Sims Finds End Zone Less Than Year After Third ACL Tear

LARAMIE -- A wide smile creasing his face, Tyler Hughes stood behind the podium and answered questions from the local media just minutes after a 41-23 dismantling of visiting Northern Illinois.

The senior signal caller just put the finishing touches on a career outing, one that included 183 rushing yards on just a dozen carries. He also crossed the white stripe four times.

The Mountain West Monday deemed Hughes the Offensive Player of the Week.

It's been a couple of "solid" weeks on personal level, Hughes admitted postgame, but he was more interested in talking about his teammates after Wyoming moved to 3-1 in conference action.

More specifically, fellow quarterback Landon Sims.

With just 6:38 remaining in regulation and the Cowboys facing a 3rd-and-1 at the NIU 11-yard line, the junior from Alabama snatched the shotgun snap and took a couple of jump steps to his left.

He waited patiently to see the reaction of the Huskie linebackers.

He liked what he saw.

Sims had a clear path to the end zone and took it. He sprinted toward the pylon and cruised into the Tetons untouched. He celebrated the score by hugging fans lined up along the fence in the north end zone.

"I'm super happy for Landon Sims," Hughes said. "That guy works super hard. He's a guy that always keeps me going. He keeps me pushing. He's a great locker-room guy, a great team guy, and it's always good to see a fellow quarterback going out and doing good stuff."

On the surface this was just a late touchdown jaunt in a blowout win. Not for Sims.

He is just 11-plus months removed from a total ACL reconstruction, the third -- all on his left knee -- of his football career. To make matters worse, Sims was just handed the keys to the Cowboy offense in that November meeting with San Diego State.

He said that was a tougher pill to swallow than the injury itself.

One can only imagine how difficult the painful surgeries and grueling behind-the-scenes physical-therapy sessions are, but the mental aspect, not even Sims himself can put into words.

Same can be said for that trip to brown-and-gold paint on Saturday.

"It felt really good," he said with his southern accent and a smile. "I'm very blessed. God has blessed me, tremendously, to be able to bounce back from something like this. Not many people bounce back the same way. Crossing that line felt really good."

In the 48 hours that followed, Sims said he did take some time to reflect on the moment and the trials that led him to that result. In reality, though, he was just happy to contribute. It was a small payback for all the support he's received from the "brothers" inside that locker room.

"We're very close," he added. "I love all my teammates. We spend what, like 80% to 85% of the year together? So, you know, we're a super close group. We really love each other."

That has always been apparent to Sims' head coach.

"It was good to see Landon make some plays," Jay Sawvel said postgame. "Landon's a tough dude. The players love him."

It's easy to see why.

Sims has a laidback attitude and a welcoming grin to match. He's personable and humorous. He's the type of person who would likely respond to a text from the backup punter before the university president.

Freshman quarterback Tyler Franklin confirmed that on Monday.

"Everyone loves him around here," he said of Sims. "Everyone knows him: training staff, fueling station staff, everyone. Everyone loves him, so everyone's rooting for him."

Sawvel reiterated Saturday that if the staff ever needs to go to the bullpen, they all have ultimate confidence in all three experienced QBs, including Mason Drube.

That feeling is a shared one.

"Sims is a great quarterback," starting left tackle Rex Johnsen said. "I have all the belief in Landon. He prepares really hard every week and comes to practice acting like he's the starter and he's still fighting for that job."

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