Sawvel on Cade Brook: ‘He’s Just a Tough Dude’

LARAMIE -- Ken Niumatalolo is a soft-spoken, mild-mannered man.

San Jose State's third-year head coach is thoughtful in his postgame remarks and is quick to dish out credit where it's due. Immediately following a 16-13 overtime loss to Wyoming Friday night inside a sparse CEFCU Stadium, he became his own harshest critic.

"I lost that game," he said, bluntly. "You can't mismanage the clock at the end of the half like that. It's horse crap on my part."

While that sequence left Niumatalolo shaking his head behind the podium, Monday afternoon, more than 1,100 miles to the west, a smile creased the youthful face of Cade Brook.

He was partially responsible for that second-quarter mishap.

Facing a 2nd-and-5 at the Cowboys' 25-yard line with just 16 ticks remaining in the half, Luke Weaver clutched the shotgun snap with two hands and waited for a crossing route to develop.

That did happen, but SJSU's senior quarterback wasn't afforded the time to deliver the ball. Near 300-pound defensive tackle Jayden Williams collapsed the middle of the pocket, pushing back-up center Lavaka Taukeiaho into his signal caller's lap. Cruising around the right edge, Brook was also in hot pursuit.

Crunch.

With no timeouts remaining, Niumatalolo hurried his field-goal unit onto the field. It was too late.

The former Mormon missionary dropped another "horse crap" as he relived the moment.

Brook immediately popped up, looked over to the visiting sideline, and pumped his fists. It was the redshirt freshman's first-career sack. It was also quietly one of the biggest plays of the game.

"It was definitely a little overwhelming," the 6-foot-3, 256-pound edge rusher said. "I was telling my coach and my teammates, I kind of blacked out in the moment. I was proud of myself. I've been working hard and it felt good to get something done. That meant a lot."

A high-ankle sprain last fall sidelined the Aurora, Colo., product. A strained hamstring limited him throughout the offseason. Still, he was thrown into the fire in the season opener at Colorado State. Brook tallied his first-career tackle in Fort Collins and was on the field for 27 defensive snaps. That workload decreased significantly over the next two weeks, yet he still finished with a solo stop in both games.

Brook said he was still learning to "play free."

It was a Week-5 outing in Fargo that served as the beginning of the confidence wave he is currently riding. Brook finished with a quarterback hurry. He also assisted on two tackles and added another stop.

A hurry, a tackle and that crucial half-a-sack came last Friday night.

Jay Sawvel, for one, is not the least bit surprised that results are starting to come.

"You kind of saw in the spring what kind of motor he had. Like, a huge motor, and you could see it even in winter workouts," Wyoming's third-year head coach said. "To see the weight that he gained -- I think when he came here he was probably 215 and now he's 250-something -- but where he's at from a physical standpoint, his motor, everything else to it, I mean, he's going to be a really good player here for a for a long time.

"He's just a tough dude, and he's always going to play. I mean, hard. So, there's always places for that guy."

Kalvin Janssen has witnessed this transformation firsthand.

The 307-pound offensive guard said he has had many battles with Brook in practice since the two arrived on campus together in 2025. Though the two are now close friends, Janssen said it's a "love-hate relationship" between the white lines.

"We get after it in practice, for sure," he added. "He's a dog, for sure. He's very physical. When I'm pulling, you look over and see Cade and think, 'I've got to bring it.' He's strong, quick and can really bend the corner."

Brook was a three-star recruit out of Cherokee Trail High School, earning multiple all-state honors. That will happen when you cap your senior season with 10 sacks. CSU wanted him. So did Washington State.

Now, you can see why.

Northern Illinois, Wyoming's next opponent, has allowed 18 quarterback takedowns in only five games. That ranks the Huskies 136th out of 138 FBS programs. That front five has also given up 33 tackles for loss, which also resides on Page 3 of the NCAA's official stats website.

Does that leave Brook licking his chops? Not necessarily.

"Honestly, my approach this week is don't look at wins and losses and who they lost to, don't look at stats -- it's just another week and we have to grow ... It's always a good feeling when you know you can get after someone, but then again, that's not my main approach. I want to make sure I stay locked in on what's the goal this weekend, and that's to win."

MORE UW FOOTBALL NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS:

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* Making the Grade: Bogar Becoming QB's Worst Nightmare

* Rants and Raves: SJSU Spartans Edition

* FINAL LIVE FILE: Wyoming 16, San Jose State 13 OT

* Wyoming Outlasts San Jose State in Overtime, 16-13

* Turning Point, Unsung Hero and What's Next for UW Football

* Behind the Numbers: Pokes 'Let it Rip' on Fourth Down

* Hughes Put Cowboys on His Bruised Back in 16-13 OT Win

* Anatomy of an 8-Game Road Losing Streak

* Q&A With Frustrated Wyoming Offensive Coordinator Christian Taylor