Bohl, Cowboys go out on top with 16-15 win over Toledo in Arizona Bowl

UW Sports information

In his final game as head coach for the Wyoming Cowboys, Craig Bohl goes out on top after the 16-15 win over Toledo in the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl.

by University of Wyoming Sports Information

 Tucson, Ariz. --  It was a storybook ending for the Wyoming Cowboys on Saturday as they sent retiring head coach Craig Bohl out with a dramatic 16-15 walk-off victory in the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl.  Cowboy place-kicker John Hoyland made a 24-yard field goal as time expired to give the Pokes their ninth win of the season.  Wyoming quarterback Andrew Peasley was forced to leave the field on numerous occasions during the game following big hits, but fought through to return and lead the Cowboy offense, while the Wyoming defense came up with big stop after big stop to keep the Pokes in the game.

The Cowboys finished the season with a 9-4 record.  It was Wyoming’s first nine-win season since 1996 when UW posted a 10-2 season.  It was also the fourth season of eight or more wins during the Craig Bohl era and the sixth winning season during Bohl’s 10-year tenure as Cowboy head coach.  The bowl victory marks the fourth for the Pokes under the direction of Bohl, who announced his retirement back on Dec. 6.

Hoyland was named the game’s MVP, making all three of his field-goal attempts on the day from 34 yards, 52 yards and the game-winner from 24 yards out.

Like all of Wyoming’s nine victories this season, it was a total team effort by the Cowboys.  Peasley was outstanding on the day, completing 20 of 25 passes (80.0 percent) for 168 yards to nine different receivers.  He also rushed for 16 yards  on nine carries for 184 yards of total offense.  When Peasley was unable to return during Wyoming’s final drive of the game due to what Peasley himself described as an oblique injury, back-up QB Evan Svoboda came in to help finish off the game-winning drive.  Svoboda completed 1 of 2 passes (50.0 percent) in the game for 16 yards and carried the ball five times for 26 yards, including Wyoming’s lone touchdown of the game midway through the fourth quarter to pull the Pokes to within two points at 13-15.  Running back Harrison Waylee was a workhorse, carrying the ball 18 times for 91 yards.  Wide receiver Wyatt Wieland caught a team high five passes for 55 yards.  Tight ends John Michael Gyllenborg and Treyton Welch added four catches each.  Gyllenborg accounted for 44 receiving yards and Welch had 22.  Wide receiver Ayir Asante also had a big catch of 26 yards to start the final game-winning drive for the Cowboys. 

Defensively, the Pokes had 20 different defenders make at least one tackle in the game, led by linebacker Shae Suiaunoa, who finished with five tackles and one quarterback hurry.  Linebacker Easton Gibbs made three tackles and broke up one pass.  Defensive tackle Jordan Bertagnole was credited with three tackles and one quarterback hurry, and nose tackle Cole Godbout also made three tackles.  Strong safety Isaac White came up with the lone turnover in the game on an interception on the Wyoming two-yard line in the first quarter to end a Toledo scoring drive.  Defensive ends Sabastian Harsh and Tyce Westland each came up with one key tackle for loss in the game.  Westland also added a pass break-up as did defensive end DeVonne Harris, and defensive backs Wrook Brown, Tyrecus Davis and Wyett Ekeler were each credited with a pass break-up.

Wyoming accounted for 354 yards of total offense, while Toledo finished with 328 total yards.  The Cowboys out gained the Rockets on the ground with 170 rushing yards to Toledo’s 144.  Each team finished with the exact same passing yard total of 184 yards.

Bohl steps away from Wyoming Football after one of the most sustained periods of success in program history, including: more bowl victories (4) and more bowl appearances (6) than any coach in school history; six winning seasons -- second most of any Wyoming coach; and more NFL players developed than at any time in program history.

Quotes From Head Coach Craig Bohl

Craig Bohl coached his final game as head coach of the Wyoming Cowboys on Saturday as he announced his retirement on Dec. 6.  Bohl concluded his career as the longest serving head coach in Wyoming Football history -- 10 seasons.  He ends his college coaching career with a record of 165-92 (.642) and a Wyoming record of 61-60 (.504).  Bohl ranks No. 13 among all current active NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) head coaches in terms of wins, with 165.

Bohl addressed the media at a postgame Arizona Bowl press conference following Saturday’s victory.

“I want to first say thanks for the invitation (to the Arizona Bowl).  You staged a great game with two really good opponents,” said Bohl.  “Coming into this game from my perspective, I thought it would be a one-possession game, which it was.  I think I talked about winning the kicking game, which was really important.  I’d also like to congratulate Toledo.  They had a phenomenal year and they played hard tonight.  I know they were a little short-handed, but we were short-handed, as well.

“It was great to come up with a win.  It’s great to close out my career with this football team.  They truly have been special.”

When asked about the performance of quarterback Peasley, Bohl responded, “Andrew is resilient.  He’s as tough as boot leather.  He’s a Cowboy through and through, and he’s got ice water running through his veins.  A really resilient performance by him tonight.”

Asked about the final drive of the game that resulted in the game-winning field goal by Hoyland, Bohl said, “Every game is going to have some adversity.  We had to use three quarterbacks in that drive.  That certainly wasn’t scripted but all three guys came in and played really well.  We had great confidence in John (Hoyland).  We knew we were in field-goal range once we got the additional penalty yardage (on the late hit on wide receiver Wieland).  We certainly wanted to get down there a little closer and we were able to do that with some of the things that Evan (Svoboda) and other guys did on that drive.  John had the ice running through his veins on the kick.  Big, big win.  We worked the clock down to zero for the walk off.”

Bohl was questioned about where this win ranked in his career and he replied, “It’s special because it’s the last one for me.  I’ve been coaching for 42 years, and I haven’t had to go to work a day in my life yet.  This is a tremendous profession and its great to go out with these guys.  I have a real sense of peace about moving on.  It was time for this Cowboy to ride off.  Coach (Jay) Sawvel is going to do a great job.

“I think the future for this program looks very bright.  Coach Sawvel and I’ve talked about that along with Tom Burman (Wyoming Athletics Director).  We feel like the foundation has been set.  If you look at the programs that I have been fortunate enough to be involved with, whether it was Nebraska during the Tom Osborne era or my time at North Dakota State, those were long building processes.  I believe that we’re in really good shape to move forward.  I’ll be rooting the Pokes on.  Coach Sawvel is going to do a great job leading.  It’s certainly a competitive conference that we play in, but I think the future looks really bright and the culture is set.  Are there going to be challenges?  Yes, but I think our older guys have done a great job laying a foundation, and we’ve got good players coming back.”

Quotes From Wyoming’s Former Defensive Coordinator and Incoming Head Coach Jay Sawvel

“We got the win.  We hung in and our guys battled all night and that’s all that really matters,” said Sawvel.  “First thing in my new role as head coach is I’m hopeful of having an offensive coordinator hired by next weekend.  That’s been taking a lot of my time, working through that and talking with a lot of people.  I also hope to have a safeties coach hired probably around that same time.  Once we get our full staff together, then its getting ready for the second semester to start, hit the reset button and start over for next year.  We’ve got a really good football team coming back -- guys are bought in and engaged.  They genuinely love Wyoming and they genuinely love each other.”

Quotes From Wyoming Players  

John Hoyland

“I was just trying to send the seniors out in the right way and obviously send Coach Bohl out in the right way,” said Hoyland.  “I knew that Evan (Svoboda) coming in would lead us down the field and put me in position to try and do my best to win the game.  That’s all I can hope for as a kicker.”

Andrew Peasley

“Obviously, six years in college football is a pretty long time,” said Peasley.  “It’s been a great ride and these last two years at Wyoming have been super special for me.  I talked to the team yesterday.  I’m very blessed with how they welcomed me in.  There’s been some ups and downs.  We didn’t reach all our goals this year, but we won a bowl game to finish on top.  I’m very thankful to be a part of this team and be around the guys I’ve met here.”

Cowboy Notes From Saturday

∙Wyoming finished off the season with three consecutive wins.

∙The Cowboys’ 9-4 record this season marked the first nine-win season since the 1996 Cowboys posted a 10-2 record.

∙The 2023 season marks the sixth time in the last eight seasons that Wyoming has posted a winning record.  The last time that Cowboy Football had six winning seasons in an eight-year period was from 1993-2000.

Below is a breakdown of Wyoming’s six winning seasons over the past eight years.

Season        Record               Postseason Results 

2023            9-4                     Arizona Bowl Champions

2022            7-6                     Arizona Bowl Participant

2021            7-6                     Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Champions

2019            8-5                     Arizona Bowl Champions

2017            8-5                     Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Champions

2016            8-5                     MW Championship Game Participant & Poinsettia Bowl Participant

∙Among the accomplishments the Cowboys have enjoyed during the 2023 season are:

      -Winning at least eight games for the fourth time in the past eight seasons.

      -Winning at least seven games for the sixth time in the last eight seasons.

      -Earning bowl eligibility for the seventh time in the last eight seasons.

      -Posting a perfect 7-0 home record -- the first 7-0 home record in War Memorial Stadium history.

      -Defeating two Top 25 ranked teams in then #24 ranked Texas Tech in the season opener and then #24 ranked Fresno State in the sixth week of the season.

      -Capturing wins in rivalry series vs. Colorado State and Hawai’i to retain the “Bronze Boot” and “Paniolo Trophy”, respectively.

      -Attracting a single-season record attendance of 162,144 fans.

∙With his three field goals in the Arizona Bowl win today, Cowboy place-kicker John Hoyland has 58 field goals for his career.  He passed former Wyoming great Sean Fleming, who made 57 field goals from 1988-91.  Hoyland is just one field goal away from the Wyoming school record of 59, held by Cooper Rothe, who set the record from 2016-19.

∙Linebacker Easton Gibbs recorded three tackles vs. Toledo.  He has 109 tackles for the 2023 season.  Gibbs now has 362 career tackles as a Cowboy to rank eighth on the Wyoming career tackle list.  The two players directly ahead of Gibbs are former Cowboy linebacker/defensive end Gabe Knapton in seventh with 368 tackles and former Wyoming safety Chris Prosinski, who is in sixth with 373 career tackles.