10/24/2026 7:19:00 AM | Football, Pokes Insider
Wyoming is 4-1 in Mountain West after exhausting 28-14 win over Air Force
LARAMIE – Steven Perez, still wearing his intense game face and coal-black uniform, leaned on the lectern.
The unflinching linebacker had just racked up 17 tackles, including 10 solo stops, and recovered a potential game-saving fumble during Wyoming's 28-14 victory over Air Force under the Friday night lights at War Memorial Stadium.
Leading into the pivotal Mountain West rivalry game, senior running back Owen Allen told the media in Colorado Springs he was looking forward to celebrating the Falcons' first road win in the series since 2012.
But it was the Cowboys, who improved to 5-3 overall and 4-1 in the MW, who will enjoy a long weekend followed by an open date after playing eight consecutive games without a break to open the season.
"Obviously, it's very amazing playing on Fridays because we get to celebrate on Saturday and Sunday extra longer," Perez said when asked about Allen's pregame confidence during the postgame press conference inside a jubilant High Altitude Performance Center. "That's what I'd like to say, because I don't like how you're going to come into our crib and try to disrespect us. We're not going to let that slide."
Despite the intensity of the rivalry and the bruising play by both sides, there is mutual respect between the programs.
UW's players joined the visitors on the field for a rendition of the third verse of "The U.S. Air Force Song" before belting out "Cowboy Joe" with the remaining 18,490 fans who witnessed the latest classic game in the series.
Offensive coordinator Christian Taylor's script for the first drive worked to perfection as Tyler Hughes exploded through an expansive hole and ran for a 68-yard touchdown to give the Pokes a 7-0 lead 50 seconds into the game.
Air Force, which had not fumbled all season, turned the ball over on its first series when quarterback Evan Medders put the ball on the turf. Defensive end Esaia Bogar recovered the fumble.
"I told people all week long, our players, they're going to be through the roof," UW head coach Jay Sawvel said. "This is not going to be a hard game to get them ready for. This is not going to be a hard game to get them up for. You could sense that all week long."
After Erik Sandvik missed his first field goal of the season and the Falcons made a 37-yard field goal to cap a 14-play drive, the Cowboys answered with an 11-play, 75-yard scoring march.
Hughes connected with Eric Richardson for an 8-yard completion to move the chains on fourth-and-5 and threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Jake Wilson.
UW's dazzling dual-threat quarterback executed a hook-and-lateral play, connecting with Richardson, who then lateraled to Samuel "Tote" Harris for a touchdown on third-and-goal at the 12 to make the score 21-6 just before halftime.
"When Coach Taylor buzzed in and said that was the call, I was like, 'You sure?'" Hughes said. "But I'm super confident in Coach Taylor. Those guys, E-Rich and Tote, executed it. That's not an easy play to do. It was a good job up front, too. It was good to get into the end zone there."
Hughes had 109 passing yards, 109 rushing yards and accounted for three touchdowns at the intermission.
Then the Falcons went to work.
Air Force opened the third quarter with a 15-play drive that bled 8 minutes, 7 seconds off the clock. Medders threw a 5-yard touchdown to Grant Wayne and then ran for the 2-point conversion to make the score 21-14.
After a three-and-out by the Pokes, the Falcons had another 15-play drive, but linebacker Gary Rutherford forced a fumble recovered by Bogar at the UW 14-yard line.
The sequence repeated with another three-and-out for the Pokes and another critical turnover for the Falcons as Josh Johnson picked up a fourth-and-2 before having the ball jarred loose by defensive tackle Ja'Quan Redfern.
Air Force, which had gone 554 consecutive plays without a fumble dating back to last season, lost three fumbles with Perez pouncing on the final miscue with 8:20 remaining.
"We really never gave up and just kept that dog mentality," linebacker Ethan Stuhlsatz said after finishing with 11 tackles. "There's definitely times out there where we were gassed, but you just have to keep that foot on the pedal."
Hughes took advantage of the third turnover by breaking a series of tackles behind the line of scrimmage and slipping his way through a sea of white and Academy Blue jerseys for a backbreaking 15-yard run down to the 1-yard line.
Markel Holman put the exclamation point on the victory with a touchdown on the next play.
"I have not seen the run yet, but it felt pretty sick. It felt pretty cool," Hughes said when asked about his latest highlight-reel scamper. "I was selling out for the team and understanding the moment that we were in and the play that we needed. My number was called, and I just wanted to make a play for the team to seal the game."
The season did not start out the way Hughes and the Cowboys had planned with a 2-3 overall record.
"It means the world to me," Hughes said of the team's three-game winning streak. "I just want to give this state and everybody in this building the best Tyler Hughes that there could be. I want to win. That's the goal. However dirty it may look, how great it may look sometimes, just got a will to win."
UW prevailed despite running 41 plays to Air Force's 78 and being outgained 387-301 in total yards.
Sawvel made it clear to his coaching staff that they were not allowed to return to work until Monday and told the players they could celebrate for 48 hours instead of the customary 24 hours.
When the Cowboys return to action at UNLV on Nov. 7 in Las Vegas, they will be in the thick of the MW title chase with three conference games remaining.
"When you get to that spot and you've had that type of struggle, the one big thing that our players and our assistant coaches did, nobody in this building ever abandoned ship," Sawvel said. "We all had belief that we could become a good football team. We had a lot of things that we needed to do in order to do that.
"We're not perfect yet. We have a lot of work still to do, and we need to figure out a way to become a whole lot better over the next two weeks. That's going to be important for us."
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.
Don't just watch the game — change it. The most powerful way to support University of Wyoming student-athletes is by joining the Cowboy Joe Club. Your membership fuels scholarships, provides essential resources, and helps Cowboys and Cowgirls succeed both in the classroom and in competition. Your gift is not just support — it's access. As a member, you'll enjoy exclusive benefits that bring you closer to the action than ever before. Be a champion. Join our team. Visit CowboyJoeClub.com or call 307-766-6242.
The unflinching linebacker had just racked up 17 tackles, including 10 solo stops, and recovered a potential game-saving fumble during Wyoming's 28-14 victory over Air Force under the Friday night lights at War Memorial Stadium.
Leading into the pivotal Mountain West rivalry game, senior running back Owen Allen told the media in Colorado Springs he was looking forward to celebrating the Falcons' first road win in the series since 2012.
But it was the Cowboys, who improved to 5-3 overall and 4-1 in the MW, who will enjoy a long weekend followed by an open date after playing eight consecutive games without a break to open the season.
"Obviously, it's very amazing playing on Fridays because we get to celebrate on Saturday and Sunday extra longer," Perez said when asked about Allen's pregame confidence during the postgame press conference inside a jubilant High Altitude Performance Center. "That's what I'd like to say, because I don't like how you're going to come into our crib and try to disrespect us. We're not going to let that slide."
Despite the intensity of the rivalry and the bruising play by both sides, there is mutual respect between the programs.
UW's players joined the visitors on the field for a rendition of the third verse of "The U.S. Air Force Song" before belting out "Cowboy Joe" with the remaining 18,490 fans who witnessed the latest classic game in the series.
Offensive coordinator Christian Taylor's script for the first drive worked to perfection as Tyler Hughes exploded through an expansive hole and ran for a 68-yard touchdown to give the Pokes a 7-0 lead 50 seconds into the game.
Air Force, which had not fumbled all season, turned the ball over on its first series when quarterback Evan Medders put the ball on the turf. Defensive end Esaia Bogar recovered the fumble.
"I told people all week long, our players, they're going to be through the roof," UW head coach Jay Sawvel said. "This is not going to be a hard game to get them ready for. This is not going to be a hard game to get them up for. You could sense that all week long."
After Erik Sandvik missed his first field goal of the season and the Falcons made a 37-yard field goal to cap a 14-play drive, the Cowboys answered with an 11-play, 75-yard scoring march.
Hughes connected with Eric Richardson for an 8-yard completion to move the chains on fourth-and-5 and threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Jake Wilson.
UW's dazzling dual-threat quarterback executed a hook-and-lateral play, connecting with Richardson, who then lateraled to Samuel "Tote" Harris for a touchdown on third-and-goal at the 12 to make the score 21-6 just before halftime.
"When Coach Taylor buzzed in and said that was the call, I was like, 'You sure?'" Hughes said. "But I'm super confident in Coach Taylor. Those guys, E-Rich and Tote, executed it. That's not an easy play to do. It was a good job up front, too. It was good to get into the end zone there."
Hughes had 109 passing yards, 109 rushing yards and accounted for three touchdowns at the intermission.
Then the Falcons went to work.
Air Force opened the third quarter with a 15-play drive that bled 8 minutes, 7 seconds off the clock. Medders threw a 5-yard touchdown to Grant Wayne and then ran for the 2-point conversion to make the score 21-14.
After a three-and-out by the Pokes, the Falcons had another 15-play drive, but linebacker Gary Rutherford forced a fumble recovered by Bogar at the UW 14-yard line.
The sequence repeated with another three-and-out for the Pokes and another critical turnover for the Falcons as Josh Johnson picked up a fourth-and-2 before having the ball jarred loose by defensive tackle Ja'Quan Redfern.
Air Force, which had gone 554 consecutive plays without a fumble dating back to last season, lost three fumbles with Perez pouncing on the final miscue with 8:20 remaining.
"We really never gave up and just kept that dog mentality," linebacker Ethan Stuhlsatz said after finishing with 11 tackles. "There's definitely times out there where we were gassed, but you just have to keep that foot on the pedal."
Hughes took advantage of the third turnover by breaking a series of tackles behind the line of scrimmage and slipping his way through a sea of white and Academy Blue jerseys for a backbreaking 15-yard run down to the 1-yard line.
Markel Holman put the exclamation point on the victory with a touchdown on the next play.
"I have not seen the run yet, but it felt pretty sick. It felt pretty cool," Hughes said when asked about his latest highlight-reel scamper. "I was selling out for the team and understanding the moment that we were in and the play that we needed. My number was called, and I just wanted to make a play for the team to seal the game."
The season did not start out the way Hughes and the Cowboys had planned with a 2-3 overall record.
"It means the world to me," Hughes said of the team's three-game winning streak. "I just want to give this state and everybody in this building the best Tyler Hughes that there could be. I want to win. That's the goal. However dirty it may look, how great it may look sometimes, just got a will to win."
UW prevailed despite running 41 plays to Air Force's 78 and being outgained 387-301 in total yards.
Sawvel made it clear to his coaching staff that they were not allowed to return to work until Monday and told the players they could celebrate for 48 hours instead of the customary 24 hours.
When the Cowboys return to action at UNLV on Nov. 7 in Las Vegas, they will be in the thick of the MW title chase with three conference games remaining.
"When you get to that spot and you've had that type of struggle, the one big thing that our players and our assistant coaches did, nobody in this building ever abandoned ship," Sawvel said. "We all had belief that we could become a good football team. We had a lot of things that we needed to do in order to do that.
"We're not perfect yet. We have a lot of work still to do, and we need to figure out a way to become a whole lot better over the next two weeks. That's going to be important for us."
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.
Don't just watch the game — change it. The most powerful way to support University of Wyoming student-athletes is by joining the Cowboy Joe Club. Your membership fuels scholarships, provides essential resources, and helps Cowboys and Cowgirls succeed both in the classroom and in competition. Your gift is not just support — it's access. As a member, you'll enjoy exclusive benefits that bring you closer to the action than ever before. Be a champion. Join our team. Visit CowboyJoeClub.com or call 307-766-6242.
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