In what was the last the college football world sees of Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen, he is going out a winner. Allen returned from a shoulder injury to play in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise on Friday afternoon and he threw three touchdowns to help Wyoming (8-5) to a 37-14 victory over Central Michigan (8-5). After the game, he declared his intention to enter the NFL Draft.
Thank you @J_Prodigy_5 for an incredible career at Wyoming and best of luck in the @NFL! You will always be a Cowboy! #RideForTheBrand #GoWyo pic.twitter.com/tKdKbKr8i6
— Wyoming Cowboy Football (@wyo_football) December 23, 2017
Considered by many to be among the top quarterback prospects on the big board for the 2018 NFL Draft, Allen’s final line will not be one that impresses many at first glance with 11-of-19 for 154 yards. But three touchdowns were thrown in the first quarter helped Wyoming jump out to a great start and allowed the Cowboys to keep control of the game for the remaining 45 minutes, and the game film may be a tad more kind to Allen when those who make the NFL decisions down the line get their chance to weigh in.
Central Michigan did themselves no favors with a school record eight turnovers in the game leading to 23 points, including a fumble returned 58 yards for a touchdown by Carl Granderson early in the fourth quarter. CMU quarterback Shane Morris was picked off four times by four different Wyoming players, and the Chippewas accounted for just four net rushing yards in the game.
Wyoming upheld an early theme to the bowl season by winning by a comfortable margin. The Potato Bowl, played on the home field of Mountain West Conference champion Boise State, moved the MWC to 2-1 this bowl season. Boise State topped Oregon in the Las Vegas Bowl, 38-28, but Colorado State lost to Marshall in the New Mexico Bowl last weekend. The MWC will see San Diego State in action on Saturday against Army in the Armed Forces Bowl, and Fresno State will take on Houston in the Hawaii Bowl on Sunday night.
It was an up-and-down day for the MAC, with Central Michigan losing just hours after Ohio dominated UAB in the Bahamas Bowl. The MAC is now 1-2, with Akron getting blown out by FAU in the Boca Raton Bowl. The MAC has two more cracks at a bowl win with Toledo facing Appalachian State in the Dollar General Bowl on Saturday and Northern Illinois facing Duke in the Quick Lane Bowl on Tuesday.
The win marked Wyoming’s first bowl win since 2009, and the first bowl victory for Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl since moving up from FCS powerhouse North Dakota State in 2014. After losing his first bowl game with Wyoming last season, Bohl is now .500 in postseason games as a FBS head coach.
Wyoming will open the 2018 season on the road on Aug. 25 at New Mexico State before hosting Washington State the following week. Central Michigan’s 2018 season kicks off on Sept. 1, 2018 at Kentucky.