Landon Sims: ‘You Can’t Get Rid of Me That Easy’

LARAMIE -- Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel called it a "gut punch" to the entire locker room.

Jovon Bouknight, the acting offensive coordinator that night, said it was a "tremendous loss," adding the team missed not only his playmaking abilities, but his heart.

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For Landon Sims it was simply a setback, one he's unfortunately faced multiple times before in his all-too brief college football career.

Facing a 2nd-and-9 at the Cowboys' 26-yard line, Sims took his five-step drop before stepping up in the pocket. The then-sophomore quarterback quickly surveyed the field before dumping a short pass down the seam in the direction of tight end John Michael Gyllenborg.

It didn't connect.

San Diego State's 6-foot-5, 255-pound edge rusher Brady Nassar did.

While it appeared Sims' upper body bore the brunt of that violent collision, his already twice surgically repaired left leg briefly got hung up in the well-manicured turf inside Snapdragon Stadium.

"I knew what happened," Sims said on Tuesday inside the team's meeting room. "I didn't even see the guy to the right. In hindsight, I probably would have just ran it, but I was trying to make a play in the time of the game when I felt like we needed one. It's football -- stuff like that happens. But when it did happened, I was pretty positive that it happened again."

"It" was a torn ACL.

It's the third time, same knee.

Emotions? Yeah, those were all over the place, the Alabama native admitted. His mind raced. How could this happen again? He was finally seeing significant time under center -- and making plays -- at the sport's highest level. With Kaden Anderson struggling through what would become his final season in Laramie, Sims also now knew he had the reins of this offense.

He was unofficially anointed Wyoming's new starting quarterback that night in Southern California.

"Honestly that probably did, almost, in a way, hurt more than the injury," he added with a deep sigh. "It just kind of derailed everything."

The Cowboys went on to drop the next three games, missing the postseason for a second consecutive year.

Sims capped his first stint on the high plains, completing 6-of-8 passing attempts for 38 yards. What really separated him was the threat he posed with his legs. He rushed for 97 yards on just 15 attempts, crossing the goal line one time in a 28-0 rout of Border War rival Colorado State.

A 37-yard jaunt on the opening drive of the night in San Diego set the Cowboys up inside the Aztecs' 5-yard line. Sims would connect with running back Sam Scott on a three-yard touchdown toss three snaps later.

"It's heartbreaking to see," fellow quarterback Gage Brook said the following Monday after that 24-7 loss to the Aztecs. "I think it was more than just the quarterback room, the team took it hard."

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Sims has been present at Wyoming's first three practices of the spring, relaying signs to his fellow signal callers and even tossing the football on the side. Tuesday, he was nearly a full participant, donning shoulder pads, a blue No. 14 jersey and a bulky black brace on his left leg.

Sims, just five months removed from surgery, was reeling in shotgun snaps and reading defenses again.

His first real throw, which came during a 7-on-7 drill, was perfectly placed into the arms of a streaking Tyler Nystrom, who made one cut up field before racing toward the end zone.

Sims found Samuel Harris on the very next play. The speedy running back they call "Tote" ran a wheel route out of the backfield. Cornerback David Leonard zigged when he should've zagged. Harris hauled in the pass and was off to the races down the home sideline for what would've been a 70-yard touchdown.

"That did feel really good," Sims said, a smile creasing his face. "That's one of those, you know, it comes off your fingers and you just kind of take a couple steps back after.

"Yeah, it felt really good."

Sawvel was asked last November if he thought Sims might hang up his cleats. He didn't hesitate one but with his answer.

"When you know Landon's spirit, no, that's not going to be an option," he said back then. "I think you'd pretty much have to drag him out."

How satisfying was it to see the junior back out on the practice fields, zipping the ball around War Memorial Stadium?

"I think that's really positive," Sawvel added. "... He's ahead of pace, and he's ahead of pace because of who he is and how hard he's going to work."

Sims said the first knee injury forced him to become a more well-rounded quarterback at East Central Community College in Mississippi, especially in the passing department. His second season-ending setback caused him to become a student of the game, breaking down film and picking up tendencies.

What will his limitations be when he is fully cleared this summer? He knows the odds are stacked against him.

"I don't plan on losing a step in anything I do," he said. "I'm coming back to be great, elite, however you want to put it -- that's my goal. That's what I'm planning on and going to do."

Sims said he never let doubt creep into his mind. With the support of his family and team, he put his head down and again tackled a painful operation and a regimen of grueling rehabilitation.

Tyler Hughes was signed this offseason to be the experienced starter this program so desperately needs. Mason Drube, the local favorite, is in the mix, too. Taylor Hasselbeck will arrive in the summer and he's bringing a QB pedigree with him. Both his father, Tim, and uncle, Matt, manned the position in the NFL.

Don't count out the redhead with the southern drawl.

He's not.

"Never. Not once," Sims said, referring to waving the white flag on what seems to be a snake-bitten career. "I love this game. I've been playing it since I was in the first grade. My father's a coach. I've been around it my whole life.

"You can't get rid of me that easy."