LARAMIE, Wyo. (Sept. 2, 2025) – The Wyoming Cowboys open the home portion of the 2025 schedule on Saturday hosting Northern Iowa at 2 p.m. inside the newly renovated War Memorial Stadium. Saturday's contest will be a Gold Out as Cowboy fans are encouraged to wear Gold to the stadium.
Ticket Information
Fans may order tickets online, via email or by phone at:
•Go to GoWyo.com/tickets
•Email tickets@uwyo.edu
•Call (307) 766-7220
•Stop by the UW Athletics Ticket Office on the West Side of the Arena-Auditorium on the corner of Willett Drive and 19th Street.
Where to Watch
Saturday's contest will be televised on Altitude and streamed on Altitude+, Mountain West Network and the MW App. Nate Kreckman will be on the call with Jared Petrino analyzing the action.
Listen Live
The game will also be available on the 26 stations of The Cowboy Sports Network with Keith Kelley on the call, Erick Pauley on color and Jerrad Anderson on the sidelines.
Home Openers: The Wyoming Cowboys have had a successful run-in non-conference home openers over the years. Wyoming is 52-12-1 winning 80 percent of the non-conference home openers.
Jay Johnson Faces Alma-Mater: Offensive coordinator Jay Johnson will face off against his alma mater on Saturday when the Pokes face Northern Iowa. Johnson was a three-time All-Gateway Conference performer at quarterback for Northern Iowa, leading the Panthers to a 31-8 record, three conference titles and three Division I-AA playoff appearances (3-3 record) his sophomore through senior seasons (1990-92). Playing for Coach Terry Allen, Johnson set numerous school records at the time in completing 504-of-970 passes for 8,341 yards, with 60 touchdowns against 35 interceptions (a 137.4 NCAA rating). He still ranks among the all-time leaders in Panther history in passing yards (fourth with 8,341), passing TDs (fourth with 60) and pass completions (fifth with 504). UNI was 12-2 his senior year, reached the I-AA semifinals and was ranked No. 3 in the final coaches poll of the season. A captain for the Panthers as both a junior and senior, Johnson's teammate was Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, who took over for him for the 1993 season.
Big Night for the Defense: The Cowboys allowed 228 total yards in the season opener at Akron. It was the fewest yards allowed in a season opener by the Cowboys since downing New Mexico State 29-7 in the opener in 2018. Wyoming allowed 135 total yards in that contest.
Over The Last Three: The Cowboys defense has been strong under head coach Jay Sawvel and defensive coordinator Aaron Bohl through the last three games dating back to last season. In total, Wyoming has allowed 31 total points and allow only 288.3 yards of total offense per game.
Durr Jr. has Career Day: Wide receiver Chris Durr Jr. had a career day with 146 receiving yards. He also recorded a career-long catch of 49 yards in the contest. He finished the game with a score, which also tied a career best. He averaged 20.9 yards per reception in the contest.
Johnson's Debut: Linebacker Brayden Johnson recorded eight tackles to lead the team at Akron. He also recorded an interception to stall an Akron scoring drive. He also recorded a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry. It marked his second career interception.
Great Scott: Running back Sam Scott had a big day for the Pokes against Akron. He rushed for a career-high 132 yards in the contest on a career-best 29 carries. He added 4.6 yards per rush. He had a long rush of 28 yards in the contest. He leads the MW and ranks No. 13 in the nation in yards per game.
Johnson Flying Around: Safety Andrew Johnson recorded a career-high six tackles in the contest at Akron. He was second on the team in stops. He also added a career-high two pass breakups in the contest.
Holman Making Plays: Wide receiver Jackson Holman made an impression in his first contest with the Pokes. He recorded four catches for 79 yards for the first catches of his career. He hauled in a 44-yarder to set up the late score to ice the game for the Brown and Gold.
First Catches: A pair of Cowboy veterans also added their first career catches in the contest. Bricen Brantley added three catches for the Pokes with Charlie Coenen adding one for six yards.
Interior D-Line: The interior of the defensive line for the Pokes had a solid day. Ben Florentine added a sack and blocked field goal. Lucas Samsula added 1.5 sacks in his first career contest. Aneesh Vyas added a pass breakup and Jayden Williams added a hurry.
Tons of Pressure: The Pokes had a solid day pressuring the quarterback at Akron. Wyoming finished the game with four sacks and have eight in the last two games dating back to last season. The Pokes also added six pass breakups with UW causing pressure on 40 percent of Akron's incomplete passes.
Making Them Miss: Wide receiver Chris Durr Jr. recorded 128 yards after the catch against Akron. He broke a 49-yard reception and then later added a 35-yard reception to the endzone for the only score of the game.
Posting A Shutout: The Cowboys recorded a shut for the first time since defeating Gardner-Webb 27-0 in 2017. It was the first shutout against an FBS opponent since the 2010 season when the Pokes defeated Colorado State 44-0. It was the first shutout in a season opener since tying 0-0 against Air Force during the 1977 season
The Breakup: The Cowboys recorded seven pass breakups in the opener against Akron. Andrew Johnson and Jones Thomas, both safeties led the team with two each. The Pokes had breakups at all three levels in the game against Akron.
Defense Against The Run: The Pokes allowed only 89 rushing yards in the season opener at Akron. It was the least allowed since allow 18 yards to Nevada on Nov. 25, 2023 in the regular season finale.
Deep Roster on Defense: The Cowboys defense had a big day at Akron with 20 players recording a statistic on the day and 22 players playing overall. Of those 20 players, 11 of them played in their first contest with the Brown and Gold.
About the Offense: The offense recorded 426 yards of total offense in the contest. That number would have ranked as the third-highest in a game last season. The Pokes also held onto the ball for over 33 minutes in the contest, and have held onto the ball 33 minutes or more in three-straight games dating back to last season.
About Northern Iowa: The Panthers opened the season with a 38-14 victory over Butler on Saturday at the UNI-Dome in Ceder Rapids, Iowa. Northern Iowa outscored the Bulldogs 21-0 in the second half and out-gained the visitors 448-336 in total yards.
Quarterback Matthew Schecklam was 15-for-25 passing for 214 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. Harrison Bey-Buie had 12 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown, Bill Jackson added 12 carries for 76 yards, and the Panthers averaged 6.9 yards per rush as a team for 213 yards. Eight different UNI players had at least one reception with Tysen Kershaw's two receptions for 65 yards (32.5 ypc) and a touchdown leading the way.
Tucker Langenberg (12 tackles), Ryan Crandall (10 tackles), Jonathan Cabral-Martin (one interception) and Joe Hall (one interception) led the defense,
This will be the second meeting between UNI and Wyoming in football. The Cowboys won a wild 45-42 shootout on Sept. 11, 1993, at War Memorial Stadium. Joe Tiller's team went on to share the WAC championship. Future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback and Super Bowl champion Kurt Warner was in his senior season leading the Panthers. Current UW offensive coordinator Jay Johnson was Warner's backup the previous season at UNI.
