BringBackStutzriem wrote:It was just under 28,000, which made it the biggest crowd for a Wyoming game since 1998. You've got to remember, though, this was in the era of Project 20k, where it was a goal to even average 20,000 fans per game. In fact, it was rare to even exceed that attendance mark for a while there. Garnering 28k for this one (especially against a team that didn't travel particularly well to Laramie) was a HUGE deal for Wyoming.ragtimejoe1 wrote: Anyone remember attendance for that game?
YES, you are completely right. I omitted it from the story because I couldn't quite remember how it fit into the game's narrative, but it was in the first half. Hoost Marsh took a punt 90 yards for a touchdown (it's the image that shows up at the top of "Part 2" of this writeup). I remember the stadium being furious, although I recall the PI call at the end of the first half was even more dubious and people were truly up in arms.johnywyo wrote:I believe there was a phantom holding call on a punt return for a TD for Wyo as well. That was a HUGE play, as well as the TO's we suffered during that game. Frustrating to know how close we were to putting together one heck of a year.
That's one unpleasant memory I have about this game: I've never seen a more intense Wyoming fan base, but also never seen a more angry one. This was an even louder game than Texas in 2009 because, quite simply, Wyoming expected to win this game. There was no novelty surrounding this: it was the real deal. And when the Cowboys lost, the hate that was levied at players (especially Bramlet) was pretty appalling. I've never seen a player singled out by our fans quite like that. It was pretty nasty stuff.
Seriously appreciate the kind words, man. I know some of my views aren't popular around here, but I figured they're interesting conversation starters at the very least. I want Wyoming to get back to exactly where they were on October 7, 2005 in the worst of ways. However, I'm not certain it's entirely possible anymore for a couple of reasons:LanderPoke wrote:Awesome write-up, Stutzreim. You are a fantastic writer. Wouldn't you like to see Wyoming football back in a similar situation? Or we could wuss out and Go FCS...not.
1.) The Mountain West Conference will never carry the level of national relevance or recognition it had from 2005-2011, especially in the likelihood that Boise State, Colorado State, and possibly Air Force all leave in the next few seasons. Boise State would be most persuaded if CSU jumps ship, and CSU's magnum opus stadium investment (and the general economics of the booming Front Range population swing) make them a pretty viable candidate to go Big 12. Regardless, it's impossible to recreate a playing field with TCU, Utah, and BYU - and, at the time, Wyoming was a realistic competitor to all three. As the ensuing blowouts later in the decade began to indicate, the gap between those programs and UW grew more and more massive - and now it's simply insurmountable. We can't ever hope to catch up to where TCU or Utah are - it's just an unfortunate reality.
2.) Consequentially, it will be more and more difficult for Wyoming to attract the caliber of recruits needed to compete in the upper-echelon of "mid-major" programs. Let's clarify: TCU, Utah, and BYU are no longer "mid-majors" - they're the real deal. We're more of a "mid-major" than we've ever been. But the depreciation of prestige in the MWC will make it more difficult to convince recruits to play in Laramie simply because the conference and its teams are largely irrelevant. Certainly, Wyoming needs to make Tashaun Gipson a poster child of "Look, it can happen here!" In the year 2015, however, it's a pretty tough sell to your type of kid who is really good at football. Again, we love Wyoming because we see the virtues of it - but there's a reason there are only 550,000 people here, and it's because it takes a really special type of person to live out here. I'm not convinced that Laramie is a lucrative place for upper-tier football players in a generation that is founded on instant gratification and flashiness ("the Instagram generation").
3.) Above all, the inherent disadvantages of trying to run a FBS program out of Laramie, Wyoming have widened exponentially in the 10 years since this game. At the time, Wyoming was on a relatively similar plane as the rest of the MWC. Within five years, it had shifted dramatically. Today, it's tectonic plates moving. It's like the separation of Pangea. That's what makes this such a fascinating and depressing game to analyze - it's the "what if's" that needed to fall in place to provide a program like Wyoming with the types of sparks it needed to compete. Unfortunately, the catalysts for those sparks are becoming more and more sparse as time goes on. That's the tough reality we're trying to come to grips with as Wyoming fans.
Now, let's hope Wyoming's program goes out and makes me eat my words. Because, trust me, I'll be the happiest person in the world to be completely wrong if it happens.
My hat is off to you - that was a more than worthwhile and compelling, entertaining, and informational read.
Which leads me to question 1: Are you a writer by nature -- is this what you do for a living?
Question 2: You seem to believe that Boise & CSU, and maybe even AF, will be leaving the MWC sometime in the near future. Is this an educated guess, or do you feel that this is not an if it will happen - but a rather when it will happen scenario?
Question 3: Even if those 3 teams do leave, I have a hard time seeing the MWC simply siting on their hands...I believe they'll replace those 3 teams and the conference will stay intact, possibly expanding to even more than 3 replacement teams.
Again, a great-great read...now your thoughts, please.
