LARAMIE — No matter where Mike Neuhaus’ travels take him, he’ll always remember Nov. 8, 2008.
On that day, Neuhaus and his University of Wyoming teammates were in Knoxville, Tenn., to play Tennessee, one of college football’s storied programs, in legendary Neyland Stadium.
The Cowboys were a huge underdog to a UT team that had never lost to a Mountain West Conference team.
On the Vols’ first drive of the game, Neuhaus picked off a pass by Tennessee quarterback Nick Stephens and ran 55 yards before being tackled at the Vols’ 4. On the next play, UW quarterback Chris Stutzriem rolled out of the pocket and tossed to tight end Greg Genho in the end zone to give the Cowboys a 7-0 lead.
Wyoming went on to win the game 13-7.
“That’s by far my biggest moment playing college football,” Neuhaus said with a smile. “For the rest of my life, I’m going to have to live with the fact that I came up 4 yards short.”
In two scrimmages this fall, Neuhaus recorded interceptions. Both have come at the expense of quarterback Robert Benjamin.
“I could joke around and say I used to play safety in high school and say I know how to intercept the ball,” Neuhaus continued with a laugh. “But really I should owe Robert dinner.”
As a true freshman linebacker in 2005, Neuhaus appeared in all of the Cowboys’ 11 games that season, playing primarily on special teams. The injury bug hit the rugged Neuhaus in 2006, and he took his redshirt season while dealing with a hamstring injury.
During the spring of 2007, Neuhaus switched from linebacker to an outside down lineman in the Cowboys’ 3-4 package. He went on to play in all 24 UW games during the 2007 and 2008 seasons, rotating with John Fletcher and Mitch Unrein.
He will fill the same role this season.
“He has a lot of ability and has come a long ways,” defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery said.
