SAN JOSE, Calif. – Wyoming had to wait a little extra time, which was only fitting as the program won here for the first time in 30 years.
Erik Sandvik made three field goals, including a 21-yard game-winner in overtime, as the Cowboys defeated San Jose State 16-13 in overtime late Friday at CEFCU Stadium.
UW, which leads the all-time series with the Spartans 9-7, had not won a road game in the series since a 45-22 romp in 1996. Len Sexton rushed for 184 yards and two touchdowns, Marcus Harris had 148 yards receiving and a touchdown and Josh Wallwork finished with 273 yards and three touchdowns in that game.
"We kept fighting and we kept scratching, kept clawing. The team pulled together," head coach
Jay Sawvel said. "None of these guys were born the last time Wyoming won in San Jose, so it was a good, good win for us."
Aaron Bohl's defense held Jamari Bates, the Mountain West's leading rusher coming in, to 69 yards on 16 carries and turned the SJSU over on downs to begin the OT
A 12-yard scamper by quarterback
Tyler Hughes to the 2-yard line took some of the pressure off Sandvik, who is 8-for-8 on field goals this season.
"It was a great feeling but the team made my job easy," Sandvik said of his walk-off field goal. "It was like an extra point. ... This brings us all together and hopefully gives us some momentum this week."
The Cowboys (3-3, 2-1 Mountain West) had an 18-play, 75-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter to tie the score 13-13 with 6:25 remaining.
Markell Holman bulled his way through the line for a 2-yard run to pick up a fourth-and-one and Hughes completed a 7-yard pass to
Jake Wilson to move the sticks on a fourth-and-4.
On third-and-goal from the 8, Hughes and Wilson connected for the touchdown.
The Pokes out-gained SJSU 345-334 in the defensive battle. Hughes ran 27 times for 92 yards as UW finished with 231 rushing yards.
Brooklyn Cheek and
Jones Thomas each had eight tackles, and
Esaia Bogar dominated the line of scrimmage with 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks to lead the Cowboy defense.
"I don't think I've ever played in an overtime game before so I would by lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous," Cheek said. "But I was having fun out there and everyone on the defense was having fun out there tonight."
UW trailed 10-6 after a 22-yard field goal by Trajan Sinatra with 9:43 remaining in the third quarter. SJSU had a first-and-goal at the 5-yard line, but Bogar had a 5-yard tackle for loss on first down and a quarterback hurry to force an incompletion on third down.
The Spartans also had a 15-play, 70-yard drive in the third quarter but were held to another field goal that made the score 13-6.
The Cowboys trailed 7-6 at the intermission despite dominating the time of possession 21 minutes, 26 seconds to 8:34.
Hughes had nine rushes for 49 yards in the first quarter to spark UW's offense.
Dante Drake ended SJSU's opening drive with a sack. A 28-yard run by Samuel "Tote" Harris set up a 38-yard field goal by Sandvik to give UW an early 3-0 lead.
The Spartans were moving the ball on their next possession until a sack by Bogar forced a 44-yard field goal attempt, which was missed.
SJSU's defense flipped the momentum with a goal-line stand. Bates ran for an 18-yard drive to cap the ensuing eight-play, 88-yard drive to give the Spartans a 7-3 lead.
Sandvik made a 28-yard field goal. The first half ended with a sack by
Cade Brook and
Jayden Williams that ran the clock out with SJSU in field goal range.
The Pokes had 166 sack-adjusted rushing yards, but Hughes was sacked five times for 36 yards in losses and threw an interception in the red zone.
Next up UW will host Mountain West newcomer Northern Illinois on Oct. 17 at War Memorial Stadium (1:30 p.m., The CW).
