Bohl back to .500 at UW after upset win over Fresno State

Oct. 7—LARAMIE — For the first time since 2014, Craig Bohl is .500 as the University of Wyoming's head coach.

Bohl's Cowboys pulled out another big win Saturday night, upsetting No. 24-ranked Fresno State 24-19 at War Memorial Stadium to move to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the Mountain West. The win pushed Bohl's career record at UW to 57-57, bringing him back to even since starting 2-2 in his first season.

"It's been fun," Bohl said after the game. "We are now a consistent team, and tonight we showed a little bit more than consistent. We beat a good football team on our home turf."

The Cowboys raced out to a dominant 24-7 lead going into halftime, but a stagnant offense allowed the Bulldogs to pull within five points in the fourth quarter. Fifth-year defensive tackle Cole Godbout was able to seal the win for UW with his first career interception in the final minute of the game.

"I've been waiting like five years for that pick," Godbout said. "It felt real good to finally get one. I think my last pick was like sophomore year of high school. It felt great to get that. Wish I could have scored, but I'm not that fast."

The Cowboys improved to 5-0 at home this season, and celebrated their first win over a ranked team since beating No. 24-ranked San Diego State in 2016. The game had an announced attendance of 20,788, and was also broadcasted nationally on Fox.

"I do know we beat a good football team that was undefeated and in the top 25," Bohl said. "It wasn't a fluke. I think there were times during the course of this game that I thought we looked dynamic. Other times maybe not so much, but we made enough good plays.

"We're going to rally around those good things. I think it was a signature win for our seniors to beat a good team like this at home who is ranked. The Mountain West is a great conference, and being on national TV, I think this speaks well for that."

Now in his 10th season at UW, Bohl has enjoyed the support the Cowboys have garnered statewide since he took over as head coach.

"I think what I can say as far as a (favorite) memory is just how the state has embraced being 'Cowboy tough' and what we're about," Bohl said. "Those first couple years were tough, and a lot of other places would have turned on a coach. People believed in our mission and believed in what we were doing.

"So, it's been heartwarming for me to see. I think a football team needs to reflect the fabric of the people in the state. We're hard-nosed people that go through a lot and never say quit."

Gibbs reaches milestone

Junior linebacker Easton Gibbs earned his 300th career tackle in the win over Fresno State, a mark that ranks 16th in school history. Gibbs finished the night with eight tackles, a forced fumble and a 1/2 sack.

"He's been an all-star," Bohl said. "He's played an awful lot of football, he runs our whole defense and a lot of the stuff you guys may not see, we're in and out of calls like you would not believe.

"(Defensive coordinator) Jay Sawvel does a great job of scheming up things, but you've got to have players that can make audible calls out there. He's done a great job with that, and then he's certainly active, and he's a great captain as well."

For Gibbs, 300 career tackles didn't mean much after the game. All he was concerned about was picking up UW's fifth win of the season with his teammates.

"I guess (it represents) just hard work and always staying consistent," Gibbs said. "I couldn't have done it without the guys up front. Cole and (Jordan Bertagnole), they make my job a whole lot easier, and I've played with them now for four years.

"It makes it easier when they take on double teams and I can just run through holes. I give a lot of credit to those guys."

Godbout has played with Gibbs for four seasons. The MW preseason defensive player of the year is just another example of the Cowboys' rich tradition of developing players at the linebacker spot.

"We're just really blessed to have him," Godbout said. "I don't know what it is about Wyoming, but we just develop middle linebackers. We had Logan (Wilson), we had Chad (Muma) and we had Cassh (Maluia), and now we have Easton and we have Shae (Suiaunoa). We know how to develop.

"Honestly, he's just a great leader, and he's been a brother to me. I've known him for five years now, and I'm just really happy for him."

O-line impresses

UW's offensive line was one of the biggest question marks going into the season, but the unit has held up through the Cowboys' first six games. Fresno State tallied just one sack against UW, and the Cowboys rushed for 130 yards against the Bulldogs' 16th-ranked rushing defense in the country.

"Obviously, the run game is solid for us," starting quarterback Andrew Peasley said. "I thought they did really well in protection tonight. ... I think the sacks we had, it was my fault. I held on to the ball too long and couldn't find a lane to run. They did really well tonight."

UW's running game way have taken a significant hit after starting running back Harrison Waylee left the game in the fourth quarter. While the extent of his injury is still unknown, Bohl doesn't expect it to be a season-ending injury.

"We'll get some more definitive answers (Sunday), but the indication I got was nothing season-ending, and we'll know a little bit more," Bohl said. "Premiere Bone and Joint is on it and they're going to give us some more evaluation. We're in hopes he'll be back for the Air Force game."

Alex Taylor is the assistant editor for WyoSports and covers University of Wyoming athletics. He can be reached at ataylor@wyosports.net. Follow him on X at @alex_m_taylor22.