The Biggest Upsets In Wyoming Football History
To get pumped for the Pokes season opener, here's a look back at the biggest upset victories in the history of Wyoming Cowboys football.
November 8, 2008 vs. Tennesee - Nobody thought Wyoming had any shot to beat Volunteers in Knoxville. At kickoff, the Pokes were 26-point underdogs. Aided by two turnovers, the Cowboys pulled off the upset 13-7.
October 29, 2016 vs. #13 Boise State - Josh Allen threw for 274 yards and three touchdown passes while Brian Hill rushed for 148 yards to keep the Cowboys close. With 1:25 remaining in the fourth quarter, defensive tackle Chase Appleby sacked Boise State's Brett Rypien for a safety, securing a 30-28 win.
October 24, 1981 vs. #13 Brigham Young - Behind 350 yards of rushing, Wyoming raced past future NFL QB Jim McMahon and the high powered BYU offense for a 33-20 win at War Memorial.
September 30, 1972 vs. #17 Arizona State - Future Dallas Cowboys QB Danny White led the undefeated Sun Devils into Laramie for a WAC shootout against the Pokes. Wyoming played their best game of the season, winning a 45-43 barn-burner and handing the eventual Fiesta Bowl Champions one of their two losses on the season.
January 2, 1956 vs. Texas Tech - Coming off a fourth-place finish in the Skyline Conference, Wyoming wasn't expected to beat the 7-1 Border Conference Champions. Jim Crawford ran for over 100 yards and was named MVP in the Cowboys 21-14 win. The following season, Crawford led the nation in rushing and Wyoming went undefeated.
December 23, 2004 vs. UCLA - The 6-5 Pokes were lucky to make a bowl game in 2004. Limping into the Las Vegas Bowl, they were 12.5 point underdogs against a talented, but underachieving, UCLA team. With 57 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Wyoming QB Corey Bramlet threw a touchdown pass, leading the Cowboys to a 24-21 victory and their first bowl win in 48 years.