Saturday, Oct. 4, is doing double duty in Laramie. Wyoming opens Mountain West play against UNLV with a 5 p.m. kickoff at War Memorial Stadium, and fans can turn pregame into a holiday boost for local families by donating to Toys for Tots between 3 and 5 p.m. New, unwrapped toys can be dropped in collection bins at Gates 8, 6, 4 and 3, plus at the Wildcatter Stadium Club and Suites entrance. If you don’t have time to shop, UW student-athletes and volunteers will be on hand to take cash and card gifts at those spots, as well as in the Ford Stadium Lot, the Pepsi Pregame Zone inside the Indoor Practice Facility and other high-traffic areas around the stadium.
The drive is run by UW’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, which is aiming for its biggest year yet: $5,000 raised and 500 toys collected, all staying in Albany County.
“Our community shows up for one another,” said Taylor Stuemky, UW’s Senior Associate AD for Internal Operations, who called Toys for Tots one of SAAC’s longest-running service efforts.
On the field, the Cowboys celebrate Homecoming with a Stripe Out — wear brown or gold based on your seat, while students go all-gold — and a national TV audience on CBS Sports Network with Dave Ryan and Adam Breneman on the call. Radio listeners can tune in across the 26-station Cowboy Sports Network with Keith Kelley, Kevin McKinney and Erick Pauley; in Sweetwater County, catch it on KUGR 104.9 FM and 1490 AM.
Wyoming brings momentum into league play. Freshman running back Samuel “Tote” Harris just snagged his second straight Old Trapper Mountain West Freshman of the Week after ripping 126 yards at Colorado, including a 50-yard burst — the longest run of his career and of Wyoming’s season. He’s the program’s first true freshman to top 100 yards in a game since 2019 and leads the team with 256 rushing yards on 37 carries, averaging 6.9 per pop. Wideout Chris Durr Jr. has become the chain-mover with 21 catches and a top-five mark in the Mountain West for receiving yards per game, while tight end-turned-playmaker Evan Svoboda flashed a 27-yard grab in Boulder and back Sam Scott chipped in two receptions for 36. Special teams are steady behind kicker Erik Sandvik, who hit two field goals at Colorado and is 4-for-5 this season, and punter Bart Edmiston, who’s averaging 43 yards with a pile of 50-yarders and pins inside the 20.
Defense has teeth. Wyoming leads the nation with four blocked kicks in four games — one in each outing — thanks largely to linemen Aneesh Vyas and Ben Florentine, with Vyas pacing the country individually. Linebacker Brayden Johnson and safety Andrew Johnson have combined for 50 stops, corner Dainsus Miller forced his first career fumble, and end Chisom Ifeanyi continues to harass QBs while adding to his career sack total. In the red zone, the Cowboys are among the nation’s best, allowing points just 60% of the time.
There’s history on the line, too. This is Wyoming’s 100th Homecoming (the Pokes are 45-27-2 in Homecoming games at War Memorial) and the program is 14-12 all-time in Mountain West openers, including 10-6 when starting at home. UNLV hasn’t visited Laramie since 2019, when the Cowboys rolled 53-17 behind six straight scoring drives in the first half.
Bring a toy, bring the noise, and help Wyoming start conference play — and the holiday season — on the front foot.
News Letter Journal and SweetwaterNOW contributed to this report.
The latest news in your social feeds
Subscribe to our social media platforms to stay tuned