Cowboys Drown Akron's Offense in Shutout 10-0
- Jeff Bugher
- Aug 29
- 3 min read
Akron, Ohio– It wasn’t pretty, but Wyoming’s defense grinded through the game, along with a timely connection between quarterback Kaden Anderson and wide receiver Chris Durr Jr., carried the Cowboys to a 10–0 shutout (and rainy) win over Akron on Saturday night at InfoCision Stadium. The last time the Pokes shutout an opponent was against Gardner-Webb (27-0) at War Memorial Stadium in 2017, with quarterback Josh Allen at the helm, a future first-round draft pick in 2018 for the Buffalo Bills, and the 2024 NFL League MVP.
The biggest concern heading into the season was the defense, which features several young players and transfers. For three quarters, it was a defensive slugfest. Wyoming moved the ball but struggled to finish drives, while Akron’s offense found little daylight against the Cowboy front. The Cowboys finally broke through in the fourth quarter.
"I know that going into Week two, we’re going to be a substantially better team than what we were in Week one. We’re going to learn a lot from this tonight. We’ve got a lot of things to clean up. We should have been able to put some separation between us a little bit more,” second-year head coach Jay Sawvel said postgame.
After a scoreless first half, place kicker Erik Sandvik gave Wyoming the lead with a 25-yard field goal midway through the third, capping a drive that leaned heavily on running back Sam Scott’s hard running between the tackles. Sawvel on Sam Scott: "I thought, Sam, tonight... answered well and had some very good runs... He looks better than I thought he was a year ago."
The key momentum-changing play occurred early in the fourth quarter. Anderson rolled right and found wide receiver Chris Durr Jr., who completed the catch and ran the ball untouched into the end zone for a 35-yard touchdown that sent the Wyoming sideline and the visitors section into a roar. Sandvik’s extra point pushed the lead to 10–0. Sawvel was all praises for Durr postgame: "Chris had a really good game. He is a dynamic player."
Durr led the team in receiving, hauling in 8 catches for 190 yards.
From there, Wyoming’s defense slammed the door. Transfer linebacker Brayden Johnson’s interception inside the red zone midway through the fourth ended Akron’s last real scoring threat. Tyce Westland, Lucas Samsula, and the Cowboy defensive line lived in the backfield, forcing hurried throws and negative plays all night.
Brayden Johnson led the team in tackles, recording 8 total (4 solo, 4 assisted).
Sam Scott was the workhorse for the running backs tonight with 29 carries for 129 total yards, which was a career high, and also Scott’s second career game with over 100 yards (the previous was against Utah State in 2024). Anderson, making just his third start, finished with several key completions, none bigger than the 44-yarder and 35-yard score to Durr that flipped field position and momentum.
On the night, Anderson completed 19 of 36 passes for a total of 260 passing yards.
Wyoming’s offense wasn’t flawless. False starts, a slow start, and a stalled red-zone drive tested the patience of fans, but the Cowboys never broke. Special teams and defense gave them the field position edge, and eventually, the breakthrough came.
Sawvel on the defensive performance tonight: "I thought they did really, really well. I thought they were physical. I thought that as the game wore on, it was really good."
The 10–0 final score reflects the theme that has been present throughout the offseason…physicality and explosive plays. The team brought their hard hats and lunch pails to the game for a blue-collar fight (figuratively, of course).
The Cowboys (1–0) now turn their attention to the University of Northern Iowa next week with a win in hand, momentum on defense, Sam Scott proving how valuable he is, and a budding Anderson-to-Durr connection that could pay dividends as the season unfolds.
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