Cowboys lay defensive beating on ACC's Virginia

Wyoming's defense is back, and in full force.

The Cowboys held Virginia to just five first downs, 110 yards total offense and less than half the Pokes' time of possession in beating the Cavaliers 23-3 on Saturday in Laramie, Wyo.

"The only thing I'm surprised about is that they scored," said Devin Moore, who finished with 125 yards and a touchdown for Wyoming (1-0).

"I'm glad they scored," he added. "They're an ACC team."

Last year, a missed extra point in overtime caused the Cowboys to lose at Virginia, 13-12. But this year's game wasn't nearly so close, with Wyoming quarterback Karsten Sween getting plenty of time to choose his throws and finish 25 of 34.

"Our line, I can't say enough about them," Sween said. "They're awesome."

Midway through the fourth, Moore ran away for a 49-yard touchdown to put Wyoming ahead 20-3. Moore said the hole he ran through was "like the sea" and he too credited the offensive line.

Yet it was Wyoming's defense — ranked as high as third in the nation last season — that really made the difference. The Cowboys had the ball more than 40 minutes; Virginia had it less than 20 minutes and totaled less than a fourth of Wyoming's 471 yards offense.

Three plays after Moore's touchdown, Julius Stinson intercepted Virginia's Jameel Sewell for the second time, setting up a drive that ended with Billy Vinnedge kicking a 39-yard field goal for the final score.

Stinson had also picked off Sewell in the third quarter.

"He just threw it weird — it slipped out of his grasp," Stinson said of his first interception. "But it's still a pick."

Sewell was 11 of 23 for 82 yards. Staton Job led Virginia's receiving game with two catches for 17 yards. Cedric Peerman was held to 18 yards on seven carries for the Cavaliers.

Those stats added up to a frustrated Cavs coach Al Groh.

"I'd have to say that was a lot less than what we expected," Groh said.

"It's all about we, us and ours," he said. "We'll stay united through this. We've got a long way to go. A lot of people put a lot into this, at this point, to see a better result than that."