Josh Allen's 3 TDs lead Wyoming past Texas State, 45-10
LARAMIE, Wyo. -- Josh Allen returned to form by throwing three touchdowns while the defense and special teams added three more in Wyoming's 45-10 win over Texas State on Saturday.
Allen's 8-yard TD pass to Austin Conway midway through the third quarter moved him into tenth place in school history with 4,131 passing yards. Allen took over 10th place in career total offense with 4,738 yards.
Allen, coming off two sub-par games, completed 14 of 24 passes for 219 yards with no interceptions, connecting with nine different receivers.
The defense and special teams nearly overshadowed him. Rico Gafford stepped in front of a fallen receiver near the sideline and picked off a pass by Damian Williams, returning it 37 yards to give Wyoming a 14-3 lead. With the Cowboys (3-2) comfortably ahead in the third, Logan Wilson knocked the ball loose from Williams, grabbed it in the air and returned it 18 yards for a touchdown to give Wyoming a 38-10 advantage.
Tyler Hall added a 95-yard kickoff return -- his second scoring return in as many games -- making him the first Cowboy to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in a season and career.
"When I go to sleep at night I dream about and start thinking about game day," Hall said. "I sleep and dream about the plays and getting an interception or a big play. Dreams are just starting to come true."
Wyoming's punt and kick coverage was good, too.
"All those things are an indication of more depth in a program and recruiting more explosive players," coach Craig Bohl said. "Special teams has a lot to do with scoring and field position."
Texas State coach Everett Withers bemoaned the two turnovers that turned into touchdowns as well as Hall's return.
"If you take those three plays away, maybe you have a different ball game, more competitive ball game," he said. "After that, it's not going to be competitive."
After a scoreless first quarter, Wyoming exploded for 31 points in the second, including 17 in the final three minutes, with Allen passing for 151 yards and two touchdowns in the period. C.J. Johnson caught both scores -- one on a cross-field lob of 22 yards into the right front corner of the end zone and the other a 15-yarder up the middle. He finished with 57 yards.
Williams was 10 of 19 passing for a season-low 91 yards for the Bobcats with one touchdown and one interception. Willie Jones III relieved and completed 1 of 4 passes for 36 yards and ran for 57 yards on five carries to lead all rushers. Tyler Watts had four receptions for 24 yards for Texas State (1-4).
Trevor Woods led Wyoming runners with 53 yards on 21 carries.
Wyoming outgained Texas State 333 yards to 262, with both teams struggling to run the ball. The Bobcats had 135 yards on the ground (2.6 per rush) and the Cowboys had 84 (2.4 per rush).
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| Team | CONF | OVR |
|---|---|---|
| Marshall | 7-1 | 10-3 |
| Georgia Southern | 6-2 | 8-5 |
| James Madison | 4-4 | 9-4 |
| Old Dominion | 4-4 | 5-7 |
| Coastal Carolina | 3-5 | 6-6 |
| App State | 3-5 | 5-6 |
| Georgia State | 1-7 | 3-9 |
| Team | CONF | OVR |
|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 7-1 | 10-3 |
| Texas State | 5-3 | 7-5 |
| Arkansas State | 5-3 | 7-5 |
| South Alabama | 5-3 | 7-6 |
| UL Monroe | 3-5 | 5-7 |
| Troy | 3-5 | 4-8 |
| Southern Miss | 0-8 | 1-11 |
2024 Mountain West Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | OVR |
|---|---|---|
| Boise State | 7-0 | 12-1 |
| UNLV | 6-1 | 11-3 |
| Colorado State | 6-1 | 8-4 |
| Fresno State | 4-3 | 6-6 |
| New Mexico | 3-4 | 5-7 |
| Utah State | 3-4 | 4-8 |
| San José State | 3-4 | 7-5 |
| Hawai'i | 3-4 | 5-7 |
| Air Force | 3-4 | 5-7 |
| San Diego State | 2-5 | 3-9 |
| Wyoming | 2-5 | 3-9 |
| Nevada | 0-7 | 3-10 |
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