The Wyoming Cowboys ran into the wrong opponent in Week 3 as they took on undefeated Oregon football at home.
Laramie, Wyo., was the sight of one of the more underrated quarterback matchups of Week 3. The Wyoming Cowboys faced their second Power Five opponent over the course of three weeks and it did not go well.
Oregon Ducks sophomore quarterback Justin Herbert continued his hot streak this week and completely outperformed Wyoming’s Josh Allen. While Allen is considered one of the best NFL prospects in the country, Herbert was better in almost every way.
Wyoming entered the contest as only a 12.5-point underdog. Their first Power Five conference opponent of the year was the Iowa Hawkeyes, a team that barely beat North Texas in Week 3. Allen and Wyoming only put up three points in a 21-point loss to Iowa.
Senior star running back Royce Freeman amassed three rushing touchdowns in the first half alone. Freeman is a real Heisman contender this year and should be getting more national recognition for what he’s doing. Since Freeman plays on the west coast, he does not get the same exposure as SEC or ACC rushers.
Allen, once again, threw more interceptions than touchdowns. That’s a worrying concern for NFL scouts. However, he should straighten out once Wyoming starts their Mountain West portion of the schedule. Facing Oregon and Iowa is not easy.
Oregon slowed down in the second half but still sealed an easy victory even before halftime. The Ducks kept the run game going but gave more carries to Kari Benoit than Freeman in the second half. All of that helped to contribute to the 49-13 victory for the Ducks. It’s huge for them to notch a convincing victory to stay undefeated through the end of their non-conference slate.
Now, let’s take a look at three takeaways from the Oregon victory over Wyoming in Week 3.