BYU vs. Wyoming: How to watch, listen to or stream Saturday’s renewal of a once-bitter rivalry

BYU (2-0, 0-0 Big 12) at Wyoming (0-2, 0-0 Mountain West)

• Kickoff: Saturday, 7 p.m. MDT
• Venue: War Memorial Stadium (Capacity: 30,000)
• TV: CBS Sports Network
• Livestream : CBS Sports App
• Radio: KSL 1160 AM/102.7 FM/BYU Radio Sirius XM 143.
• Series: BYU leads, 46-30-3
• Weather: Mostly sunny skies at kickoff, with temperatures in the 70s, but dropping to the high 40s throughout the night. Winds will be light and variable, with gusts up to 15 mph from the southwest. Very little chance of rain throughout the game.

The trends

For BYU: The Cougars snapped a five-game road losing streak with last Friday’s 18-15 win over SMU and are one of only two Big 12 teams playing consecutive road games this month. They knocked off Wyoming 38-24 two years ago in Provo, their ninth-straight win over the Cowboys.

BYU first played Wyoming in 1922 , the first official season in school history and owns a 46-30-3 overall record against their former Rocky Mountain, Mountain States, WAC and Mountain West conference rivals.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers star Brett Keisel is arguably BYU’s greatest player from the state of Wyoming, but the list also includes linebacker Kelly Poppinga (BYU’s current special teams coordinator), who is from Evanston.

For Wyoming: The Cowboys are off to a slow start in 2024 under first-year coach Jay Sawvel, having lost at Arizona State and at home to FCS Idaho. They are averaging 10 points per game, while giving up 32.5 points per game.

They are hosting BYU for the first time since 2009, a 52-0 BYU win that was led by Cougars quarterback Max Hall. They went 8-4 (5-3 in league play) last year, finishing fourth in the Mountain West. They defeated Toledo in the 2023 Arizona Bowl.

What to watch for

Junior college transfer Jake Retzlaff was both good and bad in the 18-15 win over SMU, leading the game-winning field goal drive after committing three turnovers in the first three quarters. The pressure will be on Retzlaff to play cleanly, as BYU will not have the services of its two top running backs, LJ Martin and Hinckley Ropati.

BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said Wednesday that Enoch Nawahine and Miles Davis will fill in for the injured veterans. Nawahine ran for a 9-yard touchdown and Davis picked up a crucial first down in the win over the Ponies.

Redshirt freshman Sonny Makasini will make his third straight start at right guard and has apparently won the spot over SUU transfer Austin Leausa. Look for the tight ends to be more heavily involved in the offense, as Mata’ava Ta’ase already has two touchdown catches in two games.

Wyoming never has trouble getting up for BYU, and probably won’t on Saturday night as the Cowboys have always considered the Cougars a big rival, even though the programs have played only twice in the past 15 years.

Key player

Enoch Nawahine, junior, BYU, running back: BYU didn’t plumb the transfer portal for a workhorse running back in the offseason, a decision that is looking shaky after Martin and Ropati went down in the SMU game. Nawahine, a transfer from Utah State prior to the 2023 season, can show that coaches’ trust in him and fellow backup Miles Davis is justified with a strong performance against the Pokes.

Retzlaff is obviously another key player to watch, after last Friday’s uneven performance in Dallas. The junior college transfer is now 2-4 as a starter for BYU.

Quotable

“I know they have a passionate fan base. It is actually why college football is so good, is the fans make it real, and I know they love their team. They have a lot of pride in their team, and they are looking forward to this game, just like we are.” — BYU coach Kalani Sitake.

“This will be a big deal to everyone in the state of Wyoming. Not only are you playing an old rival, you are playing a really quality opponent at home, and that makes it a big deal.” — Wyoming coach Jay Sawvel.

Next up

• BYU: vs. Kansas State
• Wyoming: at North Texas

BYU schedule

• Aug. 31 — Defeated Southern Illinois, 41-13
• Sept. 6 — Defeated SMU, 18-15
• Sept. 14 — at Wyoming, 7 p.m. MDT on CBS Sports Network
• Sept. 21 — Kansas State, 8:30 p.m., ESPN
• Sept. 28 — at Baylor
• Oct. 5 — Bye
• Oct. 12 — Arizona
• Oct. 18 — Oklahoma State, 8:15 MDT, ESPN
• Oct. 26 — at Central Florida
• Nov. 2 — Bye
• Nov. 9 — at Utah
• Nov. 16 — Kansas
• Nov. 23 — at Arizona State
• Nov. 30 — Houston