Cal Poly Beats Wyoming

CAL POLY - 24
WYOMING - 22

The Cal Poly Mustangs (2-0), computer underdogs by over 27 points, upset the Wyoming Cowboys (0-3) Saturday, ending Wyoming's perfect 9-0 record against FCS teams. The Cowboys were without their starting quarterback, Brett Smith, who was injured against Toledo last week with a head injury, as Colby Kirkegaard went 15 for 23 with 122 yards on Saturday at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie, Wyoming. It turned out the Cowboys missed Smith's 256 total offense average during the game, as the Cowboys employed a more conservative approach, limiting long passes and relying more on the running game for Kirkegaard.  Wyoming joins UNLV and Colorado St. as the third MWC team to lose to a FCS opponent this year. Cal Poly's Deonte Williams finished the game with 187 rushing yards on 19 carries, a career-high record in a Mustang uniform. Ken Jackson led Cal Poly's defense with 10 tackles, including one for loss. Mike Purcell had a game-high 16 tackles for Wyoming. Cal Poly was 9 of 20 on third-down conversions; Wyoming was 2 of 12.Cal Poly is 4-12 versus Division 1 opponents over the last 10 years with 3 wins in the last 7 years. Coach Tim Walsh's Mustangs won at UTEP in 2003 and beat San Diego State in 2006 and 2008. The last time Wyoming started 0-3 was in 2002.

Cal Poly jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, scoring on 65-yard and 9-yard touchdown runs. Deonte Williams score the former just 1:09 into the game on the 4th play while Kristaan Ivory scored the later a few minutes later. Wyoming's Shaun Wick punched in the first touchdown with 6:55 left in the half and the second six minutes later, giving his team a 15-14 lead at halftime. Both were one-yard runs and the former was completed with a successful touchdown run. Ivory put the ball into the end zone for Cal Poly late in the third quarter on a 5-yard touchdown run, gaining a 21-14 lead. That lead was extended to 24-15 with Bobby Zalud's 51-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. Wyoming did attempt a comeback in the final minutes of the game. Wick scored his third touchdown of the game with 7:34 left in the game, but they came no closer than 24-22. Wyoming quarterback Colby Kirkegaard threw an interception on the first play of what was the team's final possession.