A strong start that saw the Cowboys score the first three touchdowns of the game was enough as Wyoming (7-3, 5-1 MW) downed Air Force (4-6, 3-3 MW) 28-14 on Saturday evening in Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo. The Pokes scored 21 points off of turnovers and have now forced 27 turnovers this season. The Pokes have now won six of their last seven games.
 
"There were a lot of different moments in the ball game," Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl said. "Air Force had a drive right before the end of the half and that was a telling drive, but we made some adjustments and made some plays. It was definitely a cat and mouse game throughout the night. Air Force plays well at home and it was great to come down here and earn a win."
 
The Cowboys defense was solid on the night. Sophomore linebacker Logan Wilson led UW with 12 tackles. He also forced a fumble that led to a touchdown. Sophomore defensive tackle Youhanna Ghaifan recorded a career-high 11 tackles including a sack and two tackles for loss. Freshman defensive tackle Javaree Jackson had a career-best 10 tackles.
 
When asked about the performance of the defensive Bohl stated.
 
"We had guys that were playing on true guts. We are thin at spots and we have some guys in there filling in and they played well tonight. We did a great job on first and second down and forced them into some long third down situations. Our guys answered the bell tonight and made some big plays late"
 
Freshman running back Trey Woods led Wyoming rushing for 47 yards with a touchdown. Redshirt sophomore running back Kellen Overstreet had career-bests with 16 carries and 47 yards with a touchdown. Sophomore wide receiver Austin Conway had four catches for 33 yards and threw one pass for 20 yards.
 
Junior quarterback Josh Allen was 8-of-11 for 70 yards with one touchdown. He left the game in the third quarter, but junior quarterback Nick Smith came in and was 2-of-3 for 38 yards. He led Wyoming on a touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.
 
Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl told the media following the game that he would have more information on Allen's injury at his Monday press conference.
 
Bohl was also pleased with the play of his backup quarterback Nick Smith.
 
"It was great to see Nick (Smith) come in and do some good things," Bohl said. "The scoring drive he put together was huge and the pass he made to Trey (Woods) was a big time play."
 
The Falcons held the advantage in total offense on the night with 378 total yards to the Pokes' 229. Air Force rushed for 203 yards. AFA was averaging 322 yards rushing per game heading into Saturday night.
 
The Pokes got on the board first on a one-yard touchdown run by Woods at the 10:24 mark of the first quarter. The touchdown was set up by an interception by junior safety Marcus Epps on Air Force's opening drive. Epps returned in the interception deep inside AFA territory, as it was his seventh career interception. Allen was strong on the touchdown drive hitting Conway on a pair of passes for 23 yards to set up the touchdown plunge.
 
The Cowboys added to their lead capitalizing on another turnover in the second quarter. Wilson forced a fumble with senior linebacker Jalen Ortiz pouncing on the ball at the Air Force 34-yard line. Allen would connect with true freshman Jared Scott on a 17-yard touchdown, as it was his first career reception to make it a 14-0 game a minute into the second quarter.
 
Wyoming made it a 21-0 contest halfway through the second quarter on a 10-play, 69-yard drive that was capped off with a two-yard touchdown run from Allen. The Pokes did their damage through the air. Conway threw a 20-yard pass to junior tight end Austin Fort to open the drive.  
 
Air Force executed a solid two-minute drill to close the half to make it a 21-7 game heading into the break. The Falcons went 80-yards on 11 plays for their first score. Arion Worthman found tight end Marcus Bennett on a 22-yard touchdown pass, as AFA recorded their only two pass completions of the half during the drive.
 
The Falcons cut the Pokes' lead to 21-14 on their first possession of the second half. After forcing a Cowboy punt, the Falcons drove 69 yards on seven plays. Worthman hit Tim McVey on a 33-yard pass that set up the Falcons' scoring play on a 10-yard rush from Taven Birdow.
 
Smith led the Pokes on a six play, 67-yard drive that spanned three minutes to give the Pokes a 28-14 lead with 8:51 remaining in the fourth quarter. Smith found Woods on a 38-yard pass to set up a nine-yard scamper for paydirt by Overstreet. The touchdown was set up by a fumble recovery by redshirt freshman defensive end Garrett Crall.
 
The Cowboys' defense didn't let the Falcon offense get into a rhythm late in the contest to help seal the win. Senior Nela Lolohea finished the game with a fourth down sack in the final minutes.
 
The Falcons were led by Worthman, as he passed for 175 yards. Birdow rushed for a game-high 82 yards.
 
The Cowboys return to action next Saturday for Senior Day hosting Fresno State in a battle of two of the Mountain West's top teams. Kickoff is set for noon on AT&T SportsNet.