LARAMIE, Wyo. — Trees on each side of War Memorial Stadium swayed back and forth. Debris flew across Jonah Field. If an ocean were located anywhere near these Wyoming plains, you might have thought a hurricane was ripping through town.
Forget Chicago. On Saturday, Laramie was Windy City.
Nobody noticed more than Ute kicker Louie Sakoda — well, except perhaps for the mischievous boys who hucked hundreds of napkins from an upper level of the stadium, creating a momentary paper blizzard over the players.
"That was a wild day," Sakoda said.
He has Mother Nature to thank for what he also called "kind of an up-and-down day."
The up part for Sakoda, one of the nation's elite kickers, included successful field goals from 50 and 39 yards out and a career-best 81-yard punt with a gust of Wyoming wind at his back. He also pinned the Cowboys inside the 20 three times in the first half.
The down part for the All-American kicker included a 9-yard punt and a 34-yarder — both into the stiff wind.
"One thing when it's windy it makes the grip on your hands go away," he said, adding that it doesn't help that he has small hands.
On his 9-yard punt, Sakoda bobbled the snap and then hurried a kick while trying not to shank it, which he ended up doing in a rarity.
He was glad to get a punt at redemption in the fourth quarter on a drive that stalled and left the line of scrimmage at the 19-yard line and him standing on the five. He boomed it into the air and it sailed until it smacked off the turf and bounced into the opposite end zone, traveling a good 100 yards before stopping.
It turned out to be the fifth-longest punt in Utah history. In fact, no Ute had kicked one that far since 1978.
"When I jogged out there, I was like, 'All right, I've got the wind.' When I got back there and was waiting for the snapper, the wind started blowing in my face," he explained. "I was like, 'Are you serious? Are you really going to do this to me right now?"'
The wind then finally did him a favor.
"I guess right when I kicked it the wind switched one more time and I ended up getting a nice, long punt," he said.
Sakoda ended up punting nine times for an average of 40.1 yards. In doing so, the senior tied and then broke the school record for career punts with a total now of 215 career punts.
E-mail: jody@desnews.com