Amandre Williams
BOBCAT GAME DAY NOTEBOOK: MSU's Game at Wyoming Hits Home for a Trio of Bobcats
9/4/2021 1:00:00 PM | Football
A look at Montana State's 2021 season opener at Wyoming
LARAMIE, Wyoming (September 4, 2021) – Bobcat defensive lineman Amandre Williams won't have a lot of family and friends in War Memorial Stadium today when Montana State plays Wyoming, but he knows what so many of the people on his mother's side of the family will be doing.
"Oh they all get around the radio or the TV and follow every game," Williams said of relatives that live in Wyoming's Wind River country in and near communities such as Riverton and Shoshone. "They love the Cowboys."
Williams and his brother Tayvian, a junior receiver, along with junior receiver Peyton Hanser, all carry deep family ties into War Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Scott Hanser, Petyon's father, was a great Cowboy linebacker for one of amazing 1987 Wyoming team that steamrolled the Western Athletic Conference with an 8-0 record to claim the school's first championship since 1976. Three years later a heralded defensive end named Tyrone Williams arrived to anchor the defense on Joe Tiller's first three Cowboys squads.
Junior receiver Peyton Hanser also has strong ties to the Cowboys. His father Scott was a ferocious linebacker for the Pokes, helping lead Wyoming the an undefeated conference season and WAC Championship as a senior in 1987. Hanser is in the Cowboys' Hall of Fame as part of that team, and as part of his trip to watch Peyton play this weekend enjoyed the induction of two former teammates on Friday.
"He's all Blue and Gold now," Peyton said with a smile.
Peyton Hanser was somewhat immersed in Cowboys lore growing up. Several of his father's former teammates, and many other Wyoming grads, call Billings home. It was less so for Amandre and Tayvian in suburban Seattle. "I heard some stories," Amandre said, "and some former (pro football) teammates were around, but not any of his Wyoming teammates that I remember."
As part of a 55-year career in Wyoming Athletics, Kevin McKinney served as the school's Sports Information Director during the careers of both Scott Hanser and Tyrone Williams. He has strong and positive memories of both. "They were from the same cloth," McKinney said, "b0th tough guys, smart players, the kind of guys you expect from Wyoming football."
Scott Hanser was part of one of Wyoming's remarkable teams ever, a squad that played around .500 football for years before Paul Roach's first team exploded onto the scene. "No. 1, he was a great teammate," McKinney recalls, "a very, very popular guy. Who couldn't like Scott Hanser? No 2 he was a great fit for Wyoming. He was one of those guys who was a Cowboy, was from the outset. No 3 he could really run. He was a heck of an athlete. At that time we had some very athletic linebackers, and he was as athletic as any of them. He was great in space, sideline to sideline. But first and foremost a heck of a guy."
Williams was an explosive defensive end who impacted the Cowboys early on. "He was probably the best athlete that we had," McKinney said. "Another guy who was extremely quick, fast, but I always liked Tyrone but he was a tough guy. He was what Wyoming was all about. Tyrone was a really good player and athletic as any defensive end in our league. He was a very good pass rusher."
* * * * *
Two other members of MSU's travel party have enjoyed moments in War Memorial Stadium. Bobcat assistant coach Adam Pilapil played for the Cowboys (2014-17), and is married to a former Cowgirl soccer player.
Bobcat safety Tre Webb transferred from San Jose State this summer after an accomplished career with the Spartans. He was part and parcel of the program's ascent from irrelevance to 2021 Mountain West Champions, and in 2018 he played a role in San Jose State's 24-9 win at Wyoming. Webb logged 10 tackles and forced a fumble in the important road victory. The Spartans finished 2017 2-11, and were 1-11 (the only win coming in Laramie) in 2018, but finished 5-7 in 2019 and 7-1 last fall.
* * * * *
The Cowboys will wear gold jerseys today, the same shade MSU dons for its annual Gold Rush game. This is Wyoming's first game in an alternate jersey in Craig Bohl's tenure (since 2014).
"Oh they all get around the radio or the TV and follow every game," Williams said of relatives that live in Wyoming's Wind River country in and near communities such as Riverton and Shoshone. "They love the Cowboys."
Williams and his brother Tayvian, a junior receiver, along with junior receiver Peyton Hanser, all carry deep family ties into War Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Scott Hanser, Petyon's father, was a great Cowboy linebacker for one of amazing 1987 Wyoming team that steamrolled the Western Athletic Conference with an 8-0 record to claim the school's first championship since 1976. Three years later a heralded defensive end named Tyrone Williams arrived to anchor the defense on Joe Tiller's first three Cowboys squads.
Junior receiver Peyton Hanser also has strong ties to the Cowboys. His father Scott was a ferocious linebacker for the Pokes, helping lead Wyoming the an undefeated conference season and WAC Championship as a senior in 1987. Hanser is in the Cowboys' Hall of Fame as part of that team, and as part of his trip to watch Peyton play this weekend enjoyed the induction of two former teammates on Friday.
"He's all Blue and Gold now," Peyton said with a smile.
Peyton Hanser was somewhat immersed in Cowboys lore growing up. Several of his father's former teammates, and many other Wyoming grads, call Billings home. It was less so for Amandre and Tayvian in suburban Seattle. "I heard some stories," Amandre said, "and some former (pro football) teammates were around, but not any of his Wyoming teammates that I remember."
As part of a 55-year career in Wyoming Athletics, Kevin McKinney served as the school's Sports Information Director during the careers of both Scott Hanser and Tyrone Williams. He has strong and positive memories of both. "They were from the same cloth," McKinney said, "b0th tough guys, smart players, the kind of guys you expect from Wyoming football."
Scott Hanser was part of one of Wyoming's remarkable teams ever, a squad that played around .500 football for years before Paul Roach's first team exploded onto the scene. "No. 1, he was a great teammate," McKinney recalls, "a very, very popular guy. Who couldn't like Scott Hanser? No 2 he was a great fit for Wyoming. He was one of those guys who was a Cowboy, was from the outset. No 3 he could really run. He was a heck of an athlete. At that time we had some very athletic linebackers, and he was as athletic as any of them. He was great in space, sideline to sideline. But first and foremost a heck of a guy."
Williams was an explosive defensive end who impacted the Cowboys early on. "He was probably the best athlete that we had," McKinney said. "Another guy who was extremely quick, fast, but I always liked Tyrone but he was a tough guy. He was what Wyoming was all about. Tyrone was a really good player and athletic as any defensive end in our league. He was a very good pass rusher."
* * * * *
Two other members of MSU's travel party have enjoyed moments in War Memorial Stadium. Bobcat assistant coach Adam Pilapil played for the Cowboys (2014-17), and is married to a former Cowgirl soccer player.
Bobcat safety Tre Webb transferred from San Jose State this summer after an accomplished career with the Spartans. He was part and parcel of the program's ascent from irrelevance to 2021 Mountain West Champions, and in 2018 he played a role in San Jose State's 24-9 win at Wyoming. Webb logged 10 tackles and forced a fumble in the important road victory. The Spartans finished 2017 2-11, and were 1-11 (the only win coming in Laramie) in 2018, but finished 5-7 in 2019 and 7-1 last fall.
* * * * *
The Cowboys will wear gold jerseys today, the same shade MSU dons for its annual Gold Rush game. This is Wyoming's first game in an alternate jersey in Craig Bohl's tenure (since 2014).
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