Eight takeaways from Wyoming's victory over Air Force on Saturday (2024)

LARAMIE — Jay Sawvel will always remember his first win as a head coach.

While there was no Gatorade bath at the end to cap the moment following Wyoming’s 31-19 win over Air Force on Saturday, Sawvel received a bear hug from his starting quarterback and many well wishes as he worked his way to the locker room through a throng of merry revelers.

“Good game, coach.”

Sawvel greeted and thanked many of the Cowboys’ faithful before celebrating with his team in a raucous locker room. There was good reason for it to be. In securing the team’s first victory of the season to snap an opening four-game losing streak, Sawvel saw the best game from his quarterback as well as the best game from his starting tailback despite a makeshift offensive line and a quality defensive opponent.

And in the end, the team needed a late personal foul penalty against Air Force on a punt with 3:13 to play in the fourth quarter while holding a 5-point lead, to maintain possession and feel assured of its win.

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Before the team takes a brief respite as it heads into its bye week, here are eight takeaways from the victory over the Falcons to open 1-0 in Mountain West Conference play:

1. Svoboda shows accuracy and decisiveness

Through a trying first four starts to open his first season as Wyoming’s starting quarterback, Evan Svoboda was plagued by overthrows and indecisiveness. The 6-foot-5 junior entered Week 5 with a 44 percent completion rate. His best day on the field through four games saw him complete 14 passes.

Eight takeaways from Wyoming's victory over Air Force on Saturday (1)

And while Svoboda has yet to top 200 yards passing in a game this season, he took a major step forward in a demonstrably more decisive and accurate 15-of-21 passing effort for 165 yards. Svoboda also used his legs to great effect, rushing for 70 yards and two touchdowns on 12 attempts.

Svoboda particularly shined in big moments.

He converted two fourth-down attempts with his legs, including one for a touchdown to cap a 76-yard drive to open the second half. Svoboda was also sharp on third down, completing 3 of 6 passes, including a key third-and-8 with a completion to John Michael Gyllenborg for 13 yards to extend a drive that eventually traveled 94 yards and ended with a touchdown to give the Cowboys a 21-13 lead with less than 4 minutes to play in the third quarter.

“It means everything, a boost to my confidence for sure,” Svoboda said after the game.

When asked to explain any specific change he’s seen in his own game over five starts, the quarterback deflected the praise to his teammates.

“Just putting a lot of that trust in my guys,” he said. “Going out there and taking advantage of the opportunities that we had. … I’m proud of them for stepping up.”

There was a noticeable comfort about Svoboda as he surveyed the field, went through his progression and fired the football to his receivers. Despite the injuries to his offensive line and the pressure in his face, Svoboda was sharp. He also was the warrior his team needed in the second half to will the Cowboys to their first win.

“He needed a breakout of some type. I realize he didn’t throw for 450 yards or something like that, I get that,” Sawvel said. “In the second half, we were score, score, score. It was very productive drives, he converted situations, the big run at the end. He was in charge and he played football (Saturday). I’m so proud of that kid. … He can build off of this and it was certainly good to see.”

2. Sam Scott ascending at running back

With the injuries to lead running backs Harrison Waylee and Dawaiian McNeely, the Wyoming rushing attack struggled to get untracked to open the season. The team’s running backs entered Week 5 averaging fewer than three yards per carry.

Eight takeaways from Wyoming's victory over Air Force on Saturday (2)

After giving DJ Jones, the senior transfer from North Carolina, his chance and even taking a look at Jamari Ferrell, it certainly appears the Pokes have found their guy to hold the fort until Waylee returns.

Scott rewarded Wyoming with its first 100-yard rushing performance of the season after receiving his first start. The 6-2 junior carried the ball 19 times for 101 yards and a touchdown. Saturday’s effort followed on the heels of a performance at North Texas the previous week in which Scott tallied 92 all-purpose yards on 14 touches.

“He’s doing this,” Sawvel said of Scott as he inverted his arm to indicate a player on a rising trajectory. “I talked to Sam Thursday, I think it was when I said, ‘I tell you what, you just continue to become a better player every day right now.’ What you’re seeing right now, he didn’t play like that in August. He has just all of a sudden hit this upward trajectory.”

Sawvel noted the tailback’s entire game has improved since the summer.

The head coach highlighted Scott’s block to key Tyler King’s touchdown run in the third quarter as an example.

“Everything’s gotten better; like his pass protection, his use of his hands in blocking has gotten better. Look, he had the block on the touchdown T.K.’s had,” Sawvel said. “That’s also a block a lot of times guys will grab and get a cheap holding call. He did a great job of avoiding that and getting enough of a guy to get it sprung into the end zone.”

Not bad for a running back that was probably fourth on the depth chart given a healthy roster.

3. Wyoming fires in third quarter

For the first time all season, the Cowboys took control of the game in the second half and it was a result of a terrific third-quarter effort.

Entering the game, UW had been outscored 52-0 in the third quarter. Against Air Force, Wyoming flipped the script.

The Pokes capitalized on owning possession out of the break by taking the ball 76 yards for the go-ahead score to turn a 13-7 deficit into a 14-13 lead. The defense forced a punt after a short five-play drive for the Falcons, and though the punt pinned UW at its own 6-yard line, the Pokes were undaunted. Svoboda led his team 94 yards down the field for another touchdown to put the momentum squarely on the Cowboys’ sideline.

“It was time to plant our flag,” Sawvel said. “We just played with a lot more intent in the second half.”

4. Makeshift offensive line finds a way

Eight takeaways from Wyoming's victory over Air Force on Saturday (3)

Already playing without its best left tackle in Nate Geiger, who was lost for the season in the team’s opening loss to Arizona State, UW inserted Rex Johnsen at right guard for starter Jack Walsh (upper-body injury) to open the Air Force contest. Then, midway through the third quarter, the Pokes lost starting left guard Wes King to a serious leg injury. UW turned to 6-5 junior Alex Conn to fill his spot. Still, the offensive line gave Svoboda time to look down the field for open targets, created running lanes for Scott and stayed away from penalties.

5. Big game from

Chris Durr Jr.

Eight takeaways from Wyoming's victory over Air Force on Saturday (4)

Ever since the freshman wide receiver burst on the scene in Week 1 with three receptions and a touchdown, there was hope Durr would grow into a reliable playmaker. After a quiet three weeks, Durr responded with another strong game in the win over the Falcons. he finished with three receptions for 71 yards, including a key 32-yard catch-and-run grab in the third quarter to jump-start the scoring drive.

6. Sawvel opts to be aggressive on fourth down

Eight takeaways from Wyoming's victory over Air Force on Saturday (5)

A pair of aggressive and well-executed fourth-down calls paid dividends for Wyoming in its win.

The first came on the team’s first series of the game, when it faced a fourth-and-1 at the Air Force 20-yard line. Initially, Sawvel sent out the team’s field-goal unit in hopes of putting three points on the board. But after a timeout to reconsider his options, Sawvel sent the offense back on the field where it converted the down with a 12-yard run by Svoboda. A play later, the Pokes turned a would–be three points into seven.

The second call came on a fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line trailing 13-7. Instead of taking the points, UW again put its foot on the accelerator. It called upon Svoboda one more time and the quarterback delivered with a powerful touchdown run up the middle for the go-ahead score.

“We needed to get a touchdown there,” Sawvel said. “A field goal, OK, that would’ve been alright, but I just felt like that would have been self-defeating.”

Without those two conversions, Wyoming may still be looking for its first win.

Eight takeaways from Wyoming's victory over Air Force on Saturday (6)

7. Bertagnole penalty doesn’t come back to bite Pokes

After claiming a 24-13 lead in the fourth quarter, there was a moment of consternation caused by a second chance Air Force received courtesy of an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

The penalty was charged to defensive tackle Jordan Bertagnole following his celebration of a sack against Falcons’ QB John Busha on third-and-11. Instead of another Air Force punt, the Falcons were gifted 15 yards and a first down. Four plays later, the Falcons found the end zone to cut the lead to 24-19 with 7 minutes to play.

Air Force nearly had the ball back, down five with 3:13 to play and a chance to win the game, only this time it was called for a personal foul penalty on fourth down to erase a UW punt and hand the Pokes a first down. Svoboda scored on a 17-yard run three plays later.

8. Big game from Suiaunoa

Wyoming needed a big game from its defense following an ugly performance against North Texas when it was shredded for 534 yards and 44 points. It got a good one led by senior linebacker Shae Suiaunoa, who turned in 13 tackles including three for loss. Suiaunoa spoke last week about needing to take it upon himself as a first-year captain to lead a defense filled with injury replacements. He led by example on Saturday.

PHOTOS: Cowboys defeat Air Force, 31-19

The Wyoming Cowboys picked up the first win of the Jay Sawvel era on Saturday with a 31-19 win over the Air Force Falcons at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie.

Follow UW beat writer Anthony Dion on Twitter @anthonydion03

Cowboys Tracker

SATURDAY: Wyoming 31, Air Force 19

RECORDS: Cowboys (1-4, 1-0 Mountain West); Falcons (1-3, 0-2 MW)

POKES RALLY: The Cowboys outscored the Falcons 24-6 in the second half.

HE SAID IT: “It was time to plant our flag. “We just played with a lot more intent in the second half.” -- UW head coach Jay Sawvel.

NEXT: San Diego State at Wyoming, Oct. 12, 1:30 p.m.

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Anthony Dion

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Eight takeaways from Wyoming's victory over Air Force on Saturday (2024)
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