LARAMIE, Wyo. — Most college coaches like to talk about the need to "finish" games.

In Wyoming's case, starting one would be a decent compromise.

For the seventh time in seven games, Wyoming fell behind early in a 40-7 loss to Utah Saturday. That put the Cowboys at 0-4 in the Mountain West, 2-5 overall — with no end to the misery in sight. Next up is a game at TCU in two weeks.

The Cowboys' disappointing season can be traced directly to their problems at the onset of every game. In three of their first six games, they turned the ball over on the opening drive, resulting in a touchdown.

That all changed in a strange and wonderful way Saturday: They waited until their second possession before throwing an interception, which Utah's Sean Smith took in for a touchdown.

Then there was that fumble on the third possession and ... why is anyone even counting?

"We're going to work hard with our kids during the bye week and see if we can get over these turnovers," said Wyoming coach Joe Glenn. "We have to protect the ball."

The Cowboys have never led at half and have been outscored 55-7 in the first quarter. Their 27 turnovers are the most in the Mountain West.

Saturday dawned optimistically for the Cowboys. An overnight snowstorm somehow skirted the city and clouds lurked benignly amid the foothills. The sun was out and a light wind blew from the south. But the day got windier and colder as the mistakes mounted. For a team that has scored just one touchdown in a conference game since last November, things didn't turn out any better than previously.

Wyoming has been outscored 131-10 in MWC games this season.

Five turnovers on Saturday didn't help.

Despite the fact Utah was a heavy favorite, the Cowboys could take comfort in knowing that the last time the Utes visited War Memorial Stadium, the Cowboys pulled off a 31-15 win. But this time it didn't happen. Consequently, pressure is mounting on Glenn. The sixth-year coach was the subject of a Casper Star-Tribune article Saturday in which questions were posed about his job security.

"I only know who I am and how I am. I can't go put a bunch of pressure on our coaches and kids or scream and holler and yell," he told the newspaper. "We're going to take a positive approach like we always have and treat the kids like men."

How do you take such an approach when you lose by dozens of points almost every game?

As he said, stay positive.

"The kids keep playing hard," said Glenn.

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