Getting out of Wyoming with a win

Behind a big game by freshman Tyler Haws, a normal game from junior Jimmer Fredette, and another lift off the bench from Jonathan Tavernari, the BYU Cougars took care of business in Laramie on Saturday afternoon. However, when they’ll actually get out of Wyoming with the win is a little shaky at this time. The Cougars flew into Cheyenne, but I-80 east of Laramie is closed because of weather and a traffic accident. Last I heard the Cougars might try to find a different route to Cheyenne, or might just spend the night in Laramie. They’re also considering busing west on I-80 back to Utah. I think what they’re hoping for is for the weather to improve and the interstate to re-open. Myself, I have a flight out of Denver on Sunday morning and I’m, hopefully, staying in a hotel in Fort Collins. So, like the rest of the reporters here from Utah and several on BYU’s staff who need to get down to Denver, we’re not sure what we’re going to do. We’re talking about caravaning down 287 in a slow crawl back to Fort Collins.

Update: It’s about 11:15 p.m. and I don’t know all of the details, but the Cougars did eventually fly out of Laramie on Saturday night. The team took three separate smaller charter planes to Cheyenne on Friday and bused to Laramie. But, apparently, either those same planes or some other aircraft, left Laramie with the Cougars on board.

For me, however, and other members of the Utah media, it wasn’t a pleasant post-game ride down Highway 287 from Laramie to Denver. It was a long caravan of cars traveling between 20 and 30 mph in a blizzard the entire way on snow packed and icy roads. The normally 90 minute drive took more than three hours, and I just barely plied by fingers from the steering wheel of my rental car. We’re all hoping our flights from Denver on Sunday morning are not delayed.