The Wyoming Cowboys' 30-28 victory in its 2016 match-up with conference foe Boise State was one of the biggest wins in recent Wyoming school history.  The win came in dramatic fashion and it was a victory that established the Cowboys as a contender in the 2016 Mountain West Conference Championship race.
 
Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl had been striving to build his team into a top program in the Mountain West through his first three seasons as Cowboy head coach.  On that Saturday night, Oct. 29, 2016, the Pokes showed they were ready to take that step to the top of the conference.  UW defeated #13 ranked Boise State 30-28 in War Memorial Stadium in a come-from-behind win.
 
Cowboy football fans can re-live the 2016 win over Boise State this Saturday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m., M.T. when the radio call of the game will be re-broadcast on Cowboy Sports Network affiliate stations.  Fans unable to access the radio re-broadcasts on a Cowboy Sports Network affiliate may listen to the broadcast by clicking on the link that accompanies this story on the Wyoming Football page at GoWyo.com.
 
The Broncos scored the first points of the game late in the first quarter when running back Jeremy McNichols scored on a five-yard run, concluding an 81-yard drive by the Broncos.  The Cowboys responded on their next possession, driving 74 yards in eight plays all the way down to the Boise one-yard line.  But the Cowboys failed to convert on a fourth and goal from the Boise State one and missed a golden opportunity to tie the game.  That drive included a 27-yard run by junior running back Brian Hill and a 29-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Josh Allen to senior tight end Jacob Hollister.
 
It looked as if that might be a critical lost opportunity for the Pokes as Boise State would proceed to drive 99 yards in five plays to take a 14-0 lead. 
     
But the Cowboys came out with a purpose on their following drive picking up first downs on a 13-yard pass from Allen to senior wide receiver Tanner Gentry on first down followed by an 11-yard run by senior running back Shaun Wick.  After runs of nine and 23 yards by Hill, Allen found tight end Hollister on a pass across the middle for 19 yards and a touchdown to pull the Cowboys to within seven at 14-7.
     
The Broncos would score another TD in the second quarter to extend their lead to 21-7, with only 6:26 left in the first half.
 
Wyoming freshman place-kicker Cooper Rothe would cap off a nine-play, 52-yard drive by the Cowboys, making a then career long 40-yard field goal to narrow the score at 21-10 with 1:48 remaining in the half.  But the Cowboys weren't done.  Following the field goal, Cowboy junior cornerback Rico Gafford would intercept Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien on first down and return the interception 32 yards to the Boise State 35.  Two plays later, Allen hit Hollister on a 38-yard TD pass to pull the Pokes to within four at 21-17, with 52 seconds remaining in the half.
     
Boise would mount a drive to end the half, but as time was ticking down and the Broncos at the Wyoming 37-yard line, sophomore defensive end Kevin Prosser sacked Rypien for eight yards.  On the final play of the half, senior linebacker Lucas Wacha sacked Rypien for a loss of nine yards and the half would end with Boise State leading 21-17.
 
Neither team would score in the third quarter, but Rothe would come in early in the fourth quarter and convert a 39-yard field goal to pull the Cowboys to within one point a 21-20.
 
The Bronco offense found its rhythm on the next series and in five plays drove 78 yards, with the final play of the drive being a 33-yard TD pass from Rypien to wide receiver Thomas Sperbeck.  Boise State led 28-20 with 10:50 remaining in the game.
 
The Cowboys weren't about to go away.  UW took the ball at their own 25-yard line on the ensuing possession and began their drive with two runs of nine and two yards by Hill.  On a first and 10 from the Wyoming 36-yard line, Allen connected with Hollister on a 27-yard pass taking the ball down to the Bronco 37-yard line.  Two Allen pass completions of seven and nine yards to senior wideout Jake Maulhardt  and sophomore tight end Josh Harshman followed.  That set up a third and 13 from the Boise State 27. 
 
In one of the most memorable plays in Cowboy history, Allen then dropped back and was flushed out of the pocket to the right.  While still on the run, he fired a 27-yard pass to the back of the end zone and Gentry jumped over the Bronco defender pulling in the TD pass to draw the Cowboys to within two points at 28-26 with 6:42 remaining.  The Cowboys would of course go for two to try and tie the game, and Allen worked some more magic on the two-point conversion.  He rolled out of the pocket to his right and then threw back across the field to the middle of the end zone, hitting Maulhardt to tie the game at 28-28.
     
The Wyoming defense forced a three-and-out on the Broncos' next possession, but the Cowboy offense was unable to move the ball itself on its next series.  It was then that Cowboy senior punter Ethan Wood hit a 42-yard punt that was downed at the Boise State 10-yard line.  For Wood it was the fourth punt of the night he placed inside the Broncos' 20-yard line.
     
Boise State took over with 1:38 remaining in the game and the game tied a 28-28.  After an incomplete pass on first down, Bronco quarterback Rypien dropped back to pass again on second down.  It was then that senior nose tackle Chase Appleby would make a play that would cement his place in Cowboy Football history.  Appleby came free on a defensive line stunt and hit Rypien at the one-yard line, knocking the ball out of his hand.  The ball bounced backwards out of the Boise State end zone for a safety, and Wyoming had its first lead of the game at 30-28 with only 1:25 left in the game.  Before the officials signaled the safety, another famous moment in Cowboy Football lore was created when redshirt freshman defensive end Josiah Hall spontaneously broke out into what would be named the "Safety Dance" as sophomore safety Andrew Wingard looked on. 
     
The Broncos would attempt an onside kick following the safety.  Wide receiver Gentry recovered at the Boise State 34.  Wyoming would call three running plays for Hill, with Boise State calling a time out after each of the first two runs.  Hill gained seven yards on first down, two on second down and then on third and one he rushed for two yards, giving Wyoming a first down and securing the win for the Cowboys as Wyoming fans stormed onto the field to celebrate with their Cowboys.
 
After the game, head coach Bohl addressed the media.  "If a win could help define a program this one did," said Bohl.  "We have a lot of respect for Boise State and Coach (Bryan) Harsin.  I want to say thanks to our fans and students.  A couple of years ago, I had someone take a photo of the crowd and it was bleak, but tonight it was neat to see the students and people around the state rally around this team.  This win shows resolve and belief with our coaches and players.  A lot of hard work went in to this win and it's victory number six."
 
It was the sixth win of the season for the Cowboys, making them bowl eligible.  It was also UW's fourth straight win of the season, improving Wyoming's record to 6-2 and 4-0 in the Mountain West.  Wyoming was named the National Team of the Week by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) for its victory.
 
On the night, Cowboy quarterback Allen posted a then career best 274 yards passing, with three TD passes -- two to Hollister and one to Gentry.  Hollister recorded a career high 144 yards receiving, and Hill rushed for 146 yards for his fifth 100-yard rushing game of the season.  Defensively, Appleby ended the night with two forced fumbles, one safety, 1.0 sack and 2.0 tackles for loss.  Sophomore safeties Marcus Epps and Andrew Wingard would lead the team with eight and seven tackles, respectively.  Junior cornerback Robert Priester also had seven tackles and recovered a fumble on the night.
 
The Cowboys would go on to win the Mountain Division and earn the right to host the 2016 Mountain West Championship Game as the highest ranked team in the conference.  UW would also earn a berth in the 2016 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl.
           
This Saturday's re-broadcast will feature a pre-game segment with the Cowboy Sports Network's radio broadcast team of Dave Walsh and Kevin McKinney reminiscing about the game followed by the original broadcast of the game and the original postgame interviews conducted the day of the game.  Walsh and McKinney will also have some closing comments at the end of the broadcast.
 
Next week, the Wyoming Cowboys return to live action on Thursday, Nov. 19 when they will host the Utah State Aggies in a game that will kick off at 7 p.m.,  M.T., from Wyoming's War Memorial Stadium.  That game will be broadcast live on the Cowboy Sports Network, beginning with the pregame show 90 minutes prior to kickoff.