The history of BYU football’s 100 seasons wouldn’t be complete without Wyoming.
Outside of Utah and Utah State, the Cougars have shared four different conferences over a combined 88 years, but have never faced a tougher opponent than the Cowboys.
Though the two teams don’t meet on the field as often as they once did (this weekend’s trip to Laramie marks BYU’s first game since 2009), the rivalry is full of tradition and intrigue, and it’s nearly impossible to forget the intense hatred between Wyoming and the Cougars back in the day.
“At the end of the day, this is a special game for our players, our program and our state,” Cowboys head coach Jay Sobel said of the matchup against BYU. “They’re not on the upcoming schedule. We don’t know when they’ll be back at War Memorial Stadium, so I think this obviously means a lot to everybody in the state of Wyoming.”
If Saturday’s game is indeed the Cougars’ final visit to Cowboys Country, or their final game against Wyoming, it’s been one hell of a trip. Here, we look back at some of BYU’s most memorable wins over the Brown and Gold.
Nov. 14, 1922 — BYU 7, Wyoming 0
BYU has won over 600 games, and it all started with a win against Wyoming.
The Cougars and Cowboys battled on a muddy field on South Campus where the Joseph Smith Building now stands, and Paul Packard hit fullback Hunter Munson for a 25-yard touchdown to give BYU its first touchdown and the win.
Since then, the Cougars have beaten Wyoming more than 45 times, and Kalani Sitake’s squad will be looking to add another win this weekend.
Oct. 13, 1984 — No. 5 BYU 41, Wyoming 38
The closest team to beating the Cougars for the national championship was Wyoming, which held a five-point lead over BYU heading into the final quarter on Homecoming Day in Provo.
Late in the game, Robby Bosco connected with tight end David Mills for the game-winning touchdown, Mills’ third point of the game, and the Cougars cruised to a 41-38 victory and an incredible national title run at 13-0.
Bosco caught five touchdown passes against the Cowboys, while Lakey Heimuli totaled 118 yards on offense and also reached the end zone.
Dec. 7, 1996 — No. 6 BYU 28, No. 20 Wyoming 25 (WAC Championship Game)
Some would argue this was the most surprising match of the rivalry.
Playing against a nationally ranked powerhouse in its first-ever WAC title game, BYU held a 13-point lead by halftime, but the Cowboys quickly rallied late in the fourth quarter to take a 25-22 lead.
Steve Sarkisian then drove the Cougars down the field and scored a tying field goal to send the game into overtime, where Ethan Pochman again cracked the goalpost to give BYU its 16th and final WAC title.
Pochman made four field goals that day against Wyoming, Chad Lewis caught a Sarkisian pass and scored, and Brian McKenzie also scored a rushing touchdown.
BYU beat Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl and earned a No. 5 national ranking, but the Cowboys didn’t even receive a bowl invitation despite being ranked No. 22 and having a 10-2 record.
Nov. 10, 2001 — No. 13 BYU 41, Wyoming 34
Coming into this late-season matchup, BYU was looking to get off to a 10-0 start while Wyoming was looking for its third win of the year, which would be an easy win for the Cougars, right?
However, the outcome was completely different to what was expected, as the inspired Cowboys played phenomenal and tied the game at 34 points apiece in the fourth quarter.
Luke Staley’s fourth touchdown of the afternoon gave BYU the final lead, and safety Levi Madarrieta intercepted a Wyoming fourth-down pass at the goal line with 28 seconds left to preserve the Cougars’ victory.
Dec. 21, 2016 — BYU 24, Wyoming 21 (Poinsettia Bowl)
For Kalani Sitake, it was a great way to end his first season at the helm of the Cougars.
BYU beat Wyoming in the final game of the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego, with Jamaal Williams exploding for 210 yards rushing and his teammate intercepting future NFL superstar Josh Allen twice in a 24-21 victory.
Tanner Mangum filled in for the injured Taysom Hill and scored two touchdowns, one on a pass and one on a run, Harvey Langi had 16 tackles and Kai Nacua intercepted Allen in the final seconds of the game to secure the 14th bowl victory in program history.
