Easton Gibbs and John Hoyland Both Named First Team All-MW

By Tim Harkins
Associate Athletics Director for Media Relations,
Public Relations and Broadcasting
University of Wyoming Athletics

Laramie, Wyo. (Nov. 29, 2022) — The Mountain West Conference announced its 2022 All-Mountain West football teams on Tuesday and seven Wyoming Cowboys earned First Team and Honorable Mention honors.  The team was selected in voting by the 12 Mountain West head coaches and media members covering the league.

For the fourth consecutive season, Wyoming has a linebacker on the All-Mountain West First Team.  This season it is sophomore middle linebacker Easton Gibbs.  He follows in the footsteps of former Cowboy linebackers Logan Wilson, who was named First Team All-MW in 2019, and Chad Muma, who was named First Team All-Conference in 2020 and ’21.  Gibbs finished the 2022 regular season averaging 9.2 tackles per game to rank No. 3 in the Mountain West and No. 23 in the nation.  This is Gibbs first All-Mountain West Conference honor of his career.

Place-kicker John Hoyland earned First Team honors this season for the first time after being a Second Team All-MW selection two seasons ago in 2020.  Hoyland ranks No. 1 in the Mountain West in made field goals this season, averaging 1.67 per game, and he ranks No. 9 in the country in that category.  He becomes the second Cowboy place-kicker in the last five years to earn First Team All-Mountain West honors, following Cooper Rothe, who earned First Team honors in 2018 and was named the MW Special Teams Player of the Year.

Five Cowboys received Honorable Mention All-Conference recognition this season.  Those five include three juniors in: quarterback Andrew Peasley, punter Clayton Stewart and tight end Treyton Welch.  Two Wyoming sophomores also earned Honorable Mention honors in: defensive end DeVonne Harris and cornerback Cam Stone.

First Team Selections

Easton Gibbs not only ranked No. 3 in the conference and 23rd nationally in tackles this season, at 9.2 tackles per game, but he recorded the first 100-tackle season of his career, with 111.  He became only the 61st Cowboy in the 126-year history of Cowboy Football to record 100 tackles in a single season.  Gibbs’ 111 tackles ties him for the 29th best single-season tackle total in school history with former UW safety Marcus Epps, who had 111 tackles in 2016.  He will be able to add to that total in Wyoming’s bowl appearance later this year.  He posted double figures in tackles in five games this season.  Gibbs also ranked third on the Cowboy team in tackles for loss, with 8.0.  He added 2.0 sacks, four quarterback hurries, one pass break-up and one fumble recovery on the season.  His fumble recovery was made in the end zone for a touchdown in a 40-37 double overtime win over Tulsa.

John Hoyland made 20 of 23 field goals (87.0 percent) in 2022.  In addition to leading the Mountain West and ranking No. 9 in the nation in field goals made, his 20 field goals tied the Wyoming single-season school record.  He is tied with former Cowboys Cory Wedel, who made 20 field goals in 1996, and J.D. Wallum, who made 20 in 2001.  Hoyland’s field-goal percentage of 87.0 percent was No. 2 in the MW and No. 22 nationally.  He made three field goals of over 50 yards this season — 51, 53 and 55.  His 55-yarder is tied for the fourth longest in the FBS this season and is the longest in the Mountain West this year.  Hoyland was named a Semifinalist for the 2022 Lou Groza Award.  He was named a 2022 PFF (Pro Football Focus) Second Team Mid-Season All-American.  Hoyland was selected the MW Special Teams Player of the Week three times this season.

Honorable Mention Selections

DeVonne Harris led Wyoming in sacks (8.0) and tackles for loss (13.0) this season.  He ranked No. 7 in the Mountain West and No. 34 in the FBS in sacks, averaging 0.67 per game.  In MW conference games only, Harris ranked No. 3 in tackles for loss (1.38 per game) and ranked No. 4 in sacks (0.88 per game).  His season high in sacks was 3.0 versus Utah State, which ties for the fourth best single-game performance in the MW this season.  For the season, he also has six quarterback hurries, one pass breakup and one fumble return, which he returned for 44 yards vs. Boise State.  Harris recorded a season high nine tackles vs. Boise State, had seven vs. Utah State, six at Illinois and five at Colorado State.  He is the sack leader of a Wyoming defensive unit that ranked No. 2 in the Mountain West and No. 21 in the nation in sacks, averaging 2.83 per game

Andrew Peasley led Wyoming to a 7-5 overall record and a 5-3 Mountain West Conference mark.  He was voted one of only four team captains by his teammates in his first season as a Cowboy after transferring from Utah State.  Peasley was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week for his performance vs. Tulsa, throwing for 256 yards and 2 TDs and rushing for 45 yards to account for 301 yards of total offense.  He started 11 of 12 games this season, but was forced to miss the entire Boise State game due to injury and missed the final three quarters of the game at Colorado State due to injury.  The junior guided the Cowboys to five come-from-behind victories this season.  He also led the Pokes to four wins decided by seven points or less this season.  He completed 126 of 245 passes for 1,388 yards and nine touchdowns.  Peasley has also rushed for 330 yards and two more TDs and led Wyoming with 1,718 yards of total offense.

Clayton Stewart ranked No. 3 in the Mountain West and No. 27 in the nation in punting, averaging 43.97 yards per punt.  He placed 19 of 66 punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line and forced 21 fair catches by opponents.  Stewart recorded 17 punts of over 50 yards on the season, with his long punt this season going for 67 yards which was the second longest in the MW this season.  Stewart punted 66 times for 2,902 yards.  His best games were: 46.6 yard average at Colorado State (5 punts), 47.8 average vs. Tulsa (5 punts), 48.5 average vs. Northern Colorado (4 punts), 51.5 average vs. Air Force (4 punts), 51.8 average against San Jose State (6 punts).

Cam Stone ranked No. 2 in the Mountain West in passes defended, with 12, including two interceptions and 10 pass breakups.  In conference games only, Stone ranked No. 4 in the Mountain West in passes defended, with nine, including one interception and eight pass breakups.  Stone led Wyoming in interceptions (2) and pass breakups (10).  One of his two interceptions was a “Pick Six” that sealed Wyoming’s 27-14 road win at New Mexico.  Stone returned the interception 38 yards for Wyoming’s final touchdown of the game.  His other interception came against Northern Colorado.  Stone has 35 total tackles, including 23 solo stops, 1.0 TFL, one quarterback hurry and one forced fumble this season.  From his cornerback position, Stone had six games of four or more tackles this season, including: five vs. Tulsa, four at Fresno State, four at Illinois, four at New Mexico, four vs. Utah State and four at Colorado State

Treyton Welch was the only Mountain West tight end to rank in the Top 10 in the MW in TD receptions this season, with four TDs.  He tied for No. 7 in the Mountain West in TD receptions, with four total.  Welch received an “A” grade from PFF (Pro Football Focus) for the 2022 season.  He caught 17 passes for 217 yards, averaging 12.8 yards per reception.  His best game of the season was at New Mexico where he caught four passes for 87 yards.  Welch caught three passes for 39 yards vs. Utah State and caught two passes in three other games (at BYU, vs. SJSU and at Hawai’i).  His TD receptions this season have gone for: 14 yards vs. Air Force, 19 yards at BYU, 29 yards at New Mexico and 47 yards at New Mexico.  Welch was part of a Cowboy offense that ranked No. 2 in the Mountain West and No. 23 in the FBS in fewest tackles for loss allowed, giving up only 4.33 TFLs per game.  He was also part of a Wyoming offense that ranked No. 3 in the MW and No. 25 in the nation in fewest sacks allowed, giving up only 1.25 sacks per game.

2022 Wyoming All-Mountain West Conference Honorees

 First Team

Easton Gibbs, Linebacker, 6-2, 230, So., Temecula, Calif.

John Hoyland, Place-kicker, 5-10, 180, So., Broomfield, Colo.

Honorable Mention

DeVonne Harris, Defensive End, 6-4, 225, So., Big Lake, Minn. (Big Lake)

Andrew Peasley, Quarterback, 6-2, 210, Jr., La Grande, Ore. (Utah State)

Clayton Stewart, Punter, 6-1, 220, Jr., Flower Mound, Texas (Texas State)

Cam Stone, Cornerback, 5-10, 188, So., Angleton, Texas (Angleton)

Treyton Welch, Tight End, 6-3, 242, Jr., Buffalo, Minn. (Buffalo)