Cowboy Classics: Tiller’s championship ride

LARAMIE -- Wyoming won seven straight games after dropping the season opener to Oregon State in 1993.

One more win would seal a WAC Championship.

That would have to wait a couple of weeks after the Cowboys dropped a 10-7 heart breaker to No. 23 New Mexico in Albuquerque. The following week at home, Wyoming had a chance to clinch again. This time arch-rival Colorado State was in town.

That didn't go as planned, either. The Rams blew out the Pokes 41-21 on national television.

There was one final chance to claim the title on the road at then-Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. The Aztecs, led by running back Marshall Faulk, were struggling through a .500 campaign. Wyoming took advantage.

The Cowboys, quarterbacked by Joe Hughes, knocked off San Diego State in a 43-38 barn burner that November night. Terrance Hendricks and Ryan Christopherson both scored on the ground. Ryan Yarborough snagged a touchdown pass from Hughes. Prentice Rhone returned a punt for a score.

Wyoming would ultimately share the WAC title with BYU and Fresno State. The Cowboys beat the Bulldogs 32-28 at War Memorial Stadium. They didn't play the Cougars that season.

This week's Cowboy Classics cartoon, courtesy of Chad Blakely, illustrates the scene that followed that night in southern California. Joe Tiller was hoisted up on shoulders and carried off the field.