BYU vs. Wyoming: Score and Reaction for 2016 Poinsettia Bowl

BYU managed to stave off Wyoming 24-21 to win the Poinsettia Bowl from Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego on Wednesday night. 

With Wyoming driving for at least the tying score in the game's final minutes, BYU defensive back Kai Nacua intercepted Josh Allen to secure the victory.

He ensured that BYU didn't blow a 24-7 lead that it took at the beginning of the fourth quarter before allowing 14 unanswered Wyoming points. 

BYU running back Jamaal Williams led the Cougars offense with 210 yards and a touchdown on the night, recording the second-highest rushing output in Poinsettia Bowl history, per the game's official Twitter account.

He managed to find success despite torrential rain that created a tricky playing surface and a slick football, which made any kind of rush or exchange an adventure. 

It played a huge part in the first score of the game when the ball squirmed through the hands of Wyoming punter Ethan Wood deep in his own territory, gifting BYU possession on the 3-yard line. 

Cougars quarterback Tanner Mangum took full advantage with a three-yard scramble to help give the Cougars a 7-0 lead with 38 seconds left in the quarter. 

Wyoming continued to struggle with the weather despite getting into favorable positions. After Andrew Wingard picked off Mangum inside the BYU 40, the Cowboys offense stalled. The ensuing field-goal attempt was muffed when holder Nick Szpor couldn't set the ball, forcing him to scramble and throw an incomplete pass for a turnover on downs. 

Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press had trouble keeping up with all of Wyoming's problems:

BYU was able to get three points out of the turnover as it drove to Wyoming's 9-yard line before Rhett Almond knocked home a 27-yard field goal with 3:08 left in the half. 

Wyoming finally got on the board with 6:35 left in the third quarter thanks to a Brian Hill four-yard rush. It capped off a monstrous 16-play, 60-yard drive that began with the start of the second half, via Wyoming Cowboy FB:

Hill, who came in to Wednesday night's game ranked No. 4 in the FBS in rushing yards, sat out the entire first quarter but still managed to put up 93 yards. 

BYU came up with a reply less than four minutes later in circus-style fashion. After the Cougars drove down to the Wyoming 5-yard line, Mangum lofted a dangerous throw into a sea of bodies, which looked destined to be intercepted. 

After multiple ricochets, it fell into the hands of receiver Tanner Balderree in the back of the end zone to reopen a two-possession lead, much to the surprise of Yahoo Sports' Eric Edholm:

The Cougars took advantage of another Wyoming turnover, which was an Allen pass that was intercepted by Dayan Lake, to put them up 17 early in the fourth quarter. 

Williams got his much-deserved score with 14:07 remaining in the game when he went 36 yards untouched to paydirt. 

It was the highlight of a night in which he impressed many, including former Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann:

Wyoming, though, would answer with two straight touchdowns, both of them in the form of passes from Allen to Tanner Gentry, making it a 24-21 game with 2:11 remaining. 

Wyoming Cowboy FB showed their second connection:

Zack Creglow of the Des Moines Register began to wonder what might have been:

But a quick Wyoming stop gave the Cowboys possession on their own 49-yard line with 1:44 remaining—but with no timeouts. 

After a screen pass to Hill brought Wyoming down to the BYU 32-yard line, Allen was picked off by Nacua to end the game. 

It continued the Cougars' success over their former conference rivals. Once in the Mountain West Conference, these two programs payed each other 77 times from 1922 to 2010, per Sports-Reference.com.

Wednesday night's win was BYU's seventh straight win over Wyoming and the first time since 2012 that it emerged victorious from a bowl game. That year also provided a victory in the Poinsettia Bowl over San Diego State. 

Postgame Reaction

When Williams was asked about his huge game, he deflected the praise to the supporting cast, per Dick Harmon of the Deseret News: "Teamwork, that's how you do it. I love my linemen, I've got them and they've got me. We can't do anything, can't run, can pass, without the offensive line."

It provided a triumphant finish to first-year head coach Kalani Sitake's season, who was taking over for former longtime Cougars head coach Bronco Mendenhall. That made the win all the sweeter for Williams, who discussed his relationship with Sitake, per Harmon:

"

He told me he wasn't my bishop, he was my football coach. He came in and did things I didn't think could be done at BYU. He's always been there for the players. To have him is really a blessing. Through my trials I am grateful to have played my senior year for him and his staff. I gave them all I got because of it.

"

The win ensured that Sitake became the first head coach in BYU history to win his first bowl game and that he is the right man for the program's future.

Stats courtesy of ESPN.com.