The Wyoming Cowboys will be making their fourth bowl appearance in six seasons and their second appearance in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl when they face the Kent State Golden Flashes on Tuesday, Dec. 21 at Alberstons Stadium in Boise, Idaho.
The game is scheduled to kick off at 1:30 p.m., Mountain Time and will be televised on ESPN. The game will also be broadcast on radio over the 26 affiliate stations of the Cowboy Sports Network, beginning with the pregame show 90 minutes prior to kickoff.
The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Matchup
The Cowboys will bring a 6-6 overall record into bowl season. Kent State will bring a 7-6 record into the game.
Wyoming and Kent State will be playing against each other for the first time in history. The two teams did play one common opponent this season in Northern Illinois. The Cowboys defeated NIU in DeKalb, Ill., on Sept. 11 by a score of 50-43. Kent State played Northern Illinois twice, losing a home game to the Huskies, 52-47, in the regular season and losing to them in the MAC Championship Game on Dec. 4 by a score of 41-23 in Detroit.
“We are very excited for another outstanding matchup at this year’s Famous Idaho Potato Bowl and we are thrilled to put on a great event in front of fans once again,” said Kevin McDonald, Executive Director of the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. “We really enjoyed hosting Coach (Craig) Bohl and Wyoming in 2017 and can’t wait to have the Cowboys and their fans back this year. Welcoming a team for the first time is always a unique experience, and we look forward to showing Kent State and their supporters the very best of Boise.”
“On behalf of Cowboy Football, we are elated to be invited to play in this year’s Famous Idaho Potato Bowl,” said Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl. “Our team had a great experience in 2017 when we played in Boise. The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl staff and the Boise community do a great job of hosting the game and the events surrounding it. Our coaching staff and players are looking forward to the opportunity of playing together again this season.
“I know our fans remember the great experience they had back in 2017 at the bowl game, and we look forward to seeing them in Boise later this month.
“We know we will be playing a very good football team in Kent State, and we’re excited for the challenge.”
“We’re excited for our players, coaches and fans that we have the opportunity to be playing in a bowl game again this year,” said University of Wyoming Athletics Director Tom Burman. “We want to thank the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl committee for inviting us back after we enjoyed such a fantastic experience there in 2017.
“This is the fourth time that Coach Bohl and his staff has taken us to a bowl game, and for some of our players this will be the fourth bowl team they have been a part of, so we are happy our players get to cap off their careers in postseason play.”
A First in Wyoming History
This year’s bowl invitation marks the fourth time in six seasons that Wyoming has earned a bowl bid. That is a first in the 125-year history of Cowboy Football. The previous best for the Wyoming Football program was four bowl game appearances in seven seasons from 1987 to 1993.
A Coaching First
Head coach Craig Bohl becomes the first head coach in Wyoming Football history to take four Cowboy teams to bowl games. Bohl was previously tied with UW Athletics Hall of Fame Coach Paul Roach, with both coaches having taken three Wyoming teams to bowl games.
Bohl will be seeking his third bowl victory as Wyoming’s head coach. He already holds the Wyoming record for bowl wins as a head coach, with two bowl victories in the 2017 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl and the 2019 NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl.
Pokes Seeking a Third Consecutive Bowl Win, Making Their 17th Bowl Appearance in School HIstory
UW is seeking its third consecutive bowl victory. The Pokes won the 2017 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl over Central Michigan by a score of 37-14 and captured a 38-17 victory over Georgia State in the 2019 NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl.
This year’s appearance will be Wyoming’s 17th bowl appearance in history. The Cowboys are 8-8 overall in bowl games.
Cowboys Played a Schedule That Included Eight Teams Who Earned Postseason Berths,
Wyoming One of Only Two Teams Who Defeated Two Conference Champions on the Road in 2021 Season
Wyoming’s 12-game regular-season schedule this season featured eight teams who will be participating in postseason play this year and seven teams who will be participating in bowl games.
UW posted a 4-4 record against those eight teams, including wins over: Mountain West Conference Champion Utah State and Mid-American Conference Champion Northern Illinois, both on the road. The only other team to do that was Western Michigan, who defeated Northern Illinois (MAC Champion) and Pittsburgh (ACC Champion) both on the road.
The Cowboys also defeated Ball State of the Mid-American Conference and Montana State, who is the No. 8 seed in this year’s FCS National Playoffs. UW lost to postseason teams Air Force, Boise State, Fresno State and Hawai’i.
Seniors Have Been a Part of Great Success
For several University of Wyoming senior football players their time as Cowboys will come to an end in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
The program has enjoyed a great deal of success throughout their careers. Here are some of the accomplishments this year’s senior class has been a part of:
•Three eight-win seasons in 2016, ’17 and ’19
•Earned bowl eligibility in 2016, ’17, ’18, ’19 and ’21
•2016 Mountain Division Champions
•2016 Hosted Mountain West Championship Game
•2016 Poinsettia Bowl
•2017 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Champions
•2019 NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl Champions
•2021 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
•A 5-1 record against rival Colorado State
•Defeated SEC member Missouri in Laramie in 2019
