The Wyoming Cowboys haven't made a bowl since 2011, and it's been a rough couple years for new head coach Craig Bohl, who left FCS dynasty North Dakota State to try and build something special in Laramie.
Saturday night (Sunday morning?) against the reigning MAC West champion, WYO quarterback Josh Allen and his blockers pulled off this galloping scoot of a journey throughout the backfield and then through NIU's defense for the winning score:
.@WYO_Football holds on to a three-overtime thriller, defeating Northern Illinois 40-34! #mwfb #MWLateNight pic.twitter.com/ni5TxzyVFL
— Mountain West (@MountainWest) September 4, 2016
''Coach told me to be smart about it and I probably should have thrown it away,'' Allen said afterward. ''I looked back and our guys were there (to block), cut it back and made a guy miss and found a hole and dived in. Felt great.''
College football's opening Saturday began at 7:30 a.m. ET in Ireland, where Georgia Tech beat Boston College, and didn't end until more than 21 hours had passed.
Wyoming records its first season-opening win over a fellow FBS team since 2008, and all is now right in the Cowboy State.