‘Can you believe that just happened?’ Wild finish goes Boise State’s way at Wyoming
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Boise State 20, Wyoming 17
The Broncos survived a wild final minute to beat the Cowboys and clinch a spot in the Mountain West championship game, which will be played at Albertsons Stadium on Dec. 3.
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It was the kind of ending you had to see to believe.
The final two minutes of Boise State’s 20-17 victory over Wyoming on Saturday at War Memorial Stadium featured two interceptions, one fumble and near-cardiac arrest for Bronco fans.
“Can you believe that just happened?” Boise State coach Andy Avalos said to start postgame interviews.
Here’s how the drama unfolded:
Boise State safety JL Skinner came up with what appeared to be a win-sealing interception with 1:48 on the clock in the fourth quarter.
The Broncos took over at the Wyoming 41-yard line leading by three and simply needing to run out the clock. But on third-and-8, and with Wyoming out of timeouts, Boise State running back George Holani fumbled for just the second time this season.
Defensive end DeVonne Harris scooped it up and started rumbling his way toward the end zone, but Boise State quarterback Taylen Green made the touchdown-saving tackle at the BSU 21-yard line.
“It was an awesome effort to see Taylen get that guy on the ground there after that fumble,” Avalos said. “We always talk about, ‘Get the guy on the ground, get us another shot to stay in the fight,’ and that’s exactly what happened.”
With 45 seconds left, Wyoming was immediately within field-goal range, and kicker John Hoyland had already connected on 53-yarder in the second quarter.
The Cowboys’ offensive success all night had come on the ground (278 yards rushing), and backup quarterback Jayden Clemons — playing in place of injured starter Andrew Peasley — had been incredibly ineffective. Yet on the ensuing play, Wyoming called a pass, and Clemons inexplicably took a shot at the end zone into double coverage. Skinner swiped the football out of the air for his second interception in a little more than a minute.
Skinner now has seven career interceptions.
“I’ve never been in anything like that,” Skinner said. “But as long as you live in the moment and take advantage of it, it was a fun moment now looking back at it right now. But it was stressful in the moment. ... You’ve gotta be ready for everything.”
Clemons finished the night 3-for-16 passing for 30 yards and threw three interceptions. He was picked off in the end zone in the third quarter by Boise State’s Rodney Robinson.
BSU loses top receiver
Boise State redshirt senior receiver Stefan Cobbs went down with an injury after hauling in an 22-yard pass in the second quarter.
The 6-foot, 192-pound Fort Worth, Texas, product did not return to the game and finished with two catches for 36 yards. He was helped off the field with his left leg not touching the ground.
Cobbs leads the Broncos’ receiving corps this season with 396 yards and two touchdowns on 29 receptions.
Redshirt senior wide receiver Billy Bowens picked up the slack, totaling a career-high 77 yards receiving. Bowens’ 38-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter marked the longest scoring reception by a Bronco this season.
Tickets on sale for MW championship
Tickets for the 2022 Mountain West Football Championship game are now on sale, Boise State announced Saturday night.
Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, at Albertsons Stadium, and the game will be broadcast on FOX.
Ticket prices range from $25 to $45 and can be purchased online at broncosports.com/tickets.
All Boise State football season ticket holders should have received information on how to claim their seats for the championship game via email. All tickets will be available digitally for mobile entry.
Boise State students will have access to one free ticket to the MW Championship game starting at 8 a.m. Monday, Nov. 28. Students also have the opportunity to purchase additional guest tickets for $10 each starting at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 29.
Broncos missing several starters
Boise State was without a long list of players Saturday at Wyoming, including nickel Tyreque Jones, linebacker Ezekiel Noa and edge rusher Demitri Washington.
Neither Washington nor Noa has played since the Broncos’ loss to BYU on Nov. 5.
The Broncos also were without offensive linemen Mason Randolph and Cord Kringlen, kicker Will Ferrin, wide receiver Cole Wright and nose tackle Jackson Cravens.
“We’ve got some new young players playing for us, some guys that don’t have as much experience, and boy they got a whole lot of experience tonight,” Avalos said. “So we’ll take the good from that.”
Quick hits
The Broncos wore white jerseys, blue pants and blue helmets. ... Team captains Scott Matlock and John Ojukwu were joined by wide receiver Billy Bowens and safety JL Skinner as game captains. ... Wyoming won the coin toss and elected to defer. ... Boise State was led onto the field by cornerback Kaonohi Kaniho, who carried the Dan Paul Hammer. ... Tight end Matt Lauter carried the American flag and safety Alexander Teubner carried the Bleed Blue flag. ... Junior kicker Jonah Dalmas connected on two field goals in the second quarter, bringing his career total to 51. Dalmas is now tied with Mike Black (1988-91) for the second-most field goals made in Boise State history. ... The Broncos are one of four schools to post a winning record on the road in each of the last nine seasons (Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State). Boise State is 18-1 in its last 19 Mountain West road games.
This story was originally published November 19, 2022 at 9:59 PM.
