History in the making

With one more road win at Nevada, the Cowboys were 5-2 overall and 3-0 in Mountain West. This is the first time Wyoming has started 3-0 in MW play since they joined the conference when it formed back in 1999. This past week, the Cowboys receive a vote in the national Coaches Poll, ranking us at No. 40. Now that's not super impressive, but its a big deal for UW fans. Last year we were the 9th worst team in the nation. But times have changed and Wyoming football in on the rise.

Wyoming had a big weekend ahead of them. This Saturday's game would be the biggest game played in War Memorial Stadium in years. Both teams enter the game undefeated in conference. The winner of this game would take possession of the Mountain Division. But it would be a battle. Over ten games, the Cowboys had never won this match-up. But the competition, ranked 13th in the nation, seemed to be loosing steam. They had barley won their last two games, beating CSU by 5 points and BYU by 1.

October 29, 2016, Wyoming v. Boise State University, 5:00pm, War Memorial Stadium, Laramie, Wy. CBS Sports.

It was game day. The tailgaters were out in full force. The stadium was packed with energized fans.  The first quarter was unproductive for the Cowboys offense, as they did not score. The first score of the game came from Boise off an interception and a few quick plays. 7-0.

The second quarter began. Wyoming would move the ball down field. As they entered the red zone, they found themselves at the 1 yard line on fourth down. They would go for it. But the Broncos defense was ready, and the Cowboys came up short. Boise took possession and moved the ball to score. 14-0. After a successful drive down the field, Allen threw to the end zone for the catch by Hollister. 14-7. The Broncos responded with a quick touch down. 21-7. The Cowboys got the ball again. Moving down the field, they were unable to to convert the third down. Rothe took the field, kicking a 40-yard field goal. 21-10. With a minute and a half left in the first half, Boise had the ball. The quarterback made a long throw down field. Who was there to make the catch? Wyoming's Rico Gafford. Interception. The ball was returned back to the original line of scrimmage. With under a minute left, Allen threw the ball, Hollister with the catch, Touchdown. 21-17. The first half was over. Wyoming was only down by 4 points.

The teams returned to the field for the second half. Both team came out fighting, but no one scored in the third quarter. As we entered the fourth quarter, the cowboys were still down, 21-17. The quarter started with a Wyoming field goal bringing the score to 21-20. One point. The Cowboys were so close. Boise responded, using our own trick play on us, scoring yet again. 28-20. With ten minutes left in the game, the pressure was on. The Cowboys pushed down the field with some amazing throws. With seven minutes left, the Broncos defense placed pressure on Allen. Allen moved out of the pocket. Looking down field, he found his receiver. He threw. Tanner Gentry with the catch in the back of the end zone. 28-26. The Cowboys decoded to go for the 2 point conversion. A risky move. Allen threw the ball. Maulhardt with the catch. Its good. The Cowboys had tied the game. 28-28. The crowd erupted with excitement. The Broncos got the ball. With 1:32 left in the game, Boise was on their 10 yard line. The defense applied pressure. Appleby got threw the line. The quarterback began to throw, but Appleby ran into him, knocking the ball loose. The ball bounced through the end zone and out the back of the field. All around the stadium people had their hands above their heads in what looked like teepees. The players were dancing on the field.    Safety Dance (Video).    The Cowboys had just scored a safety. Two points. The Cowboys were up. 28-30.

The crowd was going wild. The excitement in the War was beyond belief. The Cowboys could win the game. The Broncos would have to kick the ball. They decided to go for an on-side kick. Wyoming recovered. The Cowboys lined up in victory formation. And with 30 seconds left on the clock, the students stormed the field, engulfing the team and coaches in a wild celebration. The fans chanting W-Y-O!!! W-Y-O!!! W-Y-O!!!     Wyoming v Boise game ending.  (Video)
Final. Boise 28 Wyoming 30.

Boise would drop to 24 in the AP rankings, and the Cowboys would receive 5 votes, coming in at 33.

With this win, the Cowboys had not only made history by beating Boise for the first time, but they also took control of the MW Mountain division. If the Cowboys continued to win, they could be playing in the championship game. This was also the first time since 2002 that the Pokes had beaten a ranked team. To add to the excitement and historic game, the Cowboys were now 4-0 in MW, and 6-2 overall. This was their sixth win. The Cowboys were now bowl eligible. Wyoming is going Bohling!!

As Wyoming Governor Matt Mead said earlier in the day, "So today when we say go pokes, we know the pokes are going."

Until next time,
Ashley