Bohl's career at Wyoming ends in poetic fashion

TUCSON, Arizona — Craig Bohl wasn't leaving the University of Wyoming without one last celebratory Manhattan. The former North Dakota State head man coached in his last game during the Cowboys' 16 15 win over Toledo in Saturday's Arizona Bowl, a game that was won on a 24 yard field goal from John Hoyland as time expired.

The win pushed Bohl's career record at UW to 61 60, and he'll now ride into retirement with a winning record with the Cowboys and a 165 92 overall record through 21 seasons as a head coach. Wyoming Cowboys head coach Craig Bohl and the Wyoming Cowboys sideline celebrate after a play during the second half against the Toledo Rockets in the Arizona Bowl on Saturday, Dec.

30, 2023 at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona. Mark J. Rebilas/USA Today Sports "It's going to be more than one Manhattan," Bohl said with a laugh. "I don't know if I'm going to get up tomorrow morning. I walked off and I held my breath in the locker room. I almost offered everyone drinks at the Buckhorn.

I thought I'd probably get in trouble, but then I said, 'What the hell are they going to do to me?' "So, I'm going to love my wife, sit by the fire and I'm going to have a couple (Manhattans)." ADVERTISEMENT Bohl's final win at UW pushed the Cowboys to nine wins on the season, a mark that's the most for the program since a 10 win season in 1996.

The win over the Rockets was Bohl's fourth bowl win at UW out of six appearances. He was 2 1 in Arizona Bowls. "It's special, because it's the last one for me," Bohl said. "I've done it 42 years, and I've not gone to work a day in my life yet. It's been a real tremendous profession.

"It's great to go out with these guys. I have a real sense of peace about moving on. It was time for this Cowboy to ride off. Coach (Jay) Sawvel is going to do a great job." Wyoming Cowboys head coach Craig Bohl celebrates with the trophy after beating the Toledo Rockets in the Arizona Bowl on Saturday, Dec.

30, 2023 at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona. Mark J. Rebilas/USA Today Sports The Cowboys named Sawvel, UW's current defensive coordinator, as Bohl's replacement earlier this month. Bohl feels more than comfortable with the state of the program he'll turn over to Sawvel on Monday. "I think (the future) looks really bright," Bohl said.

"Coach Sawvel and I have talked about that, along with (athletics director) Tom Burman, and we feel like the foundation has been set. "I know the guys out here were calling about why we weren't able to win a conference championship, and that's a fair question. It's a challenge.

But I think if you look at the programs I've been fortunate to be involved with, whether it's Nebraska with the Tom Osborne era or my time at North Dakota State, those were a long building process. So, I believe that we're in really good shape to move forward. "I'm going to be rooting the Pokes on.

Coach Sawvel is going to do a great job leading. It's certainly a competitive conference, but the future looks really bright and the culture is set. Are there going to be challenges? Yes. But I think our older guys have done a great job of laying a foundation, and we have good players coming back." Wyoming Cowboys place kicker John Hoyland (46) is carried off the field by his teammates after kicking the game winning field goal against the Toledo Rockets in the Arizona Bowl on Saturday, Dec.

30, 2023, at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona. Mark J. Rebilas/USA Today Sports Hoyland's heroics Hoyland's kicking struggles were well documented going into the Arizona Bowl. The junior went into the game having missed seven of his past eight attempts, including missing his previous four tries.

ADVERTISEMENT Hoyland's confidence didn't waver in Tucson. "You've got to keep your confidence as a kicker," Hoyland said. "Shoot, the whole team is counting on you to deliver. At times, when I wasn't, that was really frustrating. "It was just down to me coming back to a good spot mentally.

I think a big part of that was just the other specialists in the specialist room." Hoyland finished the game 3 of 3 on field goals and 1 of 1 on extra points. He gave UW a 6 0 lead in the first half with a 52 yard field goal that hit the crossbar and bounced through. Hoyland walked away the hero in this year's Arizona Bowl following his game winner as time expired, but he isn't one to take all the credit.

"I never really liked lifting up the kicker (after a game winner) for some reason, because we kind of just finish it off," Hoyland said. "There's a whole lot of work, a whole lot of big guys hitting people to get me into that spot. "Honestly, it's all up to them." © 2023 Wyoming Tribune Eagle (Cheyenne, Wyo.).

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Share Share this article News reporting News reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? Tags Tags COLLEGE FOOTBALL.