Wyoming quarterback Kaden Anderson has been named the Manning Award Quarterback of the Week, earning the honor through a fan vote over seven other candidates, County 10 reports.
The award, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, highlights standout quarterback performances across college football and includes each week’s top performer.
Anderson, a redshirt freshman from Southlake, Texas, won the award following a stellar performance in his first career start, where he led the Cowboys to a high-scoring 49-45 victory over New Mexico. He threw for a career-best 342 yards, marking the highest passing total for Wyoming since 2015. This achievement also set a record for a true freshman or redshirt freshman quarterback in the Mountain West era of Wyoming football, surpassing Brett Smith’s 341-yard game in 2011.
Anderson’s standout game included three passing touchdowns and a rushing score, completing 20 of 29 passes. His leadership helped Wyoming’s offense amass 604 total yards, a season-high and the most in a single game since 2021. The Cowboys’ 49-point performance was also their highest score since the 2021 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
The Manning Award, established in 2004 to honor the college achievements of Archie, Peyton, and Eli Manning, is unique in that it includes bowl game performances in its voting criteria. Since recognizing weekly Stars of the Week in 2011, the award has highlighted 563 quarterbacks from 135 different schools.
Following a well-earned break, Anderson and the Cowboys will face Colorado State in Fort Collins on November 15 for the annual Border War matchup.
