October 12, 2026 – Wyo4News

SAN JOSE, Calif. — It had been 30 years since a Wyoming football team walked out of San Jose with a victory. Saturday night at CEFCU Stadium, the long drought finally came to an end.

Erik Sandvik nailed a 21-yard field goal in overtime—the final of his three successful kicks on the night—to lift the Cowboys to a hard-fought 16-13 victory over San Jose State.

With the win, Wyoming improves to 3-3 overall and 2-1 in Mountain West play, while taking a 10-7 edge in the all-time series against the Spartans. More importantly, the Pokes secured their first road win in the series since a 45-22 victory back in 1996—before many of the current players were even born.

“We kept fighting and we kept scratching, kept clawing. The team pulled together,” head coach Jay Sawvel said. “None of these guys were born the last time Wyoming won in San Jose, so it was a good, good win for us.”

Defensive Stand Sets Up Overtime Heroics

After a defensive slugfest, regulation ended in a 13-13 stalemate; the Cowboy defense set the tone for overtime. Aaron Bohl’s unit clamped down on Jamari Bates—the Mountain West’s leading rusher coming into the game—limiting him to 69 yards on 16 carries before turning San Jose State over on downs to start the extra period.

Quarterback Tyler Hughes then took over on offense, manufacturing a key 12-yard scamper to the 2-yard line to put Sandvik in prime position for the walk-off winner.

“It was a great feeling, but the team made my job easy,” Sandvik said of his game-winning kick, which kept him a perfect 8-for-8 on field goals this season. “It was like an extra point. … This brings us all together and hopefully gives us some momentum this week.”

Grabbing Momentum

Trailing 13-6 in the fourth quarter, Wyoming orchestrated a clutch 18-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. Facing crucial fourth-down situations, Markell Holman plowed through for a 2-yard run on a fourth-and-one, and Hughes later connected with Jake Wilson for a 7-yard strike on fourth-and-4.

On third-and-goal from the 8-yard line, Hughes and Wilson hooked up once more for an 8-yard touchdown to knot the game up 13-13 with 6:25 remaining.

Hughes finished the night completing plays with his arm and legs, rushing 27 times for 92 yards while anchoring an offense that out-gained SJSU 345-334.

Defensively, Brooklyn Cheek and Jones Thomas anchored the secondary with eight tackles apiece, while Esaia Bogar disrupted the line of scrimmage with 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

“I don’t think I’ve ever played in an overtime game before, so I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous,” Cheek said. “But I was having fun out there, and everyone on the defense was having fun out there tonight.”

Up Next

The Cowboys return home to Laramie this week to host Mountain West newcomer Northern Illinois on Oct. 17 at War Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

You can catch the live broadcast of the game on WyoRadio’s 99.7 Jack FM, or stream online at wyoradio.net