December 13, 2023 |
Photo – Wyoming vs Toledo – Bigfoot99 file photo
University of Toledo Head Coach Jason Candle is not exactly a stranger to the Wyoming Cowboys.
Coach Candle has never faced Craig Bohl’s Cowboys team, but he has gone up against the Pokes two prior times. The result is a split. Wyoming won 20-15 on Oct. 2, 2010. Toledo won the second matchup by three points, 34-31, at War Memorial Stadium in 2012. Both matchups were before Coach Bohl took over the Wyoming football program.
Candle was the wide receivers coach in 2010 and offensive coordinator in 2012. The Nebraska native and NU alum was a longtime Cornhusker assistant under Tom Osborne and Frank Solich.
The Arizona Bowl will be the rubber match between the two teams.
The Cowboys come into the game on the strength of an eight-win season. Wyoming defeated two teams — Texas Tech and Fresno State — that were ranked in the Top 25 when the game was played.
Toledo: The Rockets won 11 consecutive games this season after losing their opener at the University of Illinois. The streak ended with a loss to Miami (Ohio) in the MAC championship.
The two teams have gone up against a common opponent in recent years. In 2023, Toledo defeated San Jose State in a mid-September matchup 21-17. The Cowboys and Spartans have not matched up since October of 2021. The Cowboys lost 27-21.
That was then. This is now. Toledo is 12-8 all-time in bowl games. Wyoming is 9-8.
One thing is certain. The matchup will be the final game in Coach Bohl’s career as he plans to retire. Wyoming was a 1.5-point underdog to Toledo when the betting line opened last week. The spread is now closer to three. The Cowboys will no doubt compete hard to hand their coach a win in his final game.
