Wyoming (3-1) at No. 19 BYU (2-1)

 • Kickoff: 8:15 p.m. MDT

  • Venue: LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo (63,725)
  • TV: ESPN2
  • Livestream: Watch ESPN
  • Radio: 1160 AM/102.7 FM
  • Series: These former Skyline, Western Athletic and Mountain West conference foes are meeting for the 79th time, dating back to 1922. Only Utah (95) and Utah State (90) have played BYU more than Wyoming. BYU leads the series, 45-30-3
  •  Weather: Clear skies with slight winds from the southwest; temperatures in the low 70s at kickoff, dropping to the mid-50s at night.

The trends

For BYU: The Cougars are searching for answers after getting drubbed 41-20 at Oregon last week and trying to figure out how to more effectively stop the run on defense and establish a running game on offense. Special teams is also a concern, as kicker Jake Oldroyd has missed three straight field goals.

For Wyoming: The Cowboys are red-hot, having won three straight games. They opened the season with a 38-6 blowout loss at Illinois, but recovered nicely with wins over Tulsa, Northern Colorado and Air Force. They outrushed AFA 170-161 and are riding a wave of confidence.

What to watch for

BYU is ranked No. 19 in the Associated Press Top 25 and No. 23 in the coaches poll, and are 20-6 under seven-year coach Kalani Sitake when playing as a ranked team. They have defeated Wyoming in eight consecutive games, most recently 24-21 in the 2016 Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego and 25-20 in 2010 in Provo in what was the last matchup between the rivals as members of the Mountain West Conference.

Wyoming coach Craig Bohl is in his ninth season and owns a 48-51 record at the school. The Cowboys are 13-26-1 in games against BYU played in Provo, and last defeated BYU 13-10 in 2003 in Laramie. The Pokes are quarterbacked by Utah State transfer Andrew Peasley, who played against BYU last year in Logan.

Key player

BYU tight end Isaac Rex (83) celebrates his touchdown against he Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Sept. 17, 2022.
BYU tight end Isaac Rex (83) celebrates his touchdown against he Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium in Eugene on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Isaac Rex, TE, BYU: A big storyline in Provo this week has been the surprise departure of backup tight end Dallin Holker, who plans to enter the transfer portal in December. The spotlight Saturday rightfully shifts to starter Isaac Rex, who caught a touchdown pass against Oregon last week and will surely be the focus of Wyoming’s hard-hitting defense. Look for BYU OC Aaron Roderick to send a message about tight end usage by making Rex a big part of the game plan.

Quotable

“Looking forward to the matchup with Wyoming. Really well-coached team, knowing coach (Craig) Bohl for a long time and having interacted with him. We played them in the first bowl game when they had Josh Allen. And just really in my interactions with him, tons of respect for him and how he does his job. His team will be ready. They are tough, they are 3-1, and they have had some good wins. On film, they are really big and aggressive and tough. I think it will be a good matchup for us, especially for what happened over this past weekend, I think it is a good weekend for us to answer this challenge and be ready.” — BYU coach Kalani Sitake

“This team is emotionally invested in Wyoming. They are buying into the culture of who we are, the fabric of who we are. They are embracing some of our traditions, and when you have that kind of emotional buy-in, that can be a really, really great ace in the hole to pull out. And these guys have been really fun to coach.” — Wyoming coach Craig Bohl on his 3-1 team.

Next up

BYU returns to LaVell Edwards Stadium for a quick turnaround game Thursday against instate rival Utah State in The Battle for the Old Wagon Wheel. The game kicks off at 6 p.m. and will be televised by ESPN. BYU leads the series 50-37-3.

BYU schedule

Sept. 3 — BYU 50, South Florida 21

Sept. 10 — BYU 26, Baylor 20 (2OT)

Sept. 17 — Oregon 41, BYU 20

Sept. 24 — BYU vs. Wyoming.

Sept. 29 — BYU vs. Utah State.

Oct. 8 — BYU vs. No. 5 Notre Dame (Las Vegas).

Oct. 15 — BYU vs. No. 19 Arkansas.

Oct. 22 — BYU at Liberty.

Oct. 28 — BYU vs. East Carolina.

Nov. 5 — BYU at Boise State.

Nov. 12 — BYE.

Nov. 19 — BYU vs. Utah Tech.

Nov. 26 — BYU at Stanford.

All times MT.