This week, the Wyoming Cowboys enjoy their one bye week of the 2017 season before they return to Mountain West Conference play on Saturday, Oct. 14 in a game against the Utah State Aggies in Logan, Utah.  That game will kick off at 2:30 p.m., Mountain Time on Oct. 14 and will be the 68th meeting in the series between the Cowboys and Aggies.
 
Wyoming is 3-2 overall and 1-0 in the Mountain West Conference this season.  It finds itself in the identical position it was last year through the first five games of the season as the 2016 Cowboys were 3-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play after a 38-17 win over Colorado State.  Utah State enters this week with the same record as the Pokes (3-2 overall and 1-0 in the Mountain West).  The Aggies host Colorado State in Logan on Saturday, Oct. 7 prior to facing the Cowboys next week.

Wyoming scored 31 points in the second quarter of its Sept. 30 game vs. Texas State on way to a 45-10 victory.  UW scored two offensive touchdowns in the second quarter on passes from quarterback Josh Allen to wide receiver C.J. Johnson, scored a defensive TD on an interception return for a touchdown by cornerback Rico Gafford and scored a special teams' TD on a 95-yard kickoff return by cornerback Tyler Hall.  Place-kicker Cooper Rothe added a 28-yard field goal to conclude the second-quarter scoring barrage by the Pokes.  

The last time Wyoming scored 31 points in a quarter was in the fourth quarter of a 48-45 comeback win at Air Force on Sept. 24, 1988.  Cowboy QB Randy Welniak led the 1988 comeback against the Falcons, rushing for one TD and passing for another in that fourth quarter.  The Cowboys would go on to win the 1988 conference title.

One of the most exciting of those second quarter scores by the Cowboys last week was Hall's 95-yard kickoff return.  It marked the second consecutive week that Hall returned a kickoff return for a touchdown as he returned one 97 yards against Hawai'i.  Hall enters this week, No. 1 in the nation in kickoff returns, averaging 44.0 yards per return.  He is also tied for No. 1 in the nation in kickoff returns for TDs, being one of only six players in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) to have two kickoff returns for touchdowns thus far this season.  As a team, UW ranks No. 2 in the nation in kickoff returns, averaging 35.1 yards per return to trail Mountain West rival San Diego State, which averages 39.11 yards per return.  The other schools in the Top 5 behind the Pokes are Ohio State, Nebraska and Florida State.

The kickoff return team is not the only special teams unit that has excelled this year for Wyoming.  Punt returner Austin Conway ranks No. 2 in the MW and No. 20 in the nation, averaging 12.8 yards per punt return.  Wyoming ranks No. 2 in the MW and No. 25 nationally as a team in punt returns.

Cowboy cornerback Gafford's 37-yard interception return for a TD in the second quarter was his third interception of the season, fifth of his Wyoming career and first touchdown.  Later in the game, linebacker Logan Wilson stripped the ball loose from the Texas State quarterback and took the ball into the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown.  It was the third time in Wilson's career that he had scored a defensive touchdown.  Wilson's other two TDs were an interception return for a TD at Eastern Michigan in 2016 and a fumble recovery for a TD at UNLV, also in 2016.  Wilson currently ranks No. 4 in the nation among active players in career defensive touchdowns scored.  As a team, Wyoming ranks No. 9 this season with two defensive scores.

Offensively, the Cowboys were very productive against Texas State, scoring on three touchdown passes.  In addition to the two Allen TD passes of 22 and 15 yards to Johnson in the second quarter, Allen also hit Conway with an eight-yard TD strike in the third quarter.

The Wyoming offense continued its effectiveness in the red zone, successfully converting all three of its red-zone opportunities versus Texas State.  UW is a perfect 9 for 9 in red-zone chances this season to tie for No. 1 in the nation.

Defensively, Wyoming also ranks among the Mountain West's and nation's best at preventing red-zone scores by opponents.  The Pokes are ranked No. 3 in the conference and No. 29 nationally, allowing opponents to score only 75 percent of the time when entering the red zone.
 
Next Saturday's road trip to Logan, Utah, will be only the second road game of the 2017 season for Wyoming and its first conference road game of the year.  UW opened the 2017 season on the road at Iowa before playing four consecutive home games in the month of September.

Next Saturday's game will be televised live on Facebook.  Check back next week for more details on the television coverage.  As with all Wyoming Football games, next week's game at Utah State will be broadcast over the 26 affiliate stations of the Cowboy Sports Network, beginning with the pregame show one hour prior to kickoff.