Wyoming Hosts Fresno State Saturday

(University of Wyoming release) The top two offensive teams in the Mountain West Conference will face off on Saturday at Wyoming's War Memorial Stadium, when the Wyoming Cowboys host the Fresno State Bulldogs in a game to kick off at 8:15 p.m.

Wyoming ranks No. 2 in the Mountain West and No. 9 in the nation in total offense, averaging 516.2 yards per game. Fresno State leads the MW and ranks No. 6 in the nation, averaging 539.9 yards per game.

Cowboy junior quarterback Brett Smith and Fresno State senior QB Derek Carr also rank 1 and 2 in the Mountain West individually in total offense. Smith ranks No. 2 in the league and No. 8 in the nation (349.8 yards per game). Carr is No. 1 in the conference and No. 2 in the NCAA in total offense (389.9 yards per game).

The Cowboys enter Saturday's game with a 4-4 overall record and a 2-2 conference mark. Fresno State is 8-0 overall and 5-0 in conference play. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 16 in this week's BCS rankings, and are No. 17 in the Associated Press, USA Today Coaches and Harris Interactive polls.

Wyoming Athletics is promoting Saturday's game versus Fresno State as a "Whiteout". Saturday will also be Military Day, when UW honors those who serve our country in all branches of the military.

All fans attending Saturday's game will be provided a free white poncho as they enter the stadium. The white poncho will feature a UW Steamboat Bucking Horse logo on the front of it.

The Cowboy Football team will be wearing their All-White uniforms. A new helmet decal will also be featured for the first time on Saturday. The decal is a dark brown outline of Wyoming's distinctive Steamboat logo and will be displayed as usual on both sides of the Cowboys' traditional white helmet.

For Military Day, there will be military displays in the south end zone for fans to see. Various military entities and veterans will be honored throughout the game. Fans are also encouraged to stop by Tailgate Park, which will be located in the Arena-Auditorium concourse this week, to take part in a flag building activity, as well as a pocket flag project.

The Wyoming Cowboys' helmets will feature an American Flag and three decals representing the National Guard units from the state of Wyoming -- one Air National Guard unit and two Army National Guard units. Those decals have been on the Cowboy helmets for several seasons.

Saturday will mark the ninth meeting in a series that is tied at four wins apiece and has seen some great games. This will be the first meeting in Laramie between the two schools since 1996, when UW defeated Fresno State 42-21 on way to a Western Athletic Conference Pacific Division title. In 1993, Wyoming, behind All-America wide receiver Ryan Yarbrough, defeated Fresno State, led by quarterback Trent Dilfer, by a score of 32-28. Wyoming and Fresno State went on to tie for the WAC Title that season with BYU.

The Cowboys have won all three previous meetings in Laramie. In 2009, Wyoming also won the one neutral-site meeting, capturing a thrilling 35-28, double-overtime win over the Bulldogs in the 2009 New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque. Fresno State has won all four meetings played in Fresno, Calif., including a 42-14 win in last year's first game played between the two schools as Mountain West members.

Entering this week, Wyoming junior linebacker Jordan Stanton ranks No. 3 in the nation in tackles, averaging 11.6 tackles per game. A junior-college transfer, Stanton is playing his first season at the NCAA FBS level. A native of Palmdale, Calif., Stanton transferred to Wyoming from Los Angeles Pierce Community College in California. He trails only Keith Smith of San Jose State (13.6 tackles per game) and Tyler Matakevich of Temple (12.6 tackles per game).

Saturday's game will be televised by ESPN2. As with all Cowboy games, it will also be broadcast on radio over the 25 affiliate stations of the Cowboy Sports Networks, beginning with the pregame show, which will begin at 7 p.m. this Saturday.