San José State · W 16-13
No tackles.
Air Force · W 28-14
12 tackles, 1 for loss
The other 6 games average 7 tackles. This one was 5 above.
Rutherford has tackles in 7 of Wyoming’s 8 games: none against San José State.
Gary Rutherford
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Three seasons in the Wyoming linebacker corps to date. One game to point at: 13 tackles against Central Michigan — Week 3, 2026.
52 tackles · 2 sacks
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
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Last game (Wk 8): 12 tackles, 1 tackle for loss.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 7 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 13-35@ Colorado State | 8 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 21-13vs Northern Colorado | 6 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 10-24@ Central Michigan | 13 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 13 tackles |
| Wk 4 | W 27-10vs Hawai'i | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | L 0-28@ North Dakota State | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 41-23vs Northern Illinois | 7 | 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 28-14vs Air Force | 12 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 52 | 14 | 3.0 | 2.0 | — | 0 |
Oct. 23 · W 28-14 vs Air Force, play by play
A big game: 12 tackles, including 1 more for loss. The fumble he forced on 3rd and 9 ended Air Force’s drive (fumble).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Forced a fumble on 3rd and 9. Fourth quarter, up 21-14. Ended Air Force’s drive (fumble).
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 3 tackles for loss, 2 of them sacks, in the 7 games with play by play.
How Wyoming’s defense played that day
Air Force’s 6 drives: 3 stopped (3 takeaways) · 3 scored. While the game was within a score they held 3 of 4. His forced fumble came with Wyoming up 7.
7 tackles, including 1 sack.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 5 of his 7, sacks included.
Sacked the quarterback for a 5-yard loss. Fourth quarter, up 34-17.
3 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
3 tackles, including 1 sack. His sack on 4th and 10 ended Hawai'i’s drive (end).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 5-yard loss on 4th and 10. Fourth quarter, up 27-10. Ended Hawai'i’s drive (end).
A big game: 13 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 14 for him; the box score credits 13.
6 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
8 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 7 of his 8, sacks included.
Ratings of the games shown run from -25 to +9 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
52tackles this seasonTFL rate
6%3 TFLSack rate
4%2 sacksPD rate
0%0 pass breakups52 tackles · 3 for loss · 2 sacks.
3 seasons under Jay Sawvel — 12-20 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 7 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 7.0 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Road3g | 8.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 6.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 12.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jay Sawvel
Pass share
38.1%
173 pass / 281 run
Plays / game
56.8
8 games
Team sack rate
8.1%
197 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
52 tackles in 7 games, more tackles a game than most FBS linebackers who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #202 at the position.
The No. 2,492 recruit in the country is starting at linebacker in the Mountain West as a sophomore.
2026 is in progress.
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coachPlayed every college season under Jay Sawvel.
