LARAMIE, Wyo. (Sept. 28, 2026) – The Wyoming Cowboys hit the road for a Mountain West contest against North Dakota State on Saturday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. MT. It will be the second all-time meeting between the schools and the first matchup between the programs inside the Fargodome.
Contest on The CW
Saturday’s contest will be televised on The CW with Jack McMullen on the call with Cody Kessler analyzing the action along with Bryan Walters on the sidelines. Fans can also stream the contest on the WatchESPN App.
Listen Live
The game will also be available on the 26 stations of The Cowboy Sports Network with Keith Kelley on the call, Kevin McKinney on color and Erick Pauley on the sidelines.
Wyoming Notes
Cowboys and Bison to Battle for Battle of the Basins Trophy: The Wyoming Cowboys will play for another trophy this week, as Wyoming Athletics in conjunction with North Dakota State University announced the start of The Battle of the Basins Trophy that will go to the winner of the contest each season.
The trophy, which will feature a wood base and both the iconic Steamboat logo, and the NDSU logo will also feature a Drill Bit on the top of the trophy from an oil field to honor the rich history of the petroleum industry in both states. The idea for the trophy was inspired by the North Dakota Petroleum Association. The game will celebrate football along with the great work of the petroleum industry in both states.
“We are excited to add the traveling trophy with a natural rival in NDSU, as our universities and state have so much in common with each other” UW Director of Athletics Tom Burman said. “The Battle of the Basins will be an excellent way to celebrate a conference football game along with great traditions of the petroleum industry in both Wyoming and North Dakota.”
Wyoming Ties with NDSU: The ties between the University of Wyoming and North Dakota State are plenty. NDSU head coach Tim Polasek was the offensive coordinator for the Cowboys under former head coach Craig Bohl, who was also the head coach at North Dakota State. Safeties coach Jason Petrino spent time as the defensive coordinator at North Dakota State as well prior to join the staff at UW. Numerous coaches on staff at North Dakota State also spent time on staff at UW.
Not Too Far Away: Wyoming defensive coordinator Aaron Bohl played his college football at Minnesota State Moorhead, which stadium is just over five miles away from the Fargodome. As a linebacker, he started all 11 games each of his four seasons. Bohl earned Second Team All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) honors his senior season. Assistant linebackers coach Abe Roehrich also played for the Dragons. Roehrich played for the Dragons from 2013-17 as a defensive back and linebacker. He was a two-time NSIC North Division Second Team honoree and also was north division honorable mention twice. He finished with 304 career tackles at MSUM.
The Breakup: Wyoming safety Jones Thomas recorded a career-high three pass breakups against Hawai’i. He currently has recorded eight in his career and match his total from last season with four on the year. He ranks sixth in the nation and leads the MW in passes defended this season with six.
Chunk Plays: The Pokes recorded a season-high 13 chunk plays on offense with six through the air and seven on the ground. In total, 248 yards came off of chunk plays. Tote Harris recorded four of those chunk plays with three coming on the ground and one coming through the air.
Boogie Wonderland: Wyoming cornerback Therman “Boogie” Williams recorded a career-high six tackles for the Cowboys against Hawai’i. It was his second career start as a true freshman. He also added a pass breakup, as UW recorded five on the day.
Williams in the Backfield: Wyoming defensive tackle Jayden Williams recorded his first career sack against Hawai’i. It came on a third down, as UW recorded a season-high three sacks in the contest.
Tote Note: Wyoming running back Tote Harris recorded a season-high 94 yards rushing against UH. He did so on 11 carries for 8.5 yards per rush. He had a 31-yard rush, which was the longest for the Pokes this season. He also added 36 yards receiving as he tied a career-high with four catches. He recorded 130 yards of total offense in the contest.
Bogar and Tackles for Loss: Wyoming defensive end Esaia Bogar recorded a sack along with 1.5 tackles for loss against Hawai’i. For the season, Bogar leads the team with four tackles for loss and two sacks. He ranks first in the MW in tackles for loss per game and ranks fourth in the conference in sacks.
Holman and the Endzone: Wyoming running back Markell Holman finished the game with Hawai’i with 87 rushing yards for a season-high. He also added two rushing scores in the contest. It marked the fourth time in his collegiate career that he has rushed for at least two scores in a game.
Perez Finds Tackles: Wyoming linebacker Steven Perez, who redshirted last year has found a groove for the Pokes over the last three games with 18 tackles, as he has six tackles in each contest. He has also recorded 2.5 tackles for loss on the season to lead the linebacker room.
Dainsus Returns: Wyoming cornerback Dainsus Miller returned for his fifth collegiate season against Hawai’i. Miller was ruled eligible to play for the Cowboys in the contest against Hawai’i on Saturday. An Indiana judge granted a preliminary injunction involving the fifth-year player on Wednesday that cleared Miller to return to the Brown and Gold. He had four tackles against the Rainbow Warriors. In 2025, Miller appeared in 11 games for the Cowboys with seven starts earning Honorable Mention All-MW honors. He finished the season with 27 total tackles with 19 solo stops and eight assisted tackles. He also forced a fumble and recorded five pass breakups during the season.
Offense Was Clicking: Wyoming’s offense recorded a season-high 27 points and recorded a season-high 387 yards of total offense. The balanced attack featured 204 passing yards and 183 rushing yards. Hughes found nine different receivers in the contest and Samuel Harris and Markell Holman combined for 181 yards rushing in the contest.
Sandvik is Perfect Thus Far: Wyoming Kicker Erik Sandvik connected on a pair of field goals against Hawai’i. He is a perfect 5-of-5 in field goals this season for the Pokes with a long of 48 yards. He is tied for the national lead at 100 percent percentage this season.
Pokes and Travel: Wyoming opens a two-game road swing this week and over that road stretch will travel 1,950 miles over the two weeks with the trip to Fargo and San Jose.
About NDSU
North Dakota State heads into the contest fresh off a bye week. The Bison are 4-0 on the season and own a 1-0 mark in conference play. NDSU is receiving votes in both the Coaches and Associated Press Polls
NDSU averages 35 points per game on the season and allow 12.3 per contest. Offensively, NDSU adds 370.5 yards of total offense per game with 211.8 passing yards per game and 158.8 rushing yards per game. Defensively, NDSU allows 254.8 yards per game. Opponents are rushing for just over 100 yards per game, as NDSU allows 154.5 yards through the air.
The Bison offense is led by quarterback Nathan Hayes averaging 202 yards passing per game with 808 yards passing total with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. DJ Scott adds 56.3 yards rushing per game to lead the team. He has three scores on the season. Wide receiver Jackson Williams has 18 catches for 283 yards for 70.8 yards per game. Tight end Reis Kessel has 11 catches for 106 yards.
The NDSU defense is led by linebacker Donovan Woolen at 24 tackles. He also has two pass breakups. Darius Givance has 20 tackles and a fumble recovery. Kelston McCaslin leads the team with 2.5 sacks.
Football Hour with Jay Sawvel Starts on Wednesday
The fifth episode of this year's Football Hour with Jay Sawvel will be live on Wednesday, Sept. 30 on Cowboy Sports Network affiliate stations, beginning at 7 p.m. MT. The show will run each Wednesday throughout the season.
The show will be hosted by the Voice of the Cowboys Keith Kelley. Kelley and Sawvel will preview Wyoming's season opener at Colorado State. The show will also feature a Cowboy player and staff member.
Cowboy fans are also encouraged to attend the show live at Altitude Chophouse and Brewery located at 320 South Second Street in historic downtown Laramie.
