The series history between Wyoming and Air Force is one dominated by the home teams. AFA narrowly hold onto the overall series lead 32-28-3 and both teams have competed against one another in every season (barring a canceled matchup in 2020) since 1980.
The Falcons last won in Laramie during the 2012 season, while the Cowboys last found a win in Colorado Springs in 2017.
Oct. 13, 2012
In a season that was already defined by a myriad of close losses, none was quite as devastating—or emotional—as UW's 28-27 loss to AFA during the 2012 season.
Entering the contest with a 1-4 record, UW was looking to finish on the winning side of a tight scoreline. Three out of the four losses the Cowboys had suffered to that point were by three points or less, and the other was a 20-point loss on the road to a 15th ranked Texas team. Wyoming's only win was a 40-37 victory it squeaked out on the road against an Idaho team that only won a single game all year.
Getting a win at home against front-range rival Air Force would certainly help to get the season back onto the right track, but it wasn't going to be easy as the Cowboys would be missing the services of starting sophomore quarterback Brett Smith.
Instead, freshman Jason Thompson would start under center—and what a start it was for Thompson, as he would complete his first nine pass attempts and led the Cowboys down the entire length of the field to strike first.
"I was a little nervous, but just knowing the guys had my back, I knew we were going to get things going," Thompson said.
The Falcons would answer, but a balanced ground attack between UW's freshman backs D.J. May and Shaun Wick, as well as Thompson would break open a 27-14 advantage for the Pokes at the beginning of the third quarter.
The Falcons would use a 12-play, 95-yard drive at the end of third quarter to bring the contest within six points, and the UW offense would falter on its following possession, punting after a three-and-out.
Again the Falcons would methodically work their way down the field, using a near seven minute drive to pull ahead of the Cowboys by a score of 28-27.
With a chance to march down the field and retake the lead, Thompson got things going with a solid 11-yard pickup on the ground. The legs of May took care of another first down and the Cowboys had worked their way into AFA territory, with only a field goal necessary to retake the lead. However, three straight incomplete passes at the 44-yard line led to a turnover on downs.
The Cowboys never saw the ball again after that.
The UW defense was unable to find a stop on three consecutive third down opportunities, including an offside penalty on a 3rd-and-2 with a minute left in the contest that served as the final nail in the coffin for the Pokes.
"I'm proud of all our kids, they fought hard. Obviously it's not where we wanted to be tonight…[but] we had three true freshmen come out in the backfield and all play extremely well," then head coach Dave Christensen said.
Nov. 11, 2017
The Cowboys were hot heading into a cold November road tilt against Air Force in 2017.
UW had won five of its last six heading into the contest and showed no signs of slowing down against the Falcons as the Pokes boasted a strong start in Colorado Springs, scoring 21 unanswered points to open the game.
The Falcons were eventually able to find the scoreboard behind a touchdown throw by starting quarterback Arion Worthman to tight end Marcus Bennett, but still trailed by two scores at halftime. Despite the deficit, the Falcons had actually outgained the Cowboys 171-123 in total offensive yards in the opening half, while also having 13 more snaps.
AFA kept its momentum rolling in the second half, forcing a punt on UW's opening offensive possession, then following that with a touchdown that would bring the game within a single possession.
Things were beginning to look especially dire for the Cowboys, as starting junior quarterback Josh Allen went down with a shoulder injury at the beginning of the third quarter. Junior backup Nick Smith was forced into action, and he was able to lead the Cowboys on a fourth quarter scoring drive to extend the lead to 28-14.
A stout UW defense put forth a commendable effort to maintain the Cowboys' advantage on the scoreboard, as UW came up with four critical fourth down stops in the game, including two consecutive fourth down stops on AFA's final two offensive possessions. Senior defensive end Nela Lolohea's third career sack put an end to the contest and an exclamation mark on a dominant defensive performance.
"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," then head coach Craig Bohl said of his defense.
UW's offense only amassed 229 yards of total offense and were outgained in that regard by nearly 150 yards. Still, it found a way to win.
"It was definitely a cat and mouse game throughout the night," Bohl said. "Air Force plays well at home and it was great to come down here and earn a win."
