Wyoming upsets Air Force 28-14

Air Force5-214
Wyoming5-328Final
Fri, Oct 23 · War Memorial Stadium, Laramie, Wyo. · Crowd 18,490The CW

Wyoming beat Air Force 28-14 as a 7-point underdog.

We had Air Force favored. Wyoming won.

Next: Air Force vs UConn, Sat Oct 31 · 3:00 PM ET · Air Force favored by 2.5

Next: Wyoming at UNLV, Sat Nov 7 · 10:30 PM ET

That’s one of the craziest plays I’ve ever seen.
A fan of another team

How it swung

The turning point: Hughes 68-yd TD run, Wyoming goes ahead 7-0 (Q1, 14:10). Wyoming went from 39% to 63% to win.

Before kickoff, our ratings gave Wyoming a 22% chance, and the closing betting line (Wyoming was a 7-point underdog) put it at 29%.

FinalWyoming 28-14 Air ForceWyoming wonMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.
50%75%90%Q1Q2Q3Q485% at halfWyomingWon28-1412+24+16Scores
50%75%90%Q1Q2Q3Q485% at halfWyomingWon28-1412Scores
50%10%25%Q1Q2Q3Q415% at halfWyomingLost14-2812−24−16Scores
50%10%25%Q1Q2Q3Q415% at halfWyomingLost14-2812Scores

The two plays that swung it

  1. 1Q1 14:10Hughes 68-yd TD run, Wyoming goes ahead 7-0Wyoming 39% → 63% (+24)
  2. 2Q2 0:38Hughes 12-yd TD pass to Richardson, Wyoming leads 21-6Wyoming 77% → 93% (+16)

The two plays that swung it

  1. 1Q1 14:10Hughes 68-yd TD run, Wyoming goes ahead 7-0Air Force 61% → 37% (−24)
  2. 2Q2 0:38Hughes 12-yd TD pass to Richardson, Wyoming leads 21-6Air Force 23% → 7% (−16)
Wyoming’s chance to win after every play.
How to read this chartStarts from the pregame line (Air Force -7), at 39% for Wyoming (the play-by-play feed's kickoff number, moved to match the line; our model's and the betting line's own numbers are in “The betting line, and the fans”). Dots are the biggest swings; ticks under the chart are scores.

Every drive

Wyoming scored on 4 of its 7 drives; Air Force on 3 of its 8.

Wyoming’s drives are teal, Air Force’s amber. A line runs from where a drive started to where it ended; a filled dot means it scored.

own goalgoal lineQ1Wyoming: Touchdown, from 75 yards out to 0TouchdownAir Force: Fumble, from 75 yards out to 56FumbleWyoming: Missed field goal, from 44 yards out to 20Missed FGAir Force: Field goal, from 80 yards out to 20Field goalQ2Wyoming: Touchdown, from 75 yards out to 0TouchdownAir Force: Field goal, from 75 yards out to 29Field goalWyoming: Touchdown, from 75 yards out to 0TouchdownAir Force: End of half, from 75 yards out to 67End of halfQ3Air Force: Touchdown, from 75 yards out to 0TouchdownWyoming: Punt, from 75 yards out to 81PuntAir Force: Fumble, from 72 yards out to 19FumbleQ4Wyoming: Punt, from 81 yards out to 82PuntAir Force: Fumble, from 65 yards out to 51FumbleWyoming: Touchdown, from 49 yards out to 0TouchdownAir Force: End of game, from 78 yards out to 16End of game

From Air Force’s side

Air Force’s best moment: Medders 5-yd TD pass to Wayne, cuts it to 21-14 (Q3 6:53). It lifted Air Force’s win chance by 13 points.

When fans got loud

Roaring

Fans peaked in the fourth quarter.

Jump to the loudest stretch

The jump was roaring; the crowd was quiet.

FirstSecondThirdFourthWyoming fansAir Force fansusual

What it cost

Air Force’s chance to win the conference fell from 2% to 1%.

Win the conference

Air Force · lost2% → ▼1%
Wyoming · won2% → ▲3%

Before the game (October 23, 2026) → after this result alone, in our model. Other games that weekend move it too, so the team page may differ.

Air Force plays vs UConn on Sat Oct 31 with a 1% chance to win the conference. Wyoming plays at UNLV on Sat Nov 7 with a 3% chance to win the conference.

Box score

Wyoming 28, Air Force 14

Wyoming covered +7 by 21. The total, 42, stayed under 46.5.

Air ForceWyomingTotal yardsAir Force 387Wyoming 301387301Passing yardsAir Force 83Wyoming 11383113Rushing yardsAir Force 304Wyoming 188304188First downsAir Force 23Wyoming 132313TurnoversAir Force 3Wyoming 030Time of possessionAir Force 37:45Wyoming 22:1537:4522:15
Team totalsAir ForceWyoming
Total yards387301
Passing8 of 15, 83 yds10 of 17, 113 yds
Rushing63 for 304 yds24 for 188 yds
First downs2313
Third down8 of 152 of 6
Fourth down2 of 31 of 1
Turnovers30
Penalties8 for 65 yds4 for 25 yds
Time of possession37:4522:15

Air Force leaders

  • Passing Howard Fisher IV 3 of 7, 36 yds
  • Rushing Evan Medders 21 for 115 yds; Gage LaDue 10 for 57 yds
  • Receiving Matt Long 2 for 30 yds; Gage LaDue 1 for 21 yds

Wyoming leaders

  • Passing Tyler Hughes 10 of 17, 113 yds, 2 TD
  • Rushing Tyler Hughes 12 for 146 yds, 1 TD; Markell Holman 9 for 35 yds, 1 TD
  • Receiving Jake Wilson 2 for 36 yds, 1 TD; Charlie Coenen 2 for 33 yds

No rain and calm

48° at kickoff · no rain recorded · wind 5 mph from the north-northwest, gusts to 13

October game-day temperatures at War Memorial Stadium

Win chance with rain, wind and thunder from the nearest airport, by game timeQ1Q2Q3Q4Wyoming favoredAir Force favored100%Win chanceWyomingRaininches per 10 min0.1 inNo rain recordedWindmph, average and gusts20 mph40 mph
Win chance with rain, wind and thunder from the nearest airport, by game timeQ1Q2Q3Q4Wyoming favoredAir Force favoredRain · inches per 10 min0.1 inNo rain recordedWind · miles per hour2040

Drag along the chart, or step through the game.

First quarter, 14:10 left7:11 p.m.
Air Force 0, Wyoming 7 · Wyoming 63% to win
no rain · wind 8 mph from the west-southwest, mostly across the field · 49°
Hughes 68-yd TD run, Wyoming goes ahead 7-0

Jump to

Where this weather comes fromMeasured at Laramie/gen. Brees airport, 5.5 miles away. Wind and rain are airport readings near the stadium, not on the field. Game times come from the play-by-play, good to a minute or two. Source: National Weather Service, through the Iowa Environmental Mesonet. Field direction from OpenStreetMap contributors.

Before kickoff

Recent games, the series and the betting line below are as they stood going in; the season profile is the season so far.

Recent games

Last three games

Air Force · 5-1

Rated 80th in our preseason ratings, 65th now, up 15 spots.

Three straight wins — but still hunting a ranked opponent.

Last three games

Wyoming · 4-3

Rated 111th in our preseason ratings, 132nd now.

2-1 in its last three, including a 3-point win over San José State as a 4.5-point underdog.

Week by week

Wyoming

Wk 3: L 10-24 at Central Michigan▼14C. Michi…Wk 4: W 27-10 vs Hawai'i▲17Hawai'iWk 5: L 0-28 at North Dakota State▼28N. Dakot…Wk 6: W 16-13 at San José State▲3S. José…Wk 7: W 41-23 vs Northern Illinois▲18N. Illin…
  • Wk 3Lat Central Michigan10-24
  • Wk 4Wvs Hawai'i27-10
  • Wk 5Lat North Dakota State0-28
  • Wk 6Wat San José State16-13
  • Wk 7Wvs Northern Illinois41-23

Air Force

Wk 2: L 32-38 vs North Dakota State▼6N. Dakot…Wk 4: W 36-33 at Nevada▲3NevadaWk 5: W 14-9 vs Navy▲5NavyWk 6: W 28-7 at Northern Illinois▲21N. Illin…Wk 7: W 41-31 vs UNLV▲10UNLV
  • Wk 2Lvs North Dakota State32-38
  • Wk 4Wat Nevada36-33
  • Wk 5Wvs Navy14-9
  • Wk 6Wat Northern Illinois28-7
  • Wk 7Wvs UNLV41-31

Power rating by week

Air Force is rated 6.5 points ahead as of week 7. Our power rating by week; higher is better.

3-1-6Wk 0Wk 4Wk 7WyomingAir Force

Matchups

Biggest mismatch: Air Force’s explosive plays against Wyoming, 95 points

Each row ranks the two sides among all teams. The longer the line, the bigger the mismatch.

  1. Air Force’s explosive plays against Wyoming’s defense

    95 pointsweakerstronger50th

    Air Force offense, 0th percentile · Wyoming defense, 95th

  2. Air Force’s rushing EPA against Wyoming’s defense

    90 pointsweakerstronger50th

    Air Force offense, 99th percentile · Wyoming defense, 9th

  3. Air Force’s success rate against Wyoming’s defense

    75 pointsweakerstronger50th

    Air Force offense, 90th percentile · Wyoming defense, 15th

Season profile, all the rows

Season profile

Air ForceWyoming
EPA/play, offense
Air Force · 76Wyoming · 51
EPA/play, defense
Air Force · 53Wyoming · 33
Success rate, offense
Air Force · 90Wyoming · 67
Success rate, defense
Air Force · 64Wyoming · 15
Explosive-play rate, offense
Air Force · 0Wyoming · 3
Explosive-play rate, defense
Air Force · 43Wyoming · 95
Rush EPA, offense
Air Force · 99Wyoming · 81
Rush EPA, defense
Air Force · 48Wyoming · 9
Pass EPA, offense
Air Force · 0Wyoming · 18
Pass EPA, defense
Air Force · 47Wyoming · 60

The series

Air Force leads the series 32-28-3

63 meetings since 1957 · Air Force won the last meeting

Wyoming wonAir Force won1957: tie1958: Air Force by 151959: Air Force by 131960: Wyoming by 151962: Air Force by 211964: tie1965: Wyoming by 171966: Wyoming by 131967: Wyoming by 271968: Air Force by 71969: Wyoming by 21970: Air Force by 241971: Air Force by 41972: Air Force by 311974: Wyoming by 41975: Wyoming by 141976: Air Force by 201977: tie1980: Air Force by 181981: Wyoming by 71982: Air Force by 101983: Wyoming by 71984: Wyoming by 61985: Air Force by 421986: Wyoming by 61987: Wyoming by 141988: Wyoming by 31989: Air Force by 381990: Wyoming by 121991: Air Force by 231992: Air Force by 141993: Wyoming by 131994: Air Force by 171995: Air Force by 241996: Wyoming by 31997: Air Force by 111998: Air Force by 71999: Wyoming by 32000: Air Force by 172001: Air Force by 112002: Wyoming by 82003: Air Force by 62004: Wyoming by 172005: Wyoming by 12006: Air Force by 72007: Air Force by 82008: Air Force by 202009: Air Force by 102010: Air Force by 62011: Wyoming by 82012: Air Force by 12013: Wyoming by 332014: Wyoming by 42015: Air Force by 142016: Wyoming by 92017: Wyoming by 142018: Wyoming by 82019: Air Force by 142021: Air Force by 102022: Wyoming by 32023: Air Force by 72024: Wyoming by 122025: Air Force by 319572025
  • 2025Air Force 24-21Wyoming lost 21-24 at Air Force. Chance to win started at 34%, low 4%, high 59%.
  • 2024Wyoming 31-19Wyoming won 31-19 vs Air Force. Chance to win started at 32%, low 8%, high 99%.
  • 2023Air Force 34-27Wyoming lost 27-34 at Air Force. Chance to win started at 15%, low 1%, high 57%.
  • 2022Wyoming 17-14Wyoming won 17-14 vs Air Force. Chance to win started at 14%, low 10%, high 89%.
  • 2021Air Force 24-14Wyoming lost 14-24 at Air Force. Chance to win started at 29%, low under 1%, high 57%.

Each line is Wyoming’s chance to win through that meeting. Wyoming is 4-2 in the meetings since 2018 that were still close in the fourth quarter.

Line, fans and home field

The betting line, and the fans

Wyoming fans are in a better mood than Air Force fans (74th percentile vs 10th among FBS fanbases), even with Air Force favored.

50-50Model 22% · Line 29%Wyoming fans · 74thAir Force fans · 10thAir ForceWyoming

Air Force favored by 7 · Total 46.5

How games like this usually go

Air Force by 7, on the usual path until Q2 14:21

50%90%Q1Q2Q3Q450%90%Q1Q2Q3Q4

Half of games8 in 10 gamesThis game

The band is where a favorite’s chance ran in the 395 games since 2025 with a favorite of 3.5 to 7.5 points.

The market

The spread moved 0.5 points toward Air Force.

opened +6.5now +7

The total rose 4 points.

opened 42.5now 46.5

Spread: +6.5 → +7 · Total: 42.5 → 46.5

The books’ cut: 4.3%, the margin built into the odds

Home field

Wyoming is worth +4.9 points (±3.4) more at home than on the road since 2018 — middle of FBS, 64th percentile.

61% at home, 33% on the road against FBS opponents (25-16 home, 16-33 away).

Our model gives every stadium the same flat 2.3-point home edge (why); the books use about 3. Against the closing line this stadium reads +5.1 at home vs. away over 97 games — inside the ±5.8 noise, so the flat number is the honest one here.

Night kickoff — historically worth about half a point more to the home side against the number, and not much more than that. 7,218 ft of altitude — real, and smaller than the folklore: high venues run a point or two better against the number, noisily. The visitors travel about 164 miles to get here.

Last meeting in our History pages

Where next

Conference standings

Going into this game: place in the conference, then conference record.

Full Mountain West standings