Mistakes haunt Cowboys in loss at Boise State

“We knew we were going to have to play well and clean to be able to win,” UW coach Craig Bohl said. “We weren't able to do that.”

Wyoming got off to a slow start on both sides of the ball, being out-gained 109-40 in the first quarter while committing four penalties – three false starts that led to punts, and an offsides that turned a field goal attempt into a touchdown drive.

However, the Cowboys’ fortunes started to turn as the second quarter got underway.

Junior safety Rome Weber made a pair of tackles to force a punt, and the Pokes capitalized when they got the ball back. With sophomore quarterback Levi Williams – who left the field after taking a hard hit near the end of the first quarter – back behind center, UW rattled off an eight-play, 76-yard touchdown drive.

Balance was the primary theme of the possession. Williams and sophomore receiver Isaiah Neyor connected twice for 33 yards, while the Cowboys rushed for 43 more on six carries. Junior running back Titus Swen capped the drive with a physical seven-yard run, during which he broke a tackle at the 5-yard-line, and powered his way to the end zone through a swarm of Boise State defenders to tie the game 7-7.

Following another defensive stop, UW got the ball back with 2:47 left in the half and a chance to take the lead. Instead, the Pokes handed the ball off three consecutive times and punted it away, leaving the Broncos just enough time to drive down the field and take a 10-7 lead with a field goal on the final play of the half.

Boise State drove down the field with ease on the opening possession of the second half, but a third-down tackle for loss by sophomore linebacker Easton Gibbs forced the Broncos to settle for a field goal – keeping the score within a touchdown.

Despite limiting Boise State to field goals on three promising drives, Gibbs wasn’t pleased with the defense’s performance.

The Cowboys gave up 385 yards, with Boise State going 7-for-15 on third downs. The Broncos – who entered the game with the No. 10 rushing attack in the MW – went off for 160 yards on the ground.

“It just flat out wasn't good enough,” Gibbs said. “We gave up too many points. We knew coming in they were a high-powered offense, but we needed to shut them down. The amount we gave up was just too much.”

Following their third consecutive drive that resulted in a punt, the Pokes finally began to gain momentum on offense early in the fourth quarter.

Neyor hauled in an eight-yard catch to convert on third down, which senior running back Xazavian Valladay followed up with a 21-yard run that would've brought them to the Boise State 30. Unfortunately for UW, it was flagged for holding on carry, turning a scoring opportunity into a first-and-14 from its own 45-yard-line.

Williams was intercepted by Demitri Washington on the next play, setting up a 12-yard touchdown run by Andrew Van Buren that all but sealed Boise State's victory.

“I didn't play up to my standard tonight,” said Williams, who was 10 of 17 for 82 yards before hitting Isaiah Neyor for a 74-yard touchdown pass in the final seconds. “I was trying to make a play and turned the ball over. I take this on me, and if anyone wants to point fingers, you can point them at me.”

UWwill returns to action next Saturday at Utah State.