Well how about that.
In Jovon Bouknight’s first game calling plays, he managed the Pokes’ offense to a tune of 28 points – an average of seven points per quarter.
Exactly what head coach Jay Sawvel said is needed to win in modern college football.
QB Kaden Anderson had one of his best performances as a Cowboy, completing over 65% of his passes and converting two touchdown passes.
More importantly, he looked in command of the offense.
It was the perfect result for an in-season staff adjustment that is
rare in Laramie.
By The Numbers
First Downs: WYO 18 – CSU 15
Third Downs: WYO 4/11 (36.3%) – CSU 4/13 (30.7%)
Fourth Downs: WYO 1/1 (100%) – CSU 0/2 (0%)
Total Yards: WYO 372 – CSU 305
Passing Yards: WYO 160 – CSU 211
Rushing Yards: WYO 212 – CSU 94
Times Sacked: WYO 0 – CSU 1
Penalties: WYO 7 for 50 yards – CSU 7 for 69 yards
Turnovers: WYO 0 – CSU 3
The Eye Test
Defense
What more can you say about the execution of defensive coordinator Aaron Bohl’s defense.
Pitching a shutout against an arch-rival on your home turf is one of the best experiences in college football.
Especially against one that is departing for a supposedly better conference next year.
Three Cowboys – Desman Hearns, Jones Thomas, and Markie Grant – each recorded an interception Saturday, forcing Colorado State to pivot from starting QB Jackson Brousseau to backup Darius Curry.
Wyoming played with an infectious energy that remained for all 60 minutes and shined brightest when Curry drove the Rams down the field during garbage time in an attempt to salvage some sort of pride.
Down at the Wyoming 11-yard line, Colorado State had four chances to punch it in and four times, the Cowboys stood strong and denied them.
It was the epitome of Wyoming football.
Linebacker Evan Eller recorded the Pokes’ lone sack, but a quintet of players contributed to the tackle-for-loss category, including Esaia Bogar, Peter Eyabi, Ben Florentine, Tyce Westland, and Brayden Johnson.
From the jump, Bohl and his men made Brousseau uncomfortable.
It was game over from then on.
Special Teams
Erik Sandvik converted all four PATs.
Bart Edmiston had a whale of a game for a punter, pinning five of his six punts inside the 20.
All the while, he still managed to average 50.2 yards per punt.
This was an All-Mountain West effort by the junior from Ocean Springs, Mississippi.
Nothing to note in the return game.
Offense
Sometimes, you can have the same player personnel, yet a different voice can make all the difference.
There was no magical secret that Bouknight discovered in the last week.
Instead, he conformed the Pokes’ style of play on offense to what skillsets had available to him.
Backup QB Landon Sims was used much more aggressively in the ground game, which led to a touchdown for the 6-3 sophomore.
Five different running backs were called upon, with the trio of Sam Scott (three carries, 68 yards, one TD), Terron Kellman (ten carries, 35 yards), and Samuel “Tote” Harris (seven carries, 32 yards) leading the way.
But despite each not blowing the stat sheet away, they were used in advantageous scenarios.
Scott during short-yardage, grind-it-out situations.
Kellman has a primary engine driver to keep the Pokes in manageable spots during early downs.
And Harris for runs outside to tackles and engage his speed in the second level.
There is no reason for one guy to have to carry the burden.
It gave everyone the rest they needed on long, sustained drives, which are never as easy at elevation.
The receivers got in on the action too, with Chris Durr Jr. finding his groove again (seven receptions, 67 yards, and one TD). Eric Richardson (three receptions for 22 yards) and Jaylen Sargent (three receptions for 34 yards) were the other two Cowboys to record multiple receptions on the day.
But the man of the hour was Kaden Anderson.
He didn’t put up a gaudy amount of yards, but he finished with his third-highest completion percentage of the year at 66.7%.
And better yet, Anderson hit a new high with a 148.1 rating and 74.6 QBR.
All the right buttons were pressed in the highest-pressure game left on Wyoming’s plate.
Let’s see what Bouknight and company can do over these last four games that feature some stiff Mountain West competition.
Moving Forward
Now back at .500, Wyoming needs to find a way to finish 2-2 to reach bowl eligibility.
It won’t be easy with a trip to red-hot San Diego State up next, followed by a flight to Fresno and a home game with Nevada before a regular-season finale on the islands against Hawai’i.
The matchup with the Wolf Pack on Wyoming’s senior day feels like a near lock.
That leaves one more win.
Fresno State looks to be in a bit of a funk with an uncertain QB situation unfolding.
Hawai’i is a hard place to play, and the Rainbow Warriors may be playing for a trip to the Mountain West title game if things fall their way.
Can Wyoming stun Sean Lewis and the Aztecs this weekend?
All I can say is that the Cowboys are 1-0 against teams departing for the Pac-12 next year and have two more to face.
Perhaps the program that best embodies what the Mountain West is all about will be the one to send those fleeing for supposed greener pastures off with farewell losses…
Up Next: At San Diego State (MW) on November 1st (5:00 p.m. MT) on CBSSN.
Let us know your thoughts on Wyoming’s decisive Border War win and the Pokes’ upcoming matchup with Mountain West contender, San Diego State, in the comments!
