Wyoming Keeps The Championship Dream Going [VIDEOS]
Wyoming’s still alive in their bid for a division title and conference championship thanks to a 34-33 victory over No. 24 San Diego State Saturday in Laramie.
Antonio Hull batted down a potential game-winning two-point conversion pass by the Aztecs that kept the Cowboys quest intact.
Head coach Craig Bohl said it was a game with two really competitive football teams.
Wyoming (8-3, 6-1) looked like they had won the game with 67 seconds left. Josh Allen tossed a 29-yard TD pass to C.J. Johnson for a 34-27 lead. It capped a 15-play, 85-yard drive that took over six minutes off the clock.
The ensuing kick-off was ruled down at the San Diego State 1-yard line. The Aztecs had three timeouts and drove ten plays to the Cowboy 23. San Diego State scored a touchdown on the game’s final play. It was a short, 23-yard Hail Mary pass that was tipped and caught. The play was initially called incomplete, but after review, the call was overturned. That gave the Aztecs a chance to win it or play for overtime. SDSU head coach Rocky Long decided to go for the win.
That’s where Hull became the hero, and the fans stormed the field at the War Memorial Stadium for second time this year. It was Wyoming’s second win over a Top 25 ranked team this season at home. It’s the first time that’s occurred in school history. It also marked the first time since 1999 that UW had defeated two Top 25 ranked teams in the same season.
Allen went 16-of-31 for 282 yards with a pair of touchdowns and one interception. He also ran 15 times for 56 yards. Brian Hill added 131 yards rushing and two TD’s. Cooper Rothe made field goals of 32 and 34 yards, respectively. The Cowboys finished with 487 total yards and ran 26 more plays than the Aztecs. They also had nearly 14 more minutes in possession time.
San Diego State (9-2, 6-1) returned two kick-offs for touchdowns. The first was by Rashad Penny at the start of the game for 93-yards. The second came from Juwan Washington, who took his 92-yards for a score. The Aztecs finished with 389 total yards. Christian Chapman threw for 211 yards and two TD’s. Donnel Pumphrey, the nation’s leading rusher, was held to 76 yards and no scores. He did catch five passes for 52 yards, which included four on the final drive. John Baron II added a pair of field goals.
Wyoming never led in the game until Johnson’s TD grab. They tied it on three different occasions. UW trailed 17-10 at half. The Cowboys trailed 27-20 when tied it when Allen found Jake Maulhardt on a 30-yard strike down the sideline with 9:45 left in the game. After San Diego State got two first downs, a sack by Andrew Wingard stopped the Aztecs drive and forced a punt.
The chance to win the Mountain Division title and earn a spot in the Mountain West Championship game against San Diego State on Dec. 3 comes down to the regular season finale. Wyoming plays at New Mexico next Saturday, Nov. 26 at 8:15 p.m.