Cowboys Open 2025 Season with 10-0 Shutout Win at Akron
Wyoming records first season-opening shutout in nearly five decades
AKRON, OHIO — The Wyoming Cowboys started the 2025 season with a dominant 10-0 road victory over Akron on Thursday night at InfoCision Stadium. It was Wyoming’s first shutout in a season opener since a 0-0 tie against Air Force in 1977, and the team’s first overall shutout since 2017.
In his second season at the helm, head coach Jay Sawvel praised his defense for setting the tone and highlighted the team’s potential to grow from the win.
“We’ll be a much better team next week than we were tonight,” Sawvel said. “There are plenty of things to correct, but our defensive effort was outstanding. We played with more depth, more physicality, and more confidence in coverage. That’s something we can build on.”
Top Performers:
WR Chris Durr Jr. led all receivers with 146 yards and a touchdown on 7 catches. His 49-yard reception in the second quarter helped set up the game’s first points.
QB Kaden Anderson finished with 260 passing yards and a touchdown, completing 19 of 36 attempts.
RB Sam Scott rushed for a career-high 132 yards on 29 carries.
LB Brayden Johnson, in his Wyoming debut, recorded 8 tackles and an interception.
K Erik Sandvik hit a 25-yard field goal in the second quarter—the first of his career.
Wyoming opened the scoring in the second quarter and held a 3-0 lead at the half. Durr added a 35-yard touchdown reception late in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
The Cowboys posted 426 yards of total offense—260 passing and 166 rushing—and converted 9-of-20 third downs. Defensively, they held Akron to 228 total yards and just 89 on the ground. The Zips managed only 3 third-down conversions on 15 attempts.
Additional Notes:
This was the first meeting between Wyoming and Akron.
Wyoming improves to 81-46-2 all-time in season openers and 21-28-1 in season-opening road games.
The Cowboys are 67-29-1 in non-conference openers and 13-6 overall against Mid-American Conference opponents.
Nine players made their first career starts for Wyoming—two on offense, seven on defense.
This was the Cowboys’ first appearance in Ohio since 2011.
Next Up:
Wyoming returns to Laramie on Saturday, Sept. 6, to host Northern Iowa in the home opener at War Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. MT. Fans are encouraged to wear gold for the annual Gold Out game.