LARAMIE – Believe.
 
That was the word of the week in the Wyoming locker room.
 
That faith the coaches and players have in each other was certainly tested as the Cowboys – coming off deflating losses to a couple of talented Big 12 teams and undefeated UNLV – trailed San Jose State 28-14 in the fourth quarter.
 
Then something amazing happened to turn the tide – an immaculate interception.
 
On fourth-and-2 at the UW 36-yard line, quarterback Xavier Ward had a pass deflected by linebacker Evan Eller. The football then bounced off a helmet and into the arms of linebacker Brayden Johnson, who returned the interception for a 65-yard touchdown with 9:59 remaining.
 
"I thought the crowd was just cheering because we got a turnover on downs. Then I saw Brayden take it and looked for the next guy that was a threat to him and tried to get a block," Eller said. "That was electric. That dude just works his butt off. …
 
"The crowd was getting back into it and that was the strike of hope that we needed to understand and believe we're winning this game."
 
After another stop by the defense, quarterback Kaden Anderson and the Pokes took possession at their own 15 trailing 28-21 with 4:42 remaining.
 
On fourth-and-5 at the 50, Anderson completed a pass to Deion DeBlanc, who broke two tackles to reach the line to gain.
 
Anderson threw a dart between two defenders to walk-on wide receiver Charlie Coenen for a 45-yard touchdown on the next snap. Erik Sandvik's extra point tied the score 28-28.
 
"It means a lot battling up the depth chart," Coenen said. "Anything I can do to help the team. I was happy we were able to fight back and get the win."
 
Walker Eget, who threw four touchdown passes in the first half before leaving the game with an injury following a game-turning sack by Tyce Westland, returned to lead the visitors but was unable to drive the Spartans down the field.
 
After a 60-yard punt by Trent Carrizosa bounced into the end zone for a touchback with 1:13 remaining, Samuel "Tote" Harris took a screen pass from Anderson for 52 yards down the sideline.
 
UW's plan was to get Sandvik set up for a potential game-winning field goal by running the ball to the middle or the right hashmark.
 
But on third-and-10, Terron Kellman had a better idea.
 
The shifty running back spun out of a horde of tacklers and sprinted to the right pylon for a 28-yard touchdown with 40 seconds remaining.
 
"I was honestly just trying not to do anything dumb to put the team in a bad situation," Kellman said. "When I broke the first few tackles my eyes got big and I saw the end zone, so I just had to go. …
 
"They key word is always: believe."
 
It would have been easy to abandon hope on this night.
 
Biletnikoff Award candidate Danny Scudero had six receptions for 151 yards and four touchdowns in the first half to stake the Spartans to a 28-14 lead.
The nation's leading receiver caught a 43-yard touchdown on the first series of the game to make the score 7-0.
 
DeBlanc, a dynamic true freshman, returned a punt for a 73-yard touchdown to tie the score. It was UW's first punt return for a touchdown since Austin Conway vs. UNLV in 2016.
 
Just 47 seconds later, Scudero was in the end zone again after a 72-yard touchdown reception. His touchdown catch on fourth-and-inches from the UW 7-yard line made the score 21-7.
 
Anderson rolled to his right while avoiding pressure and threw a brilliant 35-yard touchdown strike to Michael Fitzgerald II to get the Pokes back within one score.
 
SJSU's Jahari Johnson returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards to set up Scudero's fourth touchdown before the intermission.
 
UW head coach Jay Sawvel had a simple message for the defense, which didn't allow any points over the final 40 minutes, 19 seconds.
 
"Just stay in the fight and everything will work out," Sawvel said. "The keys to it were, one, nobody but Scudero was hurting us and, two, they couldn't run the ball."
 
The Spartans had a golden opportunity to seize complete control after recovering a muffed punt at the UW 10.
 
A second-and-goal at the 5 turned into third-and-9 when Westland and Ben Florentine dropped Eget for a 4-yard loss. That turned into a third-and-14 after a false start penalty.
 
Then Westland sacked Eget for a loss of 14 yards while also forcing a fumble, which Chisom Ifeanyi returned 15 yards to the 43.
 
"There's a lot of things in football that are very similar to life," Sawvel said. "If you just stay in the fight a lot of times things will work out."
 
Anderson, who was intercepted twice and came up short scrambling for a fourth down, kept getting up after every bruising hit.
 
The Pokes have never wavered in their belief in QB1, and the feeling is mutual.
 
"I made a lot of mistakes tonight and the defense backed me up; the defense backed the offense up and Deion DeBlanc made a great punt return," Anderson said. "It was really nice to get that one, especially being down so much and battling through that adversity.
 
"It was awesome, man. I love that team and they love me. We lean on each other. We've got a great group."
 
Follow Ryan for more stories on Wyoming athletics on X at @By_RyanThorburn on Facebook at Wyoming Athletics and Instagram at wyoathletics. Also follow him at Pokes Insider at Gowyo.com/pokesinsider.
 
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