Washington State Cougars

Poinsettia Bowl features renewal of BYU-Wyoming rivalry

Published Dec. 20, 2016 3:59 p.m. ET

BYU (8-4, Independent) vs. Wyoming (8-5, Mountain West), 9 p.m. EST

Line: BYU by 7 +

Series Record: BYU leads 44-30-3.

WHAT'S AT STAKE

A renewal of a rivalry that lasted from 1922 until 2010, most recently in the Western Athletic Conference and the Mountain West Conference. The Cougars left the Mountain West Conference to go independent.

KEY MATCHUP

BYU quarterback Tanner Mangum against the Wyoming defense. Mangum will start after Taysom Hill strained his left elbow Nov. 26 against Utah State. Mangum played in four games this year, completing 14 of 18 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

BYU: RB Jamaal Williams has rushed for a team-leading 1,165 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Wyoming: RB Brian Hill is the Cowboys' career rushing leader, and he broke his single-season school record with 1,767 yards and 21 touchdowns.

FACTS & FIGURES

This is BYU's 12th straight bowl and second appearance in the Poinsettia Bowl. They've lost three straight and are 13-20-1 in bowls. ... Cougars have played in San Diego's other bowl, the Holiday, 11 times. ... This is Wyoming's first bowl appearance since 2011, and the Cowboys have a 6-7 record in the postseason. ... In the last meeting between the teams, BYU won 25-20 in 2010, breaking up a fourth-down pass with 27 seconds left after Wyoming had driven to the Cougars 26. ... The Cowboys beat two Top 25 opponents this season, Boise State and San Diego State. The Cowboys lost to SDSU, then unranked, in the MWC championship game.

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