LARAMIE - John Fletcher finally got to the quarterback, finally put a hit on him - and collapsed on the 45-yard line.

The Wyoming defensive end wasn't the only one out of breath.

When Ohio quarterback Theo Scott's last-gasp attempt at an upset fell to the turf at War Memorial Stadium, the Cowboys all let out a huge sigh of relief after a nervy 21-20 win in the season opener on Saturday.

"We just had to keep working and working and working, and we finally got it," Fletcher said. "It's a good game to get under our belt. It's a little bit closer than what we wanted, but it's a win.

"I was just hoping nobody caught it in the end zone. I just hit (Scott) as hard as I could and hoped that I could affect him somehow."

It was one of the only hits the junior delivered, and one of the few times Scott took a shot, but Fletcher did enough to weaken the last pass and help clinch the game after the officials put one second back on the clock for Ohio.

On the other end, safety Quincy Rogers had to bat it down to officially seal it - and even that wasn't easy.

"I seen (Marcell Gipson) going up for the pick, and I'm thinking, we just went over this before the play started," Rogers said. "Just knock it down, knock it down. I'm thinking, 'Is he really going up to get it?' So I just knocked it down.

"It's great to start with a win, but give Ohio credit. They had a good receiving crew, and you've got to give them credit."

The Bobcats almost took more than that, largely dictating the tempo and taking a lead into the fourth quarter.

Ohio attacked the Cowboys' young secondary with a short, controlled passing game.

The Bobcats effectively shut down the UW rushing attack for three quarters.

And they again dominated on special teams.

But they ran out of gas down the stretch, and the Cowboys got just enough plays on both sides of the ball to win their fifth opener in six years under coach Joe Glenn.

"I'm really impressed with their team; they played hard, the quarterback made a lot of good plays," Glenn said. "We had to play hard, and we did - pretty much error-free the second half, special teams were a little better.

"All things being said, two teams played as hard as they could for 60 minutes and we came out one point ahead."

The Cowboys needed every last second of it, but they still managed to come up with a win that was badly needed - even for an opener.

UW lost six of its last seven to end last season and put Glenn on the hot seat, and every win this year will improve his job security.

Whether it's a blowout or a last-second nail biter.

"I'm telling you, we didn't do it by much - one point in any sporting event makes a huge difference," Glenn said. "(If it goes the other way) we'd all be here, (the media would be) hounding me for what's wrong, and I'd be giving pretty much the same answers. Only we won. You can't hound me.

"Our kids played hard, found a way to win. I think we got it done, barely."

Exhale.

Contact sports reporter Austin Ward at (307) 266-0634 or austin.ward@trib.com.

Cowboys Tracker

SATURDAY: Wyoming 21, Ohio 20.

RECORDS: Cowboys (1-0); Bobcats (0-1).

ATTENDANCE: 20,430.

NUMBERS GAME: UW dominated Ohio on the ground for the second straight year, outrushing the Bobcats 160 to 39 and wearing them out in the fourth quarter for a comeback win.

HE SAID IT: "Our kids played hard, found a way to win. I think we got it done, barely." - UW coach Joe Glenn.

UP NEXT: The Cowboys open conference play on Saturday, hosting Air Force at 1:30 p.m.