Know Wyoming's Foe: UNC Bears

LARAMIE -- Some are overly amped. Others, unduly nervous or even scared. Many, Cameron Murray said, are simply happy to be playing in front of fans. Get our free mobile app That example illustrates life inside of an FCS locker room as a team prepares to tangle with the "big boys," said the Wyoming graduate assistant, who spent his final two collegiate playing seasons at Northern Colorado after transferring from Laramie. "It's a lot of different emotions," Murray added. The Cowboys open their home schedule Saturday against that very same UNC program. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. and the game will stream exclusively on MW+. A dozen of those Bears once suited up at an FBS school, including the Bears' leading receiver Trey Olsen. He was at Wyoming during the 2024 season. He snagged one pass for four yards. The sophomore already has six receptions for 105 yards through two games this fall. That includes a 54-yard touchdown grab in last Saturday's 38-23 home loss to South Dakota. The guys throwing him the ball won't likely be too intimidated walking into War Memorial Stadium, either. Kenny Lueth spent the '24 campaign at Northern Illinois. Though the 6-foot-4, 235-pound quarterback never played in DeKalb, he went through a year of throwing against a speedy secondary in practice. Apparently, that experience has paid off. The senior is completing nearly 63% of his passes and has yet to commit a turnover. He's amassed 427 yards and two touchdowns through the air. The California product has added 122 more on the ground and has found the end zone twice more with his legs. "What makes him good is that he can maneuver a couple different ways," Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel said Monday during his weekly press conference. "No. 1, he can hit you with a quarterback draw and some of that. He also scrambles a little bit and they do a good job in their boot actions and in some of their misdirection-type plays. That gives him a chance to, if something's not there in the route, bring (the ball) up (and run)." Sawvel and Co. also have a collective eye on running back Mathias Price, who is averaging 5.2 yards per carry. The 220-pound junior already has 140 rushing yards and a score on just 27 attempts. The Bears are rolling up 431 yards of total offense per outing in consecutive home losses to Weber State and South Dakota. That unit is also holding onto the football for nearly 37 minutes a game. That hasn't been the issue. This has: 6.7. That's the average yards per play this UNC defense is allowing. That has equated to 381 yards a night. That side of the ball has also already given up eight touchdowns. South Dakota rushed for 214 last Saturday night inside Nottingham Field. Sawvel said safety Frankly Morales is "active" in the secondary. His 12 tackles, along with two pass breakups and an interception prove that. He has also keyed on 260-pound edge rusher Blake Weslin, who has seven stops, half-a-sack and batted down a pass. Though Wyoming has won eight of the last 10 home meetings against FCS programs, it hasn't exactly been smooth sailing for the favorites. In Sawvel's first game in Laramie as the head coach, Idaho stunned a capacity crowd with a 17-13 win. In Craig Bohl's second season on the sidelines, North Dakota waltzed onto the high plains and came away with a 24-13 victory. There have been other close calls against Montana State and Wofford, too. Why? "He put every bullet in the gun to try to go win, as he should," Murray said of his head coach in Greeley, Ed McCaffrey. "We went out there and competed well." The Bears trailed just 9-0 at halftime back in 2022 before the Cowboys eventually rolled to a 33-10 win. Sawvel led the special teams and defensive backs at that level from 2001-07 at Southern Illinois. During that stint, the Salukis knocked off Indiana and Northern Illinois on the road. He said the motivation can be really simple. "It was one of those things that everybody wanted to prove, 'OK, wait a second, you should have recruited me,'" he added. "So there's a little bit of that." Meet the Bears: * Head coach: Ed Lamb (4th year) 5-30 overall, 3-21 in Big Sky Conference * Offensive coordinator: Justin Walterscheid (3rd year); Defensive coordinator: Preston Hadley (4th year) * Record in 2025: 4-8 overall, 2-6 in Big Sky Conference * Offense in 2026: Average 26 ppg, 431 ypg (185 rush, 246 pass) * Defense in 2026: Allow 34 ppg, 381 ypg (175.5 rush, 205.5 pass) * Key Returners/ Newcomers - Offense: Kenny Lueth (QB - 39-62, 427 yds, 2 TD; 29 rush, 122 yds, 2 TD), Mathias Price (RB - 27 rush, 140 yds, TD; catch, 2 yds), Justin Guin (RB - 17 rush, 75 yds, TD; 5 catch, 34 yds), Trey Olsen (WR - 6 catch, 105 yds, 2 TD), Marcus Mozer (WR - 8 catch, 78 yds), Garrett Harstad (WR - 6 catch, 73 yds), Jordan Herron (WR - 4 catch, 52 yds, TD), Brayden Welch (TE - 2 catch, 44 yds) * Key Returners - Defense: Franky Morales (S - 12 tackles, PBU, INT), KJ Smedley (LB - 8 tackles), Kaleb Kwammie (CB - 7 tackles, PBU), Mikhail Benner (S - 7 tackles), Blake Weslin (DL - 7 tackles, 0.5 sack, PBU), Carson Keach (S - 6 tackles, PBU), Dominic Butts (DL - 5 tackles), Blake Palladino (LB - 5 tackles), Cadence Turner (CB - 4 tackles, PBU) MORE UW FOOTBALL NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS.COM: * Wyoming Takes on UNC in Home-Opening 'Stripe Out' * GALLERY: Wyoming, CSU Tangle in 118th Border War * Behind the Numbers: Third-Down Thud in Opener * Making the Grade: Wilson Pokes' Top Pass Catcher in FoCo * Mistakes, Miscues Derail Pokes in 35-13 Border War Loss * Rants & Raves: CSU Rams Edition * Turning Point, Unsung Hero and What's Next for UW Football * Final Live File: Colorado State 35, Wyoming 13 * Tuck's Take: UW Title Drought Nearing 40 ... Time to Fix That * UW Head Coach: 'This is What College Sports is All About' * Gear Up For Game Day: CSU Rams