Laramie – Wyoming coach Joe Glenn said having to battle for Saturday’s 32-18 win over Utah State will make the Cowboys stronger.
The Cowboys’ 14-3 lead early in the third quarter transformed into an 18-14 deficit after the Aggies scored 15 points in 1 minute, 25 seconds.
“Had we had an easy game today, I don’t think it would have meant much for us,” said Glenn, who is 2-0 for the first time in his five seasons at Wyoming. “Utah State came in here and gave us a great game and played their hearts out. They made us play through adversity, and face tough times, and I think we are a better team for it.”
After Utah State pulled within 14-6 on a 31-yard field goal with 4:40 to play in the third quarter, Wyoming quarterback Karsten Sween threw interceptions on the first plays of the next two possessions.
The first bounced from the hands of tight end Jesson Salyards right to De’von Hall, who returned it for a 38-yard touchdown. Sween’s second interception floated to cornerback Marquise Charles, who returned it 28 yards and set up Kevin Robinson’s 16-yard touchdown pass from Leon Jackson for an 18-14 lead with 3:15 left in the third quarter.
Cowboys receiver Greg Bolling, who pulled down six catches for 79 yards including a 25-yard touchdown, said the game proves every opponent is worth all of Wyoming’s efforts.
“In the first half we took them kind of lightly,” said Bolling, a Gateway High School graduate. “Now we know we have to come out with our hair on fire and play to the best of our ability from the first to the fourth quarter.”
The Cowboys go on the road for the first time next week, traveling to No. 22 Boise State, which lost 24-10 on Saturday at Washington.
Wynel Seldon clinched the win with a couple of 1-yard touchdown runs in the fourth quarter, and the Cowboys finished with 369 yards total offense. Sween finished with 180 yards on 19-of-32 passing.
Seldon (16 carries) and Devin Moore (19 carries) each finished with 85 yards rushing.
“Thunder and lightning did a good job,” Glenn said. “They are hard-running guys, and they complement each other real well.”
After finishing last week as the second-ranked defense in the nation, the Cowboys surrendered 280 yards to the Aggies, 133 on the ground.
Utah State head coach Brent Guy said his team had the Cowboys right where it wanted them, going into the fourth quarter with an 18-17 lead.
“We’ve just got to learn to hold on to those leads and extend those leads, and that’s what we didn’t do today,” he said.
