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Wyoming Ends Eight-Game Road Skid With Overtime Win at San Jose State
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Wyoming wasn't perfect Friday night, but the Cowboys made enough plays when it mattered to end an eight-game road losing streak.
Erik Sandvik kicked a 21-yard field goal in overtime, giving Wyoming a 16-13 win over San Jose State at CEFCU Stadium. The win improved the Cowboys to 3-3 overall and 2-1 in Mountain West play, marking their first victory at San Jose State since 1996.
"Grinded one out. Proud of the group. it wasn't always clean. I thought we left about 10 points at least on the field in the first half and that was a little bit disappointing," Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel said.
Wyoming finished with 345 yards of offense, including 231 rushing yards, and controlled possession for 42 minutes and 42 seconds. However, the Cowboys struggled to turn that advantage into points.
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Sandvik connected on field goals of 38 and 29 yards in the first half, while San Jose State's Jabari Bates scored on an 18-yard touchdown run to give the Spartans a 7-6 halftime lead.
"When you control time of possession the way we did in the first half and control things the way we did in the first half, to go in down a point, you felt like you missed opportunities," Sawvel said.
San Jose State extended its lead to 13-6 in the third quarter on two Tristan Sinatra field goals before Wyoming finally reached the end zone in the fourth.
The Cowboys put together an 18-play, 75-yard drive that consumed 10 minutes and 24 seconds, capped by Tyler Hughes' 8-yard touchdown pass to Jake Wilson with 6:25 remaining. Sandvik's extra point tied the game at 13.
Hughes finished 16-of-24 passing for 114 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also led Wyoming with 92 rushing yards on 27 carries. Samuel "Tote" Harris added 67 yards on 13 attempts, while Markell Holman rushed for 62 yards.
Wilson caught seven passes for 39 yards and a touchdown.
The performance was a response for Hughes after Wyoming's 28-0 shutout loss to North Dakota State six days earlier.
"He fought and played, and all I told him to do during the week was just to go play. Go play football. If something breaks down, go play. Go be yourself and go lead. He did," Sawvel said.
Wyoming's aggressive fourth-down approach helped sustain several drives. The Cowboys converted five of six fourth-down attempts despite finishing just 3-for-15 on third down.
"We played so tense last week, we played so tight, we played so much to not make a mistake that we didn't play fast, and we just sat on our heels," Sawvel said. "I was just like, guys, go let it rip."
Defensively, Wyoming held San Jose State to 75 rushing yards. Spartans quarterback Luke Weaver completed 26 of 38 passes for 259 yards and an interception, while Bates finished with 69 rushing yards.
"We felt like if we could stop the run, keep the ball in front of us largely, that we would grind them down at some point. They got a couple field goals there and we got stops," Sawvel said.
The biggest stop came in overtime.
San Jose State received the first possession and advanced to Wyoming's 16-yard line. Facing fourth-and-1, the Spartans elected to go for the first down rather than attempt a field goal.
Weaver's pass intended for Carson Clark fell incomplete, giving Wyoming an opportunity to win.
The Cowboys took over at the San Jose State 25 and relied on their rushing attack. Harris gained five yards before Hughes broke runs of six and 12 yards, moving Wyoming inside the Spartans' 5-yard line.
Sandvik eventually lined up for a 21-yard attempt and delivered the winning kick, completing a 3-for-3 night.
The victory was Wyoming's first on the road since defeating Akron on Aug. 28, 2025.
Sawvel credited his defensive front, including Esaia Bogar, Dante Drake and Jayden Williams, for helping secure the win.
"When we needed to make a play up front today, we made a play. Bogar was a big piece of that. Dante Drake was a big piece of that. Jaden Williams was a big piece of that. That's a strength of ours, and we need to lean on that strenth," Sawvel said.
Wyoming still allowed six sacks and left several scoring opportunities unfinished, but the Cowboys found a way to win after a difficult performance the previous week.
"16 points. It's still not where we want to be, but it got us a win tonight. I was really proud of the group," Sawvel said.
The Cowboys now return to Laramie for two consecutive home games, hoping to build on their first road victory in more than a year.
"We fought. We're not a work of art yet. We’ve got a lot of work to do," Sawvel said.
But Friday night, the Cowboys had reason to celebrate.
"We get ice cream on the plane. We're going to be happy."
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