quarter that Wyoming finally broke the silence, chipping in a short field goal that was set up by a huge 49-yard Chris Durr reception. After Akron failed to fire back with points of their own following a missed field goal, Wyoming took their slim lead into the locker room.
The first half was a constant back and forth between the offenses, with neither team being able to truly break down the opposing defense. Unfortunately for fans of fast paced and high scoring football, this trend continued after the intermission.
An interception of Kaden Anderson in Wyoming territory late in the third gave the Zips their first chance at leveling the score, and they quickly found themselves in the redzone, poised to strike. With the Pokes on their heels, linebacker Brayden Johnson rose to the occasion to snag a Ben Finley toss in the endzone and neutralize the biggest Zips threat of the night.
The game settled back into its typical pace heading into the fourth. It was then that Anderson unleashed a bomb to Jackson Holman that took Wyoming into Zips territory, and just two plays later, Chris Durr used his speed to take a short pass 35 yards into the endzone, putting enormous pressure on the already struggling Akron offense. With just 4 minutes remaining, the Wyoming defense showed up like they did all night and forced Akron to punt again before the offense ran down the clock and earned the Cowboys a win to open the season.
Wyoming put up 426 yards of offense with only one turnover, yet only secured 10 points over the course of the night. Anderson tossed for 260 yards and Sam Scott grinded out 135 yards on the ground. Even with the good numbers, the Wyoming offense rarely pieced the big gains together enough to make an impact. Luckily for them, the defense put up a shutout which covered the shortcomings. On top of his interception, Johnson also led the team in tackles with 8, and Lucas Samsula netted 1.5 sacks to clamp down Akron.
There is plenty to analyze and criticize about the game, but a win to start the season is all that counts. Wyoming will revel in their victory tonight before getting ready for Northern Iowa next Saturday.
