Fansided

BYU downs Wyoming, 24-21, in rainy Poinsettia Bowl

By Sarabeth Pollock

Dec 19, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Brigham Young Cougars quarterback Tanner Mangum (12) throws a pass against the Utah Utes in the Las Vegas Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium. Utah defeated BYU 35-28. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 19, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Brigham Young Cougars quarterback Tanner Mangum (12) throws a pass against the Utah Utes in the Las Vegas Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium. Utah defeated BYU 35-28. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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The BYU Cougars beat the Wyoming Cowboys 24-21 at the 2016 Poinsettia Bowl on December 21st in San Diego.

Longtime rival BYU Cougars (9-4) and Wyoming Cowboys (8-6) met in San Diego for the 2016 Poinsettia Bowl. The Cowboys were looking for a win in their first bowl appearance since 2011 while the Cougars were making their 12th straight bowl appearance.

There were two big stories on the night: The rain, and Brian Hill sitting out the entire first quarter. While the rain made the ball slippery and led to some fumbles, the Hill mystery was much more compelling. There was no confirmation from Wyoming staff but game broadcasters suspected that Hill may have violated team curfew and was penalized one quarter of play.

The rain dominated the first quarter, with the only scoring drive coming in the final minutes when Wyoming botched a punt and BYU recovered inside the ten yard line. BYU quarterback Tanner Mangum carried the ball 3 yards to the end zone for a touchdown. The extra point was good and the Cougars finish the first quarter up 7-0.

The second quarter was a story of wet footballs. The ball changed hands after Mangum threw the ball directly to Wyoming’s Andrew Wingard, who returned it 20 yards to the BYU 39. BYU scored again when Rhett Almond kicked a 27 field goal with 3:08 to play in the half. Wyoming was shut out in the first half for the first time all season.

At the half, BYU was looking at one fumble and one interception, while Wyoming had two turnovers on downs that could all be blamed on the rain. BYU’s Jamaal Williams led with 15 carries for 121 yards, while the Cowboys’ Brian Hill only had one quarter of play but managed to amass 44 yards on 10 carries.

The third quarter saw Cowboys quarterback Josh Allen move the Wyoming offense down the field. Brian Hill ran the ball 4 yards for a Cowboys touchdown. Cooper Rothe’s extra point was good and the score was 10-7 BYU. The Cougars answered with 2:42 left in the game when Tanner Mangum connected with Tanner Balderree on a 5 yard pass to take the ball to the house for a touchdown. Rhett Almond’s point attempt was good and the Cougars extended the lead to 17-7.

Jamaal Williams took the ball to the house inside the first minute of the fourth quarter. His 36 yard touchdown run moved him closer to 200 yards for the game. With the extra point the Cougars ran the lead to 24-7. Josh Allen got down the field in 14 plays and a time of 6:32 to get the Cowboys back into a two score game with a 9 yard pass to Tanner Gentry. BYU led 24-14. Allen connected with Gentry once again for a 23 yard pass to bring the score to 24-21 BYU. That was all the Cougars needed to cement the victory over  the Cowboys.

Williams finished the night with 210 yards on 26 carries, a fantastic end to his phenomenal career at BYU. Tanner Mangum was 8/15 on 96 yards with one touchdown while Cowboys’ quarterback Josh Allen was 17/32 for 207 yards and two touchdowns. Brian Hill played three quarters and finished with 26 carries and 93 yards.

Highlights

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Three stars:

  1. Tanner Mangum, BYU Quarterback: Mangum was responsible for scoring the first points of the game. When he couldn’t unload the ball on a 2nd and goal, he ran the 3 yards into the end zone himself. He also connected with Tanner Balderree on a touchdown pass, and he got the ball to Jamaal Williams for a third touchdown. Mangum finished up at 8 for 15 with 96 yards and one touchdown.
  2. Jamaal Williams, BYU Running Back: Williams had 121 yards and 15 carries in the first half, which helped get the ball down the field for Mangum to score. The same thing happened in the third quarter when his ball handling put the Cougars close enough for Mangum to connect with Tanner Balderree for a touchdown. Williams got his first touchdown of the game in the first minute of the fourth quarter when he carried the ball 36 yards for a touchdown. Williams finished the night with 26 carries for 210 yards and a touchdown to cap off his stellar career.
  3. Josh Allen, Wyoming Quarterback: Allen had a great game. He started the game without his go-to running back, Brian Hill. Even with that setback, Allen was 17 for 32 with 207 yards and two touchdowns.

Next Season

BYU opens the 2017 campaign with a home game against Portland State on Aug. 26, followed by a Week 2 match up against LSU on Sept. 2.

Wyoming starts their 2017 season with a road game at Iowa on Sept. 2.

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