LARAMIE, Wyo. (July 23, 2024) – The Wyoming Cowboys have six players named to the East-West Shrine Bowl Preseason Watch List. The Shrine Bowl 1,000 was released on Tuesday with three defensive players, two offensive and on special teamer named to the list.
The Cowboy defense had three players named to the list. Defensive tackle Jordan Bertagnole along with linebacker Shae Suiaunoa and safety Wyett Ekeler.
The Wyoming offense had two players with center Nofoafia Tulafono and Harrison Waylee on the list. UW Kicker John Hoyland was also featured on the list.
Defensive Tackle Jordan Bertagnole
Bertagnole started all 13 games en route to being named second-team All-Mountain West Conference. He was also named first team All-MW by Phil Steele. He ranked fifth on the squad with 60 tackles. Bertagnole added a team-best 5.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. Bertagnole forced one fumble, had six quarterback hurries and two pass break-ups. He recorded multiple tackles in each game save for one. Bertagnole enjoyed a season-high nine tackles at UNLV, while adding eight and seven tackles against Appalachian State and Portland State, respectively. He registered back-to-back contests with a pair of tackles for loss against Hawaii and at Nevada.
Linebacker Shae Suiaunoa
Suiaunoa appeared in and started all 13 games for the Cowboys last season. He was named third team All-MW by Phil Steele. He ranked second on the team with 93 total tackles. He also added 5.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and an interception. He ranked tenth in the MW with 7.2 tackles per game. he had 10 or more tackles in three games last season. He recorded a career-high 12 tackles for the Cowboys in the win over Texas Tech. He added 13 tackles against another ranked opponent in Fresno State and added 11 against Boise State. Suiaunoa recorded an interception against Colorado State. He recorded a season-high 1.5 tackles for loss in the win over Portland State.
Safety Wyett Ekeler
Ekeler appeared in all 13 games for the Cowboys with 12 starts in 2023. He was named honorable Mention All-MW by the coaches and media and Third team by Phil Steele. He was named the MW Defensive Player of the Week following the Pokes win at Nevada. He was third on the team with 77 tackles with 49 solo stops and 28 assisted tackles. He also added 5.5 tackles for loss along with two sacks. He recorded two interceptions with one for a score coming against Nevada. He tied for the team lead with seven pass breakups. He recorded two forced fumbles and recovered one on the season. He recorded a season-high nine tackles for the Cowboys against Texas. He added eight against App State, Air Force and Boise State. He recorded a career-high two sacks against New Mexico and was named MW Player of the Week following the contest.
Center Nofoafia Tulafono
Tulafono started all 13 games. He helped pave the way for Harrison Waylee to rush for north of 100 yards on four different occasions with the high-water mark being 191 yards against New Mexico. Tulafono also helped protect Andrew Peasley who threw for at least 140 yards nine different times with a season-high 319 coming against Hawaii. Tulafono played a role in Wyoming ranking top-15 nationally in fourth-down conversion percentage at 66.7. The Cowboys were named to the Joe Moore Award Mid-season Watch list with the award going to the top offensive line in the nation.
Running Back Harrison Waylee
Waylee had an outstanding season for the Cowboys in 2023. He was named Honorable Mention All-Mountain West by the coaches and media. He was named to the Second Team All-MW by Phil Steele. He appeared in 10 games for the Poke with nine starts at running back. He rushed for 947 yards in those contests to rank sixth in the MW and No. 50 in the nation. He averaged 94.7 yards per game, a number that ranked fourth in the conference and No. 24 in the nation. He ended the season with 5.8 yards per carry to rank sixth in the MW and No. 34 in the nation. He also added 12 receptions for 66 yards. He finished the season with five touchdowns with a long of 75 yards that came for a touchdown against Texas. He rushed for over 100 yards against Texas, App State, New Mexico, and Colorado State. He rushed for a season-high 191 yards against New Mexico. He added 110 at Texas, 156 against App State and 128 against Colorado State. He has rushed for 2,876 yards in his career and has recorded 15 rushing touchdowns in his career.
Kicker John Hoyland
Hoyland appeared and started all 13 games at kicker for the Cowboys. He was 13-of-20 in field goals on the season. He was a perfect 10-10 from inside 45 yards a season ago. He recorded three field goals of 50 yards or longer. He recorded a career-high 56-yard field goal in both the Texas tech and Portland State games. He also hit a 52-yard field goal for the Cowboys in the Arizona Bowl. He was named the MVP of the Arizona Bowl recording a game winning field goal as the time expired. He was named the MW Special Teams Player of the Week following the win over Texas Tech. He was named the Lou Groza Star of the Week after going 4-for-4 against New Mexico.
