7220 Miracle: Tyler Vander Waal Relives His Storybook Game Against Air Force in 2018

Jeff Bugher
Oct 15
5 min read

Tyler Vander Waal (18) Photo by Troy Babbit, UW Athletics

LARAMIE, Wyo. - It was November 17^th, 2018, snow swirled in the air at an altitude of 7,220 feet above sea level; few could have scripted what was about to unfold inside War Memorial Stadium. Wyoming’s starting quarterback, Sean Chambers, went down with an injury early in the game against rival Air Force, and suddenly, former starter Tyler Vander Waal was told to grab his helmet and get into the game.

“There's no way to describe it,” Vander Waal said, reflecting on that unexpected moment. “Obviously, you don't hope anyone gets hurt, but that's kind of the nature, like the mentality you have to have with just how things happen in football like that.”

Before the game, Vander Waal jogged onto the field for warmups. “It felt good after, I'm warming up, it's cold outside, I’ve got a long sleeve on. I was sitting for half a quarter and all of a sudden we're at the 20-yard line,” he recalled. “It's like, all right, let's go. The first play was a pass to Rocket. So it kind of worked out. Once I had that first completion under my belt and it was a touchdown, I was like, all right, well, it's a hell of a start. Let's keep it rolling.”

That “Rocket” was wide receiver Raghib Ismail Jr. (son of Notre Dame football legend Raghib Ismail), who caught the 11-yard strike for Wyoming’s first touchdown of the night. Vander Waal had barely loosened his arm.

“It was one of those things where you train for something like that - sudden change,” he said. “They're tending to Sean and the center runs over to the sideline, right? He's like, all right, we got to get some snaps, get your arm warm. I think it was maybe about five throws. It was just, all right, now’s the time. Good luck.”

Vander Waal threw for 225 yards and two touchdowns, adding two more on the ground. Yet beyond the stat sheet, it was a night of redemption for Tyler. Earlier in the season, he was QB1, only to be put on the bench for Sean Chambers. The season had been a roller coaster for Vander Waal.

“Given the season that I had where I started and got benched and was on this roller coaster of emotions, it was like, this is just another story,” Vander Waal said. “It was just one of those things where it's like, I'm not going to let my failures define who I am as a person.”

Wyoming trailed 27–14 in the fourth quarter, but Wyoming’s offense suddenly came alive. Vander Waal guided the Cowboys to 21 points in the final five minutes, capped by a 22-yard touchdown strike to Austin Conway (AC) to take the lead - and then watched as Xazavian Valladay (X) sealed the improbable 35 - 27 comeback with a touchdown run just seconds later.

“There are so many things in that game - from the 4th down throw to X, where I’m scrambling around, and he was supposed to be a blocker on that play and all of a sudden he catches the first down,” Vander Waal said. “And the touchdown pass to AC - he wasn’t supposed to run that route. He was supposed to sit over the ball and ended up because they’re in a two-high look, he just took it. There are so many things that really weren’t supposed to go how they did, but that’s the game of football. It’s such an unpredictable, beautiful game.”

When Vander Waal ran into the end zone for his one of his rushing touchdowns, he pointed toward the sky - it was a release of everything he had endured that season.

“It’s kind of surreal and it’s funny talking about it now, like gives me goosebumps,” he said. “It was bittersweet, given the season that I had. But it was one of those things where I was like, I deserve this. I worked for this. It was kind of like a breath of fresh air.”

Vander Waal said another surreal moment came minutes after the win when ESPN pulled him aside for a live postgame interview on the field with a headset. It was on national TV. Viewers around the country just watched the most improbable finish in college football.

“It’s one of those things that you live for as a kid, right? Everyone wants to be on ESPN,” he said. “To have my face on there, to be able to turn on ESPN and see my face getting interviewed - people live for that. Like you ask any 12-year-old kid their dream, and that’s their dream. I lived a lot of people’s dream in that moment.”

Scott Van Pelt featured the game on his weekly “Bad Beats” session after Monday Night Football. Another surprise happened that Monday, Vander Waal was also named the Mountain West Offensive Play of the Week.

SVP Bad Beats

Vander Waal still remembers the crowd storming the field, the snow swirling, and the embrace with his parents afterward.

“For a rivalry game in the snow on that magnitude, it was just something out of a movie script that you really can’t make up,” he said. “Getting the people rushing the field after the game to seeing my parents and that pure embrace - it was, I would say, definitely one of my top moments at Wyoming for sure.”

Six years later, Vander Waal is living in Las Vegas, where his fiancée, Tarrah, is attending Physician Assistant school. He still follows the Cowboys closely. “I watch every game I can,” he said. “My buddy’s texting me about the Georgia game, the Georgia-Auburn game, and I’m like, I’m watching the Wyoming game.”

The former Cowboy signal caller hasn’t been back to Laramie since 2019 - but he hopes that changes soon. “I told my parents this. I want to experience a Laramie tailgate,” he said with a laugh. “I’ve done the Cowboy Walk, but I’d love to get in that student section, get involved with the beer snake. Hopefully, next year or the following year, I’ll make a trip back.”