By David Peck

Christmas came early for the Wyoming Cowboys and their many fans Saturday when the Cowboys pulled off what had seemed like an extremely unlikely feat: winning a college bowl game.
Against all odds, the Cowboys not only defeated Fresno State in the New Mexico Bowl Saturday in Albuquerque, they did it in thrilling fashion, making huge play after huge play to defeat the Bulldogs from California 35-28 in double overtime.
The Pokes went into the game as huge underdogs, as the point spread for the game reached double digits. Sure, the Cowboys were much improved this year in new coach Dave Christensen’s first season, but they had scored only one offensive touchdown against a Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I) team with a winning record this season going into the bowl game – hardly a recipe for success.
Many pundits believed the Pokes didn’t deserve to be in a bowl game. Before Saturday, they had only one win against a team with a winning record – Weber State, a Football Championship Subdivision (Division I-AA) team from the Big Sky Conference.
Rivals.com, in their New Mexico Bowl preview, wrote that Wyoming might be “one of the worst bowl teams ever,” and all five of the Website’s so-called experts predicted a big Fresno State win.
Columnist Steve Cameron of the Merced (Calif.) Sun-Star wrote in a column on Dec. 7 that Fresno State must surely be disappointed with a return trip to the New Mexico Bowl after forging an 8-4 record in 2009, 6-2 in the Western Athletic Conference. The Bulldogs fell to Colorado State in the 2008 New Mexico Bowl, 40-35.
He wrote that, at least the Bulldogs would find some good Mexican food in Albuquerque and that’s the only positive thing that comes to mind when contemplating a Fresno State-Wyoming matchup. A “duel” with an “incredibly ordinary” Wyoming team is about as appetizing as Thanksgiving leftovers in March, Cameron wrote.
“There are 34 bowl games, and you can make a pretty solid argument that Wyoming is the least-deserving of all 68 teams to snatch a post-season invitation,” Cameron opined.
Obviously, the Pokes were the Rodney Dangerfields of college football. They got no respect from nearly everyone outside of their fan base.
But the Pokes are used to getting no respect. They were predicted to finish last in the Mountain West Conference by every major football publication and poll in the pre-season, including the MWC media poll. They were underdogs going into every game except one during the season.
So it came as no surprise when virtually everyone expected Fresno State to walk all over the Cowboys Saturday. The Bulldogs had the top running back in the nation in Ryan Mathews and a top quarterback in Ryan Colburn. Fresno State simply had too much speed for the Cowboys to contain, many believed.
But the only beliefs that counted Saturday were those of the Pokes, their coaches and their fans. Fans turned out in droves for the game, reveling in Wyoming’s first bowl appearance since 2004. More than 5,000 Wyoming fans attended the game, compared to maybe 400 to 500 Fresno State faithful.
Wyoming fans overwhelmed the Fresno State fans at the official New Mexico Bowl pep rally Friday night and literally spilled out of a packed Coaches Sports Grill during the Wyoming Pep Rally later that evening.
The east side of New Mexico’s University Stadium was a sea of brown and gold at Saturday’s kickoff, while the west side contained a much smaller smattering of Fresno State red. And as the game went on, those of us attending the game cheered and screamed and urged our team onward, hugging and high-fiving fellow fans as the underdog Cowboys made big play after big play.
When Fresno State led 28-17 early in the fourth quarter, we were philosophical. “It was nice to get here,” we said. “It’s been a good year.” But then the Cowboys’ sensational freshman quarterback Austyn “The Magician” Carta-Samuels drove the Cowboys 68 yards and fired an 11-yard touchdown pass to David Leonard, Wyoming’s go-to wide receiver. Coaches decided to go for the two-point conversion and Carta-Samuels delivered, hitting senior Greg Bolling for two, putting the Pokes field goal away from tying the game at 28-25.
On the next series, senior Mitch Unrein stripped the ball from Mathews to force a fumble. The Cowboys drove to within field goal range and freshman Ian Watts calmly booted the 37-yard tying field goal.
In overtime, Fresno State quickly drove to the one-yard line and had first down. But in four cracks from the one, three by Mathews, the Cowboy defense didn’t give an inch. It was the finest goal-line stand in Cowboy history.
Watts missed a 40-yard field goal for the win, but then the Cowboys got the first chance in the second overtime. This time, they converted as Carta-Samuels found Leonard for a 13-yard touchdown pass, scrambling to the left and lofting the ball to Leonard just as Fresno defenders were about to hit him. It was another magical play by Wyoming’s sensational freshman.
When Fresno State got their turn, the Bulldogs didn’t really stand a chance as the Cowboy fans in the northeast part of the stadium put up a deafening roar and the Cowboy defense pinned its ears back and went after the Bulldogs. When Colburn was sacked on fourth down, the game was over. The underdog Cowboys had won, and fans poured onto the University Stadium field to celebrate with their team.
It was a perfect day for a perfect upset – the finest college football game I have witnessed. We were all so proud of the Cardiac Cowboys for winning the big one when most thought they didn’t stand a chance.
The Pokes proved many doubters wrong. They did it with grit, guts and determination. They did it with heart.
Worst bowl team ever? Least-deserving team? Far from it! What a game it was. Being there was special. I’ll never forget it. Merry Christmas from one very happy Cowboy fan.