PUEBLO, Colo. – In an extremely-heated 2023 Rookie of the Year race, currently headlined by No. 5 Daniel Keeping, the bright lights of the premier series tour shine a little brighter.
For fellow rookie Wyatt Rogers, who often finds himself travelling with Keeping, his fellow statesman, he isn’t afraid to turn up the lights, and is presently just happy to be shining, himself.
“Riding on the UTB has been a dream come true,” Rogers shared.
The dream, and corresponding journey, began around 2003 for Rogers, when he became perplexed with bull riding in general, but it was an aging clash between legends Justin McBride and Chris Shivers which intrigued him most as a child.
“Ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to be part of it, so it’s really a dream to be living out that part of my life. I’ve known for a long time that I’m good enough to be here, but to actually be here and prove to everybody that I belong here is just a dream.”
Currently ranked No. 38 in the Unleash The Beast standings, Rogers will need to do exactly that, prove he belongs, this weekend in Eugene, Oregon as the next set of cuts looms following the conclusion of action.
“At the end of the day, the job is to stay on the bull no matter where I’m at. When I’m at Velocity events, I know I belong on UTB, so it’s been some extra motivation to get out of the Velocitys. There’s nothing wrong them, I just know where I belong.”
Within the past six months, Rogers has logged outs in a variety of formats and competition levels, including Unleash the Beast, Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour, Touring Pro Division, Challenger Series, PBR Team Series and beyond. Always soaking up wisdom while remaining dedicated to improving his skillset, his time this past summer with the Carolina Cowboys surely had an impact on the Hulbert, Oklahoma, native.
“Just watching the guys in that close proximity, watching Cooper Davis and Daylon (Swearingen), their mindset and how they approach things, it was eye-opening, and it helped me out a lot,” Rogers reflected.
“To be around Jerome Davis, to see what he’s been through in life and see his winning attitude … that man is a winner, that’s just legendary stuff right there.”
The 5-on-5, team-based format, which just announced its schedule for the 2023 campaign, may have sparked some new colors and official squads amongst the riders, teamwork and camaraderie aren’t new to the industry by any means.
RELATED: 2023 PBR Team Series event schedule announced
While cuts and the associated pressure to perform may be top of mind inside Matthew Knight Arena this weekend, it’s still very much a group effort behind the chutes and within the locker room for members of the bull riding brotherhood.
“At the end of the day, we’re all family, because each one of us on the back of the chutes helps the others, always cheering the others on. Nobody is rooting against anybody at the end of the day, it’s us versus the bull, and that’s all that matters. We want each other to do the best that we can and ultimately want everyone going home safely to our families.”
The 26-year-old will attempt to complete his first flawless finish of the season in Round 1 with a matchup against The Right Stuff, who’s surrendered qualified rides in 3-of-5 outs so far this year.
“I just need to finish out some weekends,” Rogers concluded. “That’s what I’ve been most down on myself about. I know that I can go 3-for-3 at an event, I just need to go do it here and put a full weekend together.”
As the race to be crowned 2023 World Champion continues to heat up, let’s take a look at who’s drawing into the lineup during this weekend’s PBR Kubota Emerald Chute Out in Eugene, Oregon.
WHO’S IN FOR EUGENE Jose Vitor Leme Andrew Alvidrez Kaique Pacheco Cooper Davis Dalton Kasel Jesse Petri Rafael Jose de Brito Luciano De Castro Boudreaux Campbell Keyshawn Whitehorse Silvano Alves Eli Vastbinder Wingson Henrique da Silva Marcelo Procopio Pereira Tate Pollmeier Bob Mitchell Joao Ricardo Vieira Manoelito de Souza Junior Dener Barbosa Koltin Hevalow Braidy Randolph Kyler Oliver Jess Lockwood Sandro Batista Rafael Henrique dos Santos Austin Richardson Marcus Mast Ezekiel Mitchell Ramon de Lima Wyatt Rogers Chase Outlaw Flavio Zivieri Mauricio Gulla Moreira Tyler Manor Chase Dougherty Casey Coulter Aaron Williams Conner Halverson
OUT BECAUSE OF INJURY/OTHER Daniel Keeping Thiago Salgado Mason Taylor Brady Oleson Derek Kolbaba Colten Fritzlan Daylon Swearingen Ednei Caminhas Eduardo Aparecido Casey Roberts
UNLEASH THE BEAST CUTS
With the next set of cuts for Unleash the Beast coming next week, this weekend’s event marks a monumental opportunity for riders to either protect their current ranking or make the jump above the cut line, as only the top 32-ranked riders following the action in Eugene are guaranteed to join the tour next weekend in Los Angeles. Using his last exemption of the year, Chase Dougherty will participate in his last guaranteed event via exemption status, as the Decatur, Texas, native has only managed a 1-for-6 effort, currently ranked No. 57 in the premier series. Dougherty will look to find some success Friday evening with a matchup against Back Jack, who he’s 0-for-2 against all-time.
After slow starts to the year, Chase Outlaw, Wyatt Rogers and Mauricio Moreira enter the competition as alternates, currently on the outside looking in, but will be keeping a close eye on fellow riders in Rafael Henrique dos Santos (No. 32), Marcus Mast (No. 35), Ezekiel Mitchell (No. 36) and company as the dramatic draws play themselves out on Friday night.
Utilizing their last UTB event courtesy of the qualifier list, Austin Richardson (No. 34), Ramon de Lima (No. 37), Flavio Zivieri (No. 40), Tyler Manor (No. 44) and Casey Coulter (No. 63) will also need productive performances in Eugene in order to stay within the Top 32 and avoid being relegated to the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour.
LEME LOOKS TO DEFEND 167-POINT LEAD HEADING INTO EUGENE
Continuing to step up to the plate en route to pacing the premier series standings by 167 points, two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme is on the hunt for his third world title. After going 2-for-3 last weekend in Tulsa, Oklahoma, including an 88.75-point ride atop Diamond in the Rough in Round 1 and a 88.25-point effort aboard The Show in the second round, Leme earned 51.5 Unleash The Beast points courtesy of his fifth-place finish inside BOK Center. The experienced veteran hasn’t finished outside the Top 10 in any of his six events, and with No. 2 Andrew Alvidrez missing action last weekend, he was able to extend his lead in the race to be crowned the 2023 World Champion even farther. Alvidrez is set to return Friday night, via a matchup against Cold Chill, while Leme draws a rematch with Chiseled, which he last posted an epic 94-point score atop the bovine in 2020.
ROUND 1 REMATCHES
Andrew Alvidrez vs. Cold Chill (5.68 seconds at PBR Bullnanza in Guthrie, Oklahoma and 3.70 seconds at Round 4 of the 2021 World Finals in Las Vegas, Nevada) Austin Richardson vs. Kid Knapper (2.57 seconds at PBR First Premier Bank Premier Bankcard Last Cowboy Standings, presented by Cooper Tires in Sioux Falls, South Dakota) Chase Dougherty vs. Back Jack (4.0 seconds at Abilene PBR in Abilene, Texas and 2.19 seconds at PBR Tractor Supply Co. Invitational in Chicago, Illinois) Eli Vastbinder vs. Lil Hott (2.81 seconds at Outlaw Days in Kansas City, Missouri) Ezekiel Mitchell vs. Best In Show (5.42 seconds at Freedom Fest in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) Joao Ricardo Vieira vs. Black Gold (4.28 seconds at PBR Bad Bow Mowers Mowdown in Little Rock, Arkansas) Jose Vitor Leme vs. Chiseled (94 points at PBR TicketSmarter Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires in Salt Lake City, Utah) Mauricio Gulla Moreira vs. Lights Out (86.75 points at PBR Nampa Invitational in Nampa, Idaho) Ramon de Lima vs. Baby Gangster (3.18 seconds at Outlaw Days in Kansas City, Missouri and 87 points at PBR Bad Boy Mowers Mowdown in Little Rock, Arkansas) Silvano Alves vs. Pookie Holler (7.38 seconds at PBR Wrangler Long Live Cowboys Classic 15/15 Bucking Battle in Sacramento, California)
FOLLOW ALONG
As this weekend’s action in Eugene, Oregon, quickly approaches, the action is set to begin Friday, Feb. 17 at 7:45 p.m. PT featuring Round 1 on RidePass on Pluto TV, with the second round and championship go slated to begin Saturday, Feb. 18 at 6:45 p.m. PT. Round 2 will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network on Saturday evening, while the short round will debut on CBS on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 9 a.m. PT.
Fans can stay tuned to PBR.com and PBR social media channels throughout the weekend for the latest scores, wrecks, injury updates and beyond as the world’s best bull riders get set to compete at the PBR Kubota Emerald Chute Out Matthew Knight Arena Feb. 17-18.
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media