The Wyoming Cowboys used some late game heroics to defeat Florida Atlantic Saturday by the score of 20 to 19. Trailing 19-17 with just over two minutes to play, Wyoming ran out of downs and turned the ball back to Florida Atlantic at the Wyoming 11, giving the Owls a chance to run out the clock.
But Wyoming defender Mark Nzeocha forced a fumble that the Cowboys recovered on their own nine yard line and on the very next play Wyoming’s Colby Kirkegaard connected on an 88 yard pass play to Dominic Rufran that set up the winning field goal.
Cowboys’ players and coaches were overwhelmed after the game. Nzeocha said that it shows what Wyoming is made of.
“It’s just so unbelievable and it tells just so much about us, about how we never give up, you know we always keep fighting. And it shows what we are really all about, especially this group of seniors.”
Center Rafe Kiely said the offense was shocked to see the defense get the ball back.
“We were talking on the sideline about our last ditch plays, you know we get one play left maybe at the end of the game, a couple of seconds left where you can do something to try to get a touchdown and then to go from being in that meeting and hearing that and to hearing the crowd screaming and looking up to see the ball going our way. Literally a miracle ending.”
Head Coach Craig Bohl said he’d never been a part of such a wild finish. The Cowboys are 3 and 1. They travel to face nationally ranked Michigan State on Saturday.