The Wyoming Cowboys will once again be part of the college bowl season, after being invited to the 2021 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Sunday. The Pokes will face Kent State on Tuesday, Dec. 21 at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho, with kick off at 1:30 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN.

The Cowboys will bring a 6-6 overall record into bowl season, with Kent State 7-6.

Wyoming and Kent State, of the Mid-American Conference, will be playing 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, Illinois, on Sept. 11 by a score of 50-43. Kent State lost to the Huskies twice: 52-47 at home in the regular season and 41-23 in Saturday’s MAC Championship Game.

“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, the bowl’s executive director. “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.”

Bohl said the Cowboys were “elated” to receive the invite.

“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,” he said. “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.”

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.

“... 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,” University of Wyoming Athletics Director Tom Burman said.

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.

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 the 12-game regular season, the Cowboys faced eight teams that will be participating in postseason play this year and seven teams that 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, Mid-Amercian Conference Champion Northern Illinois, Ball State of the Mid-American Conference and Montana State, who is the No. 8 seed in this year’s FCS National Playoffs. Wyoming lost to Air Force, Boise State, Fresno State and Hawai’i.

The Cowboys feature one of the top defenses in the country. UW’s defense ranks No. 7 in the nation in pass defense and No. 36 out of 130 FBS teams in both scoring defense and total defense. That defense is led by All-America candidate at linebacker Chad Muma and All-Conference performers C.J. Coldon (cornerback), Garrett Crall (defensive end), Easton Gibbs (linebacker), Cole Godbout (nose tackle) and Azizi Hearn (cornerback).

On offense, Wyoming’s rushing attack was once again at the forefront, ranking 30th in the nation (195.1 yards per game). The offense features All-Conference players Xazavian Valladay and Titus Swen, both at running back, offensive linemen Keegan Cryder, Logan Harris and Frank Crum and wide receiver Isaiah Neyor.

Ticket information to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl is available at www.GoWyo.com/tickets. Fans may also order ticets by calling 307-766-7220.