Wyoming Football: News and Notes Ahead of Bye Week
LARAMIE -- It's never too early to talk Border War, right?
The Cowboys (2-7, 2-3) and Rams (6-3, 4-0) will hook up for the 116th time on the football field the Friday night following this bye week. Both teams are off this weekend and have some extra time to think about this rivalry matchup.
Jay Sawvel said he will proceed with caution, though, in an attempt to temper the emotions that come with a game like this one.
"Everybody in the program knows what this is and what this game involves, what this game means to everybody in this building, everybody on this campus and everybody in this state," he said of this meeting with Colorado State. "I don't even know that we'd have to do a lot of talking, but we will push the right buttons at certain times."
Sawvel said when he was a graduate assistant at Notre Dame under Lou Holtz from 1996-98, the Hall of Fame head coach would hand out "packets" before the annual rivalry meeting with USC. The literature inside pertained to the history of the game, teams and programs. Holtz, who was 9-1-1 against the Trojans during his 11 years on the sidelines in South Bend, would reiterate to his players throughout the week the significance of this matchup.
The newbies, though, would be given a test.
Pass and play. Fail, have a seat.
"We actually did not dress a kid for the game because he failed the test," Sawvel said with a laugh.
Will he do the same with his own team?
"I don't know that we'll quite go that far, but, I mean, I've thought about it," he said. "Look, rivalries are what college football is all about."
Here's some other news and notes from Sawvel's weekly press conference:
* Tight end John Michael Gyllenborg's right arm was in a sling during Saturday's outing in Albuquerque. Sabastian Harsh left the game, too. The edge rusher's left leg Monday was in a brace. Same can be said for offensive guard Wes King. Wideout Jaylen Sargent went down in the fourth quarter, too. He suffered a concussion. Running back Sam Scott didn't even make the trip. He was dealing with a bone bruise in his knee. Wide receiver TK King and defensive end Braden Siders weren't in attendance, either. King took a violent shot to the head against Utah State. Siders also sustained a concussion. Will any of these guys be back against CSU? Sawvel said Monday Sargent, TK King, Harsh and Gyllenborg should be good to go. Siders, Sawvel added, could be ready to go in Fort Collins, too. Scott is questionable. Wes King is likely done for the season after reinjuring his knee.
* Wyoming will practice on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week. Sawvel, along with some assistants, will be on the road recruiting.
* Sawvel again talked about the mindset of his team and how it's nice, for a change, to see their collective work pay off in a 49-45 victory over the Lobos. "I was happy for the players and the fact that, for week after week after week, they've been kind of grinding away and doing what we asked them to do, and then we were are coming up short," he said. "The other day, we didn't do that. So, it was good. It was a positive. There's a lot of things to build off of."
MORE UW FOOTBALL NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS:
* What happened to Wyoming's defense in Albuquerque?
* Breaking down why Sawvel and Co. waited to make move at QB
* MW Players of the Week: Anderson airs it out
* Wyoming QB Kaden Anderson shines in starting role
* Pokes take down Lobos in Saturday shootout, 49-45
* LIVE FILE: Wyoming vs. New Mexico
* Turning point, unsung hero, what's next for UW football
* Wyoming RB Sam Scott won't play at New Mexico
* 7220sports.com Kickoff Show: Welcome back, Waylee
* Gear up for game day: New Mexico Lobos
* Wyoming's Kaden Anderson on late father: 'He'd be very proud'
* Wyoming cornerback Keany Parks showing promise on perimeter
* Wyoming's head coach also talked about the culture of the program. That was in regard to a question about retaining players that are already in that locker room ahead of transfer portal season. "We have a good football program here that is having a tough season, OK? And a tough season was due to inconsistency at certain positions, at times, inexperience at certain positions. And, you know, injuries are something that every team deals with every year. What you don't want is injuries to the wrong people, and we've had that this year. But, I think that, by and large, that a lot of our players realize within the program that there's a lot of good in terms of how their day to day coached, in terms of how their day to day treated. And that the grass isn't always greener if you try to go somewhere else or look somewhere else. So, you know, I think that we'll be in a good spot."
* Why did this staff wait so long to make the change at QB? Kaden Anderson Monday was named the Mountain West Freshman of the Week. He also garnered Manning Award Stars of the Week honors after completing 20-of-29 passes for 342 yards and three touchdowns in that win over New Mexico. He also added another score on the ground. You can read all about that decision right HERE.
* What on earth happened to the Cowboys defense in the Duke City? That unit gave up 576 total yards, 412 of which came on the ground, courtesy of quarterback Devon Dampier and running back Eli Sanders. You can read about that right HERE.
* Justin Stevenson snagged the eventual game-winning touchdown last Saturday in New Mexico. Sawvel said he was impressed with the redshirt freshman wideout for a number of reasons. "We did good things on the perimeter the other day," he said. "I thought Justin Stevenson was one, you know, I talked to him quite a bit after the Utah State game about playing a complete game all the way through, blocking and doing that. Just his effort on the perimeter the other day was so good, and it needs to continue to be that way."
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University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players
Gallery Credit: 7220Sports.com
- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players