On Saturday, Utah and Wyoming will renew an old series.
The two schools have met 83 times, dating back to the first meeting in 1904, and were in the same conference for a long time. Following a 15-year break after Utah left the Mountain West Conference for the Pac-12, the two historical foes will square off this Saturday at War Memorial Stadium.
The out-of-conference game, scheduled by former Utah athletic director Chris Hill in 2017, was originally supposed to be played in 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was cancelled and rescheduled for 2025. Wyoming will visit Salt Lake City in 2027.
War Memorial Stadium hasn’t played host to a ranked nonconference team since No. 9 Nebraska played there in 2011. On Saturday, the stadium welcomes in the No. 20 Utes.
What awaits the Utes on the trip to Laramie? A rowdy crowd, for one.
“It’s always a hostile crowd,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “My memory as a player and of coaching there is they’ll get after you pretty good, the crowd will, and so it’s an environment you got to be able to handle.”
“When I played there two years ago, yeah, they were pretty rowdy and it’s honestly super fun,” former New Mexico and current Ute receiver Ryan Davis said. “They’re pretty on top of you. It’s packed. So yeah, it’s an atmosphere you want to play in.”
Whittingham doesn’t think that Laramie’s 7,200-foot elevation will be “a big deal” with the Utes used to playing and practicing at 4,226 feet of elevation, but cornerbacks coach Sharrieff Shah has been preparing his players for this weekend’s trip.
“It doesn’t make a difference what shape that you think you’re in, your shape will pale in comparison to what the elevation will make you feel,” Shah said. “That first quarter, your lungs will burn and you’ll think that, oh my ... I can’t get any air. What’s happening to me? I can’t feel my legs. You can feel your legs, you can breathe.”
Shah said by the third or fourth series, players will feel back to normal and their conditioning will kick in.
Aside from the external factors, what awaits the Utes on the field?
Wyoming is 2-0, winning its season-opener on the road against Akron, which The Athletic ranked as the No. 129 team in FBS this week, 10-0, then defeating FCS Northern Iowa 31-7 in Laramie.
The Cowboys are led by quarterback Kaden Anderson, who has thrown for 427 yards and three touchdowns with one interception on 61% accuracy.
Anderson took a big hit in last week’s game, but Wyoming coach Jay Sawvel said said he’s fine and is anticipating him playing this week.
Anderson’s favorite target is receiver Chris Durr Jr., who has caught 12 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns already this season. Sam Scott (190 yards and a score on 37 carries) shoulders most of the load on the ground.
Wyoming will be facing a Ute defense that has allowed just one total touchdown and 221.5 yards per game. If the Utes can clean things up in the secondary, it could be hard for the Cowboys to move the ball.
On defense, Wyoming has held its two opponents to a combined seven points and have allowed just 398 yards of total offense.
The strength of Wyoming’s defense lies in its linebackers.
Senior Brayden Johnson has a 91.9 grade from Pro Football Focus and has registered 14 tackles, an interception and a pass breakup, while senior Evan Eller has a 84.3 PFF grade with eight tackles and a pick.
The Cowboys will be facing their first test of the season in a Utah offense that leads the nation in third-down conversion percentage (76.7%), is averaging 505 yards per game and hasn’t turned the ball over yet.
“They’re pretty on top of you. It’s packed. So yeah, it’s an atmosphere you want to play in.”
— Utah receiver Ryan Davis on facing Wyoming at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie
Power conference teams have gone into War Memorial Stadium and lost before, including Texas Tech in 2023, but Utah has the talent advantage and is a 23.5-point favorite. While crazier things have happened in college football, the Utes should leave Laramie 3-0 ahead of their Big 12 opener against Texas Tech.
“They’re averaging 53 points a game. They’re allowing nine-and-a-half. They’ve got a quarterback, Devon Dampier, that I don’t think we’ve stopped, ever. So we’ve got to try to figure out a way to do that,” Sawvel said. “But they also have an incredibly good offensive line with two outstanding offensive tackles that are as good as what you’re going to find anywhere in the country.
“And they don’t have a weakness in it. I mean, they’re good in the return game. They’re extremely strong on defense and physical and play very hard, well coached.”
