BOULDER, Colo. – The Pokes concluded a disappointing Big 12 season here late Saturday night.
 
Wyoming, coming off a home loss to former rival Utah, did not get out of the gate as fast as Ralphie VII did in her debut and were unable to complete a late comeback bid during a 37-20 defeat to Colorado in front of a lively crowd of 53,442 at Folsom Field.
 
The good news? UW is a member of the Mountain West Conference.
 
"It's awesome," center Jack Walsh of the opportunity for the Cowboys to test themselves against the Utes and Buffaloes. "We joined the Big 12 for two weeks and played some great teams. Those games will do nothing but make you better. As long as you're fighting and playing your ass off, I think there's some really good things you can take away from that coming into conference play."
 
The Cowboys (2-2) vow to build on some encouraging performances during an open date while getting prepared for the MW opener against undefeated UNLV on Oct. 4 at War Memorial Stadium (5 p.m., CBS Sports Network).
 
Samuel "Tote" Harris finished with 19 carries for 126 yards, including a 50-yard burst, to lead the offense. He is the first true freshman to eclipse 100 yards rushing in a game since Titus Swin vs. UNLV in 2019.
 
Against Utah, Harris also led the team with 68 yards rushing on eight carries and 105 total yards.
 
"We've identified the fact that Sam Harris is a bona fide threat for us," head coach Jay Sawvel noted.
 
Running back Sam Scott added 52 yards of total offense on seven touches (five carries, two receptions). Tight end Evan Svoboda converted two third downs running out of the shotgun and had a 27-yard catch.
 
Chris Durr Jr. continued to lead UW in receiving with five catches for 50 yards and a touchdown. Eric Richardson hauled in a 41-yard touchdown catch.
 
Kaden Anderson and the offensive line need to get off to better starts and play more consistently in conference play.
 
UW's starting quarterback finished 11-for-25 passing for 176 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Left tackle Nate Geiger left the game with an injury and the Pokes gave up 2.0 sacks and 6.0 tackles for loss.
 
"With Kaden, I don't think he had a really good first half at all, obviously," Sawvel said. "I think he came out of it in a pretty good rhythm, and I think offensively there's some things that we can build on."
 
After falling behind 28-3 in the third quarter, UW was within 30-20 with 4:32 remaining with all three timeouts plus the two-minute warning.
 
But the defense, which had some busts in coverage that allowed touchdown passes of 29, 68 and 47 yards, was unable to get a stop as CU quarterback stuck the dagger in with a 35-yard touchdown run to add to his big night.
 
UW's defense allowed 10 points through the first 10 quarters of the season but 65 points over the past six quarters.
 
"I feel like going against these two teams is going to prepare us more from a physicality standpoint and how we execute and focus going into conference play," UW cornerback Dainsus Miller said.
 
Late in the third quarter, Miller forced a fumble that Andrew Johnson recovered on UW's 1-yard line. Instead of flipping the momentum back to the visitors, the Pokes allowed Anderson to get sacked for a safety to make the score 30-13 with 14:55 remaining.
 
UW's specialists performed well in the ESPN spotlight. Placekicker Erik Sandvik was 2-for-2 on field goals and punter Bart Edmiston Jr. averaged 41.5 yards per attempt with a long of 53 yards and two placed inside the 20.
 
"It was a grueling two weeks. We were definitely appreciative of those two weeks," Walsh said. "It's always an appreciative thing when you get to play great programs, especially from the Big 12. We'll learn from the film and get ready for conference play."
 
Follow Ryan for more stories on Wyoming athletics on X at @By_RyanThorburn on Facebook at Wyoming Athletics and Instagram at wyoathletics. Also follow him at Pokes Insider at Gowyo.com/pokesinsider.
 
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