Air Force Loss Last Fall Still Not Sitting Well With These Pokes

LARAMIE -- 34-27.

Those numbers, in bold white font, lingered over Wyoming's seventh practice of the spring Tuesday afternoon inside War Memorial Stadium.

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That's the final score from the Cowboys' trip to Colorado Springs last October.

With a chance to vault to the top of the Mountain West standings, the visitors instead squandered an early two-touchdown lead and left seven points on the field via special-teams miscues. Air Force averaged 6.7 yards per rush and John Lee Eldridge III capped the victory with a 58-yard jaunt to the end zone with just 2:17 remaining in regulation.

Jay Sawvel said he thought about tossing that on the jumbotron for extra motivation, admitting that like his predecessor Craig Bohl, the rookie head coach will also use three of these 15 April workouts to prep for the Falcons' vaunted triple-option attack.

It worked.

"I like it, but I don't like it," said starting defensive end Sabastian Harsh, who finished with eight tackles, including one for loss in that game. "I like it being up there because it definitely sets a fire under you. Maybe I just lost a rep out there or something like that and I turned back to go look at the call or turn back and look at the coaches and stuff and I see that on the board. It's like, OK, well, I need to do better.

"I think it's a lot of motivation."

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So does quarterback Evan Svoboda.

The then sophomore watched helplessly from the sidelines last fall as Andrew Peasley was taken down behind the line of scrimmage three times. The Falcons' front also added seven more tackles for loss and batted down three passes.

To make matters even worse, Wyoming's standout running back Harrison Waylee was sidelined that night with an undisclosed leg injury.

Though Svoboda didn't play, he will never forget the feeling postgame inside the visiting locker room.

"It's just extra motivation," he said. "You just look up there during practice and just keep going."

A slight head shake followed. So did a devious grin followed.

"We're going to kick ..."

He stopped himself there. That Front Range tilt is still 172 days away, slated for Sept. 28 in Laramie. This squad is fully bought into the one-day-at-a-time approach.

Still, tight end John Michael Gyllenborg admitted that's one game that still just doesn't sit right. Wyoming would drop two of its next three, including an embarrassing no-show on the road the following Saturday against conference power Boise State.

"Everyone obviously knows about that game, what it means to everyone and how it went last year," the junior said of that loss in Colorado Springs, one in which he snagged just two passes for 40 yards. "I loved that, looking up at that at practice just fires you up."

Maybe the debacle inside Albertsons Stadium -- a 32-7 setback -- will appear next?

"I think he should keep doing it," Gyllenborg said, referring to Sawvel.

He just might.

"Look, it's a reminder to us all, you know, we've got work to do," Sawvel added. "So, it's the bottom line to it."

Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun has been hesitant in year's past to call this a rivalry game.

Wyoming's brass hasn't.

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This upcoming meeting will be the 62nd meeting between the two institutions. The Falcons hold a slim 31-27-3 advantage in the series that dates back to 1957. Air Force has won three of the last four, but has dropped four straight in Laramie.

Sure sounds like a rivalry, huh?

"I really like what Sawvel is doing, putting that stuff up on the board," Harsh said. "The whole team should just use it as fuel, especially for next year. We have to play with a chip on our shoulder, especially if we want to be good, win the conference, stuff like that.

"... I'm sure they felt good to win that one last year. We want that this year."

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players