Gear Up For Game Day: Utah State
LARAMIE -- As always, I love to utilize this space each week during the season to not only give you the important info -- game time, TV channel, betting lines, etc. -- but also drop a bit of randomness on your plate.
So here goes.
Manufactured.
That's the word that comes to mind when I think about this "rivalry" between Wyoming and Utah State.
These two neighbors will meet for the 73rd time in history Saturday night inside War Memorial Stadium. The Aggies have a 40-28-4 advantage in the series. The visitors dominated in the 20's and 30's, winning 16-of-18. The Pokes took over in the 50's, claiming eight straight.
Still, Utah State played third fiddle in its own state when it came to hatred. BYU owns that crown. Utah isn't far behind.
The latter two, along with Wyoming, were members of the same league from 1922-2010. The Aggies were left in the dust when the Western Athletic Conference was formed in '62.
Utah State eventually joined the Mountain West in 2013. Since, the Cowboys have won four of nine meetings, including the last two.
Do the players actually dislike Utah State or do they just want to claim the traveling trophy, Jim Bridger's rifle?
"I like to hunt, so the rifle is cool," senior fullback Caleb Driskill said with a smile. "I definitely don't look at them necessarily as a rival as much as Colorado State, but I think, especially right now for us, every game has got to be treated like a rivalry game. It's going to be one, because we need the win. It's maybe not the trophy we wanted (a Mountain West title), but it's a trophy, so let's go get it."
Andrew Johnson agrees.
"You know, I never have a problem with anyone we play," the junior safety said. "Sure, there's rivalry games like the CSU game and the Air Force game, but at the end of the day, you know, you're playing against another group of guys who play college football.
"... Yeah, it's a trophy game, and you always want to maintain the trophies. I mean, we have them all right now, so the goal is to keep them in the trophy case. So, definitely, you take that serious. But it's also another game you want to just focus on and go 1-0."
Utah State, along with Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State and CSU, are bolting for the new-look Pac-12. Those five join that conference before the 2026 season.
This could be the Aggies final trip ever to the high plains. Kickoff is slated for 5 p.m. and the game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
MORE UW FOOTBALL NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS:
* Utah State's 'dynamic' Jalen Royals poses problems for Pokes
* Throwback Thursday: 'Get the Gun'
* Know Wyoming's Foe: Utah State Aggies
* 2025 Wyoming Football recruiting tracker
* Tuck's Take: This Wyoming team isn't tapping out
* Wyoming Cowboys in the NFL: Week 7
* Wyoming Football: News and Notes Ahead of Utah State
* Wyoming's Jay Sawvel on QB spot: 'We're going to play both'
* Tuck's Take: Time for 2-QB System in Laramie
* Wyoming's locker room robbed during loss at San Jose State
* Turning point, unsung hero and what's next for UW Football?
Dobler vs. Olsen
Remember back in the good ol' days of the NFL when St. Louis Cardinal, Conrad Dobler, used to kick, punch, pound -- and sometimes even bite -- defensive linemen?
One of Dobler's favorite "donkeys," as he would call them, to pick on was Merlin Olsen.
Olsen was the pride and joy of Utah State University. Heck, his name is on their football field. He was a mild-mannered Mormon boy from Utah. Dobler was a hell-raiser who spent his college years in Laramie.
Dobler was smaller and relied on grit and toughness to play his offensive guard spot in the NFL. Olsen used technique to get in the opposing backfield. Dobler starred in Miller Lite commercials. Olsen was Father Murphy on a popular television show in the early 80's.
These two couldn't have been more opposite.
Dobler claims in his book "They call me dirty" that he once forced Olsen to leave the field. He says Olsen was so upset about the tactics he was using on him all afternoon that he simply gave up and refused to come back on the field. Of course, that still makes Dobler smile to this day.
When Olsen played the role of Father Murphy, there was an infamous scene where he is standing in a graveyard. One of the tombstones reads: "Here lies Conrad Dobler."
That also made Dobler grin.
Here is all you need to know -- and the links -- for Saturday's tilt in Laramie:
WHO: Utah State (1-6, 0-3) at Wyoming (1-6, 1-2)
WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 26 at 5 p.m. MST
WEATHER: High of 68, low 37, partly cloudy, wind 17 mph
WHERE: War Memorial Stadium, Laramie, Wyo. (29,181 capacity)
TRAVEL: WyoRoad
STREAMING: CBS Sports Network
TV: CBS Sports Network
RADIO: Cowboy Sports Network
TICKETS: Wyoming Ticket office
BOX SCORE: ESPN
ROSTERS: Wyoming / Utah State
HISTORY: Aggies lead the all-time series 40-28-4
BETTING ODDS: Utah State -1.5, O/U 57.5
HEAD COACHES: Jay Sawvel / Nate Dreiling
Meet the Aggies:
* Head coach: Nate Dreiling (1st year) 1-6 overall record, 0-3 in Mountain West play
* Offensive coordinator: Kyle Cefalo (4th year), Cooper Bassett (1st year); Defensive coordinator: Nate Dreiling (1st season), Bobby McMillen (1st season)
* Record in 2023: 6-7 overall, 4-4 in Mountain West Conference
* Offense in 2024: Average 27.9 ppg, 470.6 ypg (159.6 rush, 311 pass)
* Defense in 2024: Allow 43.8 ppg, 502 ypg (239.4 rush, 262.6 pass)
* Key Players - Offense: Spencer Petras (QB - 136-206, 1,631 yds, 11 TD, 7 INT; 23 rush, 30 yds, TD), Rahsul Faison (RB - 132 rush, 666 yds, 5 TD; 14 catch, 33 yds), Herschel Turner (RB - 33 rush, 207 yds, 3 TD; 6 catch, 37 yds), Jalen Royals (WR - 55 catch, 834 yds, 6 TD), Kyrese White (WR - 25 catch, 345 yds, 2 TD), Jack Hestera (WR - 16 catch, 247 yds, 3 TD), Broc Lane (TE - 19 catch, 197 yds, 2 TD), Otto Tia (WR - 19 catch, 182 yds, 2 TD)
* Key Players - Defense: Jordan Vincent (S - 65 tackles, PBU, INT), Ike Larsen (S - 57 tackles, 5 PBU, INT), Jon Ross Maye (LB - 49 tackles, PBU), Clyde Washington (LB - 36 tackles, FR), John Miller (LB - 26 tackles, 2 sacks, PBU), JD Drew (CB - 25 tackles, PBU), DJ Graham (CB -25 tackles, 2 INT, 2 FF), Cian Slone (21 tackles, 3 sacks
POKES: The Seven Best Games In The History Of The Wyoming-CSU Border War Rivalry (Naturally, they were all Wyoming wins)
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