Western Athletic Conference Roundup : No. 10 Wyoming Clinches Holiday Bowl Berth

Dabby Dawson ran for 134 yards and a touchdown Saturday as No. 10 Wyoming trounced Texas El Paso, 51-6, at Laramie, Wyo., to claim a share of the Western Athletic Conference championship.

The victory sends Wyoming (10-0 overall, 7-0 in the conference) to the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 30 as the WAC’s representative. Brigham Young University can tie Wyoming for a share of the conference title, but the Cowboys beat the Cougars this season and have the tiebreaker advantage.

Texas El Paso (8-2, 4-2) couldn’t stop the nation’s top offensive team and was shut down by Wyoming’s defense. The Miners managed just 2 field goals by Chris Jacke and 162 yards in total offense.

Dawson, who surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the season in his eighth carry of the game, indirectly helped Wyoming score first when a pass bounced from his hands to Freddie Dussett in the end zone with 9:27 left in the first quarter.

Two possessions later, Dawson scored on a 22-yard run that put Wyoming ahead, 14-0.

Wyoming, which led, 31-3, at the half, ran the nation’s longest regular-season winning streak to 19 games while defendeding its 1987 conference title.

The Cowboys used a strong rush to pressure Miner quarterback Pat Hegarty. Hegarty had been averaging 188.9 yards per game but completed just 7 of 25 passes for 66 yards.

On the ground, Texas El Paso managed just 96 yards.

“Wyoming is a great football team,” UTEP Coach Bob Stull said. “I didn’t expect their defense to be as strong as it was. They’re very solid.”

Said Wyoming Coach Paul Roach: “I think they (UTEP) came in ready to play. Their coach told me he felt they were.

“But I think what they found today, or were met with, were a snarling bunch of Cowboys really ready to go.”

Utah 46, Colorado State 7-- Quarterback Scott Mitchell passed for 293 yards and 2 touchdowns and Tim Wagstaff kicked 4 field goals to lead the Utes to an easy victory over the Rams at Salt Lake City.

Mitchell’s scoring passes were both to Carl Harry, for 27 and 3 yards, and gave him a school-record 23 touchdown passes this season. Mitchell’s performance set a National Collegiate Athletic Assn. record for total offense by a sophomore, 3,516 yards. The record was held by Bernie Kosar, 3,412 yards in 1984 at Miami.

Wagstaff’s 4 field goals also tied a school record for most field goals in a game. The senior connected on kicks from 37, 22, 44 and 46 yards.

Utah improved its WAC record to 3-4 and is 4-5 overall. CSU dropped to 1-6 in conference play and 1-8 overall.

The Rams’ only score came in the fourth quarter when cornerback Craig Jersield returned an interception of freshman quarterback Mike Richmond 33 yards for a touchdown.

Mitchell completed 24 of 41 passes with 2 interceptions. Harry caught 6 passes for 112 yards.