The Wyoming Cowboys came up victorious in the Arizona Bowl with a 16-15 win over the Toledo Rockets on a last second field goal by John Hoyland.
The highly anticipated Arizona Bowl matchup between the Wyoming Cowboys and Toledo Rockets kicked off from Tucson this afternoon, and the game was even more sentimental for Pokes fans as it was Coach Craig Bohl’s last for the Cowboys.
The Toledo Rockets started the game with the ball, but the Wyoming defense took no time shutting them down, forcing a three and out. Unfortunately for the Pokes however, a bad bounce on the ensuing punt put them on their own 6 yard line.
Harrison Waylee got to work immediately for the Pokes and in the first two plays ran for 26 yards, putting the offense into motion. On their opening drive, the Pokes had 5 different rushers as they slowly moved down the field. The Toledo defense got a crucial sack in the red zone however, and Wyoming settled for 3 points to open up scoring.
Toledo started a quick, no-huddle offense on their next possession, passing the ball effectively and driving into Wyoming territory. Faced with a third down on the Wyoming 29, they ran a screen intended for running back Jacquez Stuart. In an incredible moment, the ball bounced off his hands however, and was caught and ran in for a touchdown by the center, Devan Rogers. Luckily for Wyoming however, the referees ruled it a catch by an ineligible receiver and Toledo gained no points.
On 4th down, a pass by QB Tucker Gleason was intercepted on the goaline which pinned Wyoming on their half of the field once more. This time however, the offense was sparked by an incredible 36 yard strike to John Michael Gyllenborg from Andrew Peasley on the last play of the first quarter.
To start the second, the Pokes drove into Toledo territory. Looking to continue his strong performance passing the ball, Peasley looked for Alex Brown in the endzone, but the ball bounced off his fingertips. John Hoyland was called on once again for a 52-yard field goal, and his kick bounced off the crossbar for another 3 points.
The Rockets continued their fast paced offensive scheme and were able to find three points with a field goal from the Wyoming 15. Their defense stopped the Pokes before they could get anything going and Toledo got the ball back with 5:30 left in the second half.
On the first play of their drive, RB Jaquez Stuart took a handoff up the middle which he quickly bounced outside. The shifty back then juked and outran the Wyoming defense for an 80 yard touchdown run which gave Toledo a 10-6 lead. Safety Issac White missed a crucial sideline tackle and Stuart, the MAC returner of the year, was too speedy for the defense to catch in the open field.
Both teams would punt as the first half wound down and the score stood at 10-6 in Toledo’s favor. Peasley had nearly 100 yards passing and Waylee amassed almost 50 yards on the ground in the first half, but the big play by Toledo put the Pokes behind at halftime.
Despite getting the ball to start the third quarter, Peasley and the offense wasn’t able to put up any points and punted it back to Toledo. The Rockets would do the same after Tyce Westland provided pressure and knocked down Tucker Gleason on an important play in Wyoming territory.
Starting on their own 6, Wyoming struggled to move the ball and get some breathing room. On third down, Peasley was sacked in the endzone and Toledo added 2 points with the safety making it 12-6.
The Rockets offense was very aggressive on their next possession, and despite it being 4th and 9, they converted a pass over the middle to extend their drive. This put them in field goal range and the Rockets tacked on 3 more with 2 minutes left in the quarter.
The Pokes would have possession as the game headed in the fourth quarter, down by two scores. They were forced to punt almost immediately, and an only 25-yard kick gave the Rockets the ball at their own 33. The defense however was unfazed and promptly forced a punt, returning the ball to the offense.
With time running out with time to score, Wyoming started opting for passing plays to drive the ball. A broken play forced Andrew Peasley to scramble 12-yards for a first down that put Wyoming in the red zone but he stayed down with an injury, forcing Evan Svaboda into the spotlight.
Svaboda took control and in two plays forced the ball into the endzone on a QB sneak, which made it 15-13. With time running out and still behind, the defense came up big once more, getting the ball back with 4 minutes left.
Wyoming began a slow and calculated drive into Toledo territory, running the clock down but still gaining yardage. Evan Svaboda continued to run the ball and with a minute left the Pokes were in the red zone.
Out of timeouts, Toledo couldn’t do anything but watch the clock run down to almost zero with Wyoming on their 7 yard line. With 4 seconds left, John Hoyland nailed the game winning field goal from 24 yards out.
The Pokes were victorious 16-15 and the Cowboys sent Craig Bohl, the coach that meant so much to them, off into the sunset.
“He’s given me an opportunity, he’s given me everything I’ve had here so being able to put the punctuation mark on Coach Bohl’s career is everything,” said Hoyland.
While the ending is bittersweet, the Cowboys wouldn’t have done it any other way. As they travel back to Wyoming tonight, an era closes out for the Pokes, but this win was the perfect ending to an exhilarating season.
