The Wyoming Cowboys won their fourth straight Border War Friday night in Laramie with a 17-7 victory over the rival Colorado State Rams.

Wyoming (7-4, 4-3) got a pair of touchdown runs from their two quarterbacks, Tyler Vander Waal and Levi Williams and a Cooper Rothe field goal to hold off CSU. They keep the traveling trophy, the Bronze Boot.

The Cowboys’ defense allowed only 265 yards to Colorado State. They had one sack, five tackles for loss, and an interception by Logan Wilson that sealed the victory.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Pokes scored first when Vander Waal scored on a one-yard sneak. It capped an 11-play, 93-yard drive. Colorado State answered right back. The Rams went on a seven-minute drive and scored on a 4-yard TD pass from Patrick O’Brien to Warren Jackson. The game was 7-7 at halftime.

Early in the third quarter, CSU decided to go for it on fourth down and 1 at their own 44-yard line. They were stuffed by the UW defense. The Cowboys turned the short field into the go-ahead touchdown. Freshman QB Levi Williams scored from 1-yard away and gave Wyoming a 14-7 lead.

After another fourth-down stop by the Pokes’ defense, UW went on another 11-play scoring drive. It resulted in a 48-yard field goal by Rothe and a 17-7 lead with 3:33 left.

Two plays later, Wilson picked off an O’Brien pass over the middle. The Cowboys got two first downs and ran out the clock for the victory.

Wyoming finished with 273 yards of total offense. They ran for 192 yards and threw for 81 yards. Xazavian Valladay rushed for 154 yards on 27 carries. He surpassed 1,000 yards in a season for the first time in his career. Williams added 49 yards on the ground. Alijah Halliburton led the defense with 13 total tackles, which included one tackle for loss. Wilson added eight stops.

Colorado State (4-7, 3-4) got 217 yards passing from O’Brien. Jackson caught six passes for 95 yards. The Rams were held to 48 yards rushing on 30 attempts. That’s just 1.6 yards per rush. The loss prevents CSU from having a chance to get bowl eligible in 2019.

The Cowboys last won four straight in the series form 2009-2012. Their seventh win puts UW in a better position for a possible bowl bid.

Wyoming closes out its season at Air Force on Saturday, Nov. 30. The game starts at noon, Mountain Time.

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