Wyoming survives late UNLV surge

Wyoming escaped a late-game scare at UNLV to win 41-35 on Saturday night. The victory moved the Cowboys to six wins on the season and a 5-1 record in Mountain West Conference play.

The game was not decided until the final seconds of regulation. UNLV had cut a 20-point deficit to within striking distance. With under two minutes remaining, Wyoming quarterback Alex Orgi faked a handoff at the 11-yard line. He then sprinted right and fired a pass toward Taeshaun Lyons in the end zone.

The ball was intended for Lyons, but Tyson Shamsid-Deen intercepted it. Shamsid-Deen, a second-year cornerback from San Antonio, made his second interception of the game. He secured the ball while wearing a bulky white club on his surgically repaired right hand.

"He was eyeing him," Shamsid-Deen said of Orgi looking for Lyons. "I was like, 'He's going to throw it. You going to throw it?' So, hey, I'm T-money. You know, gotta make money plays."

Shamsid-Deen had missed three games earlier in the season after injuring his hand against Central Michigan. His teammate Ethan Stuhlsatz noted the difficulty of playing at cornerback with the hand wrapped. "That's extremely impressive with the club," Stuhlsatz said. "I couldn't imagine. I've never had to play with the club, but especially as a (defensive back), that's really tough."

UNLV head coach Dan Mullen admitted his team struggled to compete in the first half. "I'm extremely disappointed in our performance tonight," Mullen said. "We had some critical errors offensively and defensively right there at the very end of the game .. that cost us an opportunity to find a way to win."

Wyoming coach Jay Sawvel praised his defense for holding its nerve. "I was like, 'OK, we've come too far to have it happen like this,'" Sawvel said. "And two plays later, Tyson intercepts that ball. I'm living blessed right now."

The Cowboys also benefited from a key play in the second quarter. Wide receiver Ke'Lyn Washom caught a 32-yard pass over two defenders. Washom left the game with a hip injury after the catch. His catch helped set up a touchdown that extended the Wyoming lead to 31-21.

Wyoming now sits in second place in the conference. The team is bowl eligible and controls its own destiny with two games left. The next matchup is on the road against UTEP on Saturday.

The Cowboys have a 26-6-1 all-time record against the Miners. UTEP has lost its last seven games and is 1-8 on the season. The game is scheduled for 8 p.m. Mountain Time and will air on FS1.