Wyoming will make a killing at the gate

THE GUNSLINGER is headed for the town of Laramie, Wyo., and the town folk are awaiting the outlaw with open arms.

The big, bad Red of Nebraska is invading the University of Wyoming campus to take on the 3-0 Cowboys in an obvious mismatch. But officials at the university are touting tomorrow's game against the No. 9 Huskers as "the most anticipated game in UW football history."

Anticipated? The Cornhuskers (3-0) are favored by more than three touchdowns, and no one cares about the game unless the Cowboys pull off an Appalachian State. It's the event - not so much the game itself - that has the locals buzzing.

The Cowboys are going to get killed. But no one seems to care.

All 1,800 motel rooms in the Laramie area this weekend have been sold out since May, and some Nebraska fans have bought Wyoming season tickets to make sure they have a ticket for this game. It's like getting a ticket to a massacre.

Laramie is a 2-hour drive from the Nebraska border, so it's more convenient for Big Red fans in western Nebraska to see this game than to attend a home game 6 hours away in Lincoln. The crowd tomorrow will be about a third the size of the one that turns up for Nebraska's spring scrimmages. Wyoming's War Memorial Stadium, where temporary seating installed for this game has increased capacity from 29,181 to 32,000, will be the smallest venue Nebraska has played in since 1971.

So, we guess Big Red fans would rather see their team roll than not see the team at all.

"The net effect of the Huskers coming to our humble little town here is beyond huge," said Gordon Crow, president of the Laramie Area Chamber of Commerce. "We were blown away 2 years ago when Texas came in. That put the economy over the top. The Huskers bring an even greater impact."

Nebraska will get $300,000 guaranteed for the game. Wyoming athletic director Tom Burman said the Cowboys will generate $1.1 million in ticket revenue for the game compared with about $400,000 for other home games.

"I tip my hat to them," Burman said. "There are a lot of other places they could play that are more sexy or the fan base might like better. It's good for college football when programs like Nebraska and Texas are willing to play in a place like Laramie."