ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., -- Jay Sawvel said he is not looking toward the future.

That, Wyoming's rookie head coach said, will be the focus soon enough. Winning. That's the only goal this Saturday in sun-spanked Albuquerque.

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This could serve as a glimpse, though, of what's to come with redshirt freshman quarterback Kaden Anderson's getting his first-career start under center. The Southlake, Texas native replaces Evan Svoboda, who has struggled mightily in the passing category this fall.

Is the QB of the future on this current roster? We'll know more about that in just a few hours.

The Cowboys (1-7, 1-3) and Lobos (3-5, 2-2) will kickoff at 2 p.m. The game is televised on TruTV and can be streamed on MAX.

 

PREGAME:

* Wyoming is wearing gold pants today in New Mexico. I know that's very important to some.

* This sounds like a broken record -- in a good way -- but it is absolutely perfect today in the Duke City. Temperatures are currently hovering around 65 degrees and there are few clouds in the bright blue sky.

* Wyoming safety Isaac White is taking part in warmups. Jay Sawvel said he was questionable on Monday. The senior is dealing with a nagging ankle issue. Edge rusher Sabastian Harsh is also on the field after missing the Utah State game with a knee injury.

Javen Jacobs has rushed for 277 yards and 3 touchdowns this fall. Fellow running back NaQuari Rogers has added 250 yards and 4 scores. Both will miss today's game, per @lenaweereider CB Bobby Arnold is also out. He has tallied 21 tackles in '24.

 

FIRST QUARTER:

* Very uninspiring start for this Wyoming defense. Lobos moving right down the field. Terrible tackling, angles, coverage, etc. All bad.

* Touchdown. That was a 10-yard pitch and catch between Dampier and Ryan Davis. That was a way-too-easy 7-play, 75-yard drive that took 2:27 off the clock. UNM can't convert 2-pt conversion. New Mexico 6 Wyoming 0 12:33/ 1Q

* Anderson with a dime to Sargent on the free play. That was the best looking deep ball I've seen in years. Pokes at the UNM 18

* That hookup between Anderson and Sargent was good for 47 yards. Way too many times this year we've seen the defense jump offside and the QB throw the ball out of bounds on the free play.

* Wyoming bailed out by an offsides call on the Lobos. Farrell just got stuffed on the 1. More dancing around in the backfield instead of powering it in. Not having Sam Scott hurts right here at the goal line

* *TOUCHDOWN* Jamari Ferrell powers his way over the line. Really nice answer there for the visitors. That was a 9-play, 75-yard drive that took 3:48 off the clock. So far, this offense looks much different with Anderson at the helm. Wyoming 7 New Mexico 6 8:41/ 1Q

* Wyoming's defensive front has been put on skates throughout the first two drives. Sanders, thanks to some awful tackling, cruises into the end zone from 34 yards out. Again, a way-too-easy 8-play, 75-yard drive. New Mexico 13 Wyoming 7 5:56/ 1Q

* With TK King on the shelf with a concussion, Keany Parks steps up with a big 54-yard return. Defense optional so far in this one. Wyoming's drive starts at the UNM 45.

* Chris Durr with an unbelievable one-handed grab at the sideline. That was an ill-advised pass, to say the least. Pokes now facing a 4th and 1 at the 15

* *TOUCHDOWN* Anderson rolls to his left and throws a strike to John Michael Gyllenborg in the end zone. That's a 15-yard touchdown. Pokes answer again. Getting balls to the playmakers. Wyoming 14 New Mexico 13 2:02/ 1Q

* Pokes finally force a 3-and-out. Secondary with great coverage on that Lobo possession. Officials reviewing whether or not Dampier was beyond the LOS before firing that incompletion.

* Big-time shank from New Mexico's punter. This Wyoming drive will start at the Lobos' 35-yard line. Wyoming 14 New Mexico 13 1:12/ 1Q

* Anderson nearly connects with Sargent on a deep ball in the end zone. Couldn't hang on.

* This Jaylen Sargent catch in the end zone is under review. If it's a catch, Pokes with three touchdowns on their first three drives today in ABQ. If not, 3rd and 6 from the Lobos' 31.

* Right side of the Pokes' line just opened a big hole for Ferrell on 3rd-and-6. That's a 23-yard gain. UW ball at the 7 when we comes back from the break. Wyoming 14 New Mexico 13 END of 1Q

 

SECOND QUARTER:

* *TOUCHDOWN* Anderson cruises into the end zone all alone from seven yards out. Three drives, three touchdowns for this offense. That was a 4-play, 35-yard drive aided by a shanked punt. Wyoming 21 New Mexico 13 14:55/ 2Q

* Lobos answer. Dampier with the 18-yard naked boot for six. That was a 9-play, 69-yard drive that took 3:27 off the clock. New Mexico also picks up the 2-point conversion. We're all tied up. Wyoming 21 New Mexico 21 11:22/ 2Q

* New Mexico already has 222 yards of total offense on just four drives (88 pass, 134 rush). Wyoming also has 160 yards through three. Wild game.

* *TOUCHDOWN* What a toss from new QB1. He just hit Sargent in stride from 68 yards out. That was a beauty. Pokes with the instant answer on the 3-play, 79-yard drive. Hoyland is now the school's all-time leading scorer, too. Wyoming 28 New Mexico 21 9:54/ 2Q

* New Mexico commits a pair of penalties on that drive. Hear comes the punt team.

* A beautiful punt right there from Rodriguez. That one went 75 yards. It should've been downed at the 1. It wasn't. Pokes drive starts at the 25

* Fia with the snap over Kaden Anderson's head. That's a loss of 16. Thought those snapping issues were in the past ...

* Wyoming will punt for the first time today with 6:45 left in the first half. Fia with a bad snap and a hold. Wes King also hit with a hold. Ugly stuff right there.

* Jaylen Sargent has 127 receiving yards on just three catches, including that 68-yard touchdown

* Wyoming's defense is leaking like a sieve. Dampier with a 40-yard, untouched jaunt to the end zone. New Mexico now has 180 rushing yards, 302 total. Wyoming 28 New Mexico 28 5:20/ 2Q

* *TOUCHDOWN* Welcome back, Harrison Waylee. The senior blows right through the hole and into the red paint. Pokes again with the answer on that 7-play, 75-yard drive. What a game this is. Wyoming 35 New Mexico 28 1:57/ 2Q

* Wyoming has 305 yards of total offense, 197 through the air and 108 via the rush. Anderson is 9-of-12 for 197 yards through the air. He's tossed a pair of touchdown passes, too, in his first-career start.

* New Mexico answers with a 75-yard touchdown run by Sanders. This Wyoming defense has been horrendously awful this afternoon. That's now 383 yards of total offense for the Lobos. We're tied again. That was a 2-play, 81-yard drive that took 15 sec Wyoming 35 New Mexico 35 1:36/ 2Q

* Lobos on pace for 510 yards rushing today. Seem crazy? This UNM team rushed for a MW-high 568 against the Cowboys in that forgettable 2016 meeting in this building.

 

THIRD QUARTER:

* Big 4th and 1 attempt right here. Svoboda in at QB

* Svoboda stopped for a loss of one. New Mexico takes over at its own 37. Big stop for the Lobos

* New Mexico tacks on a field goal to take the lead. The Lobos now have 305 rushing yards (Dampier 101, Sanders 204). New Mexico 38 Wyoming 35 9:29/ 3Q

* Caden Barnett is emphatically tearing into a New Mexico lineman. Wes King is on the ground and appears to be grabbing his knee.

* Kaden Anderson just got smoked and got up talking trash to the guy who hit him. He is a tough kid. Wyoming will punt instead of attempt a 4th-and-1 near midfield

* Wyoming's defense finally gets a stop. New Mexico 38 Wyoming 35 5:02/ 3Q

* Kaden Anderson has some piss and vinegar to him. He is again getting into it with a UNM defender. Lobos also getting hit with an unsportsmanlike. UW ball at the UNM 35

* Anderson just got picked off at the 8-yard line on a failed flea flicker. Tossed right into double coverage. Wasn't open. Flags everywhere. This one is getting chippy. Anderson gets an unsportsmanlike. So does a Lobo. UNM ball at the 8.

* Wow. Dampier with an 85-yard touchdown run. Second-longest TD run in school history. Longest for a QB. This defense has been hot garbage. To add to the misery, Harsh is down. New Mexico 45 Wyoming 35 0:40/ 3Q

* That's now 398 yards rushing for the Lobos. Truly unbelievable. Ashton Jeanty is in the hole, too.

* Waylee now has 3,000 career rushing yards. He's at 142 so far today after that last 36-yard run. Pokes trail by 10 with one quarter to go.

 

FOURTH QUARTER:

* John Hoyland just missed a 40-yard field goal wide right. Pokes needed points there. New Mexico 45 Wyoming 35 13:02/ 4Q

* *TOUCHDOWN* Wrook Brown with the pick-six. Perfectly jumps that route and snags the ball in stride. Scores from 29 yards out. That's Brown's sixth-career pick, third this season. A field goal would have been nice, too, huh? New Mexico 45 Wyoming 42 12:55/ 4Q

* Lobos will punt here. That's just what the doctor ordered. Can Anderson get this team in the end zone for the first time in this second half?

* Stop me if you've heard this before ... Anderson to Sargent on a deep ball. That one is goof for 39. QB1 got hit as he threw or that could've been six.

* TE John Michael Gyllenborg, DE Sabastian Harsh and OG Wes King, all starters, are on the sideline with injuries

* WR Jaylen Sargent, after hauling in that 39-yard pass, is also now injured. Pokes ball at the UNM 18. New Mexico 45 Wyoming 42 7:40/ 4Q

* Anderson just found Durr all alone in the end zone. There was a reason why. Stevenson tagged with a PI. Ball now at the 26. Still second and goal

* *TOUCHDOWN* Anderson fires a strike to Justin Stevenson for the 27-yard touchdown. What a throw. Pokes take the lead. Wyoming 49 New Mexico 45 4:44/ 4Q

* *FUMBLE* Tyce Westland with the strip sack. He recovers the loose ball, too. Pokes ball at the 49 Wyoming 49 New Mexico 45 2:42/ 4Q

University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players

During the summer of 2021, 7220Sports.com counted down the Top 50 football players in University of Wyoming history, presented by Premier Bone & Joint Centers, Worthy of Wyoming.

The rules are simple: What was the player's impact while in Laramie? That means NFL stats, draft status or any other accolade earned outside of UW is irrelevant when it comes to this list.

This isn't a one-man job. This task called for a panel of experts. Joining 7220's Cody Tucker are Robert GagliardiJared NewlandRyan Thorburn, and Kevin McKinney.

We all compiled our own list of 50 and let computer averages do the work. Think BCS -- only we hope this catalog is fairer.

Don't agree with a selection? Feel free to sound off on our Twitter: @7220sports - #Top50UWFB

Gallery Credit: 7220Sports.com

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players