SAN JOSE, Calif. – Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
 
This was not a da Vinci or a van Gogh. It was more like a child's drawing with crayons.
 
Wyoming's 16-13 overtime victory at San Jose State felt like a much-needed masterpiece and was celebrated as such in the visiting locker room in the wee hours Friday at CEFCU Stadium.
 
"We got to the overtime, and you have a three-minute TV timeout, I just said a little prayer," a relieved Jay Sawvel said after becoming the first UW head coach to win on the road here since Joe Tiller in 1996. "I said, 'Look, these guys have worked so hard, let them be rewarded for it.'"
 
Sawvel's patience was rewarded by Erik Sandvik, who struggled down the stretch last season with five missed field goals.
 
The composed placekicker kept the game within reach with two field goals in the first half, then booted the 21-yard game-winner through the uprights. His kick rewarded the offense's clutch game-tying drive in the fourth quarter and the defense's overtime stop on downs.
 
"They all have my back. I have their back," said Sandvik, who is now 8-for-8 on field goals for the season. "We all support each other, and we all love each other, and the team chemistry is really good this year. … As soon as they got that (stop), I knew we had the game secured. I was just super excited for all the defensive players."
 
UW's defense painted a Picasso.
 
The Spartans' first drive ended with a sack by Dante Drake. Their second drive ended with a sack by Esaia Bogar. Therman Williams intercepted Luke Weaver in the second quarter, and the half ended with SJSU in field-goal range after Weaver was sacked by Cade Brook and Jayden Williams.
 
The Cowboys bent a little in the third quarter but limited the damage to two short field goals. Ja'Quan Redfern and Williams teamed up for a sack that pushed the Spartans out of range for a potential game-winning field goal in the final minute of regulation.
 
"We have a great D-line, we have a great linebacker room, great safety room, great corner room, and I just love this defense and I love this team," safety Brooklyn Cheek said after making eight tackles, including six solo stops. "I can't wait to get on a plane and actually be a little happy. I'm excited for this team to get the day off (Saturday) and hang out."
 
Tyler Hughes certainly needed some rest and time to heal his battered and bruised body.
 
The unflappable quarterback bounced back from a disappointing performance at North Dakota State with a gritty effort that put the Pokes in position to fly home victorious.
 
Hughes completed 16 of 24 passes for 114 yards, with a head-scratching interception and a game-tying touchdown. He also ran 27 times for 92 yards.
 
"He put the team on his back right there. It was awesome," said tight end Jake Wilson, who had seven catches for 39 yards and a touchdown. "To be a part of that, to win for him, not only him, but for this coaching staff, I mean, it was awesome. It was really cool. I'm so glad we got that done."
 
The Cowboys didn't have many explosive plays but dealt the Spartans death by a thousand cuts. That included converting five of six fourth-down attempts.
 
UW had an 18-play, 61-yard drive that chewed up 15 minutes and spanned the middle of the first quarter into the middle of the second.
 
Another 16-play, 64-yard drive took 7:25 and ended with a Sandvik field goal.
 
The Cowboys then marched 75 yards on 18 plays, converting two fourth downs and bleeding 10:11 off the clock in the fourth quarter. The drive was capped by Hughes' 8-yard touchdown pass to Wilson, tying the score at 13-13 with 6:25 remaining in regulation.
 
"All I told (Hughes) to do during the week is just go play football. If something breaks down, go play, go be yourself," Sawvel said. "You know, go lead and do that. He did."
 
The Cowboys ran the ball 53 times for 231 yards, while SJSU was held to 75 yards on the ground. Wyoming's rushing total climbed to 270 yards when sack yardage was factored out.
 
Running the ball, playing smothering team defense and executing on special teams didn't make for an aesthetically pleasing night of football.
 
"We're not a work of art yet," Sawvel said. "We have a lot of work to do."
 
The Pokes will get back to the drawing board Sunday as preparations begin for Northern Illinois, which visits War Memorial Stadium at 1 p.m. next Saturday.
 
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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