The BYU Cougars are headed to Laramie, Wyoming, this weekend for the first time since 2009. That matchup ended in a lopsided 52-0 win for BYU.
Saturday night marks the 80th time that these two teams have faced off. The Cougars have not lost to Wyoming since 2003. They haven't met during the regular season since 2010, which marked BYU's final season in the Mountain West Conference before going independent.
There's a long history between the two schools. After a 13-point loss in Laramie in 1981, legendary Cougar coach LaVell Edwards famously said, "I'd rather lose and live in Provo than win and live in Laramie."
The 'Pokes are fresh off a 17-13 home loss to FCS opponent, Idaho. Before that, they were pummeled by Arizona State 48-7 on the road.
In his weekly press conference leading up to the game, Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel said, "this is a special game for our players, for our program, and for the state."
Although Evan Svoboda is a junior, Saturday night's game will only be his fourth career start. He comes into the game with a 41% completion rate, 168 yards, and one touchdown pass.
Last season in his first career start, Svoboda had a decent showing against No. 4 Texas. He finished the game 17 of 28 through the air for 136 yards.
The Athletic ranks Wyoming at 118 out of the 134 FBS teams. The Cowboys are averaging 92 yards rushing per game and 2.5 yards per rush.
Wyoming has struggled with burning timeouts, substitutions and penalties (16 penalties for 135 yards thus far). Look for the Cowboys to try to clean things up against the Cougars.
"We haven't executed as well as we need to and we have to improve (our fundamentals and technique) at a number of positions," Coach Sawvel said. He specifically mentioned the defensive line, cornerbacks, quarterback, punt team and wide receivers.
You can catch the game on CBS Sports Network at 7 p.m. MDT. ESPN Analytics gives BYU a 86.5% chance to win, however the Cowboys are eager to turn things around after an 0-2 start to the season.