Wyoming Cruises Past Northern Colorado 35-7

LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) - Brett Smith passed for 264 yards and a touchdown, Shaun Wick rushed for two TDs and the Wyoming defense returned two interceptions for scores as the Cowboys beat Northern Colorado 35-7 in a game delayed nearly an hour by lightning Saturday.

Smith completed 30 of 47 passes with one interception. Dominic Rufran caught nine passes for 87 yards, including a 6-yard TD.

Wick ran 16 times for 87 yards, scoring on runs of 1 and 20 yards.

Wyoming (2-1) also scored its first defensive touchdowns of the season with defensive backs Jordan Stanton and Cortland Fort each recording a pick-6. Stanton grabbed a tipped pass and weaved his way around and through would-be tacklers 39 yards for the score, while Fort stepped in front of a pass to the sideline and raced 50 yards untouched.

Stanton also had 12 tackles and a sack for the Cowboys, who surrendered just 65 rushing yards.

Wyoming also blocked a field goal.

Tim Tancik, who stepped in when starting quarterback Seth Lobato injured his shoulder in the third quarter, led the Bears (1-2), completing 16 of 29 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown. He connected with Derek Vander Velde on a 31-yard TD and threw one interception.

Lobato completed 14 of 23 passes for 114 yards and one interception.

Northern Colorado, a FCS team that has never beaten a FBS opponent, entered the game averaging 33.5 points. The Bears gained 340 total yards on offense but converted just five of 18 third downs.

Entering Saturday's game, the Bears had scored on all eight of their red zone scoring chances. But against Wyoming, their streak ended when they failed to score on two chances.

Wyoming, which entered the game leading the Mountain West in total offense at 583 yards a game, also struggled at times. The Cowboys finished with 437 total yards and lost a fumble.

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